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Hughes & Kettner
I've always liked Hughes & Kettner stuff, probably because they try really hard to make modern products that retain vintage sounds. At MusikMesse, this was illustrated by two new products at opposite ends of the spectrum. At one end was the Zentera digital modeling 2x12 combo amp, at 100 watts per side. The Zentera includes ten model types, which range from jazz to acoustic to what are presumably tweed and blackface Fenders, a Vox AC/30, a variety of Marshalls, and a Mesa/Boogie. The amp also possesses a slew of built-in effects, including wah, delay, compression, chorus, flange, reverb, and phase. Tremolo and pitch-shift, however, are notable absences. This was the model used by Hughes & Kettner demonstrators Andreas Schmitt Martelle and Thomas Blug; both are master players who coaxed very smooth, blues-approved sounds out of the amp. This was made more impressive by the fact that everyone listened to the demonstration via direct signal fed through headphones, which tend to kill tone. The amp should sound even better when played through its own speakers. The 30-watt Pure Tone stands at the other end of the spectrum. This amp head has tone controls, but the user can remove all of them, except for volume, from the signal path - thus the principle behind "pure tone." As Blug sees it, both the Zentera and the Pure Tone have a place. "Because of the modeling, we can duplicate the behavior of the amp stages," he explains. "With a tube amp you have to crank it up." What he means is that players don't just seek tone - they seek a feel from their amp. Every amp has a sweet spot where it takes just the right amount of effort to make the note sing. The Zentera, Blug adds, can provide the sweet spot at practically any volume . . . or even direct into the mixing console or through headphones. And the Pure Tone provides players with the real thing when they have the opportunity to crank. U.S. prices were not available at the show, but based on the European prices both amps should cost around $2,000. www.hughes-and-kettner.com, 847-439-6771 |
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