Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 36

[rudociliak]

So I've owned a tubemeister 36 for a while now, running through a 120 watt hughes and kettner 2x!2 cab which has 2 v30's in it. I gotta say the amp sounds incredible and sure is fucking loud for 36 watts. mine has just the china tubes in it but they sound great to my ear, someday I may swap them out for some better ones, easy addition. The clean channel imo is very nice, beautiful super clean tones, and you can get a nice grit or even crunchy feel with the gain turned up. The crunch channel can do a nice job aswell with mid range and all, just let the tubes heat up a little more and itll sound pretty much as rock n roll , rock n roll gets. A tubecreamer would help I guess if you want to really get it kicking, anyways the lead channel also sounds fricken nice, it has that ballsy 80's tone , not over saturated gain, nice and balanced. And it sure can get a heavy sound with a JB and a Tone Zone. I seen the grandmeister with the additional Ultra channel but I already have a very nice pedal I run through my clean channel to get that crazy high gain sound. If youve owned any of these series what are your thoughts on them? Encounter any issues with these, dislikes or likes?I also really like the addition of the LED's wired up to the circuit in the back that can show you which of your tubes are nice and toasty and which ones are completely toast . The reverb also sounds very nice... and has a nice large dial so you can very precisely tune it, I usually have it a little under half it comes out more through the cleans and adds that fabulous factor lol. ALso HOW COOL ARE THE BLUE LIGHTS IN THE FRONT PANEL, COOL POINTS OR WHAT??


Side note: anyone here own a WARP X? I recently discovered these amps and they seem to be one hell of a cool amp, with a pretty unique tone too for very high gain stuff.

[Frigo89]

I have owned a Switchblade for the last 5 years. I think its the only amp I've ever owned for more than 24 months.

On that note, from other H&K enthusiasts, I haven't heard good things about the Warp X

[lefty]

I've got the little 5-watt Meister. Totally dig it. Love the silent-out capability.
Not too wild about the amp's natural drive, but no worry, I run a good dirt
box into it on clean, and Bob's your Uncle. Great amp!

[rudociliak]

I have owned a Switchblade for the last 5 years. I think its the only amp I've ever owned for more than 24 months.

On that note, from other H&K enthusiasts, I haven't heard good things about the Warp X

Oh, that's shitty. I mean from what Ive heard of it, seems to have a nice tone to my ear. Oh well

[mantis]

I played the 36 a few years back and thought it was a nice sounding amp. Nothing stood out to me but I wouldn't kick it to the curb either.
At 36 watts and if thats controllable at low volumes and retains a great sound, I'd put it on my list for a home practice amp that I can play , get great sound and not crack my house.
I don't see them around anymore in the stores so as usual it's difficult to go out and play some of these nice amps.
I really liked the way it looked with the cool blue lights, very nice and pleasing to the eye.

[jgcable]

The only thing I didn't care for on the Tubemeister series is the lack of warmth. To my ears.. the entire series has a hi-fi like quality to it. Almost reminds me of modeling a little. Especially the 18 and the 36. Still... its a really nice sounding amp.

[rudociliak]

The only thing I didn't care for on the Tubemeister series is the lack of warmth. To my ears.. the entire series has a hi-fi like quality to it. Almost reminds me of modeling a little. Especially the 18 and the 36. Still... its a really nice sounding amp.

good to know, I'd have yet to really compare to any other amp other than a bugera333 I played once

[mantis]

after my nightmare experience with the EVH 50 watt head, I want to re visit these amps

[holycross1]

Tube roll that Tubemeister!
You can unlock a whole new sound, or open up an amp like you never knew it could be opened.
NOS tubes or new. Nothing wrong with Chinese tubes. They make good and bad.
It all depends on how cheap or how much you value your tone.
I have a close friend that has run one of those in his place for a few years now.
The right tubes made it amazing. The right speakers/Cabinet made it glow tonally. Believe it or not, the cheap Orange cabinets that have their own speakers (Voice of the Theater) in them are a match made made in heaven with that head. Try the Jim Root 2x12 or the tiny Crush 4x12. Sounds better to me, than the stock cabinet with vintage 30's from H&K.
I would gig that setup all day if it were mine.
If I were in the market for an amp Like that? I would look at that and tubes or the Grandmeister and re-tube it. With the Jim Root 212. Not even kidding.

But I already have the amps that I have been playing since the 90's. Other than my 2 practice amps for giving lessons and farting around with.
But I have had direct hands on experience with "That" H&K. It really is held back by tubes and the vintage 30. even the EVH cabinet is way better than the V30 loaded H&K 212 with that head. Marshall cabs with 75's are a bit bright for my taste. But may fit you well.
My buddy has quite a few cabinets. And when he plugged it into the Orange, it was night and day. Good to "wow" that's the same amp?