COREBLADE by Hughes & Kettner — Okay metalheads, lets take a look at the COREBLADE all-tube guitar amplifier. COREBLADE is the flagship of Hughes & Kettner’s line of high-end tube amps. Packing a whopping 100 watts, the head delivers tough tone, devastating dynamics, and an explosive punch. We have posted soundclips by Jan Laacks at the end of this review… so be sure to check that out.
We’re clearly stoked about this four-channel amp’s advantages, here’s what metal meister Jeff Waters has to say:
“This amp has everything a metal guitarist needs. And I had always loved the idea of the programming aspect being introduced into real tube guitar amps. But no one had ever perfected it. Until now!”
Four independent channels, three parallel FX modules, an intelligent noise gate, automatic power tube management, and analog programming technology – all this adds up to an awe-inspiring arsenal of merciless sounds. And that makes COREBLADE the top-notch tube amp of choice for all metal axe-slingers. Grind your axe, indeed!
Two of the four channels are voiced to offer completely different high-gain alternatives. Beyond that, the amp sports a phenomenally versatile Drive channel and a Clean channel offering tons of headroom. The Boost button works in concert with the Gain knob to create more metal tone options than any Tube amp before, and three studio-quality effects sections may be used simultaneously and stored on any channel.The ultra precise, remarkably musical IDB noise gate is available for all channels. With ultra loud clean tones, a mega-selection of the best metal rhythm sounds around, screaming leads and revolutionary new technologies, the COREBLADE is the metal guitarist’s dream tube amp! Jackhammer riffs, full-blown metal madness and more, you get wicked tone galore.
No Compromises in Tone Control
Programmable and maintenance-free PRN (Programmable Resistor Network) potentiometers are the most sophisticated analog sound-shaping tools. Only Hughes & Kettner has mastered the science of these elaborate knobs to benefit your art. Engineered to deliver a lifetime of service without ever becoming scratchy, these knobs let you tweak each of the four channels fully independently. No two channels share even a single knob. All Gain, EQ, Presence, Resonance, and similar settings may be stored in 128 presets and retrieved with a simple toe-tap. Best of all, every sound is purely tube-powered – no modeling here! An included MIDI board affords easy access to presets. What’s more, COREBLADE is the first tube amp worldwide that downloads presets directly to USB sticks and uploads new presets at the touch of a button.
Superb Sound-Sculpting Tools
The on-board effects enhance tone without sacrificing integrity. The innovative IPM (Inversed Parallel Modulation) circuit lets you blend the wet signal in with the dry, dialing in not only reverb and delay, but also chorus, phaser, flanger, and even tremolo. The guitar’s signal stays in the analog domain from the input jack to the speaker out, with all its punch, power, and dynamic range remaining intact. Every strike of a string means something, and our engineers developed a superior noise gate to get the musical message across in all its dynamic complexity. The automatic IDB (Intelligent Dual Breakpoint) circuit outperforms conventional noise gates by simultaneously gauging levels at the input jack and the preamp’s output. Used as a radical stylistic device on stage or as a sensitive noise suppressor in the studio, its response always remains musical.
Unique Tube Tone Customizing
Developed by a team of tube specialists, TSC (Tube Safety Control) is a power tube management circuit that automatically biases the amp to ensure stable sound and long tube life. It also shuts down defective tubes to get you through the gig, and indicates ratings to make tube selection an exercise in convenience. TSC even lets you run EL34 and 6L6GC tubes simultaneously! Tube tone customizing doesn’t get any easier or more gratifying than this.
MC412CL
Our master joiner crafted a custom 4×12 cabinet for COREBLADE. Oversized and made of even stronger wood, it delivers an even bigger thump. Loaded with Celestion Classic Leads, a speaker predestined for rendering metal sounds, it handles 320 watts at 8 ohms and converts the COREBLADE’s primal power into massive sound pressure.
Made in Germany
COREBLADE is made exclusively in the Custom Shop of the ISO 9001-certified Hughes & Kettner plant in Germany. Its exacting standards guarantee utmost reliability and longest service life. — SOURCE: Coreblade.net
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