Hughes & Kettner VTI – The Power of Tube

Blues, rock ,n’ roll, metal - every genre has its distinctive sounds; every guitarist his or her trademark tone. And at the epicenter of every stunning tone that rocks the musician’s world is a tube-driven power amp.

Power tubes shape your guitar amp’s tone, personality, and sonic flavor. The type and quality of these tubes matter. That’s why standards of the Hughes & Kettners for VTI Power Amp Tubes are so very high. Hughes & Kettner rates tubes’ performance, grade their audio properties, and painstakingly hand-pick the best of the bunch to create perfectly matched pairs.

A unique computer-controlled battery of load tests puts every VTI tube through its paces. Only the best performers merit the VTI seal of approval. Seeing it is knowing that your VTI tubes will sound great and last even longer.

Over a two year period Hughes & Kettner have developed their own hi-tech tube testing equipment, at considerable cost, so that you the musician, experience the ultimate in tube tone & technology

This system have been called VTI (Vacuum Tube Inspection). This a thorough procedure that subjects each tube to rigorous mechanical and electrical stress to ensure that the tubes are reliable in the field. Their performance is also graded by matching their electrical characteristics. Hughes & Kettner use a numerical system, 1 – 10, which allows you to choose the type of sound that suits your playing style. Tubes with a lower number, typically 1 – 4, impart a cleaner sound, which is good for country, pop and modern indie sounds. Tubes rated between 5 – 7 are great for most classic rock and crunch rhythm styles, whereas tubes rated from 8 – 10 are best suited for heavy rock and metal musical styles.

Tubes

Tubes have their own tonal signature which varies according to the particular model and type. Due to the way that Hughes & Kettner grade their VTI Tubes you can now select a reliable tube to suit your sound canvas. Hughes & Kettner choose their VTI Tubes carefully from various factories around the world. This is dependant upon the particular tube sound that each manufacturer is renowned for.

Hughes & Kettner use a numerical system, 1–10, which allows you to choose the type of sound that suits your playing style (see above).

There are three main types of power tubes generally associated with guitar amplifiers.

6L6
The twang is the thang! American by sound, American by nature. A big LOUD sound is available from these tubes, with tones ranging from clean sparkling treble, to the heaviest heavy metal imaginable! It is also a Pentode power tube and was one of the first high power tubes to be used in guitar amplifiers–going way back to the 1950s and right though to the present day… Country, Blues, Rock, Heavy Metal– it could be described as a ‘Tube For All Tones’. Typically used in amplifiers ranging from 50 to 200 Watt.

EL84
This is the baby of the group, used frequently in small class–A combo amplifiers. It is also Pentode in construction. If you are after a warm, clean rhythm sound this is the tube for you. When driven hard, the harmonic richness gives the perfect blues crunch tone. You know this sound well–it’s the voice of the 60’s. Whether you’re into retro or modern tones, this is the ideal tube. These are low output tubes used in amplifiers ranging from 5–40 Watt.

EL34
The EL34 is a Pentode tube consisting of 5 elements. The sound is typically British in nature with warm overtones. The sound changes subtly according to how hard it is driven. At low volumes they have a good low mid tone with a warm treble response. Driven hard, the rich sounding harmonics leap out at you–think of the famous 60s/70s blues rock bands! These are medium/high output power tubes used commonly in combos and heads ranging in power from 50–100 Watt.