The Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor Overdrive is an overdrive pedal built around a real 12AX7 tube, the same preamp tube found in many guitar amps. It gives you two separate channels on one box: a saturated lead overdrive tone and a warm tube clean sound, and you can switch between them with a footswitch on the pedal itself.1
What it does
Hughes & Kettner designed the Tube Factor to cover two very different jobs from one pedal. Pedal of the Day's review put it this way1:
"the Tube Factor is able to produce not only gorgeous, saturated lead overdrive tones, but glorious warm tube clean sound"
The two channels, labeled Factor 1 and Factor 2, are easily switchable via the Factor 1/2 footswitch located on the pedal itself, so you can move between a clean boost-style sound and a fuller overdrive mid-song without bending down.1
If you are weighing it against more common overdrive circuits, our pages on Overdrive Pedals, Distortion Pedals and Boost Pedals cover the wider field, and the Boss SD-1 vs Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer comparison looks at two of the classics it would sit alongside.
The controls
The Tube Factor keeps its top panel to three knobs and one footswitch1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drive | Sets the amount of dirt you need present in your path1 |
| Voicing | Lets you shape tonal characteristics to dial in the trademark sound of your favorite amp1 |
| Output | Sets the volume1 |
| Factor 1/2 footswitch | Switches between the two channels1 |
The Voicing knob is the one worth spending time on: rather than a single tone control, it is aimed at tonal characteristics, so you can shape the pedal toward the trademark sound of a favorite amp.1
Size and pedalboard fit
For all that is good about the Tube Factor, Pedal of the Day's reviewer is blunt about one thing: "it is also BIG." The review advises measuring and planning before trying to fit one on a pedalboard.1
Trey Anastasio of Phish used one for a while and had it set on top of his rack gear rather than on a board, which says something about how much room it asks for.1
Availability
The Tube Factor is no longer in production. As of Pedal of the Day's October 2017 review, it was no longer on the Hughes & Kettner website, though the reviewer noted you can find them around for really good prices on the used market.1
Videos
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Questions
Does the Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor use a real tube?
Yes. The Tube Factor is built around a 12AX7 tube, the same preamp tube found in many guitar amplifiers. Pedal of the Day's review points to the 12AX7 tube located inside the pedal as the heart of its circuit, which is why it can produce both saturated lead overdrive and a warm tube clean sound.
Is the Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor still made?
No. As of Pedal of the Day's October 2017 review, the Tube Factor was no longer listed on the Hughes & Kettner website. The review notes that used examples can still be found around for really good prices, so it remains a secondhand find rather than a current product.
Will the Tube Factor fit on a pedalboard?
Plan carefully. Pedal of the Day describes the Tube Factor as BIG, and the reviewer advises measuring and planning before committing it to a pedalboard. Trey Anastasio of Phish, who used one for a while, set it on top of his rack gear rather than on a board.
Who has used the Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor?
The most documented player is Trey Anastasio of Phish. According to Pedal of the Day's review, Anastasio used one for a while and had it set on top of his rack gear, a placement that suits a pedal of its size.
Sources (1)
- Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor Overdrive, Pedal of the Day, 2017-10-25