can the hughes/kettner puretone replace my gretsch playboy?

[re-animator]

i've been rocking a gretsch playboy for a few months. its a great amp, but a tube combo amp doesn't work for me to play my gigs and rehearsals in NYC. Its pretty light (35 lbs) but its still a bitch to haul around town when you're rehearsing in midtown and playing shows in brooklyn.

I'd much rather carry a head that weighs the same amount just because its easier to carry around.... backline cabs are usually plentiful at both rehearsal spaces and concert venues.

the featureset for the hughes and kettner puretone is solid for me. 25w class A, switchable down to 1/4 power (~6 watts), lightweight, and a bypassable tonestack, which i like. its also handwired, like my gretsch/victoria amp.

i'm a little iffy on the sounds though.... i'm going to test it out locally before i buy (i know a place that has one for a decent price). but you can't always figure things out when you try stuff out at a guitar store amirite?

any TGPers have this amp??

the tones i'm looking for are a smokey/fat clean sound when pushed (ya know... rockabilly, fingerpicking, etc.), along with the obligatory fenderesque deal.

a midrange-heavy crunch tone seems to be the amp's strong suit, which is also the mainstay of my playing. and cleaning up with the volume knob is also a must (which apparently is also done well on the amp). what are the gain levels like without a boost? neal schon levels??

 

[Pantalooj]

Can't help you with your questions, but I must say I'm intrigued by this amp too. Read a good review in Guitarist (UK) and the few clips I've heard sound good.

Just from what I've read though, I thought the power attenution switch had 100% (full volume), 80% and 50% settings. Also read that this is a very loud amp.

I have been impressed with the tone and build quality of my H&K Statesman, and I almost bought a Duotone that was also extremely toneful and well built, but a bit too modern sounding for my tastes.

Good luck.

 

[re-animator]

interesting. yeah, my main concern is whether it can do all the great things the gretsch amp does. i.e. fat cleans/edge of breakup, in addition to the brit gain type sounds i'm expecting from the hughes and kettner. i feel like i really would rather not lose the gretsch - because its so good at what it does - but life gets in the way sometimes. funny, i just downsized to the gretsch because my AC30 wasn't practical!

anyway, i should be down to check out the HK in the next few days.

 

[guitarplayaman]

I owned the head and wished I still had it. Still have a puretone combo and it sounds killer. Awesome sounding amps never had a problem with em.

 

[re-animator]

awesome. given your nashville background i'm assuming you used it for country/pop? i'm a big fan of that sound, and would be glad to hear that the amp is suited for it.

 

[guitarplayaman]

I used a puretone head with a 4-12 cab on the road with Trick Pony....absolutely floored on the road.

 

[re-animator]

sounds good. the place i'm getting it from doesn't have demo space/gear, but they have a 30 day return policy. Fortunately, i'm in a situation where i can temporarily lay out the dough to try it out. I think i may set up a shootout of sorts at a studio and record it against other boutique amps. I can decide there whether to keep the playboy or use the puretone.

 

[guitarplayaman]

good move let me know what you think.

 

[re-animator]

sounds like a plan, but i might actually also be looking at old blackface fender heads. i used to have a super reverb RI, it was great but the speakers weren't a great fit for rock. this shootout may get interesting...

maybe we should make it a tonefest and invite TGPers?

 

[musickbox]

Puretone is loud and heavy. I sold it for something lighter and more controllable volume (Goodsell Super 17). I miss the sound, but I don't miss carrying that sucker around.