Small, very small. Punchy and solid. Black, very functional and cheap. It's not a car, though it's German and technologically perfect... What is it? Sounds like a riddle, doesn't it? Well, we're not here for that. It's no chimera, it's real.
Yes indeed, that's what this little marvel from this increasingly prestigious Teutonic brand is like, and it brings fresh laurels to those wonderful delights that the author of this article had the good fortune to enjoy. In fact, last year we already had the big brother of this growing family on our test bench (see the September 2000 issue). I've run out of epithets and superlatives to pay due tribute to this magnificent gear. And it will happen again today, be sure of it, and I'll say once more that with this gadget the monopoly of the two great amplifier brands par excellence for guitar is over. Every day the roster of professionals who trust Hughes & Kettner with their music grows. People like Steve Lukather, Nuno Bettencourt and a long list of others establish this brand as a solid maker on the front line of the intricate music world. That's how a trained critic would put it, but it's boring.
Ready, Set...
That said, let's begin our journey through the musical airwaves. Let me introduce the “Hughes & Kettner Edition Silver,” a small amplifier created to combine different guitar sounds with easy handling, without giving up the practical demands we expect from good gear. The “little guy” is the ideal amp for you, young guitarist who demands a decent, that is, professional, sound from your first steps... something like “Have you heard so-and-so on his new record? And his guitar sound?” Surely we think that guitarist's personal sound cost him a lot of effort and a bit more than six figures. Maybe so, but rest assured he uses the same brand as you, and the basic foundation of the sound is identical, except that it will cost you a lot, a whole lot less. It would be a mistake to think this “Silver” isn't meant for the nomadic semi-pro who likes to take his rig everywhere in the trunk of a modest car; it works for that crowd too. And why?
Because it has a high-performance “current feedback” power stage, with a whopping 50 watts of power, bearing in mind the tiny size of its black box. It even gives you a genuine feel, a tube-like temperament in keeping with its quality. Careful, it doesn't have tubes, obviously; it just seems to.
Now, that torrent of sound that reaches the ear is generated by a cute 12-inch Celestion Rockdrive Junior speaker, which delivers above-average performance among competitors in its segment. Lots of “meat,” really lots... It will fool you if you compare it with others rated at 60 or even 80 watts.
Getting Down to Business Again...
If you like, let's start breaking down the Silver's possibilities to find out what surprises it holds for us. Being so small, it's obviously very easy to use, with no secrets or impossible combinations. The knobs are just what's needed, not one pot too many. We have one input (my favorite joke: better that way, so we don't have to share it with any intruder). And mind you, it has the watts to have supported a second jack.
Good volume, very clean and crisp for what's usual in this type of sound. If you're one of the lucky ones who owns a Strat, you won't believe that an amp this small can reveal even the most hidden nuances of the pickups. This Hughes is perfect if you use an effects pedalboard, since layering effects on such a clean setting is very pleasing to our ears. Depending on the preamp setting we can get modern clean sounds or “vintage”-type ones. Set the knob appropriately and you'll see what diversity of nuances the Silver gives us.
But of course, for a little while that's all very nice. But what about the grit? We move on to the next control, you know, “gain,” to set the degree of distortion with which to punish anyone who gets in our way. We're as classic as the most dynamic, direct Rock & Roll, and wilder as our body asks for more gain and more volume. And what clean distortion, too clean for me.
And then we keep saying: “Where the heck does this amp get so much meat?” Congratulations; the two “lead” knobs are yours to command. But of course, every day you feel like a slightly different sound from the day before... that's what equalization was invented for (wow, aren't I clever?). Here you have the usual bass, middle and treble. The last two are interactive, as is usual in tube amps. Even though these three knobs tend to be the most static once we've found a suitable sound, don't be afraid to play with them a little to discover an interesting variety of nuances in your guitar, without having to touch the pickup selector, or in combination with it; no problem, quite the opposite.
And once you've got everything EQ'd, give your guitar a sound with reverb. Ah, what a pleasure, right? Finally, set the master so you can match the clean channel with the distorted one every time you switch from one to the other with the selector. And that's it: there you have, without a doubt, a great, powerful guitar sound. And don't forget the most important thing: you get all of that at a weight of just 13 kilos.
It's important to point out a feature on this Silver that I hadn't seen before on an amp, regardless of model, version, price and so on... It seems like an extra added for show with little use, but for those who don't have a band to rehearse with, or for those who like to play along with songs to hone their technique or simply emulate their favorite guitarists, this Silver Edition surprises us on the back with an input that lets us connect a CD player or a cassette deck with no more trouble than matching the plugs by color. Can you imagine playing along with your idolized musicians and repeating takes as many times as you like without having to walk across the room to stop your hi-fi? It's highly functional, as you can imagine, and has minimal impact on your guitar signal; what's more, it blends perfectly with the backing track you're playing. A real novelty that will tip your next amp purchase toward the “Hughes & Kettner Edition Silver.”
Little else remains to be added. It has its corresponding output and input, nothing new, for connecting it to a mixing console or to more powerful speaker cabinets and, of course, your effects unit. And aesthetically, I'm pleased to see that all the knobs are located on the top of the cabinet, not on the front as is strictly customary. Easier access to them from up here, and especially where light shines by its absence: in smoky bars, for example. Quite a sturdy cabinet, too. I always say that combo-type amps are ideal for parking your rear end on, and this one seems to have been designed for exactly that... Yes, the darn thing is comfortable.
The summary could be exactly this: small, cheap, clean, and it gives you a lot.