Hughes & Kettner Switchblade Head

Check out the manufacturers website for specs.

This amp is made for strats. I tried humbucher equiped guitars (PRS, LP) and really wasn't impressed.

Please don't regard the last reviewers (read: moron) opinion and statements as "valuable".
His/her statements are complete BS.
The Switchblade does not have a digital pre-amp. The only thing that's digital in the amp are the fx section and preset storing functions.

Never depend on one tube amp, although my Switchblade never left me in the cold.

I am sorry, but the previous writer is wrong about this amp. It gets its distortion from the preamp tube section in combination with the different gain stages programmed by the processor but the processor is not producing the distortion, the preamp is. The digital processor section of this amp is actually quite small and includes only modulation, delay and reverb. The rest of the processor is for midi switching and storing. As other H&K amps do have a more preamp tubes such as the Triamp, in this case each set of 2 tubes are actually because the Triamp has three separate amps in one as it were. I know, I own both the Triamp and the Switchblade. Both have very organic tube sound with the Triamp being a bit more organic and life-like only less so in the Switchblade because of the limited preamp gain section.

I'm sure you know what the features of this amp are. There are a lot of them! I bought this amp because I am gigging in a cover band and I am tired of lugging a ton of crap to shows. The Switchblade seemed to have just about what I needed to get by - a tube amp with minimal effects.

I had read that someone was unhappy with the volume control, saying that it is more like a switch than a volume pot. I have to agree - it does not act like a volume pot.

The other controls don't seem to function like a normal amp. When I thought I was dialing in one sound, I got something completely different. I didn't figure out how to tweak the amp until I manually changed the settings to match the "rockstar" settings.

The input jack seemed weak, and I was worried that the cables I had used would pull out easily. It didn't seem to "snap" in like most normal input jacks.

The delays are nice, and you have plenty of control over them. The modulation effects are pretty simple, but you have very little control over them.

I ran the Switchblade through one Marshall 1960 4x12 and then through two of them.

As I had mentioned, I am playing in a cover band, covering everything from Aerosmith to Prong. We are a working band, playing almost every weekend from now to December (that's a lot.) I use both Ibanez and Gibson guitars.

I tried this amp in several different rooms, and it didn't seem to produce a better or worse sound.

The amp can do a lot of stuff, clean to dirty and everything in between. I was a bit apprehensive when I learned that the amp only has two preamp tubes - I'm currently playing a Rectifier with 5 preamp tubes - but I still gave it a shot. It has a normal amount of noise when used in high gain applications - nothing unusual.

I am not a tube snob or purist by any stretch of the imagination. I know what sounds good to me. I have received compliments that my sound (with the rectifier) is not like an ice pick in the ear, and my lead tone compliments my rhythm tone.

Maybe I am ignorant, but I judge a good tube amp by the ability to cut through the mix. I like to feel it. I don't feel it with the H&K. It is loud, but it doesn't "move air" like most normal tube amps I have played (everything from Laney to Carvin to Marshall to Mesa.)

Some of the clean and lightly overdriven channels do cut through - they are full bodied. However, I think that the Lead and Ultra channels sound thin. A lot of mid range is lost, highs are ear piercing and the lows - well they are low, but are not as thunderous as you would expect them to be. The distortion seems not so much to be driven by the preamp tubes, but more like a solid state amp. Brutal distortion.

I don't have any experience with this topic. It seems like a well built amp.

Did not have to contact.

I've been playing for nearly 20 years (wow I am old.) I am currently running a Mesa Single Rectifier with a Rocktron Xpression in the fx loop.

I would compare the Switchblade to the Line 6 HD147. I used to own an HD147 and I got rid of it because it would not cut through the mix. The sound quality of the Line 6 is much better than the H&K. It is for this same reason that I am not going to keep the H&K.

If I had to choose between the two, I would go back to the HD147 because of the ability to have better control over the amp with the optional floorboards, and the ability to run straight to the board.

Okay here is the deal with this amp. If you are a fan of Digital multieffects pedal boards run through tube amps you will like this amp.It is basically a very clean amp with a basic tone circuit to deliver nice clean tube sounds .Then a digital multieffects unit is built in to give all the effects and various levels of distortion that are digitally recreated.An amp that creates great tube or high gain ditortion must have a preamp with atleast 4 to 6 preamp tubes wich cascade into each other.The more tubes the more gain is created.Unfortunately the more tubes you add the more sizzly the sound becomes and the more orgainc blossoming type tones are lost.So its afine ballancing act to produce a great high gain tube amp that is still very warm with good mids to help cut through the mix and retain its great organic feel and sound that most purests revere and use tube amps.Iff you notice all other H&K non digital high gain amps have a 6 tube preamp section and are true tube high gain amps and some of the are very good.This amp however only has two pre-amp tubes.This will only be capable of producing moderate levels of tube gain and only at the highest volumes.Akin to a nice clean fender amp which makes an excellet platform for a digital multieffects unit as digital effects units will sound best going through a tube power amp with no preamp tubes at all.The output tubes adding a little warmth to the digital prcessor and giving the amp a little more feel as well.Most pro's in fact run digital processors this way .Through a rack mount power tube only amp.As we all know most effects sound best when run through the effects loop wich bypasses the pre-amp section.So there you have it.This is basically a run of the mill clean tube amp with a diggital multi-effects unit running through the effects loop.This same scenario can be created with any good clean amp and a top notch rack or floor multieffects unit with more and better effects options.But you are in no way getting a great high gain tube amp with this unit .All the gain is digitally produced.So if you just buy a good digital effects unit and put it through your clean channel you will get the same or better results.The only advantage to this amp is it is all in one and you don't have to pack the seperate rack mount or floor unit around.But the effects on this unit are not as versatile or as good a a good digital unit.This is neither good nor bad just preference. But iff you want true tube tone and are a tube/analogue purist this amp is not for you and is just mediocre.IFF you are a fan of digital sounds and no fuss plug and play this amp will be for you.I assure you none of the top pro's will be switching to this amp any time soon.Iff you look at this amp on youtube being played in a band situation you can clearly hear how it sounds in a live situation which is the true test of an amp.It sounds lack luster and does not cut through the mix well like a true tube amp will.In your bedroom it will surely rock.But not a piece of pro gear in my opinion.What H&K missed with this amp is they could have easily taken one of their already existing and reaspecable high gain true tube amps and added the digital effects to it.But instead they chose to have a clean amp and add digitall high gain distortion thus desroying true tube warmth.It may have been a contolability issue ? don't know. But none the less they have missed the target on this one .I'm quite sure they will get it right very soon though.Then I may even buy one myself and get rid of my messy setup and constantly growing and unmanageable pedal board.They are definately on the right path just not there yet .All they have to do is get rid of the digitally produced gain stage and add some gain stage tubes and they will be there .The rest of the effects will be fine and in most cases even better than analogue. Just not the gain/distortion Ithas to be produced naturally with real tubes .I hope they get it right with the next generation .

i think this amp was made in 06
this is the most versitle amp ive come across.i play anything from funk to blues to primus to death metal.this thing has 4 channels, reverb, chorus,flanger,tremelo a midi fit switch with a tap funtion for delay.its all tube and 100 watts i havent had it about 4 yet this thing is freakin loud!

this amp can get so many sounds i can get from a fender clean to a mesa sounding crunch no probs.the clean channel is one of the best ive heard something that you dont normally get from a high gain amp i can get the intro from the call of katulu or under the bride or dick dales reverbed out sounds easily.the crunch channel is instant acdc or led zep.the lead channel is my fave its sort of like a hot rodded marshall but alot smoother.if ur into malmsteen u will love the smooth lead sounds this thing produces.the ultra channel is sort of like a mesa sound i guess maybe not as agressive but im only playing trough a marshall 1922 cab.i almost bought a mesa and im glad i didnt now

only had it a week.

havent had to deal with them

ive been playing on and off for 10 years and owned various amps mainly marshall and peavey.in the guitar store i put it up againts a peavey xxx and a single recto and this thing just sounded so much better,to my ears anyway.im running it through a marshall 1922cab and its not really a rock cab but i cant stop playing this thing my fingers are raw.i got it home plugged it in and it sounded great but after playing it for a few days this thing really come to life,i dunno what happened?does it take time for the tubes to wear in?farks me!it just seems to be getting better.
if it were stolen i would hunt the dude down tie him to the cabinet and blow the dudes ear drums!

This is a 2006 Hughes & Kettner switchblade head.
I bought it as customer return for just 1040 Euros.
All features are described in much detail on Hughes & Kettner's website, so I wouldn't waste your and my time to repeat them.
But as a short summary, having the option to chose from 128 preprogrammed or user modified sound gives you anything you might ever need, as long as you can remember what the fucking settings on number 97 have been ... just make a clever concept!

4 basic sounds: clean, crunch, lead, ultra.
Clean is always clean if you like that.
Crunch seems to breathe a bit but might be due to my 4x12 cab.
Lead takes off pretty good.
Ultra is just kick ass!
Lots of digital effects like reverb, delay, chorus, flanger ... can be mixed with each other and each cajannel or left out - great.
Using SG and Strat guitars, amp is fully compatible with each.
My style is very versatile, and so is this amp! Not noisy at all.

Had the amp now for almost one year. Not the slightest problem. I carry it around a lot, but it just doesnt care.
But I used to have tube amps all my life, this is a very robust technology directly from the stone-age, normally you just cannot destroy a tube amp. Have some very old technicians around me, they all say tubes will run a century.
Wouldn't hesitate to gig with this amp without having a backup (in fact I did).
Thought the midi-footswitch might wear out, but it is solid as rock.

Tried to get the schematics for this amp, was just curious and wanted to see how they arranged the tube sections and the digital stuff.
No way, this is only available for authorized dealers. **sigh**
Apart from that the guys were absolutely nice, I'm sure they will be very helpfull when it is at.

I've been playing since I was 16. Started accoustic guitar, then drums, electric guitar, bass, keyboards. Almost 40 years experience.
If it were stolen, boy I'd get that guy by the balls ...
However, I'd buy another one immediately. Yes, I consider having a second one for my home so I don't have to carry the heavy thing around twice a week.
I love the tubes plus versatility.
Compared it to Marshall TSL100, which is much less versatile.
Should have a line out for recordings.

This amp is extremely versatile. I perform in a Christian worship band. I love Christian Rock, Rock, Blues and Jazz.

I use about 6 very dissimilar types of electric guitars. I love different sounds and I need an amp that will complement the true tone of my guitar. This amp does that, but please read on.

The MIDI foot controller didn???t work properly. A couple of the switches wouldn???t respond a little more than half the time. Also if you saved a patch it wouldn???t always take. Sometimes the sound you saved would show up on another patch entirely. I ruled out user error by reading the manual several times and calling HK. They suggest taking the WHOLE amp back since it was defective. Trust me, I didn???t want too.

I had to return the amp to Musicians Friend 20 days after I got it. I???ve been waiting for a new one ever since (>3 months). HK promises to deliver a shipment and that date inevitably passes so another delivery date gets set. It???s now 12/02/06. I just recently asked for my money back. I???m highly disappointed. No other distributor seems to have one. So if you can get one ??? do it, but be aware of the problems (hopefully for you, I just got a bad one), otherwise don???t believe the promised ship date.

I???ve been playing for 20 years and God has blessed me with the ability to indulge in my passion and He has provided me with an income to afford some nice equipment. It???s all more then I deserve, but I'll TAKE IT!

I'll still give the amp an 8 overall, this was a great amp. I'm still looking for a delivery date. Anyone know where I can find one?!

Made 2006
i bought it with a 4x12 vintage 30 cab as a package all for just over ??1000!!!!
it is the first all valve prgrammable amp ever and it has 4 channels that are:
Clean
crunch
lead
ultra.
they suite just about any kind of sound you like. it has 128 presets in 32 banks of 4 which you can change with the free midi pedal. it has delay,chorus,flange,tremolo. the only thing it lacks is a total volume rise for every chanell on the footswitch.
i play in a band that play offspring, Blacksabbath, Hendrix, BFMV and our own material which is heavy and it suits that fine. for gigs i have the volume set to just below 1, thats right 1 out of 10!!!
and thats loud enough.

well as i said before it will suit most styles but Metal is its favourite. the clean is surprisingly clean with little or no crunch in it unless you want that.
the ultra channel is my personal favourite channel and is just amazing. its good for palm muting and its got a tight bottom end as well as nice top end. i use it with my ibanez dtx120 destroyer with stock pick-ups and my epiphone LP with standard pick-ups it sounds ace. im a metal man my self and it suites that just right but will suite classic rock, punk etc.

i have not had any problems as of yet. considering they test hughes and kettners amps by dropping them a few feet of the ground onto a concreate floor. it was damaged when i got it but still works magically.

haven't had to
the warranty is 3 years i think.

i have been playing for a fair while cant remember how long. i own an epi LP, a dtx120 destroyer, an ibanez sa.
if it were stolen or lost i would cry. and then try and buy a new one. before i bought this i was thinking about buying an engl screamer 50 head but this was a little more expensive but had way more feature so it had to b this. the one thing i dislike about this amp is the lack of a tuner, but u cant get it all i suppose.

built in 2006
its a tube amp with 2 12AX7 tubes in the preamp-section and 4 EL 34 in the poweramp. this amp has built in effects (chorus, flanger, tremolo, delay and reverb) which are very practicable.
i play guitar in a coverband so i wanted an amp which is very versatile and suitable for all styles and kinds of music. an man this one is...
i also wanted to get rid of my 6 units effects-rack, because gigging makes much more fun, if you just place your stack, plug in and play

for my taste theres enough gain inside, for metal (death, thrash, nu-metal) maybe it could be to less and a booster is needed.

this amp kicks ass. it sounds very good in all channels. the other guitarplayer in our band uses an marshall jcm 2000 tsl 100. both amps work really good together.
i run it thru a behringer bg412h cabinet and it sounds real good.
this cabinet has a lot of base (and thats the only thing the switchblade could have more) and so it sounds really good. i also tried it with a marshall 1960 equipped with V30 Celestions and the results were not acceptable.
of this amp i can get any tone i want and need, very versatile with really excellent sounding effects. as i mentioned: plug and play

really noiseless even in the highgain mode, i like that

just play it since 3 months, so i can?t say anything about it. but it?s built like a tank, so i think it will make it...

although, i never play without a backup

very friendly and helpful, easy to reach, never had problems with any h&K products.. they?re great

i play since 15 years and i can say..
this is the best amp i ever owned. it works good with all my guitars (ibanez RG 570, epiphone LesPaul, Yamaha RGX, BC Rich Gunslinger)
i played racksetups (preamp, effects and poweramp), marshalls, laneys, kitty hawk and other hughes and kettners,
but they were not as good and versatile as the switchblade.

i?m sure, i would buy it again if gets stolen

See HK.com. Basically, H&K married a four-channel, all-tube head with digital technology and effects (think Line 6 products), 128 user-programable presets and, IMO, the results are astounding! I've been playing for 22 years and have owned several modelling amps (Line 6, VOX, Johnson) and tube amps (Fender, Randall, Mesa).

I've always wondered why no one ever came out with an amp that combined the best of both? H&K has and, again IMO, they've done a hell of a job. I'm only giving it a 9 because I'd like a tuner, wattage selector, and noise gate on board, but the amp isn't overly noisy for a tube amp and these are just my preferences.

I'm the sole guitarist in a cover band with a female singer and we cover a lot of ground (Godsmack and Patsy Cline are on the same setlist), but I listen to and enjoy playing all kinds of music. So I need an extremely versatile amp. However, I prefer simplicity and don't like to waste time reading manuals, which is why the Switchblade is perfect for me. It's truly plug-n-play.

I'm currently using the amp with the following guitars: Fender California Fat Tele (w/DiMarzio Tone Zone-bridge and Air Norton-neck), Fender FMT Tele (Korean), Parker PM20, Music Man Petrucci and a Taylor Auditorium Grand. Additional equipment is: BBE Sonic Maximizer (a must for everyone), Korg PT1000 tuner, Fuhrman Power Conditioner, Morely Bad Horsie Wah and a Marshall 1960 A cab reissue.

This amp is definitely geared toward higher-gain rock and metal, but it does just about everything vey well. Clean channel is Fender-ish and sounds great with the onboard effects, especially delay and chorus. The Crunch channel is classic Marshall, which I've never really been crazy about, but it gives you Angus and Zepplin and anything else you'd expect to use if for.

The Lead channel is a take on a heavily-modded Marshall and is very versatile w/lots of mids. Does 80s metal very well. I use this for some of my rhythm sounds, but it works for leads too and I'd use it for that if it wasn't for the ULTRA channel...

Ahhh, the ULTRA channel...where do I start? I've heard a few people compare it to a Mesa-like sound, but I feel there's much more to it than that. Plenty of gain and the gain is useable, not muddy or scratchy. Great for rhythm or lead, but the real secret weapon here is the Presence control. It can give you a "3D" sound that stands out in the mix, with tons of harmonic overtones, even when using very little gain. If you're familiar with Paul Gilbert's rhythm sound, that's the best comparison I can think of at lower-gan settings: not necessarily super high-gain, but with TONS of presence and clearly defined notes. There's plenty of gain for metal and numetal rhythm work, as well.

This channel definitely produces it's own unique overdriven sounds that I don't think can really be compared with the standard
"Marshall-esque", "Mesa-like", etc., descriptions for tones. With the gain and the mids jacked up, I get a really fat and fluid lead tone. However, I was shocked to find out that by tapping the coils on my humbuckers and using just a little gain, the Ultra channel can also produce a righteous SRV sound!

I waited a month to post a review, so that I could be sure the "honeymoon" was over; but I haven't had any issues with it yet. Given H&K's reputation, German engineering and the fact that the amp seems well-built, I'm not concerned.

Haven't had to contact them yet for issues with the amp, but I did ask a lot of questions via email before I bought it and their product guy, Dennis, was extremely helpful. He even forwarded an independant review to me that hadn't been released for publication yet.

I love this thing and would definitely replace it if it were stolen. Until H&K or some other company improves upon this concept, I'm done looking for amps. Peace.