Hughes & Kettner
German music supply manufacturer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hughes & Kettner is a German manufacturer of instrument amplifiers, cabinets and effects boxes.
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Amplification |
| Founded | Neunkirchen, Germany (1984) |
| Founder | Hans and Lothar Stamer (CEO) |
| Headquarters | , Germany |
Area served | Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Australia |
Key people | Hans and Lothar Stamer |
| Products | Amplifiers |
| Parent | Musikhaus Thomann |
| Website | hughes-and-kettner |
History
The company was founded in Neunkirchen in 1984 by two brothers, Hans and Lothar Stamer, and moved to St. Wendel three years later.[1]
It is cited as having a "long and good standing reputation as a maker of solidly performing tube amplifiers".[2]
In 1989, Hughes & Kettner offered the first realistic speaker emulation device, the Red Box, providing the sound of a speaker without needing a microphone.[3] In 1997, the company designed the Rotosphere, a tube-powered effects pedal simulating the sound of a rotary cabinet, similar to a Leslie, but in a much smaller form factor.[4] It has been used by guitar players but also by some keyboard players, such as Jon Lord.[5] In 2011, Music Radar named the Rotosphere as one of the best modulation and filter pedals of all time.[6]
The company is actively producing new models, both tube and solid-state amplifiers. In 2020, the company released the 50W Spirit Nano amplifier head, which combines a transistor amplifier with a Red Box Leslie simulator.[7][8] The era 1 and era 2 are general purpose amplifiers that are suitable for acoustic guitars and microphones.[9]
In May 2025, the company was acquired by Musikhaus Thomann.[10]
Notable users
Notable users of Hughes & Kettner products include Rush's Alex Lifeson[11] and Kiss' Tommy Thayer, who have signature amplifiers by the company (The TriAmp MKII Alex Lifeson and the Duotone Tommy Thayer).[12][13] Marillion's Steve Rothery is a longtime user of the Rotosphere and prefers it to other Leslie simulators.[14]
Other Hughes and Kettner users are Joel Stroetzel who has used the company's Rotosphere,[15] Adam Dutkiewicz,[16] Joe Bonamassa,[17] Peredur ap Gwynedd who uses a GrandMeister 36,[18] Nuno Bettencourt,[19] Tony Macalpine,[20] Michael Wilton, Allan Holdsworth[21] and Teo (Evil Teo) Ferlin.
Hughes & Kettner made a custom rig of steampunk styled guitar amplifiers for Rush's Time Machine Tour in 2010.[11]
