Hughes & Kettner Switchblade Head

Mine was made in 2007, got it used, eveything works perfectly.

Amazing versatility; every knob is savable via the midi. The way that this works is because of the 256 resistor switches located behind every switch but the global master volume. The clean is a little flat, but I use effects with it so it sounds good to me. I play in an 80s metal band, covering classic to heavy metal sounds.
The crunch channel is great for rhythm. With the gain all the way up (the boost is engaged whenever it is past around 9) you can get some great tones. This is a very full channel, easy to get ACDC, Aerosmith tones here.
The lead is my favorite. Lynch tones are the obvious designation for this channel. The mids are naturally a little scooped via a set tone voicing for all channels. The gain is amazing, and with a little delay this is the lead tone.
The ultra channel is great for anything of the newer metal genera. Almost like a triple rec with EL34's, the gain is amazing! Other reviewers have said like a mesa, but different... that is defiantly correct.
The verdict; with the midi, this is the most flexible rig in a head out there.

I use a Fender Showmaster with the stock humbucker in the bridge. A great guitar, pinch harmonics a la Zakk Wylde is easy to pull off with the gain of 1/2 on the lead channel. Even on the crunch it is possible.
This amp is made for metal, not recommended for blues...
The distortion is amazing at all levels, but a noise gate might be wise.
One reviewer mention replacing the tubes; do it. The tubes it comes with are ok, but after new ones, this is even better.
If you really worry about the tubes, check out the new version, the TCS @ HK's website. It had a system that automatically re-biases the tubes every so often.

I havent had much experience with it, but the amp i own is two years old, midi footswitch hasn't pooped out yet... Keeping my fingers crossed. I have heard a lot of bad raps about the midi lead cable...

The warranty is 2 years. When i had questions, they got back to me within a few days. I am lucky, i have a service center near me so if it goes bad i can get it fixed.

I have been playing for around 6 / 7 years, metal metal, metal, classic rock, and many other styles. Great all around head.

It would be nice if the effects had a depth knob.
The midi would be great if it had a din plug in the pedal instead of it being hardwired.

I purchased this amp in mid 2008.

tube head
4 channels
chorus, flanger, tremolo and delay on-board
programmable, 128 presets
footswitch, tap delay possible

...and some other features I haven't used yet

I mostly play guitars equipped with humbuckers, mainly a Gibson LP Classic (1993) and another G-style guitar I built (2008).
I play alternative rock and this amp somehow seems to be made for me. I use it live as well as in the studio.

Before going into sounds I need to point out that the main reason for purchasing this amp was not the sound itself but rather its versatility. Before the switchblade I played a Laney LC30 Combo over a 4x12 box, using several effect pedals. What really pissed me off was that I had to step on 3 foot switches to change from "clean with slight delay and chorus" to a "dry high gain". With the Swtitchblade I'm able to do so with only one step!

CLEAN:
Other reviews pointed out that the clean channel is harsh. Well, I'd rather call it cold, which is not a disadvantage for me. I never use the clean channel without effect and the direct and cold character of this channel allows to us plenty of (on-board) effects and still sounds clear. The Laney LC30 clean channel is definitely warmer. It depends on what you need. For me, the Switchblade clean sound is more than ok!

CRUNCH:
Provides quite a wide range of gain. Like the clean channel it is also pretty direct. I use this one more than the clean channel, again with the on-board effects. Clear and direct sound...cuts through the band pretty well.

LEAD:
Definitely the on I use most and I really like it. Unlike clean and crunch, this channels sound warmer to my ears. I use this one with pretty much gain but no effects on it and it provides a modern heavy rock sound with plenty of punch.

ULTRA:
Brutal...too much for me, so I can't really comment on it!

EFFECTS:
Nothing special but good quality...I can't complain!

CONCLUSION:
This amp sounds really good and fits to the kind of music I play. But I also need to say that in general, it tends to be cold, especially on the clean and crunch channel.
Comparing the Switchblade with a Mesa Triple Rectifier, it doesn't reach the Mesa's sound quality but it comes close. I'm not the kind of guitarist who can hear the grass growing, especially when a whole band is playing, and for me the comfort of the HK is more important than the slightly better Mesa overall sound...not to mention the price ;-)

I use this thing for about a year now, live and in the studio. No problems with the amp so far (and I carried it around a lot) but the foot switch is a weak point. The components seem to be OK but the midi plug showed really bad soldering work. I repaired it myself and had no problems since.
Anyway, since this concern was already raised in other reviews, HK should react and put more effort in making the pedal more reliable.

No need to contact them so far -> no opinion!

I'm playing for 15 years now and had the chance to check several amps. Speaking of sound quality only, the Mesa Triple Rec. is my favorite...but sound is not everything. A year from now I was doing gigs with too much stuff to haul (especially effect pedals). With the Switchblade, all I need is the head and 4x12. Comfort on all sides ;-)

I don't want to leave a wrong impression: The equipment I used before (Laney LC30, Silvertube 4x12, Damage Control Demonizer, Line 6 Modulation Modeler, Nobels Stereo Chorus, Ibanez ?? Delay, Ibanez ?? Flanger) sounded pretty good and I liked it a lot! The Switchblade is easily able to keep that sound level adding the huge advantage of versatility and easy handling!

If you're up to buy this amp, check it out first! Others don't like it! I do!

Cheers,
Thomas

There is no need to go into the features as they have been listed by many other reviewers

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents as I have been using the switchblade head for almost a year in a very active coverband. Let me start off by saying the cabinet/speakers you use as with any head greatly effect your tone, I currently have 2 different cabinets, I have the Hughes & Kettner 4x12 cab (sc-412a) and a b-52 2x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion v30's,, I find the v30's sound best with this head as they give it a much darker beefed up sound,,,now to the channels!

Clean - I don't really use this channel much, but it is a crystal clear clean, I find it lacks warmth thou

Crunch - This channel ROCKS! You can get that nice Marshall 'brown' sound aka, AC/DC, I use this channel alot,,even for clean stuff,, I just lower the gain down,,I find this channel 'cuts' thru the mix really well,,the gain on this channel is not really overwhelming,,reminds me alot of a Marhshall jcm800

Lead - I probaly use this channel the most,, sounds like a "beefed" up marhshall,,tons of gain, great for rythem/lead,,it sounds like the crunch channel, but with alot more gain and also more compressed sounding

Ultra - I don't use this channel at all,,it's geared much more to the "Nu-Metal" generation,,scooped mids, very compressed sounding,,it's not bad sounding just not what I'm geared towards

NOTE - The lead/ultra channels are VERY noisy,,the only really downside to this amp in my opinion, a noise gate is a MUST, I use the mxr smart gate,, some noise still creeps thru, although thru the years I have gotten very good with my volume pot on my guitar so it doesn't affect me that much

Now the the effects:
Chorus/Flanger/Tremelo,,the effects are good, there is no "mix' option which is another downside, but all 3 effects are good, my band does everything from Journey to Korn, and I'm pretty much able to get any crazy sounding effect I want
Delay - the delay is GREAT,, sounds like any rack/pedal delay out there, plus the "tap" function is great

My current equipment is: I have TWO Gibson Les Paul standards,,one is stock the other I replaced the pickups with Dimazio super distortions
Fender American Strat with seymour duncan hot rails to beef up the sound
Fender 72 Tele re-issue
pedals are: Dunlop volume pedal, Tube Screamer, Boss Tuner, MXR Smart gate, Wah pedal

I find the stock Les Paul to sound the best.

Haven't had any issues so far (knock on wood),,I know some people have had problems with the footswitch,,I keep my head and pedal in roadcases.

NON existant,, tried getting in touch with them a couple of times via email,, never got a response. I just recently found out that Pearl handles H&K repairs in the US,, never tried contacting them

Like i said before I play in a very active cover band, to me this head is just great. I can pretty much dial in any sound I want,, and yes it sounds like a tube head thru and thru,,because it is. This amp is VERY tweakable,, you need to sit down with it and have patience to get the sound u want,, a good way to start is with the "rockstar" presets as a beginning point. This amp is the LOUDEST head i ever heard,, way too much power in my opinion, wish it came in a 50w version,, my volume never goes past 1 1/2 and i play in some large venues. Like I said it is extremely noisy so get good with ur volume pot and get a noise gate. I've been playing for 20 years and have tried alot of gear,,to me this head is up there with much more expensive equipment, my other guitar player has a marhshall jcm900, I personally think my sound blows his away. If you're sick of having alot of pedals and need something versatil this is the amp for you, if it were lost or stolen I would probaly try something else as I'm a gear head and am always looking for something better although I would have no problem getting this again.

This amp is amazing. The progammable channel feature is the best thing to come out period. With a simple foot stomp I can switch my tones from Steeler's Wheels to Metallica and everything in between. The on board effects are *ok*. Nothing awesome, but a nice little feature to have incase of a dead battery on stage or some other circumstance. The effects loop is way underrated. Sounds awesome when you get set it right with your outboard effects.

I'm currently running a H&K Switchblade 100w head through an ashdown 4x12 cab wired to 4 ohms (Makes a huge difference over the standard 8), and I use a Tonelab LE running through the effects loop with a midi cable to do channel select and use the board effects (no amp models), a boss super overdrive and a Gibson Les Paul Studio with EMG 81/85. I can make any tone I want come out from this amp. I play in a very active cover band, and almost everytime (between a combination of stompboxes in my board and amp tone) I can match a tone perfectly to the original song. Always getting comments about how it sounds like the original song.

Haven't had this break down yet and it's coming up on a year.

Bought it as a *B Stock*. Full warrenty, but more than half off the original price. Had some questions at the start and was answered quickly by H&K

Love this amp. I would never give it up. When I go to a music store and try out their high end Marshalls (JVM and TSL) or even the Mesa Rectifiers, I'm always let down. Nothing competes for me.

My amp was made in 2007. Very versatile for metal and classic rock.The chorus and delay come in handy and the Flange is nice. 100 watt head is very loud and powerfull can push any 4x12 cab. Sounds best with vintage 30s loaded in cabinet.

I play a Jackson with seymore duncans, and a Peavey Wolfgang with Dimarzios.Both guitars sound great. Lots of susutain, can hold a note for days. Be carefule with the gain easy to feed back and loud. You will have to fine tune your sound and then your set.I get lots of people telling me how great this amp sounds.

Ok my first amp from AMS the volume pot went out but American music supply replaced it fast and easy. They are the best. The second amp was fine.

I did call them once to ask something and they did call me back.

I have been playing over 20 years and have owned several amps and I have to say My Hughes and Kettner Switchblade blows them all away. Ive had Marshalls,Peaveys, Carvin, ADA mp 1 rack pre amps and this bad boy rocks harder than all of them. Now I did replace the tubes which greatly improved the the tone and distortion. Groove Tubes (el34) and electro harmonic for the 12ax7s. I am a Hughe Alex Lifeson of Rush fan and after hearing his Switchblades in concert I knew I had to get one and I wasnt dissapointed.

Everything you would ever need as a working guitarist; great sounding amp channels, great effects, and PLENTY of volume. Check other reviews for details.

Came stock fully tubed with high end, great sounding tubes from Tube Amp Doctor!

I have owned this amp for a little over a year now, and I have to say it is still pretty amazing. I have cut my live rig down to this head with a Custom Audio controller, a wah, and an outboard compressor in the loop. This is by far the best, easiest to dial in gigging setup I've come across in 20 years. I'm not saying it's the best amp ever, but it is better than a good 80% of production amps available now.

I play in a touring hard rock band, and mostly use Les Paul's with either stock or Duncan Alnico 2 pu's. These pickups are not super high output, but they do push the front end a bit. The alnico 2's are a bit more twangy. I do not have any noise problems at all with this amp. I can see noise issues happening with either the lead or ultra channels maxed out, but you shouldn't need that much gain in the first place. At noon on these channels, there is plenty of gain to be pulling off Zakk Wylde style harmonics.

Cleans are really good, especially with a hint of chorus and delay. Very 80's (Police, etc.). It is not as full as my H&K Duotone, but does the job very well. Stays clean with the huge headroom power section.

Crunch is my favorite. Everything from AC/DC to hair metal with the boost engaged. Gain stays clear and focused.

Lead is awesome with nice midrange punch, solid bottom end, and endless sustain. Sounds incredible with delay. Easy to get Lynch tones here.

Ultra is a take on the lead with more bottom end, and more compression. Makes a really strong modern heavy sound that hits you in the gut hard.

The amp is super loud. I play live five to six night a week for months straight, and I have not been able to turn up the master past 10 o'clock, even at large venues. It is not an amp to play in your bedroom.

Solid. H&K amps have given me minimal problems over the last 5 years. I have had this for a little over a year, and it has survived 6 tours so far riding in a trailer. It is hard to find an amp that is super reliable on the road, and this one seems to be holding up just fine. I haven't used the footswitch, as I already have another MIDI controller. I have it as a backup in the case.

Joey Allen is a very cool guy to deal with. I usually get a call back within a few days, and always get an answer or solution from him. I usually have my tech retube my amps every 3 months or so to avoid problems on the road.

I have been playing for over 25 years, 15 professionally, and have played almost every head or rack setup available from practically every company. I have dozens of different amp and rack setups from touring back in the 90's, and this head alone can do what two of those setups can.

In the studio and at home, I do prefer my cherished boutique amps and vintage Marshalls. For live, this setup can't be beat. I am very happy an amp like this was made, and was made well.

No point relisting what has been said. I had high hopes for this amp...

First I have to say I am a huge HK amp fan. I have a tube 100, tube 50, and tube 20. They all sound great. I thought how could I go wrong with the switchblade.
I ended up selling the amp at a loss because it didn't hold a candle to the other amps from Hughes /Kettner. The clean is very cold and flat sounding almost no "glass". The distortion is noisy as hell. The effects are OK at best.
If you like line 6 amps you'll love this one.

Only had it for 6 months

I wanted to love this amp. In the end it was a big disappointment. I'm a pro player and I've used pretty much everything thats out there. This one gets 2 thumbs down

Lots of features, just lucky if they all work like they should.

Used with Strats w/singles, Gibsons w/buckers, everything.
Sound is thin and brittle, effects are fair but the sound is very sterile not much balls just thin & fizzy.

First one fro American Music supply had to go back, second one the footswitch was hosed so I kept the footswitch from the first one and sent the other back. Cheap tubes hosed on me the first month and I put very little time on them BECAUSE THIS THING SOUNDED LIKE CRAP!

Don't care.

Don't waste your money!!!!I sold mine cheap on E-bay. Look and you will see, everyone that bought one is ditching them on e-bay for half price.

This Switchblade was made at the start of 2007, and it is absolutely versatile, It can go from a Stone Sour esque rythym sound, to a crystal clear Marshall esque clean sound.. There are enough channels to go around.. and there are effects loops and channel switching..

I actually can't think of any features I wish it had, and most of the effects I never really use..

I use this amp for gigs, that could be anywhere from 100 - 2500 seated places, and it has way more than enough power to go around..

I'm currently using two Carvin guitars along with the head. Both guitars have standard humbuckers. I play in a progressive rock band, and although our music is mainly in a rock vein, there are shades of Scott Henderson/Chopin and many more... so versatility is essential, and this amp has it! It's so versatile that I can jump from Albert lee country rolls, to Bumblefoot fireworks in the same solo with just a little turn of the volume controls...

like any other tube amp, when the volume and gain are set at a certain level the amp begins to get noisy, but as long as your careful with volume controls it isn't much of a problem..

Depending on the way you set it, the clean channel can do almost anything, at high voumes my clean sounds stay clean because that's how I like it, but with tweaking you can get that marshall esque clean sound that gets dirty at high volumes..

The distortion is oh so brutal!! perfect metal guitar sound..

I have on several occasions brought it to a gig without a backup, and it has been perfect so far..

My amp actually did break down recently due to a tube/circuit problem, but as long as you make sure to check tubes for problems/use standby switch when your taking a break/and shut the amp off when your done it sh0uld be fine..

The Company is impossible to get a hold of, so I can't really say if they where friendly or not..

The repair on my amp I believe was under warranty because it was a circuit problem as well as a tube problem...

Finding a repair center was actually very difficult...

The warranty is for 2 years..

I've been playing for about 6 years now, I own a Mesa Boogie 50 caliber +/ a Suhr Guitar and some effects processors,

If this head was stolen I would do everything I could to get a new one somehow..

I love the warmth of the amp, and the fact that whenever I bring it to a gig and the sound is good it just sounds so perfect...

I hate that on the rare ocassions when a problem occurs how it is so difficult to find help..

to hear this head in action check out an Ep I just finished recording with it:

http://www.myspace.com/mindwalkblvd you will not believe how incredible it sounds!!

Had the amp for a year now. This is an update to my review from 5/4/07. The amp remains good. Very solid. Took me a while to tweek my sound but I've got it dialed now. I still cant stand the flange or the chorus. Way too brittle. Oh yeah did I mention that my head is the damn closet? Yep midi board went south just before a gig. No one in southern cali can sell the board alone. I had to ship it to niagra falls NY to the one and only HK distributor. Now here I am with a head that is virtually useless with out the midi.

The midi, or the cable is unreliable. Also a huge pain in the butt to get it replaced. If someone knows a replacment midi that compatable please let me know. Beware this amp. It could easily leave you hanging at a gig. If your like me and have every song dialed in and programmed, this could be bad. Unless you live in NY and can drive to the distributor your done for about three weeks!

Horrible! Emailed HK themselves looking for help. Still no response. Had to contact a local store who happened to know the distributors #.

Been playing for 12 years. This is a good amp, but the midi.....CRAP!