Canadian Musician - January/February 2021 | Page 24

ROAD TEST

Hughes & Kettner Spirit Nano Amp Heads

By Hal Rodriguez
Introduction Hughes & Kettner ’ s new line of Spirit Nano amps promise versatile tones in a compact-sized head rated at 25W . There are three models in the series , though for this review I tested out two of them ; the Spirit of Vintage and Spirit of Rock heads with a 1 x 12 cabinet and a ‘ 50s Stratocaster .
Specifications Each Spirit Nano head weighs a mere 1.1 kg and measures only 9 x 9 x 19 cm . At such small dimensions , it ’ s impressive that it has an output of 25W and can drive a cabinet as large as a 4 x 12 . Both the Spirit of Vintage and Rock heads sport a sleek , minimalist black casing with only four knobs : Master , Sagging , Tone , and Gain . This user-friendly panel also features a convenient headphone output for quiet practice and an auxiliary input in the back panel for jamming along to other devices .
The Spirit amps feature Hughes & Kettner ’ s Spirit Tone Generator , which is an analog circuit designed to replicate the sound and feel of a tube amp . Unlike conventional tube amps , which have to be played loud to get the desired tone and feel of a saturated power amp , on the Spirit amps one needs only to turn up the Sagging control to replicate the same effect at any volume .
Spirit of Vintage With all the controls at 12 o ’ clock , the Spirit of Vintage produced a warm , clean tone with a hint of breakup . I was impressed with the amount of bass present as it fattened the low output , single-coil pickups on my guitar . Turning up the Sagging knob made the tone sound even fuller and added midrange frequencies for a more upfront tone . This would be helpful when playing in a trio or small setting where you need to fill out the sound . There was also a slightly compressed feel to the amp , which helps for strumming funk rhythms , arpeggiating chords , and playing clean single-note licks .
By turning down the Gain and Sagging controls , and turning up the Tone control for more highs , I achieved a classic , chimey clean tone reminiscent of American amps . This setting is suitable for low-gain applications such as pop , funk , and blues .
For an amp named Spirit of Vintage , I was expecting to find mostly clean to slightly dirty tones , but there was enough distortion available to cover more genres . I found the Gain knob to be quite sensitive and versatile , as just turning it up to 1 o ’ clock produced a surprising amount of crunch for classic rock . The distorted tones are pleasantly warm and fat , sounding more like an overdrive pedal than a cranked British amp . This helps fatten single notes and gives them plenty of sustain . With the Gain knob on max , the distortion started to sound more like a fuzz pedal , making it useful for emulating ‘ 60s rock tones .
Spirit of Rock Gain-wise , the Spirit of Rock amp takes off where the Spirit of Vintage ends . With all the controls at 12 o ’ clock , there ’ s instantly plenty of distortion for hard rock and classic metal rhythms and solos .
As with the Spirit of Vintage head , the Gain knob is sensitive , so small turns are all that ’ s needed to dial in tones for different genres . With the Gain and Sagging turned down to 11 o ’ clock , I could get a classic , scooped British amp crunch for ‘ 70s rock . Turning both controls up to 2 o ’ clock produced enough distortion for modern rock and chugging riffs . Again , the distorted tones are thick and warm , without ever being harsh . Past 3 o ’ clock , there ’ s more than enough saturation for effortless lead guitar techniques .
Summary Both the Spirit of Vintage and Rock amps provide versatile tones that are easy to dial in with their minimal controls . The Sagging feature proved useful for quickly changing from vintage to modern sounds and there is plenty of gain on tap to make using boost pedals unnecessary . I was impressed with the full , warm tones of each amp , as other non-tube amps I ’ ve tried at this price range produced thin , harsh tones and buzzy-sounding distortion . The Spirit Nano amps ’ affordable price tag , portability , and 25W output should make them a serious consideration for guitarists looking for a main or backup amp for small gigs and recording sessions .
Hal Rodriguez is a published writer , music transcriber , and music teacher based in Toronto .
Contact him on Instagram @ jazzscriber .
24 CANADIAN MUSICIAN