Blackstar amps.

[thunderkyss]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Wasn't the company started by ex-Marsall employees? I thought the idea was to build inexpensive (not cheap) amps. They would have all the hot-rod mods & what not at a reasonable price. Boutique features at standard amp prices.

I've never played one & I'm not interested. I don't play out & don't need the amps I've got now. I own them because I want them. I crank them every now & then for the heck of it, but I don't "need" the power.

So I have no need to buy a new amp.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Wasn't the company started by ex-Marsall employees? I thought the idea was to build inexpensive (not cheap) amps. They would have all the hot-rod mods & what not at a reasonable price. Boutique features at standard amp prices.

Yes, Blackstar was started by several former Marshall employees. They make several 'lines' of amps, from moderately priced to near-boutique priced.

I've never played one & I'm not interested. I don't play out & don't need the amps I've got now. I own them because I want them. I crank them every now & then for the heck of it, but I don't "need" the power.

So I have no need to buy a new amp.

OK, but I think I missed your point!

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Blackstar amps.

The Blues Jr. is a very non-typical Fender amp. Most owners and those amp fans who have played it and/or listened extensively don't consider it a clean amp.

You might want to check the source of your information because that sounds kind of wacko. The Blues Junior is Fenders most popular and best selling amp.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Blackstar amps.

You might want to check the source of your information because that sounds kind of wacko. The Blues Junior is Fenders most popular and best selling amp.

I currently own 4 Fender tube amps including a BJ. I like it very much, but it is NOT a typical Fender clean sound owing to it's EL84 tubes. The Cleans that Fender is known for come from 6L6 and 6V6 tubes. My ears and an overwhelming % of BJ users are the source.

To say it is not "Fender" clean is not a negative per se, but is an accurate description. Popularity has nothing to do with it.

The 'definition' of Fender Clean is spelled 'Twin'.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Blackstar amps.

I currently own 4 Fender tube amps including a BJ. I like it very much, but it is NOT a typical Fender clean sound owing to it's EL84 tubes. The Cleans that Fender is known for come from 6L6 and 6V6 tubes. My ears and an overwhelming % of BJ users are the source.

To say it is not "Fender" clean is not a negative per se, but is an accurate description. Popularity has nothing to do with it.

The 'definition' of Fender Clean is spelled 'Twin'.

I understand what you are saying, but I never said it was the quintessential Fender clean in the first place. In any case, I personally think Blues Jr. cleans are great. If you want to talk real Fender cleans then I'm a huge fan of the 57 Deluxe reissue. I don't know what the vintage Fender guys would say about that one but to me it embodies everything about the Fender sound.

 

[HTT]

Re: Blackstar amps.

I have an original HT-5 with the 10 inch Celestion. Very well made with classy touches like a real leather handle, corner protectors, etc. I really like the amp. I find the drive channel sounds best with moderate to high output pickups. The amp can be "boxy" with certain settings. Very nice woody tone at all settings. The clean channel has quite a nice jazz tone. The clean channel does not sparkle or jangle. IMO, the amp is best for classic rock or hard rock.

 

[mantis]

Re: Blackstar amps.

I currently own 4 Fender tube amps including a BJ. I like it very much, but it is NOT a typical Fender clean sound owing to it's EL84 tubes. The Cleans that Fender is known for come from 6L6 and 6V6 tubes. My ears and an overwhelming % of BJ users are the source.

To say it is not "Fender" clean is not a negative per se, but is an accurate description. Popularity has nothing to do with it.

The 'definition' of Fender Clean is spelled 'Twin'.

100% agreed.

 

[richard parker]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Many companies make pedal versions of their amps - Bogner, Mesa, Marshall etc. Blackstar, particularly with the HT series, make amp versions of their pedals. I spent some time on the higher range Series One combo and found it very synthetic sounding - reminded me of Line 6. It wasn't too bad and I could understand it's appeal but I like medium 70s crunch as the basis of my sound and Blackstar don't do it.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Many companies make pedal versions of their amps - Bogner, Mesa, Marshall etc. Blackstar, particularly with the HT series, make amp versions of their pedals. I spent some time on the higher range Series One combo and found it very synthetic sounding - reminded me of Line 6. It wasn't too bad and I could understand it's appeal but I like medium 70s crunch as the basis of my sound and Blackstar don't do it.

How about one more step up to the Artisan line?

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Blackstar amps.

The Artisan line is phenomenal. High, high quality based on the one I demoed.

 

[richard parker]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Forgive me, never tried the Artisans. I admit I have a bit of a downer on the company. I own the HT Drive pedal and it's very good but is most definitely not 'Pure Valve' which is what it says on the tin. I also absolutely hate the fact that on their ID series you can turn the Virtual Valve Power thingy off in order to hear how crap the amp sounds without it. What the hell is the point of that ?

 

[mantis]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Ok I finally got to play a Black Star amp. It was the Club 50 head and matching cabinet.
The Cabinet is well built and very nicely finished. It was the slant back design which I dig when you only have one cabinet.
The Head had a very nice leather like cover in black and the back was basically covered up so if you want to change tubes , you taking the back cover off. No big deal gives it a very nice finish.
The Front knobs are like cheap plastic crappy built. it was the first thing I didn't like about the built quality. The Rocker switches also felt on the cheap side.
The layout of the amp was ok , centered EQ and a gain and clean channel. Both had voicing buttons which in the gain , gave it a higher gain sound and the clean a bit more punch. Then there was this ISF knob. OK the knob is supposed to go from british to American voicing. OK it kinda changes the tone of the amp I found myself leaving it right in the middle.

Clean channel
The cleans where ok , they didn't break up or anything when I picked hard. It stayed clear and nice. The 2 different voicing I like the pushed in tone better then the pushed out tone. It was a bit thicker and nicer. My problem is that it doesn't sound like a Tube amp here , it actually sounded solid state. it was clean but clean like a Marshall MG amp or something like the older Marshall solid state combo amps. I couldn't get a tube warmth out of it like I wanted but it didn't suck. This is an area where this amp if I was going to use it would need improving. I'm a Fender Twin clean kinda guy and anything less is annoying.
The reverb built in was nice and you can turn it all the way up and it was very usable. I found myself playing for a few minutes just getting deep into the reverb. it was pleasant and I could see writing some songs with it. This also gave the clean channel a nice almost tube like feel , not quite but closer then raw.

OD channel
This channel had a very nice gain tone to it but still not a tube like gain more like a mix of a Marshall and a solid state or maybe a solid state marshall. Mosphet amps of the past , remember them? They where cool but lacked. This reminded me of those amps. Iplayed through so many of them before I got a JCM 800 way back in the day.
On the other hand here I could dial in some really nice 80's metal tones as well as some more modern thicker ones. I found that the gain channel was good enough to do somethings with it. I'd like to drive it with a Blues driver or a MXR out front , maybe a green screamer or something. I bet a new level of gain could be had. Not something needed but maybe a way to alter the tone a bit to my personal liking.

Over all I'd say it's a very nice amp. Not my cup of tea or even a consideration to replace my Revolution 1. I came home and played it right after and found myself falling back in love with the clean channel. it's so damn good and pure fender sounding with a layer of bass that the Twin didn't have. My drive channel is wicked and nasty but I can dial it back and get some sort of 80's tone out of it with a delay in the loop. Not quite Marshall 80's but with a bit more bite. More crunch then smooth.

So I'd suggest anyone who is looking for an amp to check out these Black Star models , for the price I feel they are well worth it , They are not high priced at all , very affordable. If I needed an amp and was short on cash , I would use one for awhile. I would really spend some time dialing it in to my liking. I would run things in the loop and out front and really make it nice.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Blackstar amps.

You need to play with the clean channel some more. The right combination of ISF control + Voice button is key. The clean channel has a lot of breakup, but one voice setting has more breakup than the other. Also, if you're not opening that amp up to a useable volume then it's not going to sound good. The sparkle and breakup you're talking about only comes when you crank that baby up. If you want a low volume then you need to get an HT20 which is pretty darn loud but much more useable at home. I mean you just got it and you already posted what sounds like a fairly negative review which is contrary to what you hear on sound samples and from people who use them. I think you need to give the amp a fair chance.

What settings are you using for clean or gain? What kind of speakers are you using? What kind of pickups? What style of music are you trying to dial it in for? There are too many unanswered questions to know what to tell you.

 

[mantis]

Re: Blackstar amps.

You need to play with the clean channel some more. The right combination of ISF control + Voice button is key. The clean channel has a lot of breakup, but one voice setting has more breakup than the other. Also, if you're not opening that amp up to a useable volume then it's not going to sound good. The sparkle and breakup you're talking about only comes when you crank that baby up. If you want a low volume then you need to get an HT20 which is pretty darn loud but much more useable at home. I mean you just got it and you already posted what sounds like a fairly negative review which is contrary to what you hear on sound samples and from people who use them. I think you need to give the amp a fair chance.

What settings are you using for clean or gain? What kind of speakers are you using? What kind of pickups? What style of music are you trying to dial it in for? There are too many unanswered questions to know what to tell you.

Yes my review might seem a bit negative but it's what I heard when I played it. Yes it wasn't at concert volume levels as I was at a music store and couldn't crank it as other people where demoing stuff and I never like to be rude.
Speakers , I used the matching Blackstar cabinet to the head. Remember I'm a Fender Twin clean guy and I want any amp I buy to have a clean close to that. The Blackstar was not so far. The music I play for clean is Metal ballad type stuff. It's how I write , I usually play what I write when I demo an amp.
The Guitar was a 2010 Charvel Dan Dimas with Duncans JB in the bridge and a 59 at the neck.

I'm no way done with Blackstar as I did hear some things I liked . I would love to bring it home and really run it.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Yes my review might seem a bit negative but it's what I heard when I played it. Yes it wasn't at concert volume levels as I was at a music store and couldn't crank it as other people where demoing stuff and I never like to be rude.
Speakers , I used the matching Blackstar cabinet to the head. Remember I'm a Fender Twin clean guy and I want any amp I buy to have a clean close to that. The Blackstar was not so far. The music I play for clean is Metal ballad type stuff. It's how I write , I usually play what I write when I demo an amp.
The Guitar was a 2010 Charvel Dan Dimas with Duncans JB in the bridge and a 59 at the neck.

I'm no way done with Blackstar as I did hear some things I liked . I would love to bring it home and really run it.

Aside from boutique amps, you're probably always going to be disappointed in cleans with most all amps as compared to a twin.
As I mentioned, I own an HT20H. Don't love it; don't hate it either. And I can fully understand your assessment of your demo, EXCEPT...the ISF has no effect on the clean channel. My understanding is that the clean channel is solid state pre-amp into the tube power section. Of course, I haven't seen a schematic as B* is overly secretive about the details of the design. Hey B*, this isn't a matter of national nor world security!

 

[mantis]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Aside from boutique amps, you're probably always going to be disappointed in cleans with most all amps as compared to a twin.
As I mentioned, I own an HT20H. Don't love it; don't hate it either. And I can fully understand your assessment of your demo, EXCEPT...the ISF has no effect on the clean channel. My understanding is that the clean channel is solid state pre-amp into the tube power section. Of course, I haven't seen a schematic as B* is overly secretive about the details of the design. Hey B*, this isn't a matter of national nor world security!

The ISF knob did change the voicing , I found leaving it right in the middle made it sound it's best.

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Re: Blackstar amps.

I have a Club 40 as my living room amp. I finally got tired of going down to the basement studio to crank up my Mesa MkIII (my primary amp) for a mere 20 minutes of playing, so I picked one up slightly used for a song at GC, no regrets.

The clean channel has two modes, both of which are very nice, although they can accurately be called antiseptic compared to a Fender Twin. I can't understand how anyone could want more gain from the lead channel in the modern voiced mode, it is full-on BRUTAL like you hear in today's metal bands. Not really my thing, but it's fun to play with for crunch riffs especially. Funny, I'm somewhat caught in a time warp when it comes to tones, and have always thought of my MkIII's lead channel as "modern", but after hearing the Blackstar's midshifted mode, I guess the MkIII is Old School (and I'm ok with that!!).

The more traditional voiced lead mode is nice and stringy, but not really a fully traditional sound, either. Overall, I am happy with it as it fulfills the role I had in mind. Haven't recorded with it yet, but that's coming. I am sufficiently impressed with it to want to try one of the Series Ones halfstacks just for fun so see if that might be something for the basement.

 

[mantis]

Re: Blackstar amps.

I have a Club 40 as my living room amp. I finally got tired of going down to the basement studio to crank up my Mesa MkIII (my primary amp) for a mere 20 minutes of playing, so I picked one up slightly used for a song at GC, no regrets.

The clean channel has two modes, both of which are very nice, although they can accurately be called antiseptic compared to a Fender Twin. I can't understand how anyone could want more gain from the lead channel in the modern voiced mode, it is full-on BRUTAL like you hear in today's metal bands. Not really my thing, but it's fun to play with for crunch riffs especially. Funny, I'm somewhat caught in a time warp when it comes to tones, and have always thought of my MkIII's lead channel as "modern", but after hearing the Blackstar's midshifted mode, I guess the MkIII is Old School (and I'm ok with that!!).

The more traditional voiced lead mode is nice and stringy, but not really a fully traditional sound, either. Overall, I am happy with it as it fulfills the role I had in mind. Haven't recorded with it yet, but that's coming. I am sufficiently impressed with it to want to try one of the Series Ones halfstacks just for fun so see if that might be something for the basement.

Seems like a nice affordable combo amp. The 60 looks cool as well. I'd like to try one out.

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Blackstar amps.

The ISF knob did change the voicing , I found leaving it right in the middle made it sound it's best.

Not on the clean channel; only on the "drive" channel. If you thought you heard change in the clean channel by moving the ISF knob, you were imagining it.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: Blackstar amps.

Try a Series One 100. It won't be Fender cleans, but it has really nice cleans. The overdrive is incredible. You can't really compare the HT stuff to the Series One stuff. I think the HT series is a top contender for affordable amps, but not one the same level. I have a feeling that you would love the S1 100.