A Forgotten High Gain MONSTER?! | Hughes & Kettner Trilogy 3 Channel Tube Amplifier

[@georgelomas5172]

“Everything at 12 o’clock nails the early AC DC tone. I’ll take it.”

[@rockemoore2192]

Kyle your videos inspired me to buy my first big “real” amp. Previously I only had lunchbox heads and small amps. I just traded my amp and some cash for an EVH 5150 EL34 and I’m beyond happy

[@famousforever8556]

Some advice? As you navigate through your gear and try to find that perfect sound that makes the hair on your arms stand at attention, try to keep what you can instead of selling or trading up. I think every guitarist with decades under his belt obsessed over at least one amp, effect or guitar they parted with way back when they had their eyes on something new and exciting. For me it was when rack mounted effects came in and were the future of how we would all end up using our effects. It wasn't even a really long time before I really missed a stereo chorus effect that no other could match up with. I didn't know it when I used it in a trade deal, but it was the most perfect sounding chorus unit I have ever heard and revised how perfect it would have been for a couple of songs we played. But it was gone and I could not find it anywhere ever since. Now think about that with say your amps. They may not be what do it for you right now or you become interested in another one that has a "better" sound or has more power, but you'll only be thinking in the moment. What does it for you now will probably not be what does it for you in 6 months, 6 years or even later in down the road. As you are looking for gear that meets your needs when in the studio, it just may hit you how perfect one of your old amps would be for that song, and you had it, but now it's gone, maybe for good! If money is tight, you gotta do what you gotta do, but if you can afford your next gotta have it without having to sell what you have, or even if you have to save up for a while longer so you don't have to sacrifice what you have at the time, it may be worth it in the long run. Of course I am talking about gear that is worth saving, not no-name, cheap, made in China crap that your parents bought you for your 12th birthday when you told them you wanted an electric guitar and amplifier. I'm specifically talking about quality items that you were at one time excited about buying and you enjoyed them while they were yours. Even 20 or 30 years from now they may just be that perfect piece of the puzzle that you you end up regretting letting go in the name of attaining that next shiny new toy! Hope this helps and have fun!

[@Turbo-D]

german artwork, i got most of their older rack & pedal stuff and grandmeister 40 & tubemeister 40 amps, nothing but amazing that brand! cheers from germany

[@famousforever8556]

Hey, Alex Lifeson can't be wrong!

[@famousforever8556]

I've had one for years and have always loved it. I swap between the Trilogy and a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 100 watt head through an Orang 4×12 cabinet on stage with Les Paul Standards, Ibanez, Jackson's and a BC Rich Acrylic Mockingbird, an overdrive, stereo chorus, chromatic tuner, flanger, noise supressor and phaser peddles. The guitars and pedals are based on the songs we're playing, but the amps and cab are always the same. The Marshall I use on the more heavy, down-tuned songs, but the Trilogy is my go to for hard rock with more riff-oriented songs. If stuck to one amp I use the Marshall because it does more overall, but the Trilogy definitely shines in some specific songs. If you're not into the drop D and below type music, then the Trilogy will do it all for you. The bonus is on the price with how cheap they go for these days!

[@James-vr5wh]

Had one for some time back in the day and like it for my punk / skate punk tones. These guys were semi budget friendly Triamps and the predecessor to their Tubemeister series. I would use a SD1 and a BBE Sonic Maximizer to add a little flavor. I eventually upgraded it to a Triamp but was always pleased with it.

[@JA-ng7yo]

I liked to see you get your hands on the 120 watt Hughes and Kettner Warp X.

[@davidfaustino4476]

Btw.. if you want more cut so you can run the treble lower all you need is a bright cap on each gain pot. $1 in parts. Every channel absolutely SLAYS now!!! You can get these heads for like $600 sometimes. What a sleeper once you install the bright caps!

[@HeavyThrashGuitar]

I just got this amp yesterday in a trade. Dude... Clean channel is the best I have ever heard (I have and had a ton of different amps), the crunch channel is basically a boosted plexi, Lead is in the JCM 800 territory and the Ultra is something like a Dual Recto. So... yeah a really great amp! + I believe something was wrong with the Trilogy in your video (either preamp tubes or something), because I find mine to have almost too much top-end and I have to have my Presence and Treble rolled down quite low (common thing with early Hughes & Kettner amps).

[@spiraldrop4897]

Totally agree... Sadly I sold mine 5years ago

[@lowtonezf104]

Buy it just for the look. Penn Ave music in Reading PA was the spot growing up. Jason had all the Cool H&K amps, I think I’ll want one forever

[@brianwhitenz]

cool demo! And love seeing the pedals you use/ settings on top of the amp instead of hidden - thats really helpful :)

[@williamdiego7218]

Would anyone consider this an upgrade to a switchblade 100? Or should I just hold off for a triamp Mk2?

[@PereRevert]

Fantastic video man, as usual. What about a studio tour showing all the insights of your amp collection?

[@richarddeeble09]

Have been waiting for this ever since getting my duotone

[@marvinmartin3438]

Dude, I love this amp! Is it true bypass? Is it gag bag worthy? Asking for a friend

[@matt1335]

Great video as always, Kyle! Just wondering how does that buxom boost compare to the duality?

[@SHREDTILLDEAD]

Could they make it bigger ?

[@AtTheSourceStudios]

Right lol back in the day it was always big fullest size head cases. Could easy have made it like 8 inches smaller or something I think

[@88Nyman]

The great ancestor of this is HK tube-100 amplifier and it's awesome

[@christopherward4671]

I’m wondering if perhaps the reason the highs seem so rolled off might be because this amp is voiced around the Hughes and Kettner specific vintage 30 that came in their cabs. It was noted by Nolly as being some of the brightest, nastiest 16ohm V30s he’s found, and they don’t have the standard 444 cone. I actually have no idea if those cabs are from the same era of H&K, but it might make sense.

[@maximilianfranke8385]

yep they are from the same Era. I played this Amp for 10 Years or so and had the HK CC412 Cab with mentioned V30s as well and I also can confirm that the Trilogy doesnt like the Mesa Cabs. It works well with an Fane loaded Hiwatt Cab instead. Cheers from Germany \m/

[@richarddeeble09]

I have a duotone combo and through the stock 8ohm v30 it is incredibly bright. Beautiful clean sounds but you really need to watch the presence and treble for that 4-5k harshness

[@michaelgallegos8811]

I always liked that lots of bells and whistles all the extra parts whats worries more more stuff

[@thatguyinaband6341]

yah know you should review the Legacy VL 100, i've never seen a good review on it, and your the best reviewer on youtube! thanks!

[@gravelrocks5588]

Dude I had a Trilogy many years ago I can't remember what it sounded like but I know I did like it and ended up selling it

[@ChrisTWR]

H&K amps. When you want a hollow, thin, brittle, poorly voiced amp that never effectively pokes through a mix. But looks cool in your bedroom as a step up from the fishtank and bong ensemble of your youth.... Except no substitute! These tone leeching beasts got adopted by a lot of bands I liked in Australia around the mid 2000s, and just made everyone suffer pure sonic Anorexia. On the sucking my will to live scale it gets 4 out of 5 Leonard Cohen's

[@geraldrauch1701]

that waz funny!!!

[@JohnWiku]

Daamn, I can feel the hatred of this man 🤣🤣

[@st.evil-1]

Funniest post I've seen on KZbin in days. Great work man 🤘

[@brandonbryson3317]

Yeah, I have always thought these sounded cheap and solid state like.

[@ratt669]

you're a funny idiot.

[@AustinofDivebomb]

I think every H&K has a very touchy high end that’s very hard to get balanced. Had the same issue with the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 of course that’s solid state but I’ve played a few other tube amps from them that had the same voicing.

[@averyhagaman9310]

I got a Grandmeister Deluxe 40 a bit over a month ago and almost had immediate buyer’s remorse because none of the videos I’d watched really captured the fizzy/grindy highs that it had on the Crunch, Lead, and Ultra channels. But I slapped an eq in the loop and cut all 16k out and that was a game changer for me. Love it now, but I can totally understand why people wouldn’t like some of these amps.

[@libertoproductions]

I've owned about 8 of the pro line of HK amps from that era. They tend to like Greenbacks and not V30s from my experience. The new Triamp and Deluxe series amps play nicer with Mesa v30s it seems. Also, you gotta bias these amps a little on the warmer side, around 42 ma..

[@RodneyWallaceDynamoC]

That amp has always amazed me, even back in the day, I believe 2011 or so. Too bad I probably will never see one where I live. But definitely kicks ass.

[@famousforever8556]

I'm surprised at how quickly they disappeared! I bought mine used and got it really cheap YEARS ago because there were several others selling theirs in the same place as well. Fast forward to today and I don't see anyone selling the Trilogy, just the Tubemeisters. I love mine and have no plans on ever selling it. I have other Marahall, Peavey and such heads, but nothing will replace it in my line up!

[@nickharper8145]

How about a Boss SD1 vs Ibanez TS9 video? I am sure you could pick a few amps to have a good comparison of them on.

[@doctoribanez]

They sure look cool. All lit up and see through. Overly complicated though imo

[@realtruenorth]

They also make really simple amps with a few knobs in comparison.

[@pwrmac7600]

LMFAO "What do those do? WHO CARES!"

[@mustangguy3706]

I agree with the SD-1 love. My go to boost

[@Clinthopanonymous]

I had one of these about a decade ago. AMAZING cleans but unfortunately for me I don't use the clean channel all too much and the crunch sounded excellent. However, I could never really get a good high gain sound that I wanted. The lead sounded much better to me than the ultra channel but it just didnt have the drive i needed. Ended up selling it and getting a 6505.

[@NotAnotherSatchFan]

Not a bad amp that definitely requires boost pedal. I feel you always want that Marshal's sizzle sounding which a lot of modern amps don't have. My assumption hat some amps are dark in nature which seems to voiced towards matching cab.

[@guidedbyechoes]

I had the same issues with the triamp MK2. It was hard trying to get it to sound clear without sounding grating. I tried it in a music store without the benefit of a boost. Far better sounding amps in that price range.

[@davidfaustino4476]

Install $1 worth of bright caps on the gain pot of any channel you want clarity from. Instant fix. Any tech can do it. You shouldn't HAVE to do this but it's hard to argue with the result when you can get these for dirt cheap.

[@samizdat113]

Complementary algorithm comment.

[@JohnWiku]

Complementary reply to complementary algorithm comment.

[@MachineGunMan]

@@JohnWiku Complementary reply to complementary reply to complementary algorithm comment

[@AtTheSourceStudios]

@@MachineGunMan complimentary reply to fucking stop this shit

[@rickycompton2610]

Killer Demo Kyle, I remember these amp when they were new and yes I love the Boss sd1 probably my favorite overdrive please do an in-depth review on it.

[@soundbringer5940]

I did not understand (or missed something)... presence at noon all the presentation? If highs are unpleasant, the first thing I would try is to make perfect balance of treble and presence, and not just keeping presence so high, because I am never sure how it boosts those >5kHz frequencies...

[@Loudbish]

my main amp is a trilogy and I love it more than any other amp I've owned, I've had a dark terror, a bogner uberschal, a few valve state 8100's and most recently a 5150 iconic, my board I run through it is a rat pro co, a way huge green rhino, a electro harmonix s9, a dunlop tom morello wah, a nux vintage delay, a azor noise gate (highly recommend) a joyo tuner pedal, and a boss super phaser. LOVE LOVE LOVE this amp

[@davidfaustino4476]

Hmmmmm I wonder if this would take a Hot Mod V2?

[@immyownbestfriend9338]

you know what might be funny...show the clean channels from now on, but only with a fuzz pedal. gain dimed. also really cool video, i played one of these a few times a few times.

[@jrlee243]

I have a switchblade that I always thought was underrated. But I dig the Variety, no matter if you like it or not. Keep it brother.

[@torchlord11]

I have a Switchblade and Coreblade and the Coreblade seems to have the same character in the high end as the Trilogy. The Switchblade seems to have been designed with fewer of the annoying high-end frequencies. I think one of the issues with H&K amps is there very specific on what speakers they can use, most of which are rolled off high-end and darker speakers. Seems like every review I watch of their amps uses the Vintage 30 and this speaker is way too bright for their amps. Two Notes just put out an IR pack of about 5+ of H&K speaker cabs which seem to help but not entirely get rid of that high end bright annoying stuff.

[@jrlee243]

@torchlord I have never played a coreblade. They look like a switchblade, but I never knew they made them till years after I got a switchblade. I have about 7 cabs, and 2 of them are only v30s. I always liked to pair them with something else like a cream back or something close to them. I personally like the mojo tone speakers. But also the dv77. I agree that the cab and speaker pairing with that and other amps are so important.

[@torchlord11]

@@jrlee243 I've looked into the Mojo Tone speakers a little but really not to in-depth, maybe someday I can get more speakers and a few more cabs to check out different sounds.

[@jrlee243]

@torchlord I bought their isolation cabs, mainly because I just did not like the way IRs sounded. I know they can sound really good, but I just missed being able to mic a cab. So I found they made cab that they converted to use as a normal 2x12 or you can put on a cover over the front and turns in to a isolation cab. It works great .

[@bengirard1984]

''What are those do? WHO CARES!!'' Maybe I'm tired but I laughed way too much when you said it hahaha

[@aaronkerr5993]

I was waiting for this one!

[@normanvename4404]

I played some old Hughes & Kettner head at Guitar Center and I was disappointed. I've heard the Triamp mark 3 is an amazing high gain amp but are wicked expensive.

[@michaelgallegos8811]

great video Kyle thanks .

[@Margilio5150]

But those blue lights are awesome!

[@cloud041089]

Breaking Benjamin’s old live tones with HK amps sound fantastic, so idk why this sounds so dull. Maybe it’s the HK cabinets I like?

[@serfillustrated4018]

A lot of their big amps are made for their custom cabs which have Rock Driver Classic 60s. Most people claim you need to use less treble and presence when playing through vintage 30s.

[@belligerentamateur]

That didn't fix the issues I was having with it but you're correct, H&K did not shape their amps around the v30

[@serfillustrated4018]

@@belligerentamateur That's ashamed. Could need new tubes or a re-biasing. Don't let this one example deter you from trying more of their gear. They make very high quality products. I'd honestly love to see you do a video of their Rockdriver loaded cabs. They really are the most versatile speakers ive ever heard. I've never heard a cab/speakers that held up so well at very high volumes. Two cabs that i know for sure that have those Rockdrivers are the Triamp Mark III cab. And the TC 412 A60 which i think is the same cab.

[@torchlord11]

@@belligerentamateur I think most amps probably shape their sound around the most popular speaker and that is why many amps sound very similar to each other. It isn't a terrible idea to make your amps sound good with the majority of cabs people have.

[@torchlord11]

@@serfillustrated4018 I do like the Rockdriver Classic 60. I, unfortunately, blew one of them in my Switchblade 100 2x12. :( I've been debating getting a replacement Rockdriver as you can buy them new individually. I found the information on how to get a replacement a while back by contacting H&K. Not sure I want to spend 200 on a speaker though and that was back before the inflation went up. Lately, I've been digging my Jensen Tornado/ WGS ET90 more so maybe I'll just wait and hope someone sells a used Rockdriver.

[@DavidAllenMD]

Lmao fuck the clean tone 😂😂😂

[@BattleofTrenton]

So really just a week as I am but I need a ton of pedals to sound good I think I’ll stick with my GCM 800

[@jessetate9701]

The player of mice and men uses the triamp mk3

[@RockyH.]

All I know is some of those Solid State H&Ks like that Black Spirit or whatever its called sound righteous.

[@dangood2287]

I have the Triamp II it kills

[@ChiAeNima]

Cool video bro. I think if you know what you're doing you can make almost every amp sounds good. Or at least make it works for you.

[@mr.timebombman2230]

A graphic EQ pedal would fix those unwanted frequencies.

[@belligerentamateur]

definitely possible!

[@dhollongstreet4725]

Instead of the crunch of Heavy Metal, should have went for Southern Rock, Blues Rock, Prog, or even C&W. Which is what H&K amps are really marketed.

[@adamagapie1298]

JJ junior and the Archon mkii, Cmonah yeeahhh ha!

[@sqrly2u]

Poison? 5:58 Fallen Angel?

[@mikegilbert5851]

It reminds me of the Blue Voodoo

[@MotoRiff77]

That amp is huge you may need a forklift

[@TheMirrorify]

I have a tubemeister 36 I got in a trade and I'd describe it in a similar way. So close to being awesome but just has this annoying frequency which you can't get rid of on all channels.

[@guitarguts666]

I think your losing your frequency hearing man. That amp sounded great even more so with the push.

[@belligerentamateur]

You have to remember that what you're hearing is the speaker with proper mic placement and a microphone that filters out a lot of frequencies and has it's own EQ curve, so it's not the same as what I'm hearing in the room

[@greg24hoareau]

I used to have this amp it's a great amp, very versatile, beautiful and powerful...

[@mr.meadows5283]

Is it just me or is your voice higher in pitch then normal?

[@seanmorgan9020]

Always been curious about H and K amps. The Triamp series has like......WAAAY too many knobs.

[@jamesfindice2871]

Always reminds me of the chinese? engl savage clone that have the same looks. What were they called….oh yeah GOLDEA REX ENGINE 6200! You should try to get your hands one one of those :)

[@aaronderrick5721]

Thought this amp would be able to get to that level on its own. U were able to get something decent with the pedal combo. But Huges has its own sound. Alex lifeson frm Rush uses H&k..an in my exp, that's what the H&K's can achieve. Not sure about their mos recent line..

[@p4fizzle]

If I was loaded I'd buy the newer MiniHead H&K. But I'm not and there are at least 5 other amps I'd buy first

[@ancientalien815]

I like the Hatebreed riffs at the end. I really don't like this amp much. I dont like the saturation or lack there of and it just sounds too harsh.

[@johnevered9640]

I had an H&K Switchblade and it also has this fizzy harshness in the top end that's near impossible to dial out

[@realtruenorth]

Sounds like sh!t until you played a dropped tuned guitar. Then all of a sudden i wanted one! LOL. Weird.

[@rareform6747]

Alex Lifeson ?

[@waltonadams3483]

The Friedman made it sound better. Just my internet two cents

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

yoUUUUU!

[@KaddysJamKave]

Yeah it sucks ballz... I have the tubemeister 40 which sounds better than this... But the high gain channel especially just doesn't do it for me. It's gain is lacking a bit, it's a dark amp with no presence knob and the mids control doesn't seem to do much. It's better with an overdrive but I really wish I didn't waste $1800 AUD on the piece of garbage.

[@michaelgallegos8811]

yeah thats sounds kinda bland sounding no Balls man lol ill pass on that

[@metalgear74]

I hate the looks of these! I would run the other direction based off that alone lol.

[@doc3379]

Noice

[@lord_Errykson]

🤘🦄

[@dethstormpx4]

Less mids ugh

[@RokDAWG1]

I'm not feeling this amp

[@bigmike9527]

No thanks

[@russelw.6288]

Sounds like ass. kinda early 2000 nu metal sound. Harsh and hollow. Not tight in the lows. And the looks. 2000 LED kitschy. Bah.

[@KevinTheMetalhead]

Imo the early 2000s nu metal tones sounds better than this

[@russelw.6288]

@@KevinTheMetalhead i dont mean top notch limp bizkit /korn / Lp. I‘m talking standard mediocre nu metal like … american head charge or drowning pool.

[@deafworldstudios8644]

With all due respect, I don't know where you are getting that from. Mamy Nu Metal bands don't use H&K that I am aware of. (Most use Mesa's, Marshall, or Peavey). The Harshness actually gives it a raw feel.

[@russelw.6288]

@@deafworldstudios8644 i said it sounds kinda nu metal. i‘ve never said those bands played HK. Thats a big difference. But the signal chain and style of gain i hear reminds me of that era.