|
|
Post by Quint on Nov 28, 2016 8:49:26 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by jimwilliams on Nov 28, 2016 10:24:06 GMT -6
Heard some at Namm, mostly a metal grinder sound, not a great clean sound.
|
|
|
|
Post by mrholmes on Nov 28, 2016 16:30:07 GMT -6
If you want clean up to hard rock ..... a great all round amp for the studio. The best is the HK Red Box an analog speaker simulation that is pure fun. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/TM18H |
|
|
|
Post by Martin John Butler on Nov 28, 2016 16:58:08 GMT -6
I had the combo 20 W. Blackstar amp for a while, It was versatile, could be clean or dirty, except for one thing, it was WAYYYY too noisy. It wasn't the tubes, it was the amp. Just too noisy to record properly. I bought a 5 W. Bad Cat Bobcat which if anything, is too clean. I'd buy the Louis Electric Columbia (Princeton) if I could afford it.
|
|
|
|
Post by Quint on Nov 28, 2016 22:27:37 GMT -6
I'm getting the message that, even at the going price, there are better options out there.
|
|
|
|
Post by johneppstein on Nov 29, 2016 6:20:03 GMT -6
Looking at the schematic reveals that it's not really a proper tube amp, it's a hybrid, with design compromises to keep manufacturing costs down. My impression of the amp is that it's aimed and the beginner/amateur shredder market.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Dec 1, 2016 10:39:08 GMT -6
Looking at the schematic reveals that it's not really a proper tube amp, it's a hybrid, with design compromises to keep manufacturing costs down. My impression of the amp is that it's aimed and the beginner/amateur shredder market. This guy nails it. Again. |
|
|
|
Post by Quint on Dec 1, 2016 12:45:13 GMT -6
The comments here definitely have convinced me to stay away. I normally try to buy small old combo amps to have around for tracking rather than go for brand new stuff. I guess the blowout price gave me a momentary lapse of reason. Still, I wouldn't mind maybe finding a quality new amp one of these days that's very versatile like the Chandler GAV19T.
|
|
|
|
Post by jayson on Dec 2, 2016 6:43:56 GMT -6
I wouldn't "stay away". You might want to actually TRY one first. Let YOUR ears decide, instead of anonymous voices from the interwebs.
I've always been kind of amazed at how subjective opinions on items like guitar amps can be. Some people see a price-tag like $299 and jump to the conclusion that it MUST suck if doesn't cost a grand or more.
I've had one for several years now that I primarily use with a Motion Sound SRV 212 rotary cabinet and I really like it; it had replaced a Marshall TSL100 that was a very expensive, boutique, hand-wired, all tube piece of junk - high or low price ain't everything. For $299 it's not really a huge gamble anyway; if you didn't like it you can always return it or just put it on ebay - you sure won't lose much on it.
Stylistically I'd say I shoot for tones in the Mark Knopfler, Jerry Garcia, Jorma Kaukonen and David Gilmour neighborhoods and it seems to do just fine with it - those styles require a fair amount of tonal flexibility. I don't think it's a fair characterization at all to say it's primarily for noobs or shredding. I can't speak for anybody else, but I've had no issues with noise - beyond what would be considered "normal" for a guitar amp - while recording regardless of whether I've been using the clean or OD channel; I'm wondering if that might be some inconsistency in manufacturing or just bad luck.
For me the bottom line is that it's a nice little inexpensive two channel amp - If you can't make it sound good, it's not the amp's fault.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2016 15:52:58 GMT -6
Hold The Front Page ...... you can just tell how much they love these amps ....
|
|
|
|
Post by johneppstein on Dec 13, 2016 16:54:40 GMT -6
I've always been kind of amazed at how subjective opinions on items like guitar amps can be. Some people see a price-tag like $299 and jump to the conclusion that it MUST suck if doesn't cost a grand or more. The first thing I do is look at the schematic and build quality. The Blackstar HT series gets low marks on both. The solid state driver/phase inverter is particularlky poor, obviously a major cost-cutting measure. I see a lot of talk about these amps on The Purple Place - about the only people who really seem to like them are neophyte shredders and metalheads who have probably never had much experience with anything better. Price tag doesn't medan all that much to me I own an Epiphone Valve Junior I paid around $200 for (used to also have a head I got on blowout for around $75 but my roadie begged me to sell it to him), a Vox Lil' Night Train head that I got used at GC for $150, a Fender Champ 12 that I picked up for $40 at Goodwill, and a couple other assorted small amps, all of which I like MUCH better than any Blackstar I've heard. Well, I can't really say about your Marshall except that there are a lot of (newer, shredder oriented) Marshalls that are quite expensive that I dislikle intensely. The TSL 100 is one of these, and calling it "boutique" is disingenuous at best, perhaps you don't really understand what "boutique" means? It's a mass production "jack of all trades,l master of none" amp primarily aimed at a certain type of metal shredder. And it's certainly not "hand wired"... As far as reselling the Blackstar, I wouldn't be so sure - they're being dumped right now and flooding the markert. Some amps, like the Epiphone Valve Junior, were great deals on closeout becaused they were simple reliable, generally good sounding amps that were natural platforms for some very good mods. The Blackstar is none of those, largely but not exclusively due to the fact that it's not a real tube amp, it's a hybrid and that SS driver/phase inverter stage presents a real problem for any tone improving mods. And you might have trouble returning something bought at a blowout sale. Not even close, IMO. That SS PI stage imparts a certain ugliness to the tone right before breakup that is typical of TL0xx series chips approaching clipping. I would. And calling it a "studio amp", who a they trying to kid? Primarily kids, I'd say. Well, lots of others have. Maybe you're not as critical as some other people or maybe just very lucky - judging by posts on GS Blackstar's quality control is rather poor. Er, no - it's just a poor design, very cheaply executed. But if you like yours, more power to you. |
|
|
|
Post by jayson on Dec 13, 2016 21:24:32 GMT -6
Yeah, but have you actually USED one? Kind of misses the point I was making to the OP: Try it yourself - why take anybody else's word for it? You can always return it if you don't like it. But the snobbery of your response has been duly noted and revered  . |
|
|
|
Post by johneppstein on Dec 13, 2016 23:07:36 GMT -6
Yeah, but have you actually USED one? Kind of misses the point I was making to the OP: Try it yourself - why take anybody else's word for it? You can always return it if you don't like it. But the snobbery of your response has been duly noted and revered . It's not "snobbery". As I've said I own several inexpensive amps that I like very much. However I HAVE heard the Blackstar HT series amps and I have studied the schematics (I am a former professional amp tech of over 20 years working experience for several major music stores, one major service center, one major musical instrument company, and Bill Graham's sound company.) It's a poor design with obvious cheaping out in key parts of the circuit and the ones I've seen are not well made. And since they're being blown out it might not be possible to return the amp if (when) it doesn't work out. And even if you can, mail ordering with Sweetwater, you're out the shipping. I would MUCH rather spend my money on something like a Fender Pro Junior (about $400) or a Vox AC15VR ($379), either of which will actually be useful and hold its value. And are real tube amps, not half-assed hybrids with unreliable cheap shortcuts incorporated to save a couple bucks. They're only about $20 to $50 more (compared to the combo version), which is pretty insignificant. There's an old saying - "Penny wise and pound foolish.) |
|
|
|
Post by Guitar on Dec 16, 2016 16:13:55 GMT -6
I bought one, I like it a lot.
I mainly bought it for the dirty tones. The clean channel is not incredible for Fendery cleans or whatever, but it takes overdrives really well. I think this amp is dialed in nicely.
I needed a change from diode and transistor clipping pedals, I wanted a full on tube assault, the Blackstar does not disappoint.
It is also my first amp with a master volume, and a dirty channel, since I sold my Mesa Boogie in 2003. It seemed to be a glaring lack in my mostly clean and vintage collection.
Great deal, great amp.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ward on Dec 19, 2016 11:50:59 GMT -6
|
|
|
|
Post by Guitar on Dec 19, 2016 12:52:18 GMT -6
Sounds pretty good Ward My BIG AMP purchase is probably going to be a DSL100H if I go Marshall or a 6505 if I go Peavey. I'm not quite ready for the big amp yet, the Blackstar works better in my small room. Here's how the Blackstar sounds with a les paul copy guitar through some WGS Reaper 30 speakers. I haven't even tried it through the 4x12 yet! This is a Smashing Pumpkins song I've been obsessed with for a long time. This is just a demo for fun and it is not mixed. GET ON THE BOMBI'm happy with the tone but you can hear the white noise a little on quiet parts as people have mentioned. That would have to be gated out in a mix. I'm also astounded how good my overdrive pedals sound in this clean channel. An easy way to get different tones out of the amp. |
|
|
|
Post by Martin John Butler on Dec 19, 2016 13:00:32 GMT -6
Well, here ya go, the electric guitars were done with the little 20W Blackstar combo, not any kind of metal sound though. This is a song demo I did a long time back. The solo around 2:32 shows the amps versatility, pretty clean with a nice breakup. I'll take my Bad Cat any day, but the Blackstar did the job well enough. I could have made it even cleaner, but chose that level of grit.
https%3A//soundcloud.com/martin-john-butler/the-kindness-of-strangers-mix-3
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2016 12:39:59 GMT -6
Well, here ya go, the electric guitars were done with the little 20W Blackstar combo, not any kind of metal sound though. This is a song demo I did a long time back. The solo around 2:32 shows the amps versatility, pretty clean with a nice breakup. I'll take my Bad Cat any day, but the Blackstar did the job well enough. I could have made it even cleaner, but chose that level of grit. https%3A//soundcloud.com/martin-john-butler/the-kindness-of-strangers-mix-3Thanks for the Blackstar demo Martin. (Bad Cat's - look amazing, but too pricey for me). I can't crank an amp at home anymore so DI is probably my only option. Have Pod X3 / Amplitude / Softube etc.etc. I just wonder if the Blackstars are pretty much the same thing? I should just try one I suppose. I'm kinda moving toward an Egnator (prices are silly cheap here) and something like this ... Rat Valve Speaker Load Anyone used anything similar here? Just wondered if it would do the trick or if there are issues. |
|
. 
