Normally, guitar aficionados automatically associate flexibility and a broad repertoire of sounds with digital simulations – the Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mark 3 proves that there's an analogue tube amp capable of providing a full-colour palette of sounds. The Triamp has six different channels, which can deliver with disarming authenticity almost every typical tube sound, from classic American clean sounds to modern high-gain. How did they pull this off? The answer: this incredible amp comes fitted with a total of 15 tubes, nine of them in the preamp stage and six spread over three independent power amps, all of which allows the Triamp to generate a real wealth of sounds. For even greater flexibility, the power amps can be connected to each other at the touch of a button, allowing musicians to adjust their output and their sound in extraordinary detail.
In addition to its extensive library of different sounds, the Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mark 3 has a range of other useful features. It has a built-in noise gate, giving modern high-gain sounds great tonal precision without any interference or noise. It has a DI output, because every guitarist has been in a situation where they didn't have time to mic up a cabinet. The Red Box AE provides very decent speaker simulation, with two settings and a practical bass cut. Another special feature is the TSC, or Tube Safety Control, which continuously measures the tubes' performance, thus optimising the sound, as well as extending their service life and making them easier to replace. The Triamp also comes with an FX loop and a master insert, which allows a volume pedal to act as an overall master.
Anyone who feels let down by their current single-channel amp's lack of adaptability will be happy to hear that the Triamp may well have solved this problem once and for all. This top will impress all-comers with its broad tonal spectrum; each channel has its own tone control, and can be boosted if required. When all tubes are activated at once, it has a 148W output, giving it incredible headroom. While the total of 33 switches and controls is bound to require some getting used to, the Mark 3 soon feels familiar, as well as offering the functional flexibility of MIDI capability, making it easy to load the presets designed using the TSM-432 MIDI board that comes supplied with the amp.
Hughes & Kettner is one of the largest German suppliers of guitar and bass amplifiers. Founded in 1984 by Hans and Lothar Stamer under the name Stamer Musikanlagen GmbH, the manufacturer from St. Wendel in the Saarland can boast of its numerous innovations. For example, its first venture into the field of guitar amplifiers, the ASR64 from 1986, was the first programmable amplifier in the world. Thanks to its compact format, the Cream Machine of 1987 can be counted among the very first mini tube amplifiers. Equally influential were the Red Box analogue speaker simulation, the first six-channel amplifier (the Triamp), and the ZenTera, which used modelling technology in an integrated amplifier even before Line 6.
The Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mark 3 unites a wide range of features and sounds that would otherwise rarely be found in one place. Whether it's playing 80s hard rock, 70s British crunch, or the bright, clean sounds of 60s California, the Triamp will pass every six-stringed test with flying colours – there's almost nothing it can't do. This flexibility extends to its effortless effectiveness in every setting, from a quick jam session to a live gig or professional studio. Despite all the tubes, and the extensive technical features, the Hughes & Kettner Triamp Mark 3 weighs only 22kg, so it won't break your back – or break the bank.