NAMM 2015: Hughes & Kettner introduce the TriAmp Mark 3 guitar amp

NAMM 2015: It's not often you can throw around the ol' "20 years in the making" line, but in the case of Hughes & Kettner's new TriAmp Mark3, debuting at Winter NAMM, it's true. The new amp takes the best from its predecessors, the TriAmp MKII (from 2002) and the MKI (from 1995) and soups them up with a host of new features.

From press release: TriAmp Mark 3’s six channels take the player all the way from the twangy and sparkling clean tones of the 50s through to classic rock crunch and ‘brown’ sounds, modern-day high gain and more – and, with the Stomp Boost and the option to select any combination of the three sets of power tubes on any channel, players will have the freedom to sculpt and inspire the future of guitar tone too.

With custom 4x12 cabinet

Rüdiger Forse, Hughes & Kettner’s Senior Product Manager, said: “Each of TriAmp Mark 3’s six channels represents a whole era of tone, and each of these six eras can be routed to three independent tube power amps.

But there’s more! You can also combine two or even all three of the power amps – making seven different options available per channel – merge different power amp characters, and play TriAmp Mark 3 with up to 150 watts of sheer tube power. With three different pairs of power tubes installed, it’s effectively up to 42 amps in one amp, all accessible with the touch of a button via MIDI.”

TSM-432 board

TriAmp Mark 3 is also the very first amp to feature the groundbreaking Red Box AE. The newest version of Hughes & Kettner’s industry standard DI output, Red Box AE (Ambience Emulation) delivers a perfect mix of authentic 4x12 cabinet ambience effects and an ultra-direct attack of pure tube tone – making performing onstage and in the studio easier than it’s ever been.

Add in other customary Hughes & Kettner features – like Tube Safety Control and full MIDI control via the included TSM-432 board – and you have a genuine game changer for professional players all over the world who have come to regard TriAmp as home.

The specs:

Here are the specs:

- Up to 150-watt all tube amp

- Six Channels:

- 1A: 50s Californian Clean; 1B: 60s British Clean; 2A: 70s British Lead; 2B: 80s Brown Sound; 3A: 90s Californian High Gain; 3B: Modern-Day High Gain and beyond

- Threedom Power Amp Technology: three pairs of freely assignable Power Tubes

- Ships with one pair of EL34s and two pairs of 6L6 power tubes

- TSC (Tube Safety Control) allows you to combine EL34s, 6L6s, KT66s, KT77s, KT88s, 6550s, 5881s, 7581s and/or 6CA7s

- Global Presence, Resonance and Volume controls

- RED BOX AE (Ambience Emulation) DI Output

- Channel-tailored Stomp Boost

- IDB (Intelligent Dual Breakpoint) Noise Gate

- FX Loop: serial/parallel, switchable

- TSM-432 MIDI board included

- Full MIDI Control (In, Out/Thru)

- Speaker Outputs: 1 x 4 Ω, 1x 8 / 2 x 16 Ω, 1 x 16 Ω

- Master Insert (Preamp Out, Power Amp In)

- Panel Brightness control

- Dimensions: 740 x 393 x 254 mm

- Weight: 22 kg/48.5 lbs

- Protective Cover included

- Matching 4x12 Cabinet available (Hughes & Kettner TC 412 A60 Cabinet)

-Made in Germany

For more information, visit Hughes & Kettner

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.