HUGHES & KETTNER PURETONE COMBO

Single-channel, Class A tube amps reign supreme in the amp pantheon of guitarists who prefer to shape tone with their fingers and the guitar rather than tap-dancing on channel switches. No other circuitry conjures such an immediate connection between human and machine – or perhaps more accurately, musician and instrument. And no other amp sounds so direct, so alive, so sensuous. Puretone embraces this minimalist manifesto. And if you’re a die-hard traditionalist who feels all frills smack of creeping decadence, and a three-band voicing section strays too far from the path of purity, simply twist the Growl knob to dial it out of the signal path. Make no mistake, with its 25 EL34-powered watts, this is one loud beastie. To tame it, we added a power-attenuator. This way you can savor its savage yet beguilingly beautiful roar at levels that won’t make you the neighborhood pariah. But be advised that Puretone amps take no prisoners, meting out instant punishment for every mistake and shortcoming in technique. Now, who dares tame this fierce beast?