Hughes & Kettner Switchblade Head

Made July 06. This amp has just about everything. A lot of people say it should have a tuner, or a compressor, the only things I would add are a noise gate and a power switch. There is no effin reason to have to turn up that loud! It would be nice to have the above mentioned, or a line out/D.I., or something else, but it was $1,299 when I bought it! It has more than most amps at $2,000! Everything else it has has been covered

The clean channel is damn good sounding for a high gain amp. I wouldn't say it's as good as a fender or the duotone's, but it's nice and smooth, not overly harsh. I like it much better than my two Peavey's, which are too brittle, and my Mesa V-Twin's which has no presence. Add a splash of chorus, and you're good.

The distortion channels each have their own identity. You can still hear the common point between them, but they all sound good and distinguished. Until you reach some of the highest gain levels, the distortion is clean enough to hear the individual notes.

You have to be a little anal with the knobs as they are very responsive. Some people have said theirs weren't, but mine work fine. If you take a few minutes you can dial in some nice tones. I use all four channels quite a bit in the bands I play in. I use a variety of different guitars, an LTD EC-1000 with EMGs, an Ibanez S-540fm with EMGs, a B.C. Rich ST 3 american with a Seymour Screamin' Demon, and an American Standard Strat with EMG vintage single coils. They all sound great! It's hard to find an amp that helps the Strat sound full, and it still retains that Strat sound.

The crunch channel definitely has the most cut, and does some great lighter rock tones. I use it for Rush, Zeppelin, The Cars, Tool, Toto and other stuff. I play a very big mix of music in my bands, and I use multiple gain levels in different patches. In an 80's band I play in, this is my main channel.

The Lead channel I use mostly for leads. Some with effects, some without. I use it for some rhythms as well, as it cuts better than the Ultra channel when you need to stick out a little more.

The Ultra channel is used for SOME of my rythms doing the 80's, and my main rhythm channel for the metal stuff like Iron Maiden, Metallica, Helloween, Judas Priest, Stratovarius and the like. In my old band I used this for Rage Against The Machice, Velvet Revolver, H.I.M. and Godsmack type stuff. You can dial in patches that fill up the sound for a thick rhythm, or dial in some others that cut for presence.

Is it the best sounding amp? No. I tried a duotone (so good!) also, and found that this one sounds ALMOST as good. It really holds it own! It's a great live amp with killer tone.

The effects are hit and miss. The reverb is ok, and it works well. I don't think it's very warm, but oh well. The delay I do like. The tap function is nice, and it sounds good and definitely usable. The chorus I like when it's barely turned on. The flanger is ok, but I don't use it much, it doesn't thrill me. The "tremolo-like-sound" is not a real tremolo, but would be more usable if the tap tempo also worked for it.

So far no problems with this except that the master vol. knob broke off somehow. Either I hit it, or one of the road crew in my band did. The pot seemed to give rather easy. I guess I should get a case. Other than that, no problems yet.

They reply quickly to emails, but it took a few weeks to get the pot sent to me. Also, I was using 2 8ohm cabs for a 4 ohm load. It didn't say how to connect them in the manual. When I e-mailed them I got a response the next day citing the manual. When I asked him if I should use the 1x4 and one of the 8 ohm inputs in a reply, I was told that's what the previous e-mail said. I had someone else read it to make sure I read it right. Oh well, maybe not the smartest people there.

I love this amp. So much that I also bought a 1x12 combo. The head was run through my Red Bear 4x12 with Celestion G12L-35's and a single 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30 in it. I've used it with the above mentioned guitars mainly. I've gotten quite a few compliments on my tone. One sound guy, and one of my other guitarists said they preferred a Marshall TSL 100 that I used while the knob was being replaced, you can't please everybody. It depends on your taste. This is definitely a heavier amp, and blues hounds may not love it.

I play in an all 80's band (www.myspace.com/m80band), a Tran-Siberian Orchestra Tribute (www.twelvetwentyfour.net), and a jam band doing Maiden, Metallica, Rush, Deep Purple, Styx, The Police and about anything that WE like. I use it in all three bands. All the presets really help so I have everything dialed in for each band when I get there.

I've had the amp for about 6 months now, so the honeymoon is over, and this amp has definitely played over 100 shows already. I pulled two of the tubes out when I got it to help with the loud volume. I still love hearing my tone!

I also have a Peavey XXX 1x12, a Red Bear MK-60 with 4x12, Sovtek Mig-50, a Switchblade 50 combo, a Mesa V-Twin preamp pedal, and a Line 6 PodXT Live which I tried using for a front end modeler for casino shows and for effects (tone sucker when on bypass). I love all my amps, but this one sees the most use.

I toyed with a Duotone before I bought this, but it wasn't versatile enough. I heard too many horror stories about Triamp MKIIs and their repairs. All the locals I know who used them sold them... I wanted to try a Trilogy but no one around here has them. I thought it was bigger sounding with a better clean than the JCM 2000 TSL. Never been too thrilled with Recto's, as they're limited tone wise. I tried a Line 6 Flextone III, but the tone is not useable (very disappointed, I can't believe people recommend these). I saw one of these, thinking it wouldn't hold up tonewise to what I wanted. Boy, I was surprised pleasantly! It really has great sound! Not boutique, but for live use it's fantastic and flexible.

It's gone up $200, but it's still probably a great deal when you compare it to others in this price range. Marshall has launched it's multi channel amp, the JVM for $1800 with less features. Tone is a matter of opinion though. I've been playing about 11 years now, and tone is everything to me. This will be with me for a while.

This amp can do anything. I was playing through a Line 6 Vetta for years and spent hundreds of hours trying to dial in a really good tone to use live. I had purchased distortion pedals and rack effects to try to affect the amp so that it would give me what I was looking for. Nothing worked.
I plugged into a friends HK, turned the volume nob up, added some delay and just like that, I had everything I was looking for tonally.
This amp has more than enough power for medium sized to large venues and can be heard through the mix with perfect tonal clarity.

This amp can go from crystal clean to mild blues, to classic rock - all the way to modern metal. The distortion is rich and easily manipulated to fit any style with the simple push of a footswitch or a roll on the volume knob.
Hands down the best sounding amp (to my tastes)out there.

So far, so good.

Don't want to know.

Overall, this is the best investment I've ever made musically. My sound with this amp has become the biggest inspiration to me since I took up playing. I can pull harmonics and feedback using sheer will, the distortion is heavy without being muddy, and the effects are top notch.

Many have already mentioned features.
Has just about all you need to gig, whether in a cover band or original band. The only extra pieces I bring to a show are a wah, tuner pedal and ISP noise reduction pedal.

The amp is loaded with variety. The clean is great...some of the best Clean tones I have achieved without running a Fender of some sort. The effects add a nice touch to cleans, but can be a bit obvious and not as subtle as I like but that is a minor gripe.
The Crunch channel is great! This has a great old marshall tone and kick in the boost feature and you have some serious Marshall growl, thick ACDC! This is a fun channel. The Lead channel I am still trying to figure out. It sounds a bit bright to my ears and haven't found the use for it in our band but every now and then i dial in a great tone on this channel so maybe I just need more time with this one. It sounds kind of Marshally on this channel and leads really cut on this channel as well. The Ultra channel is big, thick and fat. This channel is great for hard rock and heavy rock/metal. Dial in some presence for cutting through a bit better in the band and to sound bigger while maintaining the smooth quality.

No problems yet.

Had to call them for a few new tubes when they broke in shipping. Great to deal with over the phone and via email.

I went through a lot of amps in the last few years. I had been using a Line 6 vetta for years. Recently use a VHT Pitbull which was too loud and wasn't crazy about the voicing, plus the clean was bland. I couldn't get this to sound good at lower volumes. I also was using an older Mesa Dual Rectifier, but the clean is pretty bad. The heavier tones really open up at high volumes but there are times I need to play at lower volumes and the Switchblade sounds good at many volume levels. Very easy amp to use and cuts through the mix no problem if tweaked correctly as with any amp!

You can do alot with this amp, just as the manual says. Although the chorus is a little strange and so is the flange. I mean it just doesnt sound natural. The chorus works great for clean but tends to breakup when distorted. The flange is a flange but you have no control over the depth, just the rate. If you want real trem go buy a boss pedal. The H&K trem is good for clean stuff but say you want that kinda greenday trem or something. Your not going to get it.Other than kinda crappy effects the ability to program and the various tones you can pull out is great.

Sounds great in the garage by yourself. Put it with the band and it just doesnt cut through the mix. It lacks presence. It lacks bottom end. It sounds brittle. It needs compression and a secondary eq sent through the effect loop to get real nice warm but crunchy tone. Also a feedback monster. Had to run a hush to stop that. Has great tube tone and lots of different types but when your the only guitar guy in a band, you want to sound full with out piercing ear drums.

So far so good. Ive had it for about three months.

Havent had to use them yet.

Been playing for about 12 years. I play hard rock to mild stuff. Use ibenez guitars with zak pickups.

They say worlds first Programmable tube amp and I believe this makes is one of the most versatile!! Imagine the range of sounds you can create in the bedroom, but you can take 'em out live and take the audiences heads off!!!

I have to disagree with some of the reviewers on this topic in rating the amp poorly. There are a couple of things to be aware of when owning this amp that will open the door to a wonderful and easily accessable sound set.

1) It is a true tube amp, just not designed in the traditional sense. I have been told that each channel has a circuit that powers the two 12AX7 pre-amps differently (hense the name "Switchblade"- Blade refers to the components in the pre-amp tube). The clean channel therefore is set up like a clean amp with 2 preamp valves (there are plenty of "boutique" amps like this!!), you then switch to say Crunch and the circuit for the Crunch channel kicks in providing a different set of voltage and current values to the two 12AX7 valve making them behave like a crunchy amp.... and same with lead and ultra (although the ultra does have a preset Mid scoop it seems to get that "American Sound".

2) I have experience the values on the pot controllers not moving when turned and then "jumping" like a switch like a couple of the other reviewers here, but when asked (and I believe its in the manual!!) its a safty mechanism preventing you from accidently blowing your head off by accidently having the volume set high say from a previous setting- you have to turn the pot to where the last previous setting was to then turn it to the position you want therefore giving you time to avoid sudden shocks!!!
The sound quality is superb but I'm not a tube purist. If I was I'd probably spend ??100 more and get the Trilogy- also by H&K but would loose the programability!!
3) Sounds like a Line6 HD147?!???! Ha ha I heard one when Society One played Donnington and I was interested as it had just come out- it sounded like a trapped bluebottle- even through the PA!!!

This is the second Tube H&K amp I have had. The first was owned for 3 years and was rock solid (even when some idiot kicked over my rig on stage!!!).
However- I have been told by my shop there was a problem with the lead on the pedal board- its cable strands were weak or something- I got a brand new pedal board in a matter of days with a thicker cable. My attitude is that every company has problems from time to time- its how you deal with them that matter!!! This was A1 service.

See above for example of great service. its German made but unlike Engl it get service in the UK if it has problems or need new tubes.

If it went- I would have to buy another as I cannot find another amp that sounds this good with presets.

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.

This amp will literally make any guitar sound you want. with the four preamp channels (clean, crunch, lead, and ultra), it will go from fender clean, to plexi crunch to jcm800 lead, to mesa heavy. I play everything from matchbox 20 to metallica and more, and this amp covers them all with no problem. the amp is completely midi controlled. the midi presets not only store the channel, but also the control settings bass, mid, etc. the built in effects eliminated my need for my chorus and flanger pedals, and also include tremolo, delay and reverb. the amp comes with a midi footcontroller, which also has a tap tempo button for the delay. it has an effects loop, but I may never use it. it has all the effects I need built in.

I play mostly metal, but with many other styles mixed in, and I can get a great mellow clean blues tone with any of my guitars, even the ones designed specifically for metal. the crunch channel will do the AC/DC tone with no trouble at all. the lead channel has a bit more midrange and cuts through really well in a live/rehearsal situation. the ultra channel will give you all the metal you can handle, and still give you all the clarity you need.

I have had this amp for about a week, so I can't say anything to its reliability, but I have friends who own other H&K products, and they have always been good for them.

I have not yet had a need to contact customer support.

overall, I'd say this is probably the last amp I'll ever buy. if it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy another. I really love the versatile tones, but I wish it had a built-in tuner, noise gate, and midi-conrolled wah. that would make it a complete, all-in-one package for me. I used to own a peavey triple-xxx, but traded it in when I heard this amp. it was a great amp, but the switchblade is that much better.

Loaded to the gills with HK attitude. Read the factory specs if you want all the details. In a nutshell, all tube amp with built in effects, programmable with gain stages! WOWSA. Finally someone came out with this versus the Line 6 synthetic sounding cyber junk.

From clean to brutal, it's Hughes all the way baby. Not for the faint of heart. If you have the rock and roll soul of late 80's shredders, this bad boy is right up your alley. If Satriani, Vai, and others of the like didn't have endorsement deals, they would be playing this amp. So freaking versatile and creamy smooth, baby made a boom-boom in my pants first time I heard it.

Too new, can't really say. Those krauts know how to build gear though. German engineering is in the house! :)

Never dealt with them on any level, so no opinion.

It's the bomb. Pardon my 90's era french, but it is. Buy it, and start shredding like you stole it. If you don't, you'll keep playing your fake tube simulation b.s. crap while all your friends think your cool but you can't fool yourself. Well, maybe you can if you bought into the whole modeling hype thing. I didn't and Hughes has rewarded me for my patience with a real tube amp and programmability convenience. Way to go Hughes! You rock!

This Head is a brand new one build in 2006.
The concept of this amp is really amazing.
It's a four channel 100W tube head fully MIDI controlable with an effect section. You can store 128 patches.
Hughes and Kettner sythesized tube technology with analog and digital technology. The amp comes with two 12AX7 in the preamp stage and four EL34 on the poweramp
The channels are: clean - crunch - lead - ultra
Additionally there is a switchable effects loop available that can be set either parallel or seriell. Really great.
Based on these features it is clear that the amp is very versatile from a nice (nearly Fender) clean to modern metal is everything available.
Based on this configuration there are two features I really miss:
- a tuner out
- a noise suppressor
The head comes with a MIDI footcontroller. Perfect.

I'm using the head with a standard Strat loaded with a Kinman AVN Blues set and a PRS CE24 with stock pickups (HFS, Vintage Bass)

Clean: The clean channel is sounding for me like Fender but a bit warmer with a lot of dynamic. I use the head with a 4x12" H&K Cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30.
It is easy to get some SRV sounds with this channel. With boost on you can already get some slight crunch

Crunch: The crunch channel is wide spread. It starts at a Malcom Young like Clean and goes to old school Hard Rock and Heavy Metal sounds. Also this channel reacts very dynamic and with a good response to the guitar volume

Lead: My preferred one! Here we have a lot of gain available and it is more compressed than the crunch channel.
For me it sounds a bit like a hot rodded Marshall but different than a 5150 or a Soldano. There is more "dirt" inside I'd say.
I use this channel for riffs as well as for solos just different settings on the EQ and the gain.

Ultra. This is the "evil" channel. This channel has more low mids and a more copact sound so these goes clearly to the NuMetal Heads. It works well with dropped tunings but you have to be careful with the gain. It tends to get muddy.
I like it but we're playing with two guitars in our Band and with this channel the diferenciation is not anymore given. I skipped this for now. Maybe with a bit tweaking I can reach some good results.

Now I have to add the effect section I guess.
We have: a reverb
a delay
modulation (chorus, flanger, tremolo)
The effects are nice, not outstanding, but for a live situation absolutely usefull and easy to handle. The best is the delay it sounds very musical.
You can add any effect setting to a patch and store it like on a modelling amp - this is great.

There is a saying in Germany: where is a lot of light there you will have shadows too.

The sounds are outstanding and they are very versatile for this price but the Lead and the Ultra channel are noisy and this already at moderate gain settings. I think this has to be mentioned

have it since 3 weeks, no idea but it looks robust.

pretty good, my first question was answered in 24h. For the second I'm waiting 4 days now, but OK maybe the guy is in vacation.

Sice my old 5150 became unreliable I was searching for a new amp and I tried a lot. Engl, Diezel, Bogner, Marshall, Mesa, Framus.....
I made my decision based on price functionality and sound. When money wouldn't be a point the Diezel Herbert is my favourite amp. So if this amp were stolen or lost probably I would save some money to buy the Herbert.
I'm playing for more than 25 years now and I owned a lot of gear meanwhile.
As I already mentioned above the concept of this amp is outstanding but there is still room for improvement in noise and some details as a tuner out and maybe an indication for the effects (if they are on or off).
If you're looking for a versatile tube amp with MIDI functionality and onboard effects for a reasonable price - this one could be the right one for you