Hughes & Kettner Spirit AmpMan Modern

The Hughes & Kettner AmpMan Modern redefines the pedalboard-only guitar rig. Thanks to H&K’s analog Spirit Tone Generator, this 50-watt, floorboard-style amplifier offers epic tube-like tone at any volume with zero digitizing of your signal. You get two independent channels that cover the spectrum of contemporary clean and high-gain sounds, with independent Gain, Tone, Presence, Resonance, Sagging, and Volume controls for each. This feature-laden amplifier pedal includes footswitchable boost and solo functions, plus an effects loop and noise gate. You also get a built-in Red Box cabinet emulator, a stereo headphones output, and an auxiliary input. Best of all, everything is accessible via the AmpMan Modern’s onboard knobs and switches — no menu diving required. Whether you’re recording direct, plugging into a cab, or going live into a PA system, you can expect top-notch tone and performance from the H&K AmpMan Modern pedal guitar amplifier.

Note: This device is intended to drive a speaker cabinet and should not be placed in front of an amplifier or pedals.

1:  1×12″ Modern Thiele Port

2:  2×12″ Modern Front Port

3:  2×12″ Vintage Open Back

4:  4×10″ Alnico Open Back

5:  4×12″ Vintage Cab

6:  4×12″ British Cab

7:  4×12″ Modern Cab

8:   4×12″ American Cab

A full-fledged, 2-channel guitar amp at your feet

The AmpMan Modern squeezes H&K’s analog Spirit Tone Generator into a 2-channel, floorboard-style guitar amplifier. Channel one unleashes crystal-clear, contemporary-voiced cleans, along with sizzling blues textures — if you overcook things a bit. Channel two produces high-gain textures that cover everything from hard rock crunch to modern, in-your-face metal. Each channel boasts plentiful sound-shaping controls: Gain, Tone, Presence, Resonance, Sagging, and Volume. The guitarists here at Sweetwater took special note of the AmpMan Modern’s Sagging feature, which enables you to fine-tune its power amp saturation and compression independent of volume — it faithfully re-creates the feel and sound of a tube amp recovering from a big drop in voltage. Best of all, you’re in control over how it responds.

Turbocharge your pedalboard with high-performance features

Tailor-made for pedalboard deployment, the Hughes & Kettner AmpMan Modern is chock-full of performance-ready features. A per-channel Boost adds extra hair to your signal when the situation calls for it. You can also add a 0 to +6dB boost over your Master knob’s setting with the Solo function. A serial effects loop makes integrating your stompboxes and processors a breeze. To top it off, the Boost, Solo, and effects loop are all footswitchable. Beyond that, the AmpMan Modern includes the same IDB gate as H&K’s Black Spirit 200 amplifier, providing you with a whisper-quiet noise floor between notes.

Red Box cabinet emulator captures amazing tone without a mic

For decades, H&K’s award-winning Red Box has been the go-to device for achieving miked-cab sounds without a microphone (or a speaker cabinet, for that matter). The AmpMan Modern includes a built-in Red Box AE+ — the most evolved Red Box yet. It supplies you with eight cab emulations, including gargantuan 4 x 12-inch stacks, compact 1 x 12-inch cabinets, and everything in-between. The AmpMan Modern automatically saves the most recently selected emulation for each channel. You can also switch the Red Box off to use third-party IR cab sims. Thanks to its built-in Red Box, the AmpMan Modern is a self-contained guitar rig that’s primed for any musical application.