Questions from potential HT-60 owner

[Dr.Poca]

Hey,

Decided to sign up to this forum as I am considering getting a HT Stage 60.

This will be my first tube amp (Previously used Roland Cube 60 or Pod X3 live to PA) and I just have some questions.

I'm not really into the whole technical side of guitars/amps and I wanted to get a good amp and a few individual stompboxes as I'm not really mad about the X3 live. Reading through this forum has me worried though. There's a lot of talk of having to replace bits and pieces to get a good sound, which is not what I want at all. I'm gonna be spending over €800 on this so don't want to have to invest in new tubes etc. So here we go

1) Tubes: Are the stock tubes really so bad that they have to be replaced? I'm going to be playing mostly my own bands music which has a kinda even mix of clean sections and heavier sections (Maybe think a bit like Porcupine Tree). I'm not looking for a really ultra tight/fast metal sound as most of the riffs would be more big chords or some faster chunky/choppy riffs.

Also, how many should you be able to see lit up in the back?

2) Transport: How tough are these amps? Can you put them in the boot of a car or would they be better in the back seat?

I tried one out in a shop but not with my own guitar. I thought it sounded pretty sweet, particularly the clean channel. I noticed noise on the two OD channels (not noticeable when playing but fairly noticeable when not) is that normal?

Basically is there anyone on this forum with good experience of the amp without modification!!! If not that severely worries me and will put me off buying it.
Initially I won't be using many pedals in the chain (Probably a tuner and volume pedal out front and chorus and delay in the loop).

Can these amps sound good without replacing stuff that adds to the cost!! I'll be going in to try it out with my own guitar before buying anyway.

[ffooxx]

I would say they are very usable just being stock. However what you really need to invest in is the tube for distortion channel(I use Tung Soll which is around 20EUR in order to get bit more transparency and high end smoothness. The issue you may face is the shrillness in high frequencies which is sort of normal for the new amp as the speakers need a lot of time to break in therefore people tend to modify the amps IMO

[Barreldog]

The HT - 60 is a really good & versatile amp. If you played through one & liked the way it sounded Than you should probably buy it. I bought mine about 7 months ago & am very happy with it. The more I played throught it & made adjustments, the more I liked it.
The changes you read about (tube swapping & such) are just people looking to get the most out of their amp & to suit their playing style. They are not necessary. It's much like changing pickups in a guitar. The guitar itself is good but you want a slightly different tone.
Changing preamp tubes is a very cheap & easy way to try & get different tones so many people do it.
Speakers are more expensive, but some prefer certain speakers or want a tone similar to another amp.
Anyway, the Ht-60 is a really nice sounding amp the way it is but it's also nice to have the option of trying different parts if you feel like experimenting.

[Dr.Poca]

Thanks for both of your replies. I'll definitely get it if I like the sound with my own guitar. I definitely believe that as long as you like it that's all that matters.

I'm just hoping there won't be any faulty tubes or issues when I get it new. I notice from this forum that that seems to be the case with some people getting them :/

How many tubes should I be able to see lit up in the back? Just so I know when I get it that there's nothing that needs replacing.

[apw100]

It will only cost you about $25 to change the tubes in the pre-amp section so you might as well do it. I have Tungsols in mine but another good alternative would be JJ's.

There are 5 tubes in the amp, 3 in the pre-amp and 2 in the power section. The power tubes should be lit evenly at all times while operating. One of the pre-amp tubes will be bright(12AU7) and the other two(12AX7) will be fairly dim, at least while the amp is in standby mode.

[KKND]

Man, i have complained the most about my amp...yet i would say go ahead, you will love it...as apw said, the pre amp tubes are fairly cheap and they make huge difference in tone and changing them is as easy as bulbs.....

in regards to the transport, it is a heavy gunner...would fit in the back seat of any mid size sedan....

Let us know!

[Dr.Poca]

Thanks for all the info. That's exactly what I was looking for.

I'll be going in to try it out again with my own guitar next week once my college exams are over. Dying to get it though

[KKND]

I went through heaps to replace my power amp tubes, mainly because i never did it before and i was worried i will screw things up or die....anyways, once i did, it was totally worth it the amp is a monster!

[chris taylor]

Let your ears tell you! Everyone's opinion is different and yours is the most important when it comes to your tone. If you liked the sound of the amp in the store then go for it! I bought mine after demo-ing one in store. I've had it about 6 weeks and I love it and it really opens up after 20 hours or so of playing. It shipped with no problems, no broken tubes or anything but I suppose it could happen at any time during shipment and depending on how careful they are when handling.

No mods. All stock and it sounds great. A cheap way to find what you like is to pick up some preamp tubes and experiment, man!

For traveling I'd say do whatever keeps your amp from moving around or tipping over. An amp cover is recommended to protect your investment.

[chris taylor]

Also, my OD2 channel is noisy while idle but any high-gain channel will have some noise going along with it due to all that gain being piledriven into the amp...hope this helps and good luck!

Rock on!