Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210 Sweetwater Affiliate: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0mGvx My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68 My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio Thanks for supporting the channel!
Great demo as always, you´re one of my go-to channels when it comes to guitar sounds 😁 Still a owner of a GM40 Deluxe myself (roughly 4 years now) and there´s nothing it can´t do thanks to it´s versatile channels 👌 For heavy stuff, I use primarily the Lead channel without the on-board boost. Instead I boost the GM40 with a Fortin Grind and oooh boy, that´s a mean combination! 🤘🤘
One of the best amp demos I've ever seen. Got to hear some great playing both in a mix and solo, and the talking was all totally to the point and relevant. The amp is great too. Thank you so much for this!
My favorite Amp of all time. I don't care if mesa, diezel, Soldano, Friedman (and so on) are more prestige if the hk sounds so damn good! YOU nailed/admit exact the tone I love.
I play in a Rock cover band. The only two amps I use when gigging are my H/K and Mesa MarkV:35. Depending on the venue the H/K with a 1x12 or 2x12 is all that is needed, the ability to preload dozens of presets gives huge tonal flexibility and I leave my pedal board at home. Setup/teardown and travel is so simple with this amp. Well worth the money. Love mine lots.
I'm actually about to pull the trigger on this amp, but was curious how it compares to the Mesa Mark V:35 which I haven't had a chance to use yet. Its obviously way more versatile and has onboard effects already, but is the Mesa's high gain channels for rock/metal really that different? How does its clean compare to the H&Ks as well? One other thing I noticed is that the Mesa may be too loud in a bedroom setting for practice since it doesn't have the 1W option. Boosted to max volume, how do they compare as well?
@@JJDon5150 The gain channels are very different, The H/K sounds a lot like other quality name-brand amps; the Mesa has a unique sound of its own. The big drawback of the Mesa is if you play different styles of music the two channel design limits your ability to create too many variants. Although it has 3 different voices per channel, they are not foot switchable, and at a gig are not something you will relish monkeying with in-between songs. The H/K has a 100+ preloads you can create, and easily switch between them via the optional footpedal. If all I played was hard rock/metal I'd use the Mesa exclusively, but my band does 60s, 70's & 80s rock, with a very eclectic mix, so I have about 6-8 unique presets in the H/K to accommodate all the styles. HTH
@@robertaugustine5350 thanks for the response! And that's what I figured in terms of versatility. I'm more like you and play an eclectic variety of songs/genres, so the H&K will probably serve me better. Since it already has a pretty clean channel, I plan to either get a Diezel VH4 OD or BE OD pedal in case I need more modern high gain sounds, despite the stock high gain sounds on the GM40 already being really good.
@@JJDon5150 The ULTRA channel is pretty solid. I own a BE-OD that I play through a Marshall head at home. Amazing pedal, but I doubt you’ll need any into the H/K. It has so many options built in. I just use a tuner in front and let the amp do its thing. Perfect gig amp if you don’t have a road crew!
@@robertaugustine5350 good to know. I was leaning slightly toward the BE OD pedal for its versatility with high gain, but I play a lot of TOOL and those style of riffs, so if the GM40 can handle most things, I might just go with the Diezel VH40 OD pedal then. Not sure though, still trying to decide since I haven't had the opportunity to compare any of them with the actual Ultra channel of the GM40 yet.
The GrandMeister 40 deluxe had been my main amp for the last few months. Using the HK 2x12 and save all my tones on my IPad! It seriously kicks A$$! Love the video and awesome amp 👍 was hoping to see your LTD Ironcross !!!
Tung-Sol tubes are good quality. It's really your own personal settings that the tubes are responding to. I've always had good luck with Sovtek tubes as well.
I really miss my old H&K Tubemiester 18 and man this has just made me think I need to buy another H&K tube amp again even more!! Thanks man for the constant incredibly informative and entertaining videos with amazing riffage!!
@@SonicDriveStudio Clean, Crunch and lead channel are all great and I use them all the time. The ultra channel, on my HK anyway, is a bit bass heavy and can be boomy....even with the boost engaged. I'll usually use a tube screamer pedal (Fortin 33 works great) to handle the low end issues I have. All the bells and whistles are just icing on this delicious cake. :)
i absolutely LOVE the track at 13:01. ive been playing a similar style to this for years now but im jelly u came up with that banger and i didnt lol u aways intrigue me with some of ur jazzier metal fusion stuff
Hi, man! I am planning on buying an amp with certain characteristics, and during my research so far, I've been able to find some amps that caught my attention for their specs, and they are: ● REVV G20 ● H&K GrandMeister Deluxe 40 ● ENGL Ironball SE I might include the H&K Black Spirit but I don't know, I do not trust anything that says "feels and sounds just like a tube amp even though it is not a tube amp", that has been said since the 80's-90's. Also, I checked the Peavey Invective MH but I think that the DI output is not very malleable. What I look for is - Lunchbox amp so I can transport it with me and have my sound with me - 2-channel tube amp (clean and overdrive/gain) - DI out for recording/send it to FOH when there's no cab or there is no need for one - Footswitchable (if it's via MIDI all the better) Which ones of that little list would serve me for metal the most? I also tend to play clean parts so the clean channel has to be fairly good as well. Greetings from Mexico!
I love watching your videos and hearing your tracks. I would SO LOVE to know how you build them. You should build a tutorial front to back of one of your tracks and how you build them. Keep up the great work
I was socialized with Hughes & Kettner amps. First real amp was a Tube 50 combo, then got a TriAmp Mk. 2, Warp T, Access 19" preamp (if you see one, pick it up, combine it with an EQ for maximum versatility - then you can do ANYTHING with this from crystal clean to the most brutal distorted sounds you can imagine). I would absolutely get a Grandmeister 40 if I had the money for just one amp.
Amazing amp. Seems to me it should have been even more popular when it came out, given the ridiculous feature set that so many other tube amps are now adding. Game changer and trend setter imo.
I play mine through a 3/4" Baltic Birch home-made Half-back cabinet with a Ted Webber Neo-Mag 15" guitar speaker, custom with paper cone, cloth edges and light doping. It is Heaven!
nice. I found a NOS H&K CC212 (50W) cab at a local shop i bought about a year before i bought this amp. I got the cab early 2022 i think ? Sent an email to H&K and they said it was from 2009. Now that's NOS (new old stock) hey ?!!! Perfect match for it too.
Loved this amp. I had its smaller brother, the TM18. Very versatile, amazing pedal platform with the clean channel and holding its own on the other channels as well. Had the pleasure of playing it in 4cm with York Audios before letting it go before moving to the digital modelling world.
I own one of these and no joke, it is incredible. It's like an all tube version of a modeler! lol! You will want to spring the extra bucks for the adapter that will connect it an ipad. The ability to set this monster in a different room, and make all of your adjustments from your console or desk is absolutely astonishing! Great video review of this!
Dude same idea, I so love this amp, you don’t need an attenuator for it, and like you said it’s a tube version of a modeler and it can be sometimes confusing or generally hard to k ow the settings of each channel without seeing their current values, so the iPad app is necessary.
Great review....my only complaint....well it's not really a complaint, but I noticed you didn't do any "solo" kind of playing. But I can tell it will do that kind of thing well.
it sounds very even and thick. i think it would blend well in most situations. as a side note i always liked the boss metal core pedal with an eq. used to plug it into peoples amps when i was over and they where always impressed with the tone.
I have this one. The amp has a 3 year warranty but ships with Chinese valves/tubes which only have a 6 month warranty which is probably why the previous owner replaced them. Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘 Edit: I’ve bought some Soltek valves to replace the Chinese EL84s. Quad matched set. Info for anyone: The outer 2 EL84s can be replaced with a matched pair and the inner 2 can be replaced with a matched pair too. It’s recommended that you get a quad matched set but as I mentioned you can just do outer and inner pairs separately if you’re on a budget
based on the new triamp in a lunch box form with added effects and tons of options, don`t care much about the older HK stuff despite i live in germany but the new gear line is just great, like the spirit 200 also
So, have you ever done a shoot out with the H&K Black Spirit, Tubemiester AND Grandmiester? That would be epic. I wonder how well the TM could keep up with the GM, esp as the GM has the Ultra channel...!
I had it and sold it. It was impressive, my main gripe the Boost on the Ultra channel was very flabby. It made the tone worse, not better IMHO. I had to put a Maxon OD808X in front and then the Ultra channel really delivered, it finally had the tightness one would expect for modern metal. Also, the RedBox cabinet emulation is garbage. I had to add Two Notes Captor X to get a really good tone out of it. Then I got STL Tonehub on my Mac and realized I am getting better tones with a fraction of the cost, cables, patching, etc. So sold it and haven't looked back.
Great video as usual Jon, what mystifies me is you look at the likes and you'll see hundreds of thumbs ups but you'll always see about two thumbs down. That being said, I guess you just can't please everybody.
Very interesting. I wonder if paring down amps would be possible with this. I have a 2x12 extension cabinet with a Jupiter 12LC and a Celestion Anniversary (for my Fender Deluxe Reverb) and I have a 2x12 extension cab with a Celestion Creamback and a Vintage 30...I wonder if this head would do it all between those 2 cabs...?
Yet another stellar demo. Just curious, if you would spare a thought: I know you're also an Engl fan, how would H&K GM compare soundwise to a Fireball or Ironball (particularly the SE edition which is also loaded with features?) Thx anyway!
Thank you for your in-depth video. Question please : the GM40 delivers quite agressive tones, how do I get more vintage-Marshall-type sounds, a bit softer, but still with lots of gain ? Bit like the JVM OD1-type ? Like on your video. I can't get them at home. Thank you so much
I had a Trilogy quite a few years back. Best clean ever but I always needing more gain out of the lead channel and the ultra never really spoke to me. I think now knowing more about really dialing in tones and using boosts I could get a better sound out of it today. This amps Ultra sounds a lot better than the old Trilogy.
Typically I stay away from amps that have on board effects. As I feel they’re trying to do way too much to compensate for bad tone. But Jesus Christ this sounds amazing on all channels. How would you compare it to the Freeman JJ?
I have a GrandMeister 36 I bought back in 2014. Gigged with it for 6 years. LOVE it. Durability is off the charts. I'm not currently gigging. But do have it set up in my studio to record with and it's insanely clean. It's been a long time since I've amp shopped or even read reviews on newer gear because I really had no need to do so. What are the main differences in the GM36 & GM Deluxe 40? Great video, great playing and obviously great tones. Thanks!
The 36 model which I also had was too modern almost hifi. The upper. Midrange was harsh to my ears and. Didn't like it that much. The 40 on the other hand is more well balanced and the sound is more tubish and organic. Warmer highs and. The mids are not that harsh. Definitely better but there is room for improvements.
I had a GM36 several years ago. The GM40 is a 36 on steroids. Better sounds and some subtle upgrades internally. There are several YT videos where folks compare them head to head. The 40 is less tinny in my ear opinion (fuller)
Great amp! I had one myself but had to send it back because they didn't (and still don't) have an app for Android. I found it very difficult to manage from just the front panel.
why did you use the redseven amp central with this amp instead of the built in DI? just curious. I've been seriously considering this amp for the versatility of silent recording and would love if you could demo the amp's DI features and abilities by going into a DAW with using its own cab sims and the own hammer cab sims but WITHOUT an external device (redseven/ox/two notes etc...) PLEASE DO THIS!!!!
How would this amplifier compare to ENGL Ironball? Both amps have the same EL84 tubes, but as I own the IRONBALL, I'd like to know if Grandmeister Deluxe 40 is worth buying? Does it have more headroom? What else?
I've always felt like this amp is a jack of all trades, but master of none. The versatility and features really do make up for it though! Is there even any other 40w amps with 4-channels out there? The price is also ridiculous. Been close to buying one several times, but I've always made up reasons not to.
I think it's pretty masterful tbh. It's a unique sound and flavor but that doesn't mean that it doesn't master those tones. It just does it in its own way...
hi again, grandmeister vs tubemeister just soundwise, what do you think? i have both right now but had no time to test the tubemeister, the grandmeister is just grandios :)
Are you dialing in the different I.R.s manually ? The fact that the red seven doesn't have IR slot select and store button makes it difficult to program when using midi
Great guitar tones , very nice video ! ♥️😽 I also own this amplifier, I love it - there is only one question - when I use the FX loop, I must activate it pushing the button on the front panel - changing the channels it doesn't keep the FX loop activated and I have to push the button again - there is a setting to keep the FX activated all the time no matter if I change or not the channels? Thank you !
@@SonicDriveStudio thank you for the answer - I have read the manual but about this problem nothing is mentioned - they only say that if you are going to use the FX loop you must connect the pedals ... I wish the FX loop to remain connected all the time when I change the channels !
I ALMOST bought one of these a few years ago when I was in the market for a new amp, but ended up with an EVH 5150 III instead. All the features on the H&K were very tempting, but I chose the 5150 III because I had a chance to play one first. I’m still curious about the H&K and would love to try one out.
The clean tones and rock tones are really good. The noise gate is the best non-fiddley gate I've ever used, verb is nice, delay is very usable, red box recording is simple and sounds great, and having resonance on a small amp is awesome. That said, you can only use chorus/flanger/phazer/tremolo one at a time, and they lack adjustability with only the two nobs. The overdrive sounds are boosted by a zener diode circuit, so if your looking for that drenched high gain tone you'll be disappointed, your EVH is in another class. The zener diode circuit does not play well with overdrive/ distortion pedals through the front end, I've tried a dozen. The one thing I've found is that the power soak feature for bedroom practice and recording hampers the amp from making that last bit of gain, so I recommend turning the power soak off and using the master volume and noise gate to control volume and feedback when going for that liquidy drenched gain tone. I'm sure the amp would be a great A/B amp along with your EVH, but that said... I'd like to trade you the Grandmeister 40 with some cash for your EVH, lol.
@@shovington67 Thanks. That’s a good bit of information. I’m totally a metal player, so high gain tones are of greatest importance to me, and the EVH does that easily. What it lacks in modern programmability and built in effects I made up by connecting a Boss GT-100 with the four cable method, plus a MIDI cable for channel switching. Step on a button on the GT-100 and it loads all the effects for a particular sound, plus switches the amp to the correct channel. It can’t change the knob settings on the amp since they are physical potentiometers, but I rarely find the need to turn them anyway. My tastes are simple and I don’t think I have more than about eight patches saved.
I believe awesome amp comes from the looks, from the first i saw this HnK series amp on the market, myself tought it must be really good. But i always dont have a chance to try it. Is this amp based on marshall, since i came from marshall teritory tone i wanna know how it sound and feel. The added feature can be a great help on the gig and its versatile i think.
There is no tube in the pre amp section. Will it make any difference in case of feel or tonal qualility that other amp has to offer? Would you please explain this? Thanks
You’re wrong. Look upthe specs. There’s 3 valves/tubes in pre-amp, 4 in the power amp Edit: I’m playing mine now. The 4 EL84s are glowing nicely and the 3 in front have covers They are 12AX7 valves/tubes in the pre-amp section
Both are awesome! I guess you'd have to look at the features and sounds. The H&K is a bit more versatile (more channels and effects) but the ENGL has a tighter sound which arguably is more metal by default. Both are amazing!
These amps do sound really great, no denying that. Probably the best lunchbox amp out there. They do some of the same dishonest marketing as Blackstar though- They are definitely hybrid amps being sold as "all valve". A H&K Tri-Amp would probably be my dream amp one day, but damn are they expensive. My entire rig only just costs as much as a Tri-Amp alone.
Btw , it does a lot of difference tonaly when you change the tubes , I went a bit crazy with it and went and put in 12au7 on V1 instead of 12ax7 , and normal 12ax7 on v2 and v3 . I also replaced el84s since all the stock tubes were labeled as CHINA , sounded like "crap" in compare to what I got out of Electro harmonix gold pins :D definitely worth those 180 $ of upgrade :)
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Thanks for supporting the channel!
Dude, your riffing gets seriously good, perhaps you should turn some of those into songs
Agreed, does anyone know where I can find this guy's music?
Great demo as always, you´re one of my go-to channels when it comes to guitar sounds 😁
Still a owner of a GM40 Deluxe myself (roughly 4 years now) and there´s nothing it can´t do thanks to it´s versatile channels 👌
For heavy stuff, I use primarily the Lead channel without the on-board boost. Instead I boost the GM40 with a Fortin Grind and oooh boy, that´s a mean combination! 🤘🤘
Excellent playing on this video - especially the baritone section. The H&K Grandmeister Deluxe 40 sounds fantastic!
One of the best amp demos I've ever seen. Got to hear some great playing both in a mix and solo, and the talking was all totally to the point and relevant. The amp is great too. Thank you so much for this!
A shootout between this and the ENGL Ironball SE would be cool. Especially with all the effects.
That would be a great comparation !
With pleasure from @ Sonic Drive Studio !
@@gjorgjimiladinoski6769 Still waiting 7 months later 🥺😭
Was coming here to say the same thing
You are the gold standard of demos man. I wish someone like you would demo the Dr Z CAZ45
My favorite Amp of all time. I don't care if mesa, diezel, Soldano, Friedman (and so on) are more prestige if the hk sounds so damn good! YOU nailed/admit exact the tone I love.
@My account triamp easy if you ask me but not like... 3000 better.
That amp sounds absolutely versatile with a focus on playing rock music. That would be my go for amp when I play rock. Great video as always!
I play in a Rock cover band. The only two amps I use when gigging are my H/K and Mesa MarkV:35. Depending on the venue the H/K with a 1x12 or 2x12 is all that is needed, the ability to preload dozens of presets gives huge tonal flexibility and I leave my pedal board at home. Setup/teardown and travel is so simple with this amp. Well worth the money. Love mine lots.
I'm actually about to pull the trigger on this amp, but was curious how it compares to the Mesa Mark V:35 which I haven't had a chance to use yet. Its obviously way more versatile and has onboard effects already, but is the Mesa's high gain channels for rock/metal really that different? How does its clean compare to the H&Ks as well? One other thing I noticed is that the Mesa may be too loud in a bedroom setting for practice since it doesn't have the 1W option. Boosted to max volume, how do they compare as well?
@@JJDon5150 The gain channels are very different, The H/K sounds a lot like other quality name-brand amps; the Mesa has a unique sound of its own. The big drawback of the Mesa is if you play different styles of music the two channel design limits your ability to create too many variants. Although it has 3 different voices per channel, they are not foot switchable, and at a gig are not something you will relish monkeying with in-between songs. The H/K has a 100+ preloads you can create, and easily switch between them via the optional footpedal. If all I played was hard rock/metal I'd use the Mesa exclusively, but my band does 60s, 70's & 80s rock, with a very eclectic mix, so I have about 6-8 unique presets in the H/K to accommodate all the styles. HTH
@@robertaugustine5350 thanks for the response! And that's what I figured in terms of versatility. I'm more like you and play an eclectic variety of songs/genres, so the H&K will probably serve me better. Since it already has a pretty clean channel, I plan to either get a Diezel VH4 OD or BE OD pedal in case I need more modern high gain sounds, despite the stock high gain sounds on the GM40 already being really good.
@@JJDon5150 The ULTRA channel is pretty solid. I own a BE-OD that I play through a Marshall head at home. Amazing pedal, but I doubt you’ll need any into the H/K. It has so many options built in. I just use a tuner in front and let the amp do its thing. Perfect gig amp if you don’t have a road crew!
@@robertaugustine5350 good to know. I was leaning slightly toward the BE OD pedal for its versatility with high gain, but I play a lot of TOOL and those style of riffs, so if the GM40 can handle most things, I might just go with the Diezel VH40 OD pedal then. Not sure though, still trying to decide since I haven't had the opportunity to compare any of them with the actual Ultra channel of the GM40 yet.
revisited that too - you nailed it !!!
The GrandMeister 40 deluxe had been my main amp for the last few months. Using the HK 2x12 and save all my tones on my IPad! It seriously kicks A$$! Love the video and awesome amp 👍 was hoping to see your LTD Ironcross !!!
Tung-Sol tubes are good quality. It's really your own personal settings that the tubes are responding to. I've always had good luck with Sovtek tubes as well.
I LOVE this amp! What do you think?
As always man a well done job a great video and a great great amp also hahaha boosted it in a next video
Big fan from Mexico
I really miss my old H&K Tubemiester 18 and man this has just made me think I need to buy another H&K tube amp again even more!!
Thanks man for the constant incredibly informative and entertaining videos with amazing riffage!!
Tubemeister 40 is better
I think yes 👍
Love this amp!!!
I’ve owned this amp for about 5 years. It’s an amazing and very versatile amp for sure. Great live and great for recording. Awesome video.
Thank you! What's your favorite channel on the amp?
@@SonicDriveStudio Clean, Crunch and lead channel are all great and I use them all the time. The ultra channel, on my HK anyway, is a bit bass heavy and can be boomy....even with the boost engaged. I'll usually use a tube screamer pedal (Fortin 33 works great) to handle the low end issues I have. All the bells and whistles are just icing on this delicious cake. :)
extremely impressive demo!
i absolutely LOVE the track at 13:01. ive been playing a similar style to this for years now but im jelly u came up with that banger and i didnt lol u aways intrigue me with some of ur jazzier metal fusion stuff
Hi, man!
I am planning on buying an amp with certain characteristics, and during my research so far, I've been able to find some amps that caught my attention for their specs, and they are:
● REVV G20
● H&K GrandMeister Deluxe 40
● ENGL Ironball SE
I might include the H&K Black Spirit but I don't know, I do not trust anything that says "feels and sounds just like a tube amp even though it is not a tube amp", that has been said since the 80's-90's. Also, I checked the Peavey Invective MH but I think that the DI output is not very malleable.
What I look for is
- Lunchbox amp so I can transport it with me and have my sound with me
- 2-channel tube amp (clean and overdrive/gain)
- DI out for recording/send it to FOH when there's no cab or there is no need for one
- Footswitchable (if it's via MIDI all the better)
Which ones of that little list would serve me for metal the most? I also tend to play clean parts so the clean channel has to be fairly good as well.
Greetings from Mexico!
I totaly agree! Amazing clean sound!
Thank you for demoing the baritone guitar! Sounds great
I love watching your videos and hearing your tracks. I would SO LOVE to know how you build them. You should build a tutorial front to back of one of your tracks and how you build them. Keep up the great work
Great amp. I have one myself and have featured it a number of times. The ultimate studio amp. Great review!
Thanks man! It's a killer amp indeed!
Dude! Thank you for this 👌🏽
I was socialized with Hughes & Kettner amps. First real amp was a Tube 50 combo, then got a TriAmp Mk. 2, Warp T, Access 19" preamp (if you see one, pick it up, combine it with an EQ for maximum versatility - then you can do ANYTHING with this from crystal clean to the most brutal distorted sounds you can imagine).
I would absolutely get a Grandmeister 40 if I had the money for just one amp.
One of my all time favorite amps. I’d rather have one of these than an AxeFX.
The best are actually your riffs and licks, mate! Fab video again!
Sounds great. I’ve got a GM36 and absolutely love it. Very versatile little amp with a lot of power.
Amazing amp. Seems to me it should have been even more popular when it came out, given the ridiculous feature set that so many other tube amps are now adding. Game changer and trend setter imo.
I love this amp! I can’t think of another small tube amp head that has this many features, sounds this good, and is under $1500.
Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40. But this amp is also killer!
Sorry, was on the wrong channel…I thought we‘re talking about a Engl Ironball SE….😬
I play mine through a 3/4" Baltic Birch home-made Half-back cabinet with a Ted Webber Neo-Mag 15" guitar speaker, custom with paper cone, cloth edges and light doping.
It is Heaven!
nice. I found a NOS H&K CC212 (50W) cab at a local shop i bought about a year before i bought this amp. I got the cab early 2022 i think ?
Sent an email to H&K and they said it was from 2009. Now that's NOS (new old stock) hey ?!!!
Perfect match for it too.
Loved this amp. I had its smaller brother, the TM18. Very versatile, amazing pedal platform with the clean channel and holding its own on the other channels as well. Had the pleasure of playing it in 4cm with York Audios before letting it go before moving to the digital modelling world.
What did you change to?
@@sveinunghamre324 I tried a couple of modelers and finally landed on the new Headrush MX5 because it fits my budget and needs.
@@KartikHariharan I just bought the MX 5 myself. How do you like it? I bought it to replace my HX Stomp.
@@sveinunghamre324 I bought it to replace my POD Go. I love the MX5! Slap in a York Audio IR, a room reverb and it's awesome with headphones!
@@KartikHariharan Glad to hear your happy 🙂
I own one of these and no joke, it is incredible. It's like an all tube version of a modeler! lol! You will want to spring the extra bucks for the adapter that will connect it an ipad. The ability to set this monster in a different room, and make all of your adjustments from your console or desk is absolutely astonishing! Great video review of this!
Dude same idea, I so love this amp, you don’t need an attenuator for it, and like you said it’s a tube version of a modeler and it can be sometimes confusing or generally hard to k ow the settings of each channel without seeing their current values, so the iPad app is necessary.
Hughes and Kettner is so good at making their high gain amps have alot of note clarity.
@@HAHb-zc2dp Not with his settings no but this amp does get alot of gain on the ultra channel
I’ve got the TubeMeister 36 and it’s the greatest amp I’ve ever owned.
H&K know what they’re doing.
Wow . Pleasantly surprised .
Helll yeah ultra channel with a precision overdrive sounds bad ass
I bet it does! It's thick and gooey so a good boost will tighten that up well, just as with a Recto
I think this head is the most versatile that I've heard any time. Great video!!! 💪😉
Thanks! Yes it's very versatile
@@SonicDriveStudio yes looks like!!! I'll try some Kemper rig of this head 💪😉
Great review....my only complaint....well it's not really a complaint, but I noticed you didn't do any "solo" kind of playing. But I can tell it will do that kind of thing well.
it sounds very even and thick. i think it would blend well in most situations. as a side note i always liked the boss metal core pedal with an eq. used to plug it into peoples amps when i was over and they where always impressed with the tone.
I have this one.
The amp has a 3 year warranty but ships with Chinese valves/tubes which only have a 6 month warranty which is probably why the previous owner replaced them.
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
Edit: I’ve bought some Soltek valves to replace the Chinese EL84s. Quad matched set. Info for anyone:
The outer 2 EL84s can be replaced with a matched pair and the inner 2 can be replaced with a matched pair too.
It’s recommended that you get a quad matched set but as I mentioned you can just do outer and inner pairs separately if you’re on a budget
The last riff is so dope it reminds me of 2003 deftones
niiiice one mate!!!!
Sounds great!
Sounds amazing !!!
I own this amp and gig with it. Its fantastic.
Dear Santa, I would love to have the Grandmeister and the one-pickup white LTD this guy is playing. Thank you and sending hugs for your elves 🎄
based on the new triamp in a lunch box form with added effects and tons of options, don`t care much about the older HK stuff despite i live in germany but the new gear line is just great, like the spirit 200 also
Handled the drop Ab really well..I liked the heavier gain channels. 👍
So, have you ever done a shoot out with the H&K Black Spirit, Tubemiester AND Grandmiester? That would be epic. I wonder how well the TM could keep up with the GM, esp as the GM has the Ultra channel...!
HAH! great video! great riffs! I was following along with my guitar and Helix floor, ..fun. hahaha! lol
Awesome amp!
I had it and sold it. It was impressive, my main gripe the Boost on the Ultra channel was very flabby. It made the tone worse, not better IMHO.
I had to put a Maxon OD808X in front and then the Ultra channel really delivered, it finally had the tightness one would expect for modern metal.
Also, the RedBox cabinet emulation is garbage. I had to add Two Notes Captor X to get a really good tone out of it.
Then I got STL Tonehub on my Mac and realized I am getting better tones with a fraction of the cost, cables, patching, etc. So sold it and haven't looked back.
Tonehub is slept on. Even just the stock standard without the added preset packs…
Video comparing Ironball SE to this amp! Everyone wants to know how they compare
Great video as usual Jon, what mystifies me is you look at the likes and you'll see hundreds of thumbs ups but you'll always see about two thumbs down. That being said, I guess you just can't please everybody.
Thanks! I think it's always the same people because they often show up just seconds after a video has been released. Lol
Holy crap that's a whole different beast! Did you use the line out with amps own load? Or Red seven load and I.R.?
Very interesting. I wonder if paring down amps would be possible with this. I have a 2x12 extension cabinet with a Jupiter 12LC and a Celestion Anniversary (for my Fender Deluxe Reverb) and I have a 2x12 extension cab with a Celestion Creamback and a Vintage 30...I wonder if this head would do it all between those 2 cabs...?
Yet another stellar demo. Just curious, if you would spare a thought: I know you're also an Engl fan, how would H&K GM compare soundwise to a Fireball or Ironball (particularly the SE edition which is also loaded with features?) Thx anyway!
Thank you for your in-depth video. Question please : the GM40 delivers quite agressive tones, how do I get more vintage-Marshall-type sounds, a bit softer, but still with lots of gain ? Bit like the JVM OD1-type ? Like on your video. I can't get them at home. Thank you so much
Would have loved to heard what a lead would sound like that
I had a Trilogy quite a few years back. Best clean ever but I always needing more gain out of the lead channel and the ultra never really spoke to me. I think now knowing more about really dialing in tones and using boosts I could get a better sound out of it today. This amps Ultra sounds a lot better than the old Trilogy.
I owned two Trilogies, a Triamp mk1, and two Switchblades. I lived them all but the Trilogies did have less gain than the others...facts
I have a Hughes & Kettner Warp X and its AMAZING
Cool! I've never tried that one but I already did the name ;)
@@SonicDriveStudio Its awesome! Its a 100w amp that looks very similar except red!
Typically I stay away from amps that have on board effects. As I feel they’re trying to do way too much to compensate for bad tone. But Jesus Christ this sounds amazing on all channels. How would you compare it to the Freeman JJ?
I have a GrandMeister 36 I bought back in 2014. Gigged with it for 6 years. LOVE it. Durability is off the charts. I'm not currently gigging. But do have it set up in my studio to record with and it's insanely clean. It's been a long time since I've amp shopped or even read reviews on newer gear because I really had no need to do so. What are the main differences in the GM36 & GM Deluxe 40? Great video, great playing and obviously great tones. Thanks!
The 36 model which I also had was too modern almost hifi. The upper. Midrange was harsh to my ears and. Didn't like it that much. The 40 on the other hand is more well balanced and the sound is more tubish and organic. Warmer highs and. The mids are not that harsh. Definitely better but there is room for improvements.
I had a GM36 several years ago. The GM40 is a 36 on steroids. Better sounds and some subtle upgrades internally. There are several YT videos where folks compare them head to head. The 40 is less tinny in my ear opinion (fuller)
Dude make the Baritone demo a song its so badass
Great amp! I had one myself but had to send it back because they didn't (and still don't) have an app for Android. I found it very difficult to manage from just the front panel.
why did you use the redseven amp central with this amp instead of the built in DI? just curious. I've been seriously considering this amp for the versatility of silent recording and would love if you could demo the amp's DI features and abilities by going into a DAW with using its own cab sims and the own hammer cab sims but WITHOUT an external device (redseven/ox/two notes etc...) PLEASE DO THIS!!!!
I'm certain Horizon Ablaze used these amps on their first album and it sounded gnarly AF.
the high fi crisptop would blend great with an orange dart terror with the shape control
How would this amplifier compare to ENGL Ironball? Both amps have the same EL84 tubes, but as I own the IRONBALL, I'd like to know if Grandmeister Deluxe 40 is worth buying? Does it have more headroom? What else?
Your riffs are always so sick! Do you have any original music I can check out?
Thanks! Check out the Valhella album on this channel
I've always felt like this amp is a jack of all trades, but master of none. The versatility and features really do make up for it though! Is there even any other 40w amps with 4-channels out there? The price is also ridiculous. Been close to buying one several times, but I've always made up reasons not to.
I think it's pretty masterful tbh. It's a unique sound and flavor but that doesn't mean that it doesn't master those tones. It just does it in its own way...
Please answer this. How are you getting stereo guitar sounds from that mono amp?
hi again, grandmeister vs tubemeister just soundwise, what do you think? i have both right now but had no time to test the tubemeister, the grandmeister is just grandios :)
I watched both your videos on the Tubemeister and Grandmeister. Which do you prefer for 80’s metal?
Both are fine for that
Very nice clean, glassy channel. The dirty channels are yet to be desired.
Ten band EQ in the fx loop and you will be fine!
@@notsure1135 nah... Not enough gain for me. Even with a boost.
@@kevinerickson84 pffft, I couldn’t use that fourth channel it had that much gain.
Gain hides sloppiness.
Are you dialing in the different I.R.s manually ? The fact that the red seven doesn't have IR slot select and store button makes it difficult to program when using midi
Sounds great! Is eq presetable or just the channel switching and effects?
Yes, EQ, gain, volume etc also
@@SonicDriveStudio that's awesome, so it could feasibly be all one needs, I've got my eye on Bluguitar's amp x for that very reason
It is important to me to know which cabinet that is, which speaker is in it...
I like it... I like it a lots
That LTD N44 DaMn!!
Great guitar tones , very nice video ! ♥️😽
I also own this amplifier, I love it - there is only one question - when I use the FX loop, I must activate it pushing the button on the front panel - changing the channels it doesn't keep the FX loop activated and I have to push the button again - there is a setting to keep the FX activated all the time no matter if I change or not the channels?
Thank you !
Hmm I'm not sure. I almost never use loops. Have you checked out the manual?
@@SonicDriveStudio thank you for the answer - I have read the manual but about this problem nothing is mentioned - they only say that if you are going to use the FX loop you must connect the pedals ... I wish the FX loop to remain connected all the time when I change the channels !
Store them as patches.
I ALMOST bought one of these a few years ago when I was in the market for a new amp, but ended up with an EVH 5150 III instead. All the features on the H&K were very tempting, but I chose the 5150 III because I had a chance to play one first. I’m still curious about the H&K and would love to try one out.
The clean tones and rock tones are really good. The noise gate is the best non-fiddley gate I've ever used, verb is nice, delay is very usable, red box recording is simple and sounds great, and having resonance on a small amp is awesome. That said, you can only use chorus/flanger/phazer/tremolo one at a time, and they lack adjustability with only the two nobs. The overdrive sounds are boosted by a zener diode circuit, so if your looking for that drenched high gain tone you'll be disappointed, your EVH is in another class. The zener diode circuit does not play well with overdrive/ distortion pedals through the front end, I've tried a dozen. The one thing I've found is that the power soak feature for bedroom practice and recording hampers the amp from making that last bit of gain, so I recommend turning the power soak off and using the master volume and noise gate to control volume and feedback when going for that liquidy drenched gain tone.
I'm sure the amp would be a great A/B amp along with your EVH, but that said... I'd like to trade you the Grandmeister 40 with some cash for your EVH, lol.
@@shovington67 Thanks. That’s a good bit of information. I’m totally a metal player, so high gain tones are of greatest importance to me, and the EVH does that easily. What it lacks in modern programmability and built in effects I made up by connecting a Boss GT-100 with the four cable method, plus a MIDI cable for channel switching. Step on a button on the GT-100 and it loads all the effects for a particular sound, plus switches the amp to the correct channel. It can’t change the knob settings on the amp since they are physical potentiometers, but I rarely find the need to turn them anyway. My tastes are simple and I don’t think I have more than about eight patches saved.
Hey John, what impact on sound does the York Audio have on overall sound you’re generating with this amp? Is it definitive?
Can we get some single coil love on the cleans? 🙄
Can u do a review on a KSR amp ?
Good video
I believe awesome amp comes from the looks, from the first i saw this HnK series amp on the market, myself tought it must be really good. But i always dont have a chance to try it. Is this amp based on marshall, since i came from marshall teritory tone i wanna know how it sound and feel. The added feature can be a great help on the gig and its versatile i think.
Do you have a direct comparison between this an the Tubemeister Deluxe?
What is that thing on Gibson headstock?
0:58 Glenn Fricker from Spectre Sound Studios made a test on it, i suggest you take a look
ruclips.net/video/VaO7MmghoqA/видео.html
I think you should try to get that last riff on the new Deftones album. Someone call Steph!
There is no tube in the pre amp section. Will it make any difference in case of feel or tonal qualility that other amp has to offer? Would you please explain this? Thanks
This amp does have tubes
@SonicDriveStudio yes. It does have tubes in power amp section. I think they don't have any tubes in pre amp section.
@@Dr.A05 they do! 3 I believe
@SonicDriveStudio Thanks a lot.
You’re wrong. Look upthe specs. There’s 3 valves/tubes in pre-amp, 4 in the power amp
Edit: I’m playing mine now. The 4 EL84s are glowing nicely and the 3 in front have covers
They are 12AX7 valves/tubes in the pre-amp section
Ipad control is pretty cool. Had no idea.
You do need a special midi interface for that with this amp, which I forgot to mention
Yorkville cabinet sim in the back ?
Which is better bang for your buck between this and Engl SE? Thanks!
Both are awesome! I guess you'd have to look at the features and sounds. The H&K is a bit more versatile (more channels and effects) but the ENGL has a tighter sound which arguably is more metal by default. Both are amazing!
@@SonicDriveStudio Thanks so much! It sounds awesome.
These amps do sound really great, no denying that. Probably the best lunchbox amp out there. They do some of the same dishonest marketing as Blackstar though- They are definitely hybrid amps being sold as "all valve".
A H&K Tri-Amp would probably be my dream amp one day, but damn are they expensive. My entire rig only just costs as much as a Tri-Amp alone.
Would you be worried about the glass getting damaged in transit should this amp need to be transported?
It’s plexiglass so it’s not so easy to break it
why not use the amps cab sim for the demo ?
But can you still cook egg with it tho?
What impulse response did you use for the ultra channel baritone demo?
Nevermind its the York Audio me 412 v2
Btw , it does a lot of difference tonaly when you change the tubes , I went a bit crazy with it and went and put in 12au7 on V1 instead of 12ax7 , and normal 12ax7 on v2 and v3 . I also replaced el84s since all the stock tubes were labeled as CHINA , sounded like "crap" in compare to what I got out of Electro harmonix gold pins :D definitely worth those 180 $ of upgrade :)