Hughes and Kettner Triamp

[Wesley Owens]

I recently picked up a Hughes and Kettner triamp, used. I have to say that this is a great used value out there for anyone wanting an all tube versatile amp head. It is a quality head that has three independant tube pre-amp sections, each with an A and B channel. Although these channels are reminiscent of some timeless american and british amps, they have there own unique voice, which I think is a good thing if you want to stand out. The new price on these is very high, but I can hear the quality of the build and the tone; and with the versatility, I can see where the price comes from. However, in the used market, since they don't have Mesa or Fender or Marshall written on them, these amps can be picked up for the price of a new mediocre tube head. They are not marketed as well here in the US, but that doesn't mean that the sound quality is not as good or better. In my opinion, people are sometimes modifying mesa's and marshall's to sound more like what this amp sounds like stock: very good clean tones and when it dirties up it maintains presence and clarity, but you can still get warmth and chunk, especially by dialing in the global presence knob to your liking. So, if you are not afraid to buy used, look at the Hughes and Kettner triamp. By the way, the 4x12 cabs I got with it are built like a tank, and are almost as heavy. The drawbacks would be that the head is also very heavy, it is loud at a 100 watts using 4 EL34's with no lower watt mode, and if you had to replace all the tubes at once you are looking at 9 12ax7's and 4EL34's and a lot of money gone if you go with expensive tubes. Luckily mine had new tubes in it when I got it. Also, with the clarity you can't get as lazy with your playing as I used to, but it is worth it for how it performs when you play it right.