Distortion pedals in front of clean channel

Hi guys, have a problem here. When I bought hk tubemeister 18, I sold all my distortion pedals to use tube distortion of an amp, only tube screamer left. Few days ago I bought boss me25 processor, just to use delay, chorus ect. For fun, I plugged it into clean channel to check distortion tones of processor in front of amp (this processor also has output for headphones, with speaker sim, which sounds okay). Sound in front of clean channel was awful. 0 bass, 0 mids, only high frequensies, even with cranked bass on amp. I asked my friend to bring his distortion pedal (nux metal core) to test it with amp - we got the same result. I figured out that gain control on amp stabilizes eq a little bit (more gain = more mids and lows).  Sound with dist pedals is good only when I plug them into return of fx loop, so I dont think that`s speaker or cabinet problem. Is my amp broken?

No it isn't. You just don't understand yet how cleverly designed your TM18 is. I would recommend you have a read of this and then think hard about what you are trying to do. The H&K amps are not like other amps, they are more comprehensive and already have pedal like qualities designed in. There is a good chance you are overdoing things and actually creating the problem that you think may be the amp. I would suspect it isn't, it is you trying to do too much.  Anyway...

Getting the best from the H&K Input Buffer

Hello, bordonbert! Yep, I read this topic before posting mine. The problem is I have no bass even when pedal gain is about zero. Pedal couldn't overload amp on zero gain, I think. By the way, amp cuts lows even with my boss fender bassman overdrive pedal, but I like this tones with overdrives. When it comes to metal, too bright tone is not tasty. Im not trying to make my hk sound like peavey or engl, just want to make my hk sound good.

That is all good then, keep the input level under control and make sure not to be too enthusiastic with multiple sources of distortion and Ultra+Gain settings or the sound will become very confused and rough.

The other main contributor to this problem could be the speakers. H&K amps are very sensitive to the speakers you put them with. They do normally sound good with H&K's own cabinets and these use V30s but they are specially voiced for H&K by Celestion so their responses could be anything. I know everyone has their own personal favourite cabinet but you must consider that all speakers change their character when used with other amps. The speaker that sounds amazing with your Fender or Marshall might just sound awful with a H&K and vice versa. I know this first hand! Using a new amp means searching out a workable selection for the speaker to go with it. They really must be seen as a symbiotic pair. What are you using at the moment?

My current cab is blackstar ht112 with stock celestion blackbird inside.

Are you really 102 years old?

Hahaha! 102? No really I'm not. I'm not too far short of it though. That's how I know my classic rock, I was there when it was penned and first played. (I put that there to not have to put my real age which always gets in the way in discussions. We're all either too young to know anything, too old to understand anything, or too in the middle to think anything other than "bland".)

I don't know the Celestion Blackbird first hand I'm afraid but looking at what is posted online - - well - - errrmm - - it isn't very popular! All the advice on how to get the best out of them seems to start with "toss it and start with something decent". That may not be totally true, this is the internet after all and a balanced view hereabouts is rarer than an honest politician, but there is consistent reporting out there that it may well cause the problem you are hearing. All H&K TM and GM amps have a tendency towards harshness and stridency and lacking bass if they have the wrong speakers taqged on. Have you tried your amp for any length of time with any other speaker types?

No, not yet. Bought this cab right before war began, that was the best option for my budget(now it costs 250$ new, bought it for 110$. Maybe I should take my amp to a local guitar club to test with another cab. Maybe speaker is really the problem. Will be sad if I buy new speaker, but the problem is in cab by itself

I think your idea of going somewhere to check out the amp with other speakers is a great one and will certainly help you to find the answer to your problems. Once you hear how different speakers can sound with your amp then you can decide on a plan to get the sound you want. Remember, you can always sell your Blackbird if you find something better. That speaker will sound good to someone somewhere with different needs. I know you will maybe be restricted because of your current war situation but just get to hear the TM18 with other guys' speakers. That's your first step. Make sure to come back here and let us know what you find. Your thoughts may just help someone else in a similar situation.