Harley Benton has added a compact tube amp switcher to its range of budget-friendly essentials, and retailing at under $100 the Tube Head Switch could be a gig (and amp) saver when running a dual-amp setup either live or in the studio.
Yes, get the best electric guitar strings you can afford – they’re reasonably cost-effective anyway. Absolutely, saving up that little bit extra for the electric guitar of your dreams is rarely a source of regret and a good amp will make anything sound good.
But we are big fans of not spending too much money on the more utilitarian components of your rig, particularly when the quality is on point, and if the Tube Head Switch is engineered to the same standard as Harley Benton’s PowerPlant pedalboard power supplies then this looks like a solid choice.
Harley Benton says it is constructed from “premium Class A components” to ensure a noise-free and consistent performance. The design is nice and clean. Our only quibble is whether we should call it the Tube Head Switch, as it is mentioned on all Harley Benton and Thomann materials, or the (Tube) Head Switcher, as the graphic on the enclosure suggests.
It has everything you need to switch amps safely, with its onboard load management system ensuring that the correct impedance is maintained when switching. There are two inputs to the Tube Head Switch.
The buffered input is designed to preserve the signal of your guitar, handy if you’re using a long guitar cable runs or deploying a well-stock pedalboard. There’s also a direct input for preamps or line-level instruments that don’t need a buffer.
“This setup ensures optimal performance and audio quality, whether using standard guitar setups or more advanced configurations,” says Harley Benton.
But is it idiot-proof? It should be. Plug your guitar in. Both your A and B amps have their own dedicated inputs and outputs. To Amp A and To Amp B sends your signal into the amp’s input. The From Amp A and From Amp B inputs then take the signal from your amp’s speaker output, and then there To Cabinet output sends the signal to the speaker cabinet.
Use the footswitch to toggle between both amps, an LED will let you know which is going through the speaker, and that’s that, an A/B rig with a minimum of fuss, at a minimum of expense.
The Tube Head Switch is priced £86/$96/€99. See more of it at Harley Benton. Order it exclusively from Thomann.
