BOSS TU3

CONTACT: JHS PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.wayhuge.com
CONTACT: Headline Music PHONE: [phone] WEB: www.hughes-and-kettner.com
130 Guitarist April 2010
QUICKTEST
MISCELLANEOUS
Quicktest
Welcome to Guitarist’s regular round-up of the best of the
rest of the gear that’s passed through our hands this issue
This is a reissue of a classic
analogue delay, one that this
month’s cover star has referred
to as “one of my tone secrets”.
Way Huge main man Jeorge
Tripps is behind it – as he was
the original – pointing out that
the new version features the
same circuitry as its forebear,
and is bereft of extra features
that may compromise the
much-loved original’s sound.
Controls comprise delay,
feedback and blend, alongside
mono in and out jacks, plus a
barrel jack for nine-volts DC.
There is one welcome change
in spec, however: battery
access is on the leading face,
rather than on the baseplate
which means you don’t have to
un-Velcro it from your ’board
to change batteries.
Delay time runs from a
doubling 20ms up to a modest-
by-digital-delay-standards
300ms and, as we’ve come to
expect from the Dunlop stable,
(of which Way Huge is now
part), the unit is built like a
small, yet formidable, tank.
Sounds
The Aqua-Puss Mk II has that
instantly warm sound for which
analogue delays are loved. From
vintage-style slapback to Brad
Paisley-style pickin’ repeats
and beyond it thickens chords
and adds mystique to arpeggios
with immense character. The
warm, degrading repeats and
maximum 300ms delay time
won’t pass muster with fans of
modern digital delays, and
that’s exactly the point!
Verdict
The Aqua-Puss MkII is among
the best, warmest sounding
analogue delays available. As
long as you don’t need more
than 300ms delay, it comes
highly recommended. [SB]
The Bottom Line
We like: Robust build;
versatile; compressor
We dislike: Heavy
The Bottom Line
We like: Great tones; easy to
use; impressive heritage
We dislike: 300ms ceiling
GUITARIST RATING GUITARIST RATING
Way Huge Aqua-
Puss Mk II £229
Hughes & Kettner
Basskick 200 £469
Need some extra low-end? H&K can provide…
A reissue of the fabled analogue delay
Hughes & Kettner’s guitar
amps get all the attention, so
much so that we weren’t even
sure if it made bass amps. But
yes, the Basskick series is one
any gigging bassist looking for
a great sounding mid-sized
combo should investigate.
With 200 watts of power
from its solid-state TubeTouch
preamp and DynaClip power
amp, you won’t have any trouble
being heard; there’s also an
extra speaker out, or a balanced
XLR if you need to hook up to a
bigger rig or PA. The single
15-inch speaker ensures a
powerful low-end, while there’s
additional clarity if you need it
from the switchable HF-horn.
Operation is simple: dual
active/passive inputs, gain,
four-band EQ and master are
joined by a simple, single knob
compressor and
‘punch’ push-switch.
Round the back, we
also get an FX loop.
Sounds
Despite its simplistic
controls, this is one
versatile combo. Old-
school thud to ultra
pristine slap –
it’s all here. The
compressor is
excellent and really
unobtrusive, punch
adds a subtle mid-
filter while the
parallel EQ section is
well centred and broad
in its cut and boost. With
a StingRay’s two-band
EQ, getting a sound takes
minutes.
Verdict
Weighty (32kg) and chunky it
may well be, but unlike so
many smaller combos the
BassKick 200 really has the
low-end clout that you’d
normally expect from a far
bigger rig. At home with
numerous styles it’s simple to
use – ideal for guitarists who
also play bass! [DB]
GIT327.rev_quick 130 25/2/10 5:13:51 pm