YouTube video posted about the GM40

You know what I'm going to say don't you?

Another review in the same old H&K mode. 0:12->0:37 kind of confirms it all once again for me. Then 4:47->6:56 just rubs salt in the wound. The sound was outstanding, the playing was superb, the range was... well, what range? Once again it showed the amp as a magnificent metal machine but as absolutely nothing else. Where was the section showing its Blues capabilities, Crunch should have dealt with that? Where was the Classic Rock, (and I mean classic '70s sounds not the modern latecomers), Crunch/Low Gain Lead should cope with that?

I can see where H&K are going with their gear, I've been saying it for long enough, and there is nothing wrong with that but let's be honest with our assessments of their gear. No one is interested in showing it playing anything other than high gain metal! If it can expand beyond this then let's have a review where someone actually interested in those other genres takes it out for a spin and we get to see the breadth of its tonal palette.

(I'm not holding my breath! )

Those are all great points of contention BB! I agree that other forms of music are not being addressed by H&K with their amps.  Last year, the number one amp sales figures had Fender at the top of the list in numbers of amps sold (reverb.com). We all understand what Fender amps are used for.

H&K are you out there?  Care to comment?

Interesting video tas9195. A/B: no, stand alone: yes.

Thanks for sharing.

Guess its clear where the H&K team are marketing their products towards, I can understand them trying to differentiate themselves and grab a slice of the action. Why try and compete with the Fenders and Marshalls of this world for the classic, traditional rock sounds.

I do think however that they are actually missing a trick, the amplifier is strong in a number of areas and should be showcased accordingly.

Yeah I think they were trying to find the ground between full bad ass tube amp and modeling amp and I think they achieved that. Doing that they are going to lose a little from either side of the spectrum but for someone like myself who doesn't gig alot and when I do it is different styles it is good to get the tube amp and still be able to tweak in effects to match what I need when I need it and have it in a small package. I think there is a reason why fender don't have metal amps they are good at what they create. Maybe H&K are content with what they deliver. I still think you can get a decent bluesy sound, metal sound or Jazzy sound enough that the average listener can't tell the difference. If someone is that die hard on a particular sound then more than likely they would get a specific amp geared toward that sound, but I see both sides of it.

Don't get me wrong guys, I still love the amp, and I take all of your points with respect and a degree of agreement. H&K have made a series of machines which, to my non-metal loving ears, do metal exceptionally well. They have aimed it squarely at that market and are making good sales on the back of it. They have also created an exceptionally flexible amp with amazing opportunities to control it in use. Maybe I'm just frustrated that they won't come out and say it isn't aimed at the classic market in the face of Marshall/Fender opposition. And who can blame any manufacturer (apart from me ) when they won't say "this family hatchback isn't the car suitable for a vet to carry a sick sheep across a blustery hillside in", there is always the chance that some vet will fall so in love with it that he will try to make it do that anyway and bingo, it's another sale.

I think the guy in the later review vid does a much more honest and comprehensive job than anyone I have seen but he still doesn't know the amp well enough to set it up for any specific sounds really. He works mainly on the back of preset patches that the amp has in it and tweaks them to just show the controls at work. That is not quite someone demonstrating how good it can sound from experience. It would be better if the reviewer actually knew the amp well and could set it up to really show it playing specific genres of music at its best. I do think he has a very honest and feet on the ground view of the benefits of how you can get the best of the amp in day to day use. No criticism of him intended in any way, he can't know every amp intimately and I am sure there are some that he does.

(And his final point about "your ear recalibrating" in the few seconds it takes to make changes in your hardware setup is the best description of what I have argued time and time again here and other places on blind listening tests based on immediate switching as the only way to test the validity of any component change. )

At last! A clean vintage video (if a little short)...

https://youtu.be/_Iu9WZSzXWQ

j200george wrote:At last! A clean vintage video (if a little short)...

https://youtu.be/_Iu9WZSzXWQ

Follow this guy. I follow him on Instagram, and he's always doing different tones with it. A lot are heavier, as it's H&K's target audience these days. However, he does some lighter tones as well.

As much as I love H&K, they pretty much are just making high gain amps now. All their real lower gain offerings have disappeared. I'm bummed as I never got to try a Statesman.

An extended range guitar for Surf Rock sounds? That's a no-no in my book.

Maybe I'll lend him my Jazzmaster. The amp does that style rather well, actually...

Extremely versatile, a little better than the GM36 in that respect in that Power Soak can bet set globally rather than per-preset. I do wish the range of its voicing was wider so it cut thru the mix better like a GM36. Fendery and Vox-y at the same time...call it the DuoAmp, in between the GM and the TriAmp

bordonbert wrote:You know what I'm going to say don't you?  

Another review in the same old H&K mode.  0:12->0:37 kind of confirms it all once again for me. Then 4:47->6:56 just rubs salt in the wound.  The sound was outstanding, the playing was superb, the range was... well, what range?  Once again it showed the amp as a magnificent metal machine but as absolutely nothing else.  Where was the section showing its Blues capabilities, Crunch should have dealt with that?  Where was the Classic Rock, (and I mean classic '70s sounds not the modern latecomers), Crunch/Low Gain Lead should cope with that?

Don't expect Ola Englund to do a Blues or 70s Rock Demo that guy has his trademark sound and can get it off all amps that are capable of metal - and this amp is. That being said, as far as I've tried it, it can sound 70s Rock and Blues like, but I've got to try it some more and outside my home to fully assure it to you, record a demo sound or give you hints about the setup. you've got to be careful with the highs because these can easily make the amp sound too "modern".

billgwx wrote:Extremely versatile, a little better than the GM36 in that respect in that Power Soak can bet set globally rather than per-preset. I do wish the range of its voicing was wider so it cut thru the mix better like a GM36. Fendery and Vox-y at the same time...call it the DuoAmp, in between the GM and the TriAmp

What I wanted to read.. That's the ticket!

Don't get me wrong, am raving about the 40's control versatility, and wishing for a little more sound versatility, something that can easily switch between the 36's more modern yet cutting (in a good way!) tone and the 40's warmer tone.

Anyway, H&K really ought to also push the 40 toward folks in any setting looking for a high degree of control via MIDI. I use it in a band playing and recording our own songs with a relatively wide range of territory, from nu-metal to grungey to classic-rocky to surfey to chimey, and the amp covers it all mostly to my satisfaction. I do wish it cut thru the mix better sometimes--its EQ makes more fine-tune rather than wholesale changes, so when I crank the mids to try to cut through more it doesn't go quite far enough. Outside of that, the combo of this amp plus a good MIDI controller and/or multi-effects unit is fantastic. Very little pedal dancing required!

billgwx wrote:so when I crank the mids to try to cut through more it doesn't go quite far enough. Outside of that, the combo of this amp plus a good MIDI controller and/or multi-effects unit is fantastic. Very little pedal dancing required!

especially the ultra channel needs very low bass and resonance settings. for that reason, resonance and presence should rather not be used globally. I know its good to have them at hand for quick adjusting of all presets on the one hand. but some sounds and the ultra channel per se, are not usable to their full potential, if you cannot have the presence/resonance set for each preset. also I've noticed that you can get different sounds if you use either backed up highs and higher presence or the other way around. so I advice everyone to try per-preset presence/resonance (so called global eq OFF). that's where I stand now, but I have to add, that I havent either gigged nor used the amp very much outside of my home so yet.

Thanks for that pointer! Back to the sound laboratory

no problem, I hope it helps I've come to the conclusion by trying and a review of the amp I found at sweetwater (the top one posted by a "Will Crash"): https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GM40H/reviews

aenima wrote:

billgwx wrote:so when I crank the mids to try to cut through more it doesn't go quite far enough. Outside of that, the combo of this amp plus a good MIDI controller and/or multi-effects unit is fantastic. Very little pedal dancing required!

especially the ultra channel needs very low bass and resonance settings. for that reason, resonance and presence should rather not be used globally. I know its good to have them at hand for quick adjusting of all presets on the one hand. but some sounds and the ultra channel per se, are not usable to their full potential, if you cannot have the presence/resonance set for each preset. also I've noticed that you can get different sounds if you use either backed up highs and higher presence or the other way around. so I advice everyone to try per-preset presence/resonance (so called global eq OFF). that's where I stand now, but I have to add, that I havent either gigged nor used the amp very much outside of my home so yet.

Thanks,^^^. I don't use the Ultra channel a lot being an old R&Rller and Blues rock player, but it's nice to know its there.  I too have noticed that this amp is a bit different in adjusting the highs and lows versus what I'm used to, not that it can't get there... I run my GM-40 with its signal path thru Helix for the wah, compression (when needed), and delay and verb on the back side (again when needed).

It's (once adjusted to taste) sound/tone to me is just killer diller for my style of guitar stuff.!!! Couldn't be happier.

Here's Reece Malone (the future of Texas Blues!) showing that there's more to H&K than metal.

He really gets going around 8:00 in.

https://www.facebook.com/david.malone.96155/videos/618476198340049/

(I just ordered my H&K GM Deluxe 40, finally!)