review title:
Subject
Problem solving amp
By: Christopher
Submitted: 3/6/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Rating
Product Review
I've had this amp for about a week and cannot stop playing it. Blackstar is quickly becoming my go-to brand for amps. They do everything, and this unity is the same. For the price, it's packed with features. I mostly go for a classic sound with flats on. But with the compressor and chorus (what really sold me as I'm too lazy to worry about pedals, and it sounds really really good), you have so many options, like sitting around playing new order songs.
I was looking for a practice amp/recording tool, something I could use for a lot of random tasks, and this is it. The only con of so much flexibility is the speaker size (a 12" would've been nice). But it sounds so good (60 watts is a good compromise) I stopped caring. Also, there's an extension cab situation that's possible if you want it so in theory that solves that problem. Excited to see how it works onstage as a monitor. All-in-all, for a utility amp, wow.
Playing a blackstar is interesting. When I look at them (guitar or bass), I don't think of (and thusly don't hear) all those famous players and their classic lines because they don't exist. The amp is free from association. That works for me as I like to create my own thing. And while you can use them to sound like a (insert favorite brand of amp), I never feel trapped in that sound, for what it is worth.
review title:
Subject
Best practice amp ever!
By: James Vaughn
Submitted: 8/9/2018
5 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I’d never had any experience with Blackstar products so I didn’t know what to expect, I must say, I’m very impressed.
Build quality is exceptional, pots are all very smooth and linear. The tolex is beautiful and feels very high quality. Features are well thought out. The compressor is subtle and effective (it does exactly what a bass compressor is supposed to do!) Amp models are useful without being way overdone. The chorus is interesting, not something I’d really find myself wanting but it’s a fun little bonus.
I really like the tone controls having a parametric eq for the mids, with sweepable freq.
All in all, a very solid little amp, great size for practice but 60 watts into a 10” speaker would do very well in a smaller venue and/or a small acoustic gig. Hope Blackstar decides to do a head version with aroun 500 Watts, I’d be inclined to add it to the gigging setup for sure!