Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: gwEm on January 11, 2017, 09:58:08 AM
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The Electro Harmonix Magnum 44 was dissatisfying me more and more. In fact, the only advantages to it is really its small size and weight.
I decided to look for alternatives.
I found out about the Hughes and Kettner CF100 which is a 1U half rack solid state power amp. 100watts RMS into 8 ohms. Its in the same series as their Cream Machine which I previously owned and thought was good. I also tried a "Metal Master", again in the same series, on a trip to New York and it was also nice.
It took a few weeks for one to appear on eBay. I watched it and scored a good bargain on it.
When it arrived, I was shocked - the unit is indeed a handy size, but it weighs a tonne!! When I opened it up, it was clear why - a huge power transformer. A very good sign for tone I thought.
Anyway, it makes the Magnum 44 look like a bad joke in terms of sound. It sounds better both played quietly and played loudly. There is less noise. And its 100w vs 25w. It has a character control which is meant to add in a feedback circuit to make it sound more like a valve amp. Actually, it reduces the headroom slightly when using this control, but the sound improvement is worth it. I don't understand exactly what its doing, but the sound indeed has more punch to it.
My particular unit has seen some action and the volume pot is a bit noisy. Should be easy to change. The fuse holder is somewhat loose - also an easy fix.
Its definitely more quiet than my valve Mesa Boogie and Marshall, which is interesting. Valves really do make a difference there.
If you do want a small solid state power amp, this thing is good. But its all a trade off, the unit is very heavy as I say.
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Great find! Those amps are very misunderstood. I have been looking for a small amp for playing synths live and I think you may have solved that mystery for me! (I have a 500W rack mount SS Behringer power amp, but it has a MASSIVE toroidal power supply and weighs way to much for schlepping to gigs) I was going to get one of those gig-bag sized bass amps, but I think that the H&K may be a much better alternative!
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(I have a 500W rack mount SS Behringer power amp, but it has a MASSIVE toroidal power supply and weighs way to much for schlepping to gigs) I was going to get one of those gig-bag sized bass amps, but I think that the H&K may be a much better alternative!
I think it might be too. Although the H&K is surprisingly heavy for its size, its still a manageable weight. You could carry it a good shopping bag or a rucksack for example. Let me know if you'd like me to weigh it.
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Tried the CF100 in a rehearsal last night.
Got over a drummer fine. Clear sound, nice and punchy.
Fitted perfectly into my guitar gig bag. Slightly heavy, but worth the extra weight over a Magnum 44.