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My rig is almost complete. I've got a Bogner Shiva, Mesa Mini Rect, and a Blues Junior for amps and all of the effects I need with a Maxon OD, Line6 M9 and Dimebag wah. However, I'm actually trying to decide between keeping the Shiva (which is brand new) or replacing it with a Blackstar Series One 100 or 50.
I know many of you will probably think it's a no-brainer, Shiva vs. Series One, but it's not an amp that most people have had good experience with like the Shiva. I have extensively compared it to Bogners, Marshalls, Hughes & Kettner, etc... and find it to be an incredibly good amplifier.
For those of you not intimately familiar with the Series One, I'll tell you exactly what makes it so great. The first thing you have to do is get over the fact that it's manufactured in Korea. That's still a bit of a struggle for me in the back of my mind since I have a huge preference for amps made in USA and UK. Despite that, the Series One has impressed me every step of the way.
First of all, it's superior to any of the HT models in my opinion. It operates, looks, sounds and feels very different than the HT stuff. You can tell right away that it's a really high quality amp by the way it responds to your playing, and of course, the tone. Cosmetically it looks good but I don't know enough about the circuitry to tell you whether it has cheap components or not. I would bet that it's made with fine components and constructed very well since no cheaply made amp I have ever played sounded and played as good.
I hate to sound stereotypical, but it sounds like everything a Marshall could be but isn't. Not to put Marshall down, but I prefer the sound of the Series One to any Marshall out there. It's not that it necessarily does the Marshall thing because it's very versatile with the ISF control, allowing it to growl and chug like a Mesa Boogie. I strongly favor the British side of the ISF control.
Anyhow, as it relates to my Shiva. Well the Shiva is an incredibly good amplifier because it feels so alive to play. It has enough compression to go high gain with a pedal and enough openness to sing with beautiful clean sounds and bluesy solos. Everyone is pretty much aware that the clean channel is phenomenal, and it certainly is. The overdrive is something to be appreciated perhaps even more.
It has been compared to a JCM800, and I might even have made that comparison in the past, but I tend to think of it much differently. It's not a fuzzy tone, not a buzzy tone, but somewhere near the JCM800 range. It's heavy in the low mids (unless you engage the tone shift), and it growls like a JCM800, but it has a certain smoothness and musical quality in places that a JCM800 might normally sound a bit brittle and chirpy.
If you shred, it has that "bubbly" quality that I have heard people describe. It has amazing definition and an overall smokieness which allows it to be punchy but still sound smooth.
In comparison, the Blackstar feels a bit saggier or less stiff than the Shiva. It has a bit more control of the low-end and favors a bit more of the Marshall chirpiness. However, it is also pretty smooth. It also feels quite alive under your fingers which is something that I praise about the Shiva. Perhaps not as much, but nearly.
I have recorded many audio samples with each amp and each one sounds so juicy and good. However, I tend to prefer the recorded sound of the Series One particularly because of the way the mid range sits in a mix. I get a similar mid range with careful adjustment of the Shiva, but it's more "bubbly" than "chirpy." What makes the chirpiness important is because of how arpeggios and picked runs bite whereas the Shiva kind of rolls off more. It's hard to explain.
I love both amps and have considered even letting the Series One take place of my Mini Rectifier. That would give me both amps, but then I would essentially have two British style amps. Therefore, I have to consider the Shiva since I'm kind of stuck on the Mini Rect for clean tones, Metallica covers, etc...
So it comes down to the Shiva vs. the Series One. Some pros and cons I've considered are:
Shiva is Made in USA, Blackstar Made in Korea
Shiva has a Lifetime warranty, 3 year warranty on the S1
S1 is more versatile
S1 has power reduction control for low volume playing and recording
S1 has MIDI and direct recording stuff
Both have excellent FX loops
Both take pedals really well
This Shiva is a little smaller/lighter
etc...
What it comes down to I think is that I wish the Blackstar had the quality and warranty of the Shiva. If I knew for a fact that the Series One was built as well as the Shiva, and if it was backed with a solid warranty, I think it would be kind of easy to pick the Series One... plus it would put a few hundred $$ back in my pocket for pickups and stuff.
I'm kind of at a loss to decide so what do you guys think? Anyone have intimate knowledge of both?
I know many of you will probably think it's a no-brainer, Shiva vs. Series One, but it's not an amp that most people have had good experience with like the Shiva. I have extensively compared it to Bogners, Marshalls, Hughes & Kettner, etc... and find it to be an incredibly good amplifier.
For those of you not intimately familiar with the Series One, I'll tell you exactly what makes it so great. The first thing you have to do is get over the fact that it's manufactured in Korea. That's still a bit of a struggle for me in the back of my mind since I have a huge preference for amps made in USA and UK. Despite that, the Series One has impressed me every step of the way.
First of all, it's superior to any of the HT models in my opinion. It operates, looks, sounds and feels very different than the HT stuff. You can tell right away that it's a really high quality amp by the way it responds to your playing, and of course, the tone. Cosmetically it looks good but I don't know enough about the circuitry to tell you whether it has cheap components or not. I would bet that it's made with fine components and constructed very well since no cheaply made amp I have ever played sounded and played as good.
I hate to sound stereotypical, but it sounds like everything a Marshall could be but isn't. Not to put Marshall down, but I prefer the sound of the Series One to any Marshall out there. It's not that it necessarily does the Marshall thing because it's very versatile with the ISF control, allowing it to growl and chug like a Mesa Boogie. I strongly favor the British side of the ISF control.
Anyhow, as it relates to my Shiva. Well the Shiva is an incredibly good amplifier because it feels so alive to play. It has enough compression to go high gain with a pedal and enough openness to sing with beautiful clean sounds and bluesy solos. Everyone is pretty much aware that the clean channel is phenomenal, and it certainly is. The overdrive is something to be appreciated perhaps even more.
It has been compared to a JCM800, and I might even have made that comparison in the past, but I tend to think of it much differently. It's not a fuzzy tone, not a buzzy tone, but somewhere near the JCM800 range. It's heavy in the low mids (unless you engage the tone shift), and it growls like a JCM800, but it has a certain smoothness and musical quality in places that a JCM800 might normally sound a bit brittle and chirpy.
If you shred, it has that "bubbly" quality that I have heard people describe. It has amazing definition and an overall smokieness which allows it to be punchy but still sound smooth.
In comparison, the Blackstar feels a bit saggier or less stiff than the Shiva. It has a bit more control of the low-end and favors a bit more of the Marshall chirpiness. However, it is also pretty smooth. It also feels quite alive under your fingers which is something that I praise about the Shiva. Perhaps not as much, but nearly.
I have recorded many audio samples with each amp and each one sounds so juicy and good. However, I tend to prefer the recorded sound of the Series One particularly because of the way the mid range sits in a mix. I get a similar mid range with careful adjustment of the Shiva, but it's more "bubbly" than "chirpy." What makes the chirpiness important is because of how arpeggios and picked runs bite whereas the Shiva kind of rolls off more. It's hard to explain.
I love both amps and have considered even letting the Series One take place of my Mini Rectifier. That would give me both amps, but then I would essentially have two British style amps. Therefore, I have to consider the Shiva since I'm kind of stuck on the Mini Rect for clean tones, Metallica covers, etc...
So it comes down to the Shiva vs. the Series One. Some pros and cons I've considered are:
Shiva is Made in USA, Blackstar Made in Korea
Shiva has a Lifetime warranty, 3 year warranty on the S1
S1 is more versatile
S1 has power reduction control for low volume playing and recording
S1 has MIDI and direct recording stuff
Both have excellent FX loops
Both take pedals really well
This Shiva is a little smaller/lighter
etc...
What it comes down to I think is that I wish the Blackstar had the quality and warranty of the Shiva. If I knew for a fact that the Series One was built as well as the Shiva, and if it was backed with a solid warranty, I think it would be kind of easy to pick the Series One... plus it would put a few hundred $$ back in my pocket for pickups and stuff.
I'm kind of at a loss to decide so what do you guys think? Anyone have intimate knowledge of both?
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