 Hand-built in Cologne, Germany, the Hot Tuna ($429 retail/street
price N/A) is designed to deliver heavy grind tones that range
from “plexi” to “Rectifier.” The unit features top-quality components
and a rugged interior layout that includes a neat PC
board circuit with chassis-mounted pots and footswitch, and
hand-wired connections to the board. The Hot Tuna’s controls
consist of Blow (volume), Voice (tone), and Burn (gain). There
are also two mini-toggle switches labeled Chili and Dip. The
true-bypass circuit features a mechanical footswitch, and there’s
a 2.1mm adapter jack on the front side of the die-cast enclosure.
The Hot Tuna can unleash massive output—even at low gain
settings—and jacking up the Burn and Blow controls produces
a combination of distortion and output that will turn even the
cleanest amp into a fierce grind machine. It has a thick, fuzzy
tonality that metal players will appreciate, but the Voice control
is key to getting what you want for your particular style.
Settings of two o’clock and higher really bring on the fuzz rage,
while turning it to ten o’clock or lower mellows the bite for a
more tube-sounding presentation. The Chili switch toggles
between a bold, presence-y response and a skinnier tone with
less midrange, the latter of which could be perfect for sitting a
part in a dense track. The Dipswitch noticeably enhances the
low-end mass when activated, and is useful for getting maximum
grunt from low-tuned guitars. —Art Thompson
KUDOS Kickass rock/metal tones. Excellent build quality.
CONCERNS Very expensive.
CONTACT tonehunterusa.com
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