I thought I had gotten cheated when I got it home . But after watching some vedeos and figuring out the combo’s. I really started to like it, especially the reverb. I just wanted a chorus and delay. But there’s a lot more to experiment with. Great review.
For noobs, and I was one a few years ago after returning to guitar from a career length hiatus, there are sufficient effects in this amp to keep any guitar student occupied for years learning how to apply and use them pragmatically/musically. And if one of the six default voices doesn't suit perfectly, use the controllable variables to adjust and patch it. My favourite feature of this amp by far is the immersive sound from its SUPER WIDE STEREO.
I own the original version ID Core stereo 40. I bought it used at my local Music-Go-Round for about $100. and bought a Starcaster Strat electric guitar By: Fender a year later for the same price to do an extreme upgrde/mod build to my designs. I like the amp which I originally bought to amp my phone at the commercial laundry I worked at to hear it over the machines and other music played by other employees. after Covid shut us down I retired and did the guitar build. Starting with the Starcaster. I stripped it totally and repainted it in a space theme Stars and planets motif on the body and head stock. many custom features include the 3 quad rail/coil humbuckers wired like a 50's Les Paul with coil splitting adding a third control pot pair. I retained the Fender 5-way blad switch. and added a P/P pot in the bridge tone position to activate the bridge and neck P/Ups together regardless of any other controls. all controls loaded in the custom hand made brushed stainless steel pick guard. upgrades include roller saddles, and fullsize solid brass trem block for the bridge a titanium nut roller string trees and locking tuners which i later reverted to regular tuners. this guitar looks, feels,plays and sounds great. I renamed it the "Stellarcaster in keeping with the original name and the space theme paint as well as the overall aesthetic of the build.. Wanna Play???
Absolutely Invaluable Information on the Blackstar V3 amp's, I Just purchased the Limited Candy Skull 10 V3 I only practise at my flat at the moment I used to have the 40 V2 amazing amp's at a great price Thank you Steve! UK
@@AyushMehta8 Late to the party for you, but my answer for others who might have the same inquiry. The 40W is just right for ALL home practice situations, and of course you can turn it down. The 10W would fine for learning and practice. Its cranked level is OK too for an average bedroom, but I'd suggest individual subjectivity comes into play as to what loud is if you wanted to get rockin' raucous with it. IDK what the price differential is where you can buy, but unless it's budget challenging, these amps are so well priced I'd go with 40W and its larger speakers which covers all bases and has a footswitch port as well. If budget is tight, I'd still choose the 20W over the 10W. I have two ID:CORE 40W (a V1 and V3) among my numerous other amps. They're my go to practice amps and get used pretty much every day.
Very good demo of this amp. You have explained better than anyone else how to use the effects controls on these amps. Thanks. I've ordered one (the 20) as my practice amp, which is what they are ideal for. The fact the 20 is foot-switchable and the 10 is not, swung my choice to the 20.
Thanks for this. I have an ID Core 10 which is perfect for my living situation I live in a small and tight block of flats so in the past bigger 50 watt Marshals and 100 watt amps have been wasted because I couldn’t turn them past like 0.01. The problem I always had with smaller amps like Marshall 15 and 30 watters is although I can get a decent enough tone out of them, they never seemed to come to life until I turned them up a bit. This id core is nice because it has some killer sound configurations and they are still killer at a low volume. You really did a good job of explaining the settings and effects though and personally I love that I can USB to my laptop and go wild with fine tweaking things, then save the whole preset to the amp itself. It’s a great little amp and I am really pleased with it for my first Blackstar. Mine is a limited edition ID Core 10 V2 in Red and Black, it was in a pawn shop boxed as new for £50. They had lost the power adapter so reduced it to £40, and I had a spare adapter at home anyway! I have 2 questions though, is the foot switch compatible with the 10 watt ID Core? And, could I use the USB into my Laptop as an Audio Interface for other DAW’s and amp software? Or Isit only designed to be compatible with the Architect software? Anyway thanks for the info, it really broadened my knowledge of what this little beast can do 🙂
Excellent video, Steve! Could you also please compare this Blackstar Amp against the Boss Katana 50-MKII. I play more of Metal/ Rock music. Could you please recommend which one to purchase. Thank you!
Hi. Thanks for commenting. Sound is such a personal choice that I would try to go to a guitar shop and try them out. You should take your guitar and compare them. I think you will get a much better idea which amp is better for you. Hope this helps!
when I want more full bass as well as clear volume, I will go from the headphone out of the ID Core stereo 40 into the CD input of my surround sound receiver and adjust levels to taste. Between all the tones available in my guitar and those effects built into the amp there are virtually unlimited tones I can get. .. My "Stellarcaster" gives me almost too much tonal versatility....
Hi Brian! This one doesn't have a dedicated output to external speakers but you could connect through the output jack. I believe the amp speakers are muted when this is done. Hope this helps.
if i connect the amp via usb, windows will detect the amp like a audio device with signal going into him?, to select in voicemeeter with my guitar sounding directly.
Depends on budget and purpose. I have an original ID:Core 40 I can speak from first hand experience. I've used both INSIDER and Architect. Having owned mine 4½years I know it well, and any misplaced owner pride has long has worn off, so I can speak with minimal bias, something you should watch out for from the Katana 'BOSS can do no wrong' fanboy crowd as well. As practice amps, they're both very good but have different features and benefits. In my country the Blackstar is $100 cheaper than the Katana 50 Mk II, (75% of the price of the Katana) so if budget constraint is a consideration, win to the ID:Core. That said, the Katana 50 is also a very, very good amp, and more powerful (louder) than the ID:Core 40. The Katana is arguably the more popular in terms of sales, but I don't have stats to back that assertion either way. They both have plenty of volume though in the home in the practice amp role. The biggest difference IMV are the speakers. The ID:Core has 2x 6.5" *full range stereo* speakers for its promoted FULL WIDE STEREO feature. Used correctly, the sound output with this enabled is truly immersive within any even quite large room which makes the amp seem louder than it is and offers a superb audio experience to the listener. Even more pronounced if you have the amp elevated on a foldback stand decoupled from the floor as I do. The downside (?) of this feature/amp deploying *full range speakers* as it does *without a digital filter* for optimal sound quality is that when the volume is high/maxed, although you won't hear it when playing, when idle there is an audible background hiss if you don't have a voicing selected which has noise gate applied. e.g. OD1, OD2. This bothers some people who invariably actually don't understand why it's occurring, but like to use the fact to vent hate on the brand. Ultimately the hiss is subjective. I don't find the hiss so excessive as to present and issue at all, and I have lots of alternative amps to use and compare it with. The Katana 50 OTOH uses a single 12" speaker. Good old conventional mono, with a filter, so the hiss doesn't present. It moves plenty of air, and can definitely get louder then the ID Core. Either will do a fabulous job as a home studio tool for learning and practice, with plenty of intrinsic selectable voices and effects to keep a stud occupied familiarising with how to use them musically for years. In summary I'd say if in any doubt and you have extra cash, or if peer admiration/approval is a important factor, go with the Katana. If budget is a factor, and what you actually want is a versatile home practice amp and don't need the approval of insignificant others, go with the ID Core. I've had mine for 4½ years and haven't felt any need to sell and move to the V3 or a Katana 50 for the purpose for which I use mine. It's arguably my most used amp for its combination of features, portability *and purpose* although I do have have much bigger 2x 12" tube and solid state combo amps here as well as small mini amps like the Fly 3.
question can you plug your i phone into this black star amp to record for play back on bass and drums and guitar chords , then playback and add in lead solo ? and record that as well ?
Hi Steve, good review. Been looking on your channel for a vid on setting up small home studio using plug-ins. Have been out of the game for a long while and wanted your recommendations for a good setup. I was a ProTools user in the past so automatically looked to that and started with ProTools First. Can’t afford a major investment. Would have preferred an amp but can’t be noisy until I setup fully. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks
Hi Steve Mine makes an interference sound when I turn the switch to on (without playing) I thought it was a normal sound for amplifiers but I can't hear it in your review
I have the older Fender Mustang II and it's also a fine enough starter amp! I have the 75 watt version I believe,, got it about nine years ago, it's really good. I also got one of these babies for the crunch channels, mainly. I like both. I think the Fender is better if you really want more of the "classic" amp modeling built-in, since you get at least three Fender amp models and the Bassman one is great. This might be better for metal, the Fender I find is better for classic rock sounds and amp models. I can plug right into the Fender Mustang and sound just like a Blasters record!
Another superior video, Steve! You speak of the "right USB cable." I have not had much luck getting my USB cables to get the ID Core to recognized by computer. Which USB cable (USB to Micro B) I should use as the most are seemingly only designed for charging or small data transfer. Thank you, Steve!!
Hi. Thanks for your comment. The output connection is USB mini jack. It's not USB-C and that was what I meant by the right cable. Has to be mini jack and handle data. Hope this helps. Here's another video that might help. ua-cam.com/video/0Ij5EdjwNhs/v-deo.html
Nice review although I was surprised there was no mention of the stereo sound feature which is great for recording when going direct from line-out to audio interface - you can really hear the stereo width of the modulation effects
I just picked dup a 10 V3 Used. After watching this I'm loving the AMP.
I thought I had gotten cheated when I got it home . But after watching some vedeos and figuring out the combo’s. I really started to like it, especially the reverb. I just wanted a chorus and delay. But there’s a lot more to experiment with. Great review.
For noobs, and I was one a few years ago after returning to guitar from a career length hiatus, there are sufficient effects in this amp to keep any guitar student occupied for years learning how to apply and use them pragmatically/musically. And if one of the six default voices doesn't suit perfectly, use the controllable variables to adjust and patch it. My favourite feature of this amp by far is the immersive sound from its SUPER WIDE STEREO.
I own the original version ID Core stereo 40. I bought it used at my local Music-Go-Round for about $100. and bought a Starcaster Strat electric guitar By: Fender a year later for the same price to do an extreme upgrde/mod build to my designs. I like the amp which I originally bought to amp my phone at the commercial laundry I worked at to hear it over the machines and other music played by other employees. after Covid shut us down I retired and did the guitar build. Starting with the Starcaster. I stripped it totally and repainted it in a space theme Stars and planets motif on the body and head stock. many custom features include the 3 quad rail/coil humbuckers wired like a 50's Les Paul with coil splitting adding a third control pot pair. I retained the Fender 5-way blad switch. and added a P/P pot in the bridge tone position to activate the bridge and neck P/Ups together regardless of any other controls. all controls loaded in the custom hand made brushed stainless steel pick guard. upgrades include roller saddles, and fullsize solid brass trem block for the bridge a titanium nut roller string trees and locking tuners which i later reverted to regular tuners. this guitar looks, feels,plays and sounds great. I renamed it the "Stellarcaster in keeping with the original name and the space theme paint as well as the overall aesthetic of the build.. Wanna Play???
Absolutely Invaluable Information on the Blackstar V3 amp's, I Just purchased the Limited Candy Skull 10 V3 I only practise at my flat at the moment I used to have the 40 V2 amazing amp's at a great price Thank you Steve! UK
How much difference is in the 40 and 10 ,and would 10 be enough for bedroom
@@AyushMehta8 Late to the party for you, but my answer for others who might have the same inquiry. The 40W is just right for ALL home practice situations, and of course you can turn it down. The 10W would fine for learning and practice. Its cranked level is OK too for an average bedroom, but I'd suggest individual subjectivity comes into play as to what loud is if you wanted to get rockin' raucous with it. IDK what the price differential is where you can buy, but unless it's budget challenging, these amps are so well priced I'd go with 40W and its larger speakers which covers all bases and has a footswitch port as well. If budget is tight, I'd still choose the 20W over the 10W. I have two ID:CORE 40W (a V1 and V3) among my numerous other amps. They're my go to practice amps and get used pretty much every day.
17:26 that's some nice improvisation
Very good demo of this amp. You have explained better than anyone else how to use the effects controls on these amps. Thanks. I've ordered one (the 20) as my practice amp, which is what they are ideal for. The fact the 20 is foot-switchable and the 10 is not, swung my choice to the 20.
Outstanding demo, Steve. Thank you!
My pleasure! Glad you liked it it and hopefully found it helpful. Thanks for commenting!
Thanks Steve. Really helped with my v3 10!
Thanks for this. I have an ID Core 10 which is perfect for my living situation I live in a small and tight block of flats so in the past bigger 50 watt Marshals and 100 watt amps have been wasted because I couldn’t turn them past like 0.01. The problem I always had with smaller amps like Marshall 15 and 30 watters is although I can get a decent enough tone out of them, they never seemed to come to life until I turned them up a bit. This id core is nice because it has some killer sound configurations and they are still killer at a low volume. You really did a good job of explaining the settings and effects though and personally I love that I can USB to my laptop and go wild with fine tweaking things, then save the whole preset to the amp itself. It’s a great little amp and I am really pleased with it for my first Blackstar. Mine is a limited edition ID Core 10 V2 in Red and Black, it was in a pawn shop boxed as new for £50. They had lost the power adapter so reduced it to £40, and I had a spare adapter at home anyway!
I have 2 questions though, is the foot switch compatible with the 10 watt ID Core? And, could I use the USB into my Laptop as an Audio Interface for other DAW’s and amp software? Or Isit only designed to be compatible with the Architect software?
Anyway thanks for the info, it really broadened my knowledge of what this little beast can do 🙂
Great review thank you Steve
Steve, you really know to to put a vid together. I have a big Blackstar amp...need this one for on the go.
Brilliant amp! Love It 💯🙌✅🎶
Very nice demo, man!
I wish that I have one for my incoming birthday. Right Steve😊😊😊
Excellent video, Steve! Could you also please compare this Blackstar Amp against the Boss Katana 50-MKII.
I play more of Metal/ Rock music. Could you please recommend which one to purchase.
Thank you!
Hi. Thanks for commenting. Sound is such a personal choice that I would try to go to a guitar shop and try them out. You should take your guitar and compare them. I think you will get a much better idea which amp is better for you. Hope this helps!
I am torn between this blackstar (IDC10w) an orange crush 20rt or the Marshall MG15GFX what do you recommend?
well, soundwise, it's up to your taste.
but if you want stereo with live feature, get the core.
8:44 - Almost “Listen to the Music, The Boobie Brothers.”👌😅
when I want more full bass as well as clear volume, I will go from the headphone out of the ID Core stereo 40 into the CD input of my surround sound receiver and adjust levels to taste. Between all the tones available in my guitar and those effects built into the amp there are virtually unlimited tones I can get. .. My "Stellarcaster" gives me almost too much tonal versatility....
I play a Quilter Mach 2 with one of my Marshall's 4 / 12's cab
I had One of These and went for a marshall mg 15r. You should consider this.
What if your not by your pc and need to edit the noise gate?
can you use additional spealers that plug into the back like the older versions??
Hi Brian! This one doesn't have a dedicated output to external speakers but you could connect through the output jack. I believe the amp speakers are muted when this is done. Hope this helps.
Cool👍👍
I am using a blackstar id core v2 amp...can i use it with amplitube or guitar rig in my laptop?? Please guide me Steve.
Found any way to do it?
Still dont understand why is still USB mini.......
if i connect the amp via usb, windows will detect the amp like a audio device with signal going into him?, to select in voicemeeter with my guitar sounding directly.
I’m thinking of this amp instead of the katana 50 what y’all think?
Depends on budget and purpose. I have an original ID:Core 40 I can speak from first hand experience. I've used both INSIDER and Architect. Having owned mine 4½years I know it well, and any misplaced owner pride has long has worn off, so I can speak with minimal bias, something you should watch out for from the Katana 'BOSS can do no wrong' fanboy crowd as well. As practice amps, they're both very good but have different features and benefits.
In my country the Blackstar is $100 cheaper than the Katana 50 Mk II, (75% of the price of the Katana) so if budget constraint is a consideration, win to the ID:Core. That said, the Katana 50 is also a very, very good amp, and more powerful (louder) than the ID:Core 40. The Katana is arguably the more popular in terms of sales, but I don't have stats to back that assertion either way. They both have plenty of volume though in the home in the practice amp role. The biggest difference IMV are the speakers.
The ID:Core has 2x 6.5" *full range stereo* speakers for its promoted FULL WIDE STEREO feature. Used correctly, the sound output with this enabled is truly immersive within any even quite large room which makes the amp seem louder than it is and offers a superb audio experience to the listener. Even more pronounced if you have the amp elevated on a foldback stand decoupled from the floor as I do. The downside (?) of this feature/amp deploying *full range speakers* as it does *without a digital filter* for optimal sound quality is that when the volume is high/maxed, although you won't hear it when playing, when idle there is an audible background hiss if you don't have a voicing selected which has noise gate applied. e.g. OD1, OD2. This bothers some people who invariably actually don't understand why it's occurring, but like to use the fact to vent hate on the brand. Ultimately the hiss is subjective. I don't find the hiss so excessive as to present and issue at all, and I have lots of alternative amps to use and compare it with.
The Katana 50 OTOH uses a single 12" speaker. Good old conventional mono, with a filter, so the hiss doesn't present. It moves plenty of air, and can definitely get louder then the ID Core. Either will do a fabulous job as a home studio tool for learning and practice, with plenty of intrinsic selectable voices and effects to keep a stud occupied familiarising with how to use them musically for years.
In summary I'd say if in any doubt and you have extra cash, or if peer admiration/approval is a important factor, go with the Katana. If budget is a factor, and what you actually want is a versatile home practice amp and don't need the approval of insignificant others, go with the ID Core. I've had mine for 4½ years and haven't felt any need to sell and move to the V3 or a Katana 50 for the purpose for which I use mine. It's arguably my most used amp for its combination of features, portability *and purpose* although I do have have much bigger 2x 12" tube and solid state combo amps here as well as small mini amps like the Fly 3.
Hi Steve. What cable are you using in the phones out?. Are you going straight into pc or interface? Thanks
question can you plug your i phone into this black star amp to record for play back on bass and drums and guitar chords , then playback and add in lead solo ? and record that as well ?
Hi Steve, good review. Been looking on your channel for a vid on setting up small home studio using plug-ins. Have been out of the game for a long while and wanted your recommendations for a good setup. I was a ProTools user in the past so automatically looked to that and started with ProTools First. Can’t afford a major investment. Would have preferred an amp but can’t be noisy until I setup fully. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks
What pickups are those at the neck and middle position?
Hi Steve
Mine makes an interference sound when I turn the switch to on (without playing)
I thought it was a normal sound for amplifiers but I can't hear it in your review
More than likely interference from your computer, phone, (any other electrical devices) or you have a bad guitar cable.
Hey Steve, which amp would suggest for a beginner to use this amp or the Fender Mustang?
I have the older Fender Mustang II and it's also a fine enough starter amp! I have the 75 watt version I believe,, got it about nine years ago, it's really good. I also got one
of these babies for the crunch channels, mainly. I like both. I think the Fender is better if you really want more of the "classic" amp modeling built-in, since you get at least
three Fender amp models and the Bassman one is great. This might be better for metal, the Fender I find is better for classic rock sounds and amp models. I can
plug right into the Fender Mustang and sound just like a Blasters record!
Another superior video, Steve!
You speak of the "right USB cable." I have not had much luck getting my USB cables to get the ID Core to recognized by computer.
Which USB cable (USB to Micro B) I should use as the most are seemingly only designed for charging or small data transfer.
Thank you, Steve!!
Hi. Thanks for your comment. The output connection is USB mini jack. It's not USB-C and that was what I meant by the right cable. Has to be mini jack and handle data. Hope this helps. Here's another video that might help. ua-cam.com/video/0Ij5EdjwNhs/v-deo.html
@@stinemusiclessons Thank you, Steve!
I thought you played the Hughes and Kepler
I can't get any decent sounds out of mine like you have
why is the amp sideways cant read what it says unless i turn my head sideways
Can u save patches on that amp?
Yes.
Nice review although I was surprised there was no mention of the stereo sound feature which is great for recording when going direct from line-out to audio interface - you can really hear the stereo width of the modulation effects