The no-nonsense amp head, which has been re-purposed by Nembrini Audio, has joined the digital realm
(Image credit: Hughes & Kettner)
NAMM 2025: Hughes & Kettner has responded to intense fan demand for the return of its famed Puretone tube amp by reviving it as a VST plugin.
It has been created in collaboration with Nembrini Audio, a software company with a solid track record of producing digital versions of classic gear, from Marshall and Fender amps to Klon Centaurs, Big Muffs, and Rat Distortion pedals.
This release, though – which has been dubbed “the digital recreation of a legend” – is its first officially licensed offering.
The plugin captures the amp’s “unmistakable personality for individual expression that has become a legend over the years” in an intangible digital guise and “no frills” format that mirrors the original.
The Puretone plugin offers a single-channel amp head that can evoke “crystal-clear cleans tones to blues crunch and rough-and-ready overdrive”, with six cabinet and four microphone emulations offering greater customization.
A Growl feature cuts the tone stack for an unfiltered and raw guitar sound. Its voicing section is bypassed with the dial in the far right position, while turning it to the left cuts the tone controls out of the circuit.
There is also a promise that, whatever players throw at the plugin via the amp head's minimal dials, and the pre- and post-amp effects on offer, guitar signals will remain pristine.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
The amp’s controls comprise Growl (in lieu of a Gain), a three-band EQ, and a Volume dial for a no-nonsense setup. On the preamp side of things, the package’s pedal lineup includes a noise gate, a filter pedal with controls for Tight and Rumbling, as well as a three-dial overdrive pedal.
Rack-mounted post-effects total an EQ, tape delay, and spring reverb with more comprehensive tweaking options. Notably, each effect is draggable to change the signal routing for flexible sound design.
Players can choose from six cabinet emulation options, with two of the four microphone options employable at once. Three of its cabs are Hughes & Kettner builds. There's a VC 412 A25 with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers, a TC 412 A60 with RockDriver Classic 60 speakers, and a TM 212 with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
(Image credit: Hughes & Kettner)
These are joined by a 4x12 based on an Orange V30, a 4x12 based on a VHT 412S, and a 2x12 which draws inspiration from Vox's cabinets. Those wanting to upload their preferred Impulse Responses into the plugin instead are able to do so.
The Hughes & Kettner Puretone plugin is available now and RRPs at $137 but has a discounted launch price of $49.99. It is compatible with Windows and Mac.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
