Let's talk about Blackstar Amps...
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- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- ➤ More information about the Blackstar St. James line imp.i114863.net/JrGgme
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➤ Time Stamps
» 0:00 Intro to the Blackstar St. James Series / discord
» 0:41 Demo in a Full Mix
» 2:39 Background on the "World's Lightest Valve Amp"
» 5:19 Unique Innovations & The Next Generation of Amp Design??
» 9:13 Feature & Tone Rundown
» 14:12 Final Thoughts & Who is This For??
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Let's talk about the "Lightest Tube Amp in the World"...
Back from India, missed y'all! More information about the Blackstar St. James line imp.i114863.net/JrGgme
you were in india?
Whereabouts in India ?
May I scam you?
Welcome home 🥳
lmao why were you in india?
I had a lot of fun with this amp and I am glad I was able to help you with the standby issue lol
It's about time someone did an amp like this ! :)
I have to say, the only drawback to my Generator 120 is that it weighs more than the sun, so lightweight amps look attractive about now :)
That Bread of Shame riff sounded awesome on that!
Digging the Kirk Hammet solo.
I always wanted a Blackstar amp. Don't know why I guess it just sounded metal to me lol
Great review! And did you started playing "Hero of the Day" for a bit?
I dig this amp a lot. I don’t care if others don’t like it. I think it sounds killer.
Jared James Nichols thinks so too!
Demo track sounded good to me. Could have been more huge but still a pretty big tone.
Demo track in the beginning had a LoG feel to it before and after the super melodic mid section. I dig it!
From Blackstar’s website, regarding the name:
“St. James is one of the oldest parts of Blackstar’s hometown Northampton, England. It’s the site of 12th century abbey that gives the area its name and is home to the Northampton Saints, our world-class rugby team’s grounds, and the iconic lift tower that dominates our skyline. Personally, for the Founders there was also a very significant James (Jim) in our history… not to mention the many guitarists that also share the name; Hendrix, Page, Hetfield, plus many more.”
That was great playing, you killed it.
Blackstar are my absolute favorite! Always will be. I use the studio 20w with upgraded speakers. More modern than a marshall, sweeter than a mesa boogie. Just my opinion
Couldn't agree more. Have the 20W HTR Club with the 2 voice channels on each of the dirt and clean channels. For the money, forget about finding a better amp.
@@Jammaster1972 hell yeah bro
I've had the combo version of this for a month and I love it. The clean channel makes a perfect pedal platform and being able to use headphones on a tube amp or the two watt mode for quiet play is a revelation for people living in shared houses like me.
Sounds good.... especially with that beautiful Agufish ... when will they finally drop? PS: Welcome back.
Hero of the day❤️
The one thing I often miss is repairability in new gear. It can sound absolute stellar but if it dies, how quick and easy to I get it going again.
Makes me wonder how "off the shelf" the power supply is.
Fucken hell that sounded amazing but I really liked the Tremonti on it.
Let the haters hate. I love Blackstar. I have the combo and it kicks! I also have a Blackstar Kentucky Special that is my favorite all around amp. It loves pedals! I've never had any problems with it over the years. Infact I use it more than my Fenders. I'm still learning software on the St. James (I'm Old) but so far so good!
GOOD Review sir!
Ahh that elmo scene was hilarious haha
_Awesome demo! 🎉 This amp sounds amazing! I’ve been looking to buy it but I’m still in the testing it out phase. It packs a mean punch!_
Badass amp and some sick playin Hunter. Thanks for the info.
i´ve recently discover your channel. And its a good one. Love it! You got a new subscriber from Argentina!
I remember meeting the founder when he started them and trying their original handbuilt artisan amps. They sounded phenomenal and I love seeing what they've made and how they've built on that original combo
My first tube amp was actually a Blackstar 5W combo, still have it. I really love the clean and mid gain sounds. For modern metal it missed a bit of punch, but nothing a boost couldn’t fix.
Don’t get the hate they often receive, it‘s running nearly 10 years now without a problem.
I’ve been able to appreciate how your playing has grown with your channel.
Blackstar has a big range of "quality" i like those in concept but have not tried one. Multiple builders have looked into things like dc heaters to quiet down the amps. I think those use a microwave oven style power supple (tube amps and microwaves kinda cousins) st james just sounds good and st james infirmary makes the name memorable
i quite like the look of the St. James. Seriously thinking about picking one up for my first tube head for both gigging and using some preamp pedals through for recording
Sounds damn good for a Blackstar!
Sounds damn good for an*amp!
since when did blackstar amps sound bad?
@@jimthethirdprobably since fluff opened his gob
@@jimthethirdprobably since this amp came out. I never personally liked them until this one.
I don’t know if it means as much in the US and Europe but for Australians this is perfect for purchases on the online used amp market. Cheaper postage with the weight and no need to worry if the voltage is right for your country. Those two factors are very exciting.
I was recently looking to buy my first "real" tube amp. My two main candidates were the Marshall DSL20-40 and the Blackstar HT20-50. There were only a few demos of the Blackstar that sounded good, but almost every DSL demo sounded great. Had this been available and if my budget was stretched a little more, the St James 6L6 would have been right there with the Marshall, maybe even surpassed it with all the extra features. In the end, I found a MINT Carvin V3M that I'm absolutely smitten with for a KILLER price (such an underappreciated amp) to go along with my 1997 Carvin AE185. Love the channel; keep up the good work!
The weight, or rather lack of it seems to be its biggest sales factor. However for me sound comes first.
Yeah my rig isnt even leaving my basement it can be made out of the house itself for all i care
The classic djent combo of a high gain amp and a Gretch.
I could be wrong, but I believe my Peavey Classic 20 head can plug directly into your daw. I don't think they use IRs but the speaker simulation is supposed to be very good. Again I have never tried it. But I really do love my Peavey Classic mini 20 watt head. Sounds amazing. And it's so small and light. Has power attenuation also.
The hero of the day in the clean demo👌
HUNTER!!!! The most versatile amp I ever owned was a Genz Benz El Diablo amp head. It was a bit heavy. But the sounds and tones I got out of that was amazing. Try and find one of those? And demo it. You’ll be blown away!!!! I promise!!!!
Laughs in Mark Bass and Fender Rumble V3, but in all honesty I think that the amp sounded good and definitely hope that it inspires other brands to do something similar that can coexist with the “traditional” amps
Hunter you rock dude! Love your reviews, playing and sprinkles of humor thrown in your videos! As a fellow Dad you will find that the Dad jokes won’t stop! 😅 Keep Rocking bro!
Great review; seems like a very modern amplifier
Any updates on your signature? Thank you
Any amp that sounds as good as that one and is not a back breaker is a smile maker for me. After all the years humping Marshall’s across the country I’m done with the heavyweight title championships. lol… thanks man that’s on my radar now. I just bought the PRS MT15 amp it’s great to carry but the 2nd channel is noisy for some reason. Haven’t figured that out yet but I have a suspicion it’s a tube making all that racket. I do have two smaller Blackstar amps the fly 3 with an extension speaker that actually bumps it up to 6watts and can run on 6 AA batteries. Very cool little amp w built in delay as well. Also just got a I’d core stereo 10 Blackstar with built in effects solid state or digital of course. Used for $78.00 at Guitar Center in white tolex no less. Haven’t even tried it out yet. lol… oh well gotta go dude awesome as usual! See ya…
I have the EL34 50 Watt head version. I love it! Sounds great!
You want the amp to send sound to the cab when in interface mode? A mute/standby switch means you just leave everything plugged in.
I was never a fan of blackstar… had the IDcore 50w and I didn’t like it. Also had a used HT Club 40w tube amp as well but someone spilled a mug of beer on it at a jam session one day…and it’s never turned back on again. But these St. James series amps have me wondering if I should try one out. I love my EL34 tubes but I really also wanna try the 6L6 version as well. Love that it’s light weight as well considering I have had spinal fusion and four shoulder surgeries lol. Awesome demo man. You gave me a lot more to think about when I buy a new amp this coming tax season.
Buy an Orange amp. They're fantastic.
Jared James Nichols sounds killer with his Blackstar. I love his tones, so I'd try it.
Got one, you're right it is killer.
Wish I could hear you play that dusty prs on your earlier review - with the hot pickups through this : /......... I bet it would sound awesome
Actually the weight of an amp is a dealbreaker for me so this certainly has me intrigued. I own a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40 and other than the versatility it provides, one of the main reasons I went with this is that it's relatively light and compact.
Sounds pretty good!
THAT TREMONTI PRS :) DREAM GUITAR
I've owned a first gen Blackstar HT5 for years and have found no good reason to replace it!
I would have recommended the HT series to try first! This sounds great to!
More importantly what lights are those????
It does looks awesome
Please review that Dustie Waring PRS that they sent you. I really want someone I trust to give an honest review of it. My mom just suddenly passed and I have an itch to buy a high end guitar I can call 'mom'.
Excellent amp demo BTW!
I believe Peavey used a switch mode transformer on the Michael Anthony signature bass head a long time ago. Was 300 watts and weighed only 38 lbs.
Not that I know much about amps, BUT I do like your thoughts of It sounds like an amp. It's good, it's got the direct out and cab sims, and it's light. Nothing that will blow minds to pieces, but it's an amp :)
I don't know what it is about drop D but it's so easy to get heavy and stays tight.
Off topic question but what are the lights you are using behind you there?
I can help you on the St James thing. It is an area in Northampton where Blackstar (and I myself) come from.
Don’t know if someone told you , St James is a harkening to a historic part of Northampton, where the company is based. Great playing. Thanks for the Trivium riff!
I think you need to do a tour and call it Fishfest. Missed opportunity there :D
7:34 what are the odds? First ad I got was for the new Transformers moving coming June 2023 lmao
I like the direction they're going in, getting rid of the bulk and streamlining everything might also help the modeler users get into physical amps someday. Also did you try the other voicing for the 2nd channel? I think that might give it the variety you were missing, though I haven't seen a demo on this for a while
Agreed meh for me too. I am sticking with my Marshall and Friedman amps
You really need to get your hands on some of their Series One stuff. The cheaper models like the HT series are fine, but they're kinda like this where they just sound like an amp. The Series One amps have their own unique character, especially the 200
The transformer replacement is what they perfected over years in the computer industry to make computer more portable
thy just made a more powerful version. In short it is a tech that was already designed to take the knocks in the computer world. So you are not gambling on some totally new tech just a different application of it. Tone wise it are not different then any similar tube amp going for a similar voicing. In a blindfold test comparison you may like it or not but not because another amp has a conventional transformer.
Hi which cab do you use? TKS!
I had a theory about your "Standby switch rant"
Is it possible that the reason the standby needs to be turned on in order to use the USB function is so that you can record silently without having to actually physically unplug your speaker cab? I don't own this amp, but it was just a thought I had while watching your video. Great stuff as always btw.
Sounds good
I think I’m hearing something different with this demo track, and I like that new direction.
that demo song is cool
Hero of the day has got to be one of my favorite Metallica deep cuts, cool to hear you play it
Sounds good on my end
St. James is a nearby town to where Blackstar amps are made.
I have HT50MKII and Series One 104... one thing I thought Blackstar should not remove is presence knob. St James has no presence knob but I hope you don't really need this
Anyone know the riff at 11:02? I recognize it but I can't put a finger on it
.
Seems dumb if the interface is muted when the amp is on. I mean what if you want to use both?
I swear this video was titled 'the lightest tube amp' about 15 minutes ago?
Being an electrical engineer I was always thinking why amp manufacturers haven’t discovered SMPS to go with tube amplifiers. This is awesome. A good power source makes life easier for engineers and circuits. But purists are even against solid state rectifiers used in tube amps. I don’t know if it will catch up with other manufacturers. But certainly there’s a cost saving aspect to SMPS. Reliability might be an issue going forward compared to good old iron blocks. I personally like the idea behind it. Thankfully I don’t have to carry my amplifier anywhere so I don’t care about weight.
im from spain so i think i should get this amp
Hunter, I was going to comment on how the demo had to be Hammett inspired with that wah lead sound but then it became all too obvious with the next clip being 'hero of the day' and then 'the thorn within' at the end.
I was going for a Load/Reload vibe lol
This amp sounds sick
Dude I remember lugging around my peavy 6505 combo and that thing was a nightmare how heavy it was bc of the dead weight. My Hesu 2x12 and 5150 stealth both weigh less 🤦♂️
That little fast bit in the demo gave me major sevenfold vibes
I would love for a company to make a single channel amp like this. As in, a 50 watt JCM800 that weighs 30lbs or something similar. No bells or whistles. No reverb. Just a straight up 800 that won't throw out your back.
How did you come up with the name Agufish?
Are you playing Load riffs because this amp lightens the load???
Leave the heavy blocks to us manly men!!!! The current, as always, catering to the weak; if weight was used for a 'marketing strategy'. On a separate note, always love the content and the riffs!!!
fcking love the hero of the day 2:37
Customer service is also overseas.
I'd guess it's named after the St James' region of London. Small but noisy. Seems appropriate.
Well, isnt it exactly how the standby should work ?? If you yo dont't put a valve amp into standby while using the integrated soundcard, you can blow it. Because there's no resistance from the speakers, since you are not using them. Or something like that.
Love My ht5r
My only problem with Blackstar amps is that amp techs almost universally say they are an absolute nightmare to work on; the circuits are super convoluted and virtually impossible to track down the cause of a problem if the amp just dies on you and I’ve had two friends whose Blackstars just died on them randomly.
It’s just the notion that if buy one, it will almost certainly have to be replaced in the future, because good luck finding a tech that can work on one when that bitch is out of warranty.
Most modern Marshall and Mesas are also full of PCBs and ICs, but the circuits are well laid-out, relatively easy to understand and work on, and diagnose problems. Hell, there was whole website and community dedicated to just the Marshall JVM and how to mod them and work on them. You won’t find anyone working on their own Blackstar amps.
The patron saint of veterinarians? Maybe this amp is BlackStar's vision of "The Dog's Bollocks" (slang for awesome)?
Doesn’t st James refer to Jared James Nichols?
What I know is they sound good but dont last , in my case about 3wks after warranty was out completely dead , which I understand is not uncommon . If uv had 1 for more or even way more than that . Good for you , hope u never have problem . Buyer Beware .
Man, try to test both of them at the same time...
kind of shocking that it took this long for somebody to use a switchmode power supply in a tube amp. They're in virtually everything else on earth now because they're cheap, light weight and small. They've been in solid state amps for a while now, which is why those have been so light.
I like blackstar idk what the hater saying there badass
Saint James, named after our beloved and holy James Hetfield