Does the world really need yet another acoustic amplifier? “Yes” is the simple answer - after all, someone has to do the job properly, and the manufacturer now taking up the gauntlet is Saarland-based Hughes & Kettner. Present one of the most renowned amp designers in Germany with a highly pragmatic requirement profile and the result is the Hughes & Kettner era 1 amplifier – a powerhouse that can comfortably compete with the best in the industry. Four channels, a 250-watt output, and a weight of just ten kilograms are features that simply cannot be ignored, particularly when the resulting sound is also something special.
The Hughes & Kettner era 1 is a 250-watt amp which features an 8" speaker together with a 1" dome tweeter and has been specially designed for acoustic instruments. It offers two identical, extensively equipped channels as well as two further inputs with a level adjustment facility, with one acting as an effects return. Signal processing takes place on an entirely digital basis, with the result that when the three-band equaliser is adjusted, for example, a whole host of complex processes, which are all optimised for acoustic instruments, are carried out undetected. The effects section is also optimally integrated, delivering well-known spatial and modulation effects, and lavishing a beautiful sound quality on acoustics and vocals alike. Since an amp of this calibre should not be placed directly on the floor (that much is obvious!), the era 1 also features a stand-mounting flange on the underside as well as a tilting stand built into the robust, black housing.
With the era 1, Hughes & Kettner has created a thoroughly professional product which is lightweight, compact, and extremely powerful, and is compatible with all manner of acoustic instruments, although some compromises do have to be made in terms of sound when amplifying acoustic and double basses. Boasting a clear, natural, and powerful tone, the era 1 can also hold its own in louder environments and will prove a suitable companion for even the most discerning professionals. Unlike many other amps, which fall by the wayside in this respect, a striking feature of the era 1 is just how well it works with piezo pickups, delivering a surprisingly natural sound from appropriately equipped instruments, even if the guitar does not come with a preamp.
Hughes & Kettner is one of the largest German suppliers of guitar and bass amplifiers. Founded in 1984 by Hans and Lothar Stamer under the name Stamer Musikanlagen GmbH, the manufacturer from St. Wendel in the Saarland can boast of its numerous innovations. For example, its first venture into the field of guitar amplifiers, the ASR64 from 1986, was the first programmable amplifier in the world. Thanks to its compact format, the Cream Machine of 1987 can be counted among the very first mini tube amplifiers. Equally influential were the Red Box analogue speaker simulation, the first six-channel amplifier (the Triamp), and the ZenTera, which used modelling technology in an integrated amplifier even before Line 6.
An inherent feature of an acoustic amplifier is that it amplifies acoustic instruments when they are too quiet, for example when used in combination with other instruments or when filling a larger room with sound, and this makes the era 1 the proverbial stage hog. However, to make sure the sound of the amp is projected at sufficient height for the band and audience to hear it properly, it will need to be sufficiently elevated using the integrated stand-mounting flange, where it can then be used as the sole amp for a singer/guitarist in smaller locations while still keeping a further two inputs free for samples and playback tracks.