Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 combo

**Jazz_175** · 12-05-2012, 03:02 PM

Originally Posted by jazzbow

Yup, the 18 combo. Very clinically clean, no squishy character but I'm reading on other forums this amp warms up by degrees from tube swaps, V1 & V2 pre amp valves especially and jj power tubes.

My current valve amp is too heavy and I want a light alternative. Bluefonia suggested VHT which is also on me list. But I'm quite taken by this amp and maybe might buy

Hi jazzbow,
where are you located in Scotland? I was there for a few years,
I used to go to Sound Control music shop in Edinburgh and Dundee.

Can you make a direct comparison of the amp with a Fender tube amp if you go again to the music-shop?

**jazzbow** · 12-05-2012, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Hi jazzbow,
where are you located in Scotland? I was there for a few years,
I used to go to Sound Control music shop in Edinburgh and Dundee.

Ah, I'm located in the south west of Scotland so Glasgow is closer for me. Merchant Music on London road is where I went, they've just moved. A weird experience, they have a pod on wheels where you sit inside to try instruments without disturbance. If they have a long enough power cable they could move you around the shop floor, very strange!

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Can you make a direct comparison of the amp with a Fender tube amp if you go again to the music-shop?

First off Fender has many different configurations of tube amps so I guess the closest would be the Blues Junior which has one extra 12AX7 pre amp tube.
If I remember I'll try

**Jazz_175** · 12-06-2012, 01:59 AM

To Tell the truth I would like to see a comparison with a Deluxe Reverb,
which I own, but I guess it is more common finding a Blues Junior at music shops.
The Deluxe Reverb has got 2 6v6 and is rated 22 watts rms.

**peterpanico** · 12-08-2012, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

To Tell the truth I would like to see a comparison with a Deluxe Reverb,
which I own, but I guess it is more common finding a Blues Junior at music shops.
The Deluxe Reverb has got 2 6v6 and is rated 22 watts rms.

and does not have a very wide clean headroom,I had one,wich was so good for Blues,not so good on clean jazz tones,unless you play at very low volume,
I would go for a Princeton Reissue if I had to stay in Fender homebase,and wanted a small,light clean combo.

**Jazz_175** · 12-08-2012, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by peterpanico

and does not have a very wide clean headroom,I had one,wich was so good for Blues,not so good on clean jazz tones,unless you play at very low volume,
I would go for a Princeton Reissue if I had to stay in Fender homebase,and wanted a small,light clean combo.

I don't agree with that. I played in live gigs with the Deluxe Reverb.
Of course the Deluxe Reverb is not a Twin Reverb and you cannot go beyond a certain value because you get distortion but I wouldn't call " very low volume " what you get as a clean sound.
It also depends on the venue and how loud the drummer is playing.
The Princeton Reissue is even less powerful

**peterpanico** · 12-08-2012, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

I don't agree with that. I played in live gigs with the Deluxe Reverb.
Of course the Deluxe Reverb is not a Twin Reverb and you cannot go beyond a certain value because you get distortion but I wouldn't call " very low volume " what you get as a clean sound.
It also depends on the venue and how loud the drummer is playing.
The Princeton Reissue is even less powerful

Deluxe Reverb is not a Twin Reverb

I know I had both...

and you cannot go beyond a certain value because you get distortion

That's what i said...

The Princeton Reissue is even less powerful

A clean amp is not a matter of power rating,but of "projectuality",
you can have a perfectly clean little 15 watts amp,if you just want it to be.
Anyway to me, the DeLuxeReverb did not look very suited for what I feel a clean amp should be,a very good sounding boy,indeed,but not for that,imho of course

That's my experience

**jazzbow** · 12-08-2012, 03:17 PM

Coming back to the tubemeister, with the clean channel gain at 12 o'clock and the master up full the amp is incredibly clean, a great platform for an O/D pedal or fuzz box.

That aside this thread seems to be the jazzbow show with starring cast!

Does any one else out there have one or have tried one?

Please join in, I needs more input.....

**Jazz_175** · 12-08-2012, 03:32 PM

The amp is probably not so common among people

**jazzbow** · 12-08-2012, 03:46 PM

Funny, I would have thought it would be more common over here in Europe, especially Germany! It's a good job I didn't post a thread on Koch amps....

**jazzbow** · 12-08-2012, 03:47 PM

In fact I think I will!!

**bluefonia** · 12-08-2012, 06:02 PM

Originally Posted by jazzbow

Funny, I would have thought it would be more common over here in Europe, especially Germany! It's a good job I didn't post a thread on Koch amps....

I have had a Koch Studiotone

, - very nice amp by the way

**PerhapsAnMetalhead_235** · 12-07-2018, 09:43 PM

Under any circumstances, do not get this amp for jazz. I mean it.

**Hammertone** · 12-08-2018, 06:08 PM

Sheesh, six years later and I still haven't tried the H&K Tubemeister 18 head or combo, but it looks really interesting, and I've been meaning to check it out. I've used H&K gear in the past (Tube Rotosphere, Blues Master, Metal Shredder) and I think it's really excellent.

Did someone say Koch?
I've used a bunch of their amps over the past few years. I have used their 20 watt, Class A, Studiotone quite a bit, either in head or combo form, and think it sounds great for jazz. I still use the head version. It's plenty loud, highly portable, with lots of tonal adjustments, cab options, spring reverb and so forth. It even has a headphone out jack in addition a couple of recording out jacks. It doesn't have a power scaling switch, but seems to offer a lot of the other features you seek. Have you had a chance to play through one?

**PerhapsAnMetalhead_235** · 12-08-2018, 11:51 PM

It happens to be that I own an H&K Tubemeister 18. Doesn't have the most desirable clean tone for jazz, not to mention its low headroom. I am planning to sell my H&K to get a Jazz Chorus 22.

**jazzbow** · 12-09-2018, 04:31 PM

Alas poor thread! I knew it, Thread-or-no, a thread of infinite test, of most excellent fancy. It hath brought me back a thousand times, and now, how adored in my imagination it is! My guitar rises at it. Here strung those flatwounds that I have touched I know not how oft. -Where be those vibes now? Your twangs? Your songs? Your flashes of merriment that were wont to set my amp to a roar? Not one now to mock your own strumming? Quite chapfallen?
Now get me to my music shop and tell them, let the pick an inch thick, to this favour you must strum. Make us laugh at this. -Prithee Thread-or-no, tells me everything.

While clutching his Jazz Tele, Jazzbow bows to rapturous applause, looks to the sky, winks and blows a kiss then exits stage left.

Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 combo-applause-jpg

Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 combo-applause-jpg

**jazzbow** · 12-09-2018, 04:32 PM

I bought an Ampeg

**Papawooly** · 12-09-2018, 06:35 PM

That post is almost as old as this gig footage...

Featuring an H&K Tubemeister played by Todd Williams (RIP 2018) with our band
Chronic Fuel doing a benefit Christmas gig for Toys for Tots...
We played Tom Petty's entire 1st Album

...also greatly missed is Dale Deremer (RIP 2014) on bass.. his last gig

The amp (and Todd) sound great (if you can get past the chicks screaming!!)