The New Tone Thread

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JDOD said:
I think they are generally aiming at younger people getting their first "decent" amp as that's the price point. As pissed grunge musician in my late teens and early 20s the idea of saving up 500 quid by doing shit jobs was realistic. The idea of saving up over a grand wasn't. In the even I spend 350 quid on a bandit and didn't buy a tube amp for another 20 years!

Its still annoying that they don't like doing heads though - getting a head allows you to get an inherently more modular up-gradable rig.
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I was the same way. I didn't have Marshall stacks as a dumb punk rock kid. I used whatever was available. I didn't even have anything close to being as good as a Blackstar. My problem with Blackstar is that they're content to be just okay. And their price point doesn't mean anything anymore. The used market is flooded with better amps at the same price.
 
Greg_L said:
My problem with Blackstar is that they're content to be just okay. And their price point doesn't mean anything anymore. The used market is flooded with better amps at the same price.
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I dunno if that's the case, the stuff that at the same price point (I've tried most of it!) is pretty similar. Laney IronHeart, Peavey Valve King (I actually hated this), Tiny Terror, DSL 15. None of them are going to blow your bollocks off, they're all OK. The one that stands out as being better at about the 500 quid mark is Miner's EVH... but it doesn't do a clean sound.

Greg, The Bouncing Souls just popped up in my music feed. Never heard them before. I bet you have and can probably say that they're a terrible bubblegum pop band but they sound like they're having a right laugh to me!
 
JDOD said:
I dunno if that's the case, the stuff that at the same price point (I've tried most of it!) is pretty similar. Laney IronHeart, Peavey Valve King (I actually hated this), Tiny Terror, DSL 15. None of them are going to blow your bollocks off, they're all OK. The one that stands out as being better at about the 500 quid mark is Miner's EVH... but it doesn't do a clean sound.
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I'm talking used. Used better stuff for nearly the same price as new Blackstar stuff.

Greg, The Bouncing Souls just popped up in my music feed. Never heard them before. I bet you have and can probably say that they're a terrible bubblegum pop band but they sound like they're having a right laugh to me!
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I've seen Bouncing Souls quite a few times. I'm not really a fan, but they're a good band. Really popular in the pop-punk world. Like most of the others they're a little too sweet to me. I usually like nastier stuff that's real. Like this new NOFX single for example...
 
Greg_L said:
I'm talking used. Used better stuff for nearly the same price as new Blackstar stuff.


I've seen Bouncing Souls quite a few times. I'm not really a fan, but they're a good band. Really popular in the pop-punk world. Like most of the others they're a little too sweet to me. I usually like nastier stuff that's real. Like this new NOFX single for example...
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Ah, I just don't know enough about amps to chance buying something used. I need to sit down with it in a shop for an hour and fiddle with it.

haha, NOFX are still good!
 
Greg_L said:
. They make amps that struggle to sound good and they don't make amps for serious giggers. Good business plan.
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I dunno ..... that Club 40 is a pretty good amp ..... I could easily gig that amp.

The Peavey Valve King sucks though .... that is truth!
 
Lt. Bob said:
I dunno ..... that Club 40 is a pretty good amp ..... I could easily gig that amp.

The Peavey Valve King sucks though .... that is truth!
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Yeah, the Club 40 is loud as fuck. The first Blackstar I tried was a Club 40SE (that's got a V30 in it). That was a seriously loud - a lot more than I need for recording though.
 
I hear what you're saying Greg and I partially agree. I know there was some bigger metal bands using Blackstars but no really big bands. But I don't think the amps sound bad at all. Now I've only played 3 of them and they were all ok, though that 5 watt is only good for cleans. Dross' recordings with it sound great and the little bit I've done don't sound bad at all. But I do believe that for the nice crunchy or saturated distortions you need more power, whether recording or playing live. The Blackstars are a good value though. Even used they meet or beat out the other used stuff you're talking about. There isn't much out there at that price for high gain at that price from anybody that's worth a damn sound wise IMO and the Boackstar is near the top I think.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I dunno ..... that Club 40 is a pretty good amp ..... I could easily gig that amp.
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You could gig any amp. But lemme aks you dis...why don't you have one then?

It's been well documented in here at least that I'm just not a fan of Blackstars. I tried, I wanted to be, but they sound dark and bland to me. All of them. I just don't get along with them, and I literally never see them out gigging. An affordable tube amp that no one wants? What gives?
 
Greg_L said:
You could gig any amp. But lemme aks you dis...why don't you have one then?
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well true .... I am amazing that way! :D

There was a time when I kinda wanted a Club 40 ..... but I do get the feeling they're different than the rest of the line for some reason.
I have a good friend who gigs one and it's a nice sounding amp and over about 4 years, it's been reliable.

But you're right .... it certainly didn't thrill me to the point that I wanted one or I'd have one.

Actually, and you're all gonna laugh at me and that's ok ..... next time I have amp money I'm likely to get a Carvin Micro V3.

JDOD said:
That's the Peavey Valve King, mate. Totally shite.
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Even I'd have a hard time gigging that amp ..... ice pick treble ..... no body to it at all ..... a really awful amp.
I'm surprised they still make them ..... a bad, bad sounding amp.
 
Lt. Bob said:
next time I have amp money I'm likely to get a Carvin Micro V3.
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My nephew the preacher has one of those heads & a 2x12 cab...IIRC, 3 channels with a tone stack for each, 7/15/50w EL84 power section...I have played through it a few times & it seems to be a good little amp...
 
Greg is not alone in his "me-ure" opinion of Blackstar amps* There is a very well respected player and guitar tech' over here who goes by the sobriquet of ICBM who shares a similar view. He does however recognise their build quality and reliability.

As for them not being used by the top bands? USA is hard to crack! Look how many of you still bow down to a 50yr+ microphone design!
Over here Paul Weller has a couple of Artisan 30s. I looked at Glasto a bit and saw a couple models but there were SO many others, nothing really stood out.

The new Artist might change you mind Greg. 6L6s, so Good Ole USA bottles and the voicing is different from any B'star amp so far. Really designed as a pedal platform (and for those that liked the HT-40? Lot of that in the Artist) .

Northampton's biggest music shop PMT sells more Blackstar amps than any other brand they tell me so if it ain't broke.....?

*Greg, have you ever tried an Artisan 100? Right up your decibalic street I reckon.

Dave.
 
I don't know if I've tried the Artisan or not. Maybe, maybe not. It's not all about decibels for me.

I don't buy that the USA is hard to crack because Vox, Orange, and Marshalls are still literally everywhere. Orange is having a huge resurgence in popularity right now. To me, that's what Blackstar's problem is. Blackstar has an identity crisis and doesn't do anything to beat those other guys out. Not even at a lower price. The lower price does not overcome whatever is holding it back. And music stores carry them. It's not like they're hard to find. I just don't know who's buying them.
 
Greg_L said:
I don't know if I've tried the Artisan or not. Maybe, maybe not. It's not all about decibels for me.

I don't buy that the USA is hard to crack because Vox, Orange, and Marshalls are still literally everywhere. Orange is having a huge resurgence in popularity right now. To me, that's what Blackstar's problem is. Blackstar has an identity crisis and doesn't do anything to beat those other guys out. Not even at a lower price. The lower price does not overcome whatever is holding it back. And music stores carry them. It's not like they're hard to find. I just don't know who's buying them.
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I started, part time tech for Blackstar Nov 2009 and the company had not then made ONE marketable amplifier! They had sold a few pedals. How long have Vox (Jennings was American!) and Orange had to wear you down? Marshall are of course legends (tho' they have made some shit over the years according to a lot of techs. ) .

Then of course Greg I don't think you quite understand just how tiny B's company is compared to the giants you mention?

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
I started, part time tech for Blackstar Nov 2009 and the company had not then made ONE marketable amplifier! They had sold a few pedals. How long have Vox (Jennings was American!) and Orange had to wear you down? Marshall are of course legends (tho' they have made some shit over the years according to a lot of techs. ) .

Then of course Greg I don't think you quite understand just how tiny B's company is compared to the giants you mention?

Dave.
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I do understand. I'm not bashing Blackstar just because I want to. I WANTED to like them. I've tried to like them. Then I heard them and was just meh. Then I saw that no one uses them and I was like "I'm not alone in not liking them". But that's just me. I can find a way to like just about any amp. If it has tubes, it's okay with me. I just haven't found a way for me to like Blackstars yet.

Being a "tiny" company means nothing. Lots of tiny boutique amp makers are out there and doing well. Blackstar isn't so tiny that no one's heard of them. They're plentiful in every Guitar Center here in the US, and Guitar Center is the Wal Mart of music stores.
 
Greg_L said:
I can deny that it sounds good. That doesn't sound good. I remember dross and he was a nice guy, great drummer, but that sounds like a muddy mess. He nailed the Blackstar sound though. :D
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Fair enough. You did once mention you liked this tone though :thumbs up: Not trying to win you over on the Blackstar lol, Im not 100% happy with it either but for what I do its good enough.................for now.


 
liv_rong said:
Fair enough. You did once mention you liked this tone though :thumbs up: Not trying to win you over on the Blackstar lol, Im not 100% happy with it either but for what I do its good enough.................for now.


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That does have a much better tone to me, for sure. Better clarity while still having it's thickness. It's darkness suits the style.
 
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