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Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 18 Combo
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For TubeMeister, Mr. Hughes and Herr Kettner packed all their know-how and over a quarter of a centurys passion for tube amps into a remarkably compact chassis. Thanks to German engineering, it can go from a roar to a whisper, shaking the boards on stage, tingling spines in the studio, and raising goose-bumps in the still
of night - even during silent recording.
Serving up three different sounds at the touch of a footswitch, the soulful Tube-Meister 18 is the go-to guitar amp for gigging. Its four-step power soak brings
the sound of the big stage into small clubs and your own four walls. And courtesy of the built-in Red Box and silent recording capability, you can lay down pro-quality
tracks at any time day or night.
The TubeMeister 18 Combo offers all the tasty features of the Head plus the shimmer and shine of a digital spring reverb. The Celestion 10˝ speaker was customdesigned
specifically for the TubeMeister. Housed in a sophisticated Thiele-Small enclosure, it conjures a far bigger sound than anything one might expect from a combo.
Rock on Stage - Play at Home - Record at Night
Features:
• 2 Channels
• 18 Watts
• FS-2 optional footswitch
• 1 x 10" Celestion custom speaker
• Soft cover included
Specifications:
• Dimensions: 15-1/2" x 14-3/16" x 10-1/4" (395 x 360 x 260 mm)
• Weight: 20lb. (9.4 kg)
of night - even during silent recording.
Serving up three different sounds at the touch of a footswitch, the soulful Tube-Meister 18 is the go-to guitar amp for gigging. Its four-step power soak brings
the sound of the big stage into small clubs and your own four walls. And courtesy of the built-in Red Box and silent recording capability, you can lay down pro-quality
tracks at any time day or night.
The TubeMeister 18 Combo offers all the tasty features of the Head plus the shimmer and shine of a digital spring reverb. The Celestion 10˝ speaker was customdesigned
specifically for the TubeMeister. Housed in a sophisticated Thiele-Small enclosure, it conjures a far bigger sound than anything one might expect from a combo.
Rock on Stage - Play at Home - Record at Night
Features:
• 2 Channels
• 18 Watts
• FS-2 optional footswitch
• 1 x 10" Celestion custom speaker
• Soft cover included
Specifications:
• Dimensions: 15-1/2" x 14-3/16" x 10-1/4" (395 x 360 x 260 mm)
• Weight: 20lb. (9.4 kg)
Q & A
There are currently no questions for this product.
Reviews
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Great with some reservation 1 of 4 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Sydney, Nova Scotia
Right away I realized the 10" Celestion Ten/30 was less than efficient. I put in a Weber Neo 10. Killer tone. then I made my own baffle plate and tried a 12" Celestion Century Neo..It just fits with the right engineering. Then I tried an Eminence Lil Tex. That took more engineering and a couple of holes in speaker frame to miss the tube ends. This combination is a ballistic success. I covered the new baffle in speaker cloth and it is my go-to amp now at under 20 lbs. Because the back was already vented, it allowed the speaker and the amp to voice out. JJ Tubes for consistent performance and the combo is a monster in a bread box. It blows away a Blues Jr. weighs far less.
Posted by Rick Serna on Jan 26, 2015
Great portable and versatile combo 1 of 2 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Burlington, Ontario
I would concur with most of the positive comments about this amp; love that it is so easy to grab and go. I will run it through a 1x12 if we have a loud band thing going. I'm always perplexed when people say "the cleans aren't Fender chimey enough" or "it won't do metal"; I like to embrace my gear for what it is and not expect it to emulate other stuff. That said, my biggest complaint is the control panel; the blue backlight looks nice, but the knobs are chrome with just a tiny bump on them. On a dark stage, it is next to impossible to see what your settings are.
Posted by anonymous on Nov 5, 2014
Convert from Solid State 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
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Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
I absolutely love this amp !
I have previously owned a few solid states and before getting this I tested out some of the Orange models. This definitely came out ahead for cleans and I can get a nice punch when I pair it with my fuzz pedal. The build in distortion is nice and crunchy, especially when the tubes warm up.
Posted by John on Oct 8, 2014
Expensive, but the best tube combo for practicing metal! 3 of 4 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
I've owned this amp for a year now, and it's held up beautifully. My issue is that people don't understand its architecture very well.
1) The EQ is SUBTRACTIVE. This means that turning up to 10 is your initial sound, and anything less slowly cuts that frequency. You'll get the purist sound, but tonal options are more limited than an active EQ. So it sounds better, but can't produce as many tones.
2) The boost should instead be called the Metal Button, because it is a HUGE boost in gain and bass. So it's not your usual lead boost.
3) The "Custom Celestion Speaker" is actually a 10" Vintage 30. It is ONLY available in this combo and the equivalent 10" Tubemeister ext cab to my knowledge. So it produces a great, familiar sound with a slight twist.
4) The clean and dirty channels share a 3-band EQ, but have independent gain and volume. For the clean channel, H&K recommend using these 2 knobs to dial in the majority of your tone.
5) There is an odd problem with the OD channel at the bottom of the volume range. When you go below 1, the volume dips quickly and then comes back out of phase, and doesn't run through the effects loop.
So bearing all of that in mind, here are the pros and cons:
Pros: Pure EQ, Metal friendly, self-biasing tube circuit that detects damaged and blown tubes and shuts them off, great speaker, built-in Redbox DI, 2 great channels with a bassy metal boost, 10" Vintage 30, 18w/5w/1w/speaker off modes, goes from bedroom volume to unbelievably loud. I really can't convey how loud this little amp can get.
Cons: WAY louder than you'd expect, difficult to dial in a quiet high-gain settings, difficult to get at the tubes yourself, footswitch NOT included ($60, and they designed it so others can't make 3rd party ones), and the clean channel is usually described as "Fizzy" unless you run it through a different cab.
Posted by anonymous on Sep 24, 2014
Excellent Amp 1 of 1 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Courtenay, British Columbia
Just got this amp after having the L & M sales guy sample all the under $1,000 tube amps for me using both a Fender Tele and Gibson LP There was absolutely no question as to which amp provided the cleanest sounds in all three modes (clean, over driven and lead) All the other (5 - 30 watts) tube amps (Fender, Traynor Marshall etc) just could not get even near the clean sound of this amp. When I brought it home i was pleasantly surprised on how all my electric and acoustic electric guitars (Gibson, Godin, Seagul) sounded like new guitars...fantastic!. Also the fact that this amp is simple with just reverb, overdrives and EQ for added effects makes it that much better in my view. My other amps have effects galore but none can get that sweet clean sound on the base clean modes. I don't know about the dependability at this point(since I just got it) but the l & M extended 2 year warrantee for $27 additional bucks is cheap and well worth it. Got the amp in Courtenay l & M and Glen was great and very patient with me as we went over all the other amps for comparison. If you are looking for a great little amp for a clean sound and the option of taking that sound into a kick ass lead, consider checking this amp out.
Posted by RB on Oct 6, 2013
You get lots for the $$$ 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Toronto (Bloor St.), Ontario
It didn't take me long to fall completely in love with the tones in this little box (the first review nails it). Add in the many features, and I made an impulse purchase. That was more than a year ago. Sadly, I've had one major frustration, and it came into play every time I tried to use the Red Box to record: the amp would heat up and there would be an intermittent cracking noise that would ruin the track. I figure the noise comes from the spot where the glass display (housing the on-off/standby toggles, EQ/volume knobs, buttons & input jack) meets the tolex for the back panel. If I let the amp heat up, expand, and then gently nudge the glass along the part where it touches tolex, the cracking mostly goes away. But it isn't foolproof. Figure I could remove the panel, but it's a pain in the butt. So, I've given up direct recording with this thing, which is a shame. Should have gone for the head, I suppose. That said, it's a nice practice amp that I move about in a pinch. Great crunchy heavy rock & metal tones.
Posted by anonymous on Jun 3, 2013
feature packed little combo that sounds big, pt. 2 0 of 0 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Ottawa, Ontario
Just to add a few notes to my initial review.
The Tubemeister EQ controls don't offer much change. Also it doesn't take distortion pedals well like some amps. Normally they go between the guitar and the main amp input but I only found the effects loop brought out the distortion pedal's tone, even then the amp master volume didn't have much effect (the pedal's volume control took over): I had to change both volume controls which isn't how it's supposed to work... If you're considering adding effects pedals to this amp try them out and play with the volume controls to make sure they work for you.
Posted by anonymous on Jul 22, 2012
feature packed little combo that sounds big 2 of 2 customers found this review helpful
Features
Quality
Value
Overall
Product Experience I own it
Closest Store Ottawa, Ontario
I chose the combo over the head because it's a light and compact unit that doubles well as a head, has a 10" speaker as a main or back-up, and has built in reverb. I really like how much H & K threw into this little unit: practical output power settings (off, 1W, 5W, 18W), effects loop, speaker emulation out, auto tube bias and monitoring (includes auto tube shut-off in case of failure), auto speaker impedance detection (8 or 16 Ohm). It would be nice if the clean channel had its own power setting to stay clean when switching between channels. For the money it would've been nice if a foot switch had been included.
My main use is playing at home so having the 1W setting is great because it is plenty loud in the lead channel. Clean channel is best at 5W or 18W at home. Cleans are crisp and clear, nice bottom end and lots of high end snap, could use more mid-upper mid body though as it sounds a bit thin in that range. Lead channel offers a nice range of crunch tones for blues and rock. Turning on the lead boost (in lead channel only) adds more smooth distortion, all of which sounds great. My only complaint is there isn't enough gain to cover metal tones and cutting solos, adding a pedal in front fixed that (even a Tech21 GT2 analog amp simulator pedal worked nicely even though it has no speaker emulation bypass). Other than that it's a very rocking sounding amp.
The digital reverb is controlled by a knob on the back not the main control panel, a bit inconvenient. It sounds okay and there no springs to clang around, but it is more of a convenience as I don't find it doesn't sound that big (the control knob seems to control the length of the decay).
The on-board 10" speaker does the job but it doesn't compare to a decent external cab tone wise, I suggest trying both. It does offer a good amount of volume and bass when cranked thanks to the mostly enclosed unit, more than adequate levels for home use. Tone wise the 10" sounds a bit compressed and not as open as a decent 12". Still I like having a built-in speaker for when I take the amp out of the house or even out of the basement in winter. Plugged into a 1x12 cab really brings out the amp's true character, don't let the 10" speaker fool you.
Build quality seems decent, my unit had no issues out of the box and seems find so far after a few weeks of light-moderate use.
Having looked at a few lunch box amps this one stood out because of its feature set and sound quality. If you don't care about having the 10" speaker or reverb go for the head. Personally I like having all the features packed into one unit since it's less gear to carry during transport and the combo is only a few pounds heavier than the head. If you want metal tones I suggest a pedal in front. Overall I'm quite pleased with the combo, sounds much bigger than it is, definitely worth checking out.
Posted by anonymous on Jul 13, 2012
Protect your investment with the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty
A warranty can be a very important factor when making a buying decision. Because repairs can be very expensive in terms of parts and labour costs, manufacturers usually only provide one year limited warranties that generally only cover items that malfunction due to a manufacturer’s defect. With an important purchase such as a musical
instrument or piece of studio gear, however, many people want to have the peace of mind in knowing that their investment will be protected should the product no longer be performing at 100%.
Because of this, Long & McQuade provides our customers with a FREE one-year Performance Warranty on most of our products. The Long & McQuade Performance Warranty supplements the manufacturer’s warranty to ensure that our customers receive complete “no hassle” warranty coverage within their first year.
How does the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty differ from most manufacturers' warranties?
- Performance Guarantee: Normal wear and tear is covered, so your product will be performing as well as the day you purchased it for the entire duration of the coverage. Band and Orchestral Performance Warranty does not include replacing pads or cleaning for woodwind instruments, unless deemed necessary by our repair staff. Ultrasonic cleaning for brass instruments will be provided if deemed necessary by our repair staff, but is not routinely offered under the Performance Warranty.
- Product Replacement: If your product cannot be fixed or costs too much to fix, we will replace it with the equivalent model for no additional charge. If this is not possible, a full refund will be provided.
- No Lemon Policy: Your product will be replaced should the same problem occur multiple times.
- Convenient: Easy drop off and pick up of the product at any Long & McQuade location.
- Guitar Setup: Guitars purchased at Long & McQuade come with 1 free setup, to be redeemed within 1 year for new guitars and 90 days for used guitars.
- Loaners Available: A loaner product may be given while the product is being repaired.
- Power Surge Protection: Your product is covered even if damaged from a power surge.
- Accessory Coverage: Any peripheral devices or accessories that come with your product (i.e. foot pedal, case) are also covered.
- Commercial Use Coverage: Music and recording professionals who purchase gear for “heavy-use” commercial purposes will still be covered.
Long & McQuade reserves the right to restrict the purchase of additional years of Performance Warranty. Used products come with a 3-month Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Some products (i.e. computers, software, cymbals and other items) are covered only by the manufacturer‘s warranty. Consumables (i.e. strings, reeds, drum sticks, batteries, tubes, cross faders) are excluded as they are designed to be replaced. Cosmetic Damage, Accidental Damage, or problems caused by Humidity or Temperature Issues are not covered. Speakers damaged by overpowering are generally not covered. Our coverage does not provide compensation for loss of use. As of June 2018 the Performance Warranty is no longer transferable. The warranty is only valid in Canada.
Purchasing additional years of coverage
Some manufacturers provide warranties for longer than 1 year; however, these are usually limited warranties that do not provide the same coverage as the Long & McQuade Performance Warranty. Customers interested in more complete and convenient (but not necessarily longer) coverage are still able to purchase additional years of the Performance Warranty.
If you are interested in receiving this coverage for longer than one year, you have the option of purchasing additional years of the Performance Warranty. The pricing is as follows:
- NEW products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- USED products: Starting at 4% of the current new selling price to increase the warranty from 3 months to 1 year. Starting at 4% for each additional year.
- GUITARS: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year. $45 maximum. An additional free setup is not included with additional purchased years of Performance Warranty.
- BAND and ORCHESTRAL instruments: 4% of the current new selling price to double the warranty from 1 year to 2 years. 4% for each additional year.
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| Product | SKU | Qty |
|---|---|---|
| TubeMeister 18 Combo | 350116 |
