Hughes & Kettner Attax 100 (1993 Series)

I have a marshall rack, with a jmp-1, jfx-1 and 9200. But it wasn´t very practical to take for some gigs. So i looked for a medium combo, wich could give me also a good stage sound. I went to a friend of my who owns a musicstore, and he told me to take a try with this one. I paid about $500.

The sound!! Is amaizing. I enjoy is flexibility. I play mostly with a Ibanez PM120, an the jazz sound it´s impressive, so warm.. and it can be played loud with no distorcion. I own also an american fender stratocaster with lace sensor pickups and this baby can also rocks, with some blues, or country. The features are: clean channel is a legitimate clean, with a seperate volume level, and seperate three band EQ. The OD channel has a gain and master control, and a seperate three band EQ. There are two master volumes that can be selected by footswitch, giving you two volume levels for clean, and two volume levels for OD. There is a master presence, an effect loop with adjustable level, and reverb. Also, a boost button that is footswitchable. The boost only affects the OD channel and gives it a slightly more raspy crunch. It has a ton of tones, with heavy crunch and a legitimate clean. The footswitchable dual master levels is a great feature.


Nothing ... it's a perfect combo amp!


This amp is well contructed. Look like it can take a licking and keep on jamming! The coners are well protected, and it looks good. I am travelling with it always, and still with no trouble.



Buy it! well i´m not sure, if H&K are still making this model, but i´m sure that the new ones, should be as great as this.
I am also looking forward to buy another amp like this to make a stereo sound.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Hughes and Kettner have some of the best sounding amplifiers on the planet. This a German company who designs high quality guitar amps for touring musicians and the average consumer. They guitar amps that range from just a few hundred dollars to several thousand. This amp is their solid state amp that is marketed towards the budgeted consumer who needs a good sounding amp but doesn't have the funds for a tube amp.

UTILIZATION

Channels Clean, Crunch, Lead, Ultra
Power 100 Watts
Poweramp Current Feedback Technology for warm tube-like tone
Modeling No
Effects Chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Delay, Reverb, seperate per channel (Channel-FX-Memory)
Effects Loop Serial
Footswitch/Stageboard 4-way Stageboard (FS-4) included
Switching Functions Clean, Crunch, Lead, Ultra
Special Features Channel-FX-Memory, CD-Player Input, Headphones Out
Headphones Yes
CD-Input Yes
Line Out Yes
Speakers 1x 12'' Rockdriver Ultra II
Dimensions 574 x 500 x 285 mm
Weight 22 kg/49 lbs

SOUNDS

This is a four channel amp that has a clean, crunch, lead, and the ultra lead channel. This amp is not a modeling amp or any kinds so you won't hear them try to pull off a Vox tone or a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier tone of any kind. This is an amp that has the Hughes and Kettner tone for all four channels.

If you want a decent clean channel then there is a good one locate don this amp. The crunch tone is a nice sweet light crunch that has the capability of produces some great classic rock tones. The lead channel is much like the other lead channels form other Hughes and Kettner tube amps. You get a silky smooth lead tone that is also good fro thick chunky rhythm tones as well. The ultra lea is more gain that you can handle. This channel features so much gain that you will never need a boost pedal or anything else to boost. It s an over the top gain channel.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these amps come in right at around $500. They are harder to find than other Hughes and Kettner amps but they can be located if you look hard enough. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a good amp and can't spend the money on a tube amp. They are decent sounding for a solid state operation and will produced a wealth of tones form these four completely different channels.

What type of amplification (lamp, transistor, ...)? What is the power delivered? What connection? What are the settings, effects? ... *dropoff Window

USE

Is the configuration simple? Gets it easy to sound good? Is the manual clear and sufficient? ... *dropoff Window

SOUNDS

Will it fit your style of music? With what (s) guitar (s) / low (s) or effect (s) do you play? What kind of sound you get and with what settings ("crystalline", "fat", ....)? What are the sounds you prefer, you hate? *dropoff Window

NOTICE GLOBAL

How long have you use it? What thing do you like most and least? Have you tried many other models before buying it? How would you rate the quality / price? With experience, you do again this choice? ... *dropoff Window

This is the old model with the blue facade and enitèrement protected by the midnight blue velvet

Type of amplification:
A lamp preamp (enabled on all configurations)
a transistor amplifier

Rated power: 100W
RMS power: 90W
real power (equivalent tube amp: 30/40W)

2 jack inputs low and high
an effects loop
1 input for MIDI CONTROLLER
A switch clean / crunch, CH1 / 2 and mix effects loop

2 channels with independent EQ: clean / crunch and lead1 / 2
clean / crunch: gain clean / crunch gain / bass / middle / treble / clean switch crunch
Lead: gain / bass / middle / treble / volume / switch lead1 lead2
spring reverb
mix effects loop
activation twelve o'clock

UTILIZATION

Setup is extremely simple, just select the desired channel and adjust the equalization

Optimum sound is obtained in 30 seconds as the manipulatiosn easy! In other words, the manual is superfluous ...

The footswitch is the image of a combo: three simple buttons to switch channels and turn the effects loop

SOUNDS

This combo has two strengths: the warmth of the sound and versatility.
The tube preamp works with any configuration and breathes warm sound similar to a combo while lamps. The grain is rich in general, now, the bass and treble stand of mediums. It is helped by the HP celestion 12 inches that supports a good definition of sound.

The equalization performance can work on a wide range of sounds suitable for a wide musqiues style: jazz, reggae, blues, fusion, rock, metal.

By manipulating the mediums, you can get crystal clear sound very bluesy or rather the contrary, fat is desired. The crunch is precise and sensitive, you can get varying degrees of saturation by the action of mediator. We can get sounds approaching those of the LC or laney peavey classic.

The channel will lead the British rock to metal. That said, for those who play the big metal very heavy, I would advise them to opt for rather specialized models. The equalization is effective and brings a broad sound palette. In addition, the Hughes and Kettner reputation is in saturation is well established and its lead is approaching all-tube amps of this trademark.

I will put 9 / 10 because despite the quality of grain, it does not reach that of an all-tube combo

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 7 years with a Yamaha Pacifica 812W and it never let me down ... A recurring phrase in other zikos "but really good sound this amp!" says it all ...

What I like most: The sound is always pleasant, whatever the syle of music is what we demand a high quality amp ...

What I like least: it is rather oriented blues / rock. I play jazz, reggae and funk so I will look into a combo laney, fender or vox

The day I bought it, I also tried a combo marshall any lamp. The Attax sounded 10 times better than the marshall!

Among the hybrid combos for me is by far the best for a really small (bought 500 euros a time). At the last review, the technician was pleasantly surprised by the quality and robustness of electronic ... the good old German stuff!

Vias I change it to an all-tube combo but it will be very hard to have to part with it ... Confirmed for a beginner, it is an excellent choice for group play and forget the first transistor amplifier has no taste ...