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Download Example 1
Clean
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Download Example 2
Crunch & Lead
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Download Example 3
High Gain
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Clips were recorded with a 2008 Les Paul Standard. SM57 on center, Neumann U87 room.
Clean: Clean channel, Bridge pickup, reverb on 2
Crunch and Lead: Bridge and Neck pickups, gain on 7
High Gain: Bridge pickup, gain on 10
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Hughes & Kettner make fine products. They’ve
been around for several decades now and I can
clearly recall when they brought out the Cream
Machine and Blues Master back in the late
eighties—those were favorites in my circle. In
2008, the not-so-recent trend of low powered
heads and combos appeals to a very large population
of players, especially those who love
EL84-based amps. Besides that, PA systems are
efficient these days and nobody likes arguing
with the soundman… or going to their chiropractor!
Knowing the beauty of EL84 power
tubes, H&K has tapped their high gain, low(er)
volume capability and put them to good use in
the Statesman Dual EL84 Combo.
Offering 20 watts of power in an attractive,
Chocolate Brown 1x12 combo (Eminence
Rockdriver Cream) with basketweave grill, the
STM Dual EL84 boasts 2 channels, a shared
3-band EQ, FX loop, “boost” and “twang”
modes, and an Accutronics spring reverb. It
weighs in at 43 lbs and comes with a protective
cover for storage or travel. For an MSRP
of $1395, it sits in a comfortable price range,
while not being exactly inexpensive. Still, compared
to the prices of boutique combos, it’s still
significantly lower in cost than many others on
the market. So how does it stack up?
Plugging In
I had the opportunity to have the amp around
for a while and was able to use it in a variety
of situations in my work at the studio. My first
dealings with the amp were in extremely low
volume settings and the amp reacted much like
any tube amp would. Sure, it was quiet, but
it didn’t really stand out as anything special.
It wasn’t until the amp was opened up a bit
that its true voice became apparent. With my
Les Paul the clean channel exhibited many of
the good characteristics of classic American
amps: shimmery, with a bit of a mid scoop,
and a good amount of twang. Engaging the
“twang” button brought out a lot of spank
in the guitar and it almost surprised me how
Strat-like my LP could sound. I did find that
you have to be careful with the voicing of the
amp, as it tended to get a little boxy in the
midrange area depending on how far the mid
knob was cranked. Where most Marshalls seem
to like the mids up, this amp favored them
slightly lower in 12 o’clock position with many
of my guitars. Still, there is enough travel in
the EQ to find a sweet spot on just about any
guitar. The reverb didn’t seem to have a lot
of dimension to it. Cranking it all the way up
brought out the springiness, but not necessarily
in a surf-rock way. Backing it down made it
less audible but the overall effect of the reverb
wasn’t comparable to the great, classic reverb
amps we know and love. That said, I should
mention that the amp offers a “reverb balance”
control on the back panel that lets you regulate
the ratio of reverberation between the Clean
and Drive channels. This is a first for me, and
I enjoyed the ability to push the reverb more
on the clean channel and let the drive channel
stay drier. Very cool. The FX loop proved to be
an excellent way to add in various time-based
effects and reverbs that I had on hand. It never
compromised the integrity of the tone and was
very quiet to boot.