Ordered a H&K Tubemeister 18 Combo Today

[yell03]

I currently have 2 Fender Pro Juniors and I just sold my Marshall Class 5.

I have 4 well selected pedals to run with my single channel non-master volume combos....
TS808 OD, Fulltone OCD OD, MXR M78 Distortion, and Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master Reverb/Delay.

As you can imagine this is a very portable rig, but I decided I wanted even more portability as in not needing any pedals if I didn't want to bring them.

I researched many Small two channel amps and the best features and most portability is the H&K Tubemeister 18 1x10 combo.
It is almost exactly the same size and weight as the Fender Pro Junior, but it has 2 channels, a boost feature, effects loop and digital reverb. It also has 1w, 5w, and 18w selectability built in.

These sell for $699, and a footswitch is $50 extra.

I passed on the footswitch until I decide if the amp is as good in person as it is on paper and in videos.

I used a 20% off coupon and got the amp for $560 shipped to my door.

It is scheduled to arrive Monday 5/14.

I have been through so many very good amps...
Egnaters, Blackstars, Orange, Marshalls, Buddas, Fenders, Peaveys, Vox, Engl, etc...

All have been very good, but none has had all the features and portability I wanted.
Some were great, but single channel amps with master volumes that did not provide enough flexibility (Vox, Egnater, Orange)
The Buddas were great, but not for low volume playing.

The H&K looks to be a great combination of the features I want, but it is all about TONE, let's see how it performs after it arrives.

If it is as good as I hope, then one of my Fender Pro Juniors will be up on the block along with one or two pedals.

[Sinster]

Crap! I'm too late! Was going to tell you, you can get it from MF 509.00 shipped.


NM you got the combo not the Head. Omit the above statement. :-) and Congrats.

[yell03]

Originally Posted by Sinster

Crap! I'm too late! Was going to tell you, you can get it from MF 509.00 shipped.


NM you got the combo not the Head. Omit the above statement. :-) and Congrats.

The Combo costs $100 more than the Head, so $560 is pretty good.

I saw the amp shipped today, but I am hoping they shipped the combo, the weight looks a bit low and they really rushed to send it out for me by Monday.
If they messed up and sent the Head, I don't have any cabs to try it with.
The Combo weighs 20lbs and the Head weighs around 10lbs, I have a bad feeling.

[lifele55]

I hope they weighed it wrong.. Sucks to do whole return and wait thing again.

[yell03]

Originally Posted by lifele55

I hope they weighed it wrong.. Sucks to do whole return and wait thing again.

I know, I am hoping they just punched in a lower # to save on shipping.

[Sinster]

Originally Posted by lifele55

I hope they weighed it wrong.. Sucks to do whole return and wait thing again.

It gives yell03 a good opportunity to score even more money off Where you get it from? If you ordered it from MF just have them ship the replacement overnight to you.

[yell03]

Originally Posted by Sinster

It gives yell03 a good opportunity to score even more money off Were you get it from? If you ordered it from MF just have them ship the replacement overnight to you.

I got it from another company, since they are not a sponsor I won;t mention them.

I have done business with them many times and they are great to deal with for purchases and returns.

[frehley76]

Congrats! I have the head, great little amp!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by frehley76

Congrats! I have the head, great little amp!

I am anxiously waiting

[LPCollector]

CONGRATS!!!

I have never played the combo, but I LOVE my head.....'specially with the Mullards in it!

ENJOY!....and give us a report when you get it home!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by LPCollector

CONGRATS!!!

I have never played the combo, but I LOVE my head.....'specially with the Mullards in it!

ENJOY!....and give us a report when you get it home!

I think the Head with a 1x12 cab would sound better, definitely better with a 2x12, but...

The combo is so portable for small gigs and I still have the option of running it through a cab.

At 20lbs, the combo doesn't weigh more than most heads.

I will post up after I get it for sure.

[LPCollector]

Originally Posted by yell03

definitely better with a 2x12, but...

Gratuitous response shot (again).........sorry, it's the law around here!

[Rhust]

enjoying hearing the reviews on this guy... it seems like such a solid buy! grats man!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by LPCollector

Gratuitous response shot (again).........sorry, it's the law around here!

Love that cab!!!

Originally Posted by Rhust

enjoying hearing the reviews on this guy... it seems like such a solid buy! grats man!

It should be here today, I will post up after a little time with it.

[yell03]

Oh well, looks like I won't have it until later in the week.
It is being shipped from the Manufacturer, not the retailer.

[Sinster]

Purchase a Tubemeister 18 head via private sale. Can't wait!!!

[David Corrales]

Originally Posted by yell03

I think the Head with a 1x12 cab would sound better, definitely better with a 2x12, but...

The combo is so portable for small gigs and I still have the option of running it through a cab.

At 20lbs, the combo doesn't weigh more than most heads.

I will post up after I get it for sure.

I'm interested in hearing about it... I love the 10kg weight for the whole combo!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by Sinster

Purchase a Tubemeister 18 head via private sale. Can't wait!!!

Post up after you get it.

Originally Posted by David Corrales

I'm interested in hearing about it... I love the 10kg weight for the whole combo!

Checked UPS, it will be here today

[rjwilson37]

Originally Posted by yell03

Checked UPS, it will be here today

Well.... Were waiting....!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by rjwilson37

Well.... Were waiting....!

My Tubemeister 18 1x10 combo arrived at 5:30.
I played around with it for 2 hours.
Here are some initial reviews.....

Clean channel:
I really like the clean channel.
It has a separate gain knob which I actually like cranked.
It gives me a gritty clean that way, but you can get a spanky clean by rolling the gain down.
I really like the warm cleans it puts out with the gain knob cranked, kind of like using a Tube screamer through a clean amp.

Gain Channel:
I really like the gain channel.
It can give you anything from blues to hard rock depending on where you set the gain knob.

Boost Feature:
You have to be careful with the Boost feature which works with the Gain channel.
If you have the Gain cranked on the gain channel the amp sounds great, but when you engage the Boost it gets Fizzy.
If you know you are going to use the Boost, keep your gain on the gain channel at 12 o'clock or so and then the boost works well.
However, the Boost also can get a bit muddy, so you might need to raise your Treble on the amp.
Boost allows you to get some serious thud out of the little 1x10, definitely can sound HUGE.
***I like using my TS808 as a boost if I have the Gain Channel maxed out instead of the Boost Feature***

Tone Controls:
The Tone Control are great, very responsive and with a Wide Range.
However, this amp might benefit from separate Tone Controls for the two channels, especially when using the Boost Feature or when using the Clean Channel with Pedals where it can be a bit Bright.

Reverb
The built in digital reverb sounds GREAT, but it is not a strong reverb, more of an ambient reverb.
No surf music on this, but for me I love it.

Power Attenuator
The 1w, 5w, 18w settings all sound great and are very usable for practice, jams, or gigs.
At 18w at low volume you lose some tone, a quick switch to 1w or 5w and all is perfect.

Pedals:
Much different than my Fender Pro Jrs which LOVE all pedals.
With the Tubemeister you have to tweak your pedal setting to get it to sound good.
The TS808 works great with the TM18, great for boosting the Gain Channel, I like it better than using the amps Boost Feature for rock, the Boost Feature gets you in to metal territory and extreme thud.
My Fulltone OCD which works OK with my Fender Pro Jr as long as I max out the treble on the tone of the OCD is really nice with the TM18.
I actually can set the OCD tone at noon and it sounds great.
My MXR 78 distortiom which works great with my Pro Jr does not go so well with the TM18.
Very fizzy and very bright.
I had to turn the distortion way down to avoid fizz where with the Pro Jr I can max out the distortion.
Of course, the reason I bought the TM18 was to avoid pedals and I have to say, the only pedal I really need with it is my TS808 as a boost and maybe my Dispatch Master Reverb/Delay in the loop, but only for the Delay Effect, the reverb on the TM18 is great.

It is too early to say, but I think the H&K Tubemister 18 1x10 combo is a keeper and I could see my Fender Pro Juniors some of my pedals going up for sale after I get some more time with it.
It took me a few minutes with it to like it, it was not LOVE at first sight, it took a little tweaking.
I really wish the Boost Feature did not get muddy and fizzy, if the Boost feature had its own separate tone controls, more like a 3rd channel it would be perfect.
The Clean and gain Channels shared Tone Controls are OK, it is when the Boost is engaged you need to tweak.

More reviews later

[Rhust]

awesome review!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by Rhust

awesome review!

Thanks...

Still in the initial stages, give me some time to really get to know it.

[LPCollector]

CONGRATS!!!

Great review!

Now, get rid of those cheap ass Chinese tubes ASAP!!!!!!
Better tubes warmed up the gain/cleans and gave me a better, "chunky-ier", thicker sounding percussive attack.

The pedals sound best thru the loop, at least mine do.
But, I have to agree that tweaking the pedal to optimize tone/effect/sound is imperitive with this head/amp.

Just for grins, you gotta try it thru a 2X12!
Beg, borrow, plead........take it to GC....but try this little Beeotch thru a 2X12 or 4X12! (I have both)
It is then that you will realize your money was well spent.

Depending on "your sound", I think it is one of the better values on the market today!

[lifele55]

Now, run a W/D/W setup with those amps!

[yell03]

Originally Posted by LPCollector

CONGRATS!!!

Great review!

Now, get rid of those cheap ass Chinese tubes ASAP!!!!!!
Better tubes warmed up the gain/cleans and gave me a better, "chunky-ier", thicker sounding percussive attack.

The pedals sound best thru the loop, at least mine do.
But, I have to agree that tweaking the pedal to optimize tone/effect/sound is imperitive with this head/amp.

Just for grins, you gotta try it thru a 2X12!
Beg, borrow, plead........take it to GC....but try this little Beeotch thru a 2X12 or 4X12! (I have both)
It is then that you will realize your money was well spent.

Depending on "your sound", I think it is one of the better values on the market today!

I had a feeling New tubes might be an improvement.
It looks like a tough swap compared to my Fender Pros.
Even so, I'll run these tubes until they die, they still sound good.

I never run OD or Distortion pedals in the loop, with this amp, the truth is only a TS808 is needed and maybe a Delay in the loop.
I just wanted to see how the Clean channel with Pedals compared to my Fender Pro Jr.

I wish I still had my G-flex 2x12, I know it would be a MONSTER.

I agree, this amp is serious Bang for the Buck.

I won't say that this is the BEST amp I have ever heard, at least not yet, but it is one of the BEST values in amps I have heard.

Originally Posted by lifele55

Now, run a W/D/W setup with those amps!

I know what you mean, but what does W/D/W stand for.


I need a little more time with it.
Initial reviews are tough to do so here is after another 1/2 hour.

The Clean Channel is nice when run completely clean, not the nicest I have heard, but nice.
I really like to thicken it up with the Gain Knob, just so warm sounding.

For rhythm players the Gain channel is great for anything from Blues to Hard Rock, but if you play Lead you will want to boost it with a TS808 or some other Overdrive pedal to get you over the top and add some sustain.

The boost feature will do this, but then on your rhythm part, you might have to set the gain a bit lower than you want as the Boost feature adds a LOT of Boost and Gain and will tend to fizz you out and muddy it up if your initial settings are too high.

For Metal Guys, the Boost Feature will do this for you and even the little 1x10 Combo has some serious chunk and thud if you like that, definitely shakes the walls.

I still need to try the amp with my Tele, only review was with my Les Pauls so far.

[lifele55]

W/D/W = Wet Dry Wet..

[Sinster]

Mine should be here Monday. I picked it up over at another forum for 350.00 shipped ups. I'm a liitle nervous about the price I paid. I have purchase a guitar from this person before, but that was in 2008.

[yell03]

Originally Posted by lifele55

W/D/W = Wet Dry Wet..

Thanks

Originally Posted by Sinster

Mine should be here Monday. I picked it up over at another forum for 350.00 shipped ups. I'm a liitle nervous about the price I paid. I have purchase a guitar from this person before, but that was in 2008.

You beat me to it, I was gonna grab that one if I liked the combo, I had sent him a PM

Let me know how you like it

[Sinster]

Originally Posted by yell03

Thanks



You beat me to it, I was gonna grab that one if I liked the combo, I had sent him a PM

Let me know how you like it

Thank goodness I beat you to it . I was going around trying to find the cheapest place to get one. I stopped by that forum did a search for Tubemeister and got a hit. Read the price and I couldn't click the "PM" button quick enough. I thought there would be a stack of people PM'ing him. He posted the ad at 8:45 am on the 14th. I PM'd him on the 16th at 12:30 am.. I thought it would have been gone.

There's a ebay store selling one for 529.99 w/free shipping or Best Offer..

[yell03]

Originally Posted by Sinster

Thank goodness I beat you to it . I was going around trying to find the cheapest place to get one. I stopped by that forum did a search for Tubemeister and got a hit. Read the price and I couldn't click the "PM" button quick enough. I thought there would be a stack of people PM'ing him. He posted the ad at 8:45 am on the 14th. I PM'd him on the 16th at 12:30 am.. I thought it would have been gone.

There's a ebay store selling one for 529.99 w/free shipping or Best Offer..

I had already ordered my Combo for $560 shipped, but I told him if I liked it I'd probably buy the Head unit from him.

I prefer combo, but $350 was a steal.