BLACKSTAR ST JAMES - Metal
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- Trying out the Blackstar St James amplifier. A really expensive small amplifier that sounds phenomenal.
Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored video, Blackstar provided the product which gets sent back after demo. They don't have a saying in how I make my video, what I say or WHEN to post a video to fit their marketing plan.
0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Weight
1:53 - Background On Blackstar
3:07 - Amp Overview
3:44 - Channel 2 - First Voicing
5:46 - Second Voicing
6:57 - Boost
9:52 - Boosting The First Voicing
10:44 - Lead Playing
11:31 - Speakers
12:06 - Clean Channel
12:33 - Closing Thoughts
15:21 - Outro
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I'm Ola Englund and welcome to my channel. A channel dedicated to guitar related gear with a focus on metal. I also play in the metal bands The Haunted & Feared and run a guitar company www.solar-guitars.com
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EDITING: OrionVP
#metal #metalguitar #guitar
Checking out the Blackstar St James today, actually pleasantly surprised in regards of the tone. Maybe not so much regarding the price.
the string caught tho lmao, tht was great haha, sounds pretty good tho.
@@IStabz yeah?
@@tonyb7615 yea, I mean, not bad but not dropping 2gs on it.
Hey Ola, from what I have heard it’s a little pricey because of the Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS) blackstar developed and manufactured to replace the traditional mains transformer, it’s a lot lighter and apparently regulates and distributes the power much better. Another benefit is you can run it on any power voltage around the world if you need a light little amp to tour with. Not my favourite amp but it’s still pretty cool. PEACE! ✌🏼
@@IStabz ha.
I just clicked on this video, thinking it was another test of another generic amp, but the distortion on this one sounds so crisp, tight, and rich at the same time. I just love its tone and want to hear it over and over again, lol. Dunno if it's the guitar / mic combination or the amp itself, but it was one of the best sounds I've heard from an amp.
Ola has been doing studio metalz for years, he could make a wet sponge sound amazing
Your comment was even better the second time
Sounds to me like velcro fuzz
Be careful Ola can make a refrigerador chug
For 2k$ fir the 2 or 1200$ for the head I’d expect atleast that.
When the riff hit in , felt like i entered to heaven 😳 woooow that's crazy 🔥🤘
Been a big fan from Vancouver BC 🤘🏻😝🇨🇦 for years- love your research, product knowledge,, delivery and presentation and def yer quirky sense of humour. Thx for this review I’ve been anxiously waiting.
Cheers
Sounds Amazing!! Stars and Ponies sounded really nice with that Reverb 🤟
Ola, thank you. Been watching for years.
Yes!! I was waiting for this video! 🤘🏽🔥
Yes! I've been waiting for this. Been interested in these amps since they were revealed. Could be a great budget alternative for bedroom guitarists/producers. In the specs it says that the voicing switch is between OD1/OD2, so I don't think it's the same type of American/British voicing they've had in their previous amps. They have instead made two completely different amps with the 6L6 and EL34 variants. Maybe the OD2 has another gain stage? Sounds like it has much more gain than OD1.
Your video editing has come so far bro. Well done.
Ola!
Dude.
I enjoyed watching this Blackstar tear down your defenses. Sweet reluctance.
Props to your test riffs.
Best vid in a while for me!
Hear me right!🤘🏼
It sounds amazing! I really like it!
Cool riffing as always, the tone remind me the black water park tone of Opeth
excellent demo !! seems an excellent amp and cab
a very comprehensive review good job sir!
From what I have heard it’s a little pricey because of the Switching Mode Power Supply (SMPS) blackstar developed and manufactured to replace the traditional mains transformer, it’s a lot lighter and apparently regulates and distributes the power much better. Another benefit is you can run it on any power voltage around the world if you need a light little amp to tour with. Not my favourite amp but it’s still pretty cool.
There is no way it's pricey because of an SMPS. A power transformer is always more expensive, even when you count in the development, the switching power supply has been in electrical engineers' curriculum for quite a while.
SMPS power supplies are used to increase profits. Affordable/price conscious home electronics have been using them for decades.
@@ZombiedustXXX NOt a good idea [in the past] to use SMPS with valve tech. Its done with hybrids only. for a reason.
This is basically a cheap transformer you find in "amp" pedals for a few hundred bucks.
@@toddwilkinson5474 Yep....Exactly why you wouldn't want one in an amp that produces a lot of heat.
That was a killer intro. Mean as hell.
That red guitar with the golden mechanics looks dope!
Just got one, should have it before my gig Friday. Looking forward to seeing if it can rise to the occasion.
This gear demo introduced trespass to me. I have been learning and playing this song in loop since then. Absolutely killer !!
what is the track called?
I’ve been waiting for you to get your claws on it. Goddamn Blackstar brought the goods with this one.
I was just looking for this yesterday. Damn it sounds good
Great review Ola! Gus G is using it on his current Firewind tour. He's using just the amp's distortion with a J. Rocket Audio Archer booster for solos and it sounds wicked!
This is by far my favorite blackstar amp. I'm enjoying the character of the palm mutes on this particular unit. I just may have to pick one up. Seems like it would be great for layering.
This amp sounds awesome!!
love the new room
That open "F" chord man. One gotta love that to watch this 😘😍❤️🌹
Love the riff in the beginning
I love having Resonance and Presence knobs to give more tonal options.
Picked one up.
It does the job well enough, I put an Eq pedal in the loop to act as Presence and Depth, and I think it’s sounding pretty good through my 4-12 cabinets (V30s).
Is it the most exquisitely toneful amp in the world?
No.
But for playing the heavy stuff I do and it also being a lightweight flying solution (it fits in my carry on case), it delivers.
Just a quick note, the wood of an amp cabinet doesn't influence its tone, Jim Lill (I believe that's his name) made a great video about it.
Honestly not for me but probably the best I've ever heard a Blackstar sound.
I still prefer Ola older videos of Blackstar the HT if I'm not mistaken
Agreed. Bought and returned. Okay but no where near a $1000 amp. I'm a blackstar fan but this amp just doesn't do it.
@@svosk723 What are you getting in lieu of the Blackstar? Also, good choice not sticking with this, its pretty fizzy sounding and you can do so much better for your money (Though for a blackstar, they did way better than normal, so cudos to them.)
@@clunt2548 The new PRS archon. It's a few hundred less and sounds 10 X better. It doesn't have all the recording bells and whistles so if that's important this isn't a good fit.
@@svosk723 The Archon mk2 is awesome sounding, great choice. And if you can live without all of the modern recording amenities, all the more power to you, nothing wrong with that.
I 100% agree that this seems to be the best sounding blackstar amp yet. I have tried many in the past and always ended up not loving any of them but for some reason keep getting intrigued by the brand. I would buy this if they didn't way overprice it. Maybe one day there will be some reasonably priced used ones available but they are asking too much new.
He just makes everything sound so kick ass....
Ola, stop playing clean stuff!!! nice sound, definitely has some chug. i like the boosted first voicing with a little less gain. price wise its down to 900 something now, maybe still a little to much. great review, thanks
Questions for FAQ! What would you consider your personal masterpiece? Lord’s resistance army and the sun and the moon come to mind! Also, can you do a olas learns of Aesthetics of hate by machine head?! Your the man ola!
Aesthetics of hate would be cool. The Phil parts have more than the Rob parts but as a whole I’d love to see it
Adding a presence and resonance knob is one of the simplest mods you can do to a tube amp
It sounds pretty good, but for 1400euro you can absolutely blow this out of the water with the amps you can buy for around that and even considerably less. Especially if you buy used
Yeah sounds good on my Bose I phone speakers 🔊 🙂 Of course I'd have to listen to it live,Thanks for the demo Ola Peace ✌
I have the 50w combo 6L6 St. James. I really enjoy it, would recommend.
Kinda rips!!!🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼first Blackstar amp that caught my attention!
I would also recommend checking out the EVH lbx iii stealh. Great little amp
Interesting. The EL34 replaces the voice switch with Boost. I wonder if the circuit is the same, just a different label.
🌻
Hey Jen, great to see you here!
Hey, Jen. Hoping to hear all of your new projects since you're free from Evanescence. (I actually felt that you were way underutilized in that band, anyway.)
If you need a bass player/vocalist with a 4 octave range, I'd humbly volunteer. 😉
☀️
The Best Blackstar so far!!!
Sounds great mate
Hi Ola... I think we're all waiting for your Soldano SLO Mini video review and comparison against the valve one and a Vs. the other minis... that would be super cool...! keep up the kick ass content...!!!
I have the SLO mini to try, I just don't want to get caught with everyone else doing a demo at the same time. I'll get to it soon!
@@OlaEnglund Thank you very much...!!! Anxiously looking forward to it...! All the best always...!!! 😃
I felt the same about the overdrive channel on my Blackstar Debut 50R, which is modeled after the St James. It felt stale. Trying just a boost into the overdrive channel made it not only sound better, but I really like it now. A boost worked better than a mid-humped overdrive in this case
Feel like that high fizzle is actually the one missing from my HT50MKII
didnt try alot of blackstar but i think they do have there sound. for what I tried it really a " chopping" sound great for galop riffing kinda like iced earth sound . like you said it as a lack of saturation event when it have lots of distortion without sounding weak ( maybe its how they get that "chopping" sound) ... i own a old tube pedal black star metal HT wich as load of gain at max ( to much for my noise gate to handle) yet i can still hear the lack of saturation your mention . still i know that i like what im hearing from that litle amp
Excellent demo. I agree about the ISF control on their other products. Always found it clever on paper but annoying in practise…. like a buffet where there were heaps of flavours but nothing was great… I tried the el34 version of this though and was really impressed. Enough to think about selling some other gear.
' like a buffet where there were heaps of flavours but nothing was great… ' That's basically how I've felt about Blackstar products pretty much consistently up until this amp, which sounds pretty good, honestly
I'll wait for the mk2. I love the HT mk2 amps.
Great vid
Idk why but I really like that clean
If it weren't this expensive (and I had money to spare lol), I'd buy this! No presence knob? No problem, EQ in the FX Loop! Need more saturation? No problem, overdrive or another EQ into the front! I mean, I'd boost it in some way, either way :P But unboosted, it's definitely usable.
My only caveat is the bass response of the cabinet. As for the direct out sounds... Pretty meh...
I wonder what an L500XL/Dimebucker sounds like through this amp :)
'No presence knob? No problem, EQ in the FX Loop! '
You could also just mod in a presence and resonance knob, if you wish. That's probably one of the most simple mods you can do aside adjusting/adding/switching between multiple of the 'bright' cap
EDIT: I fucking love my L500XL, ordered it from Bill and Becky around 2006. Took a while to come as they had to actually make it and then ship it to the UK, and they sent a lovely little picture that they'd wrote a note on the back and signed, I still have that, too. The Dimebucker, in my own personal opinion, sounds like complete trash compared to an actual L500XL...at least the Bill and Becky 'Bill Lawrence' one, I haven't tried a Bill Lawrence USA L500XL
If you want a killer sounding blackstar, the series one 6l6 is F'n amazing!
Ok ola, thank you, I was waiting for this video because I trust your reviews 1000% and this amp sounds great BUT for the price I can definitely get something a bit better. So I’m gonna keep looking. Thanks señor ❤️
For that price, you'd be 100% better off with an Engl Fireball 25. In case you're actually looking.
@@madhatter797 I’ve had my eye on that amp actually, you read my mind Mr Hatter
@@Gizmo-st1ky I played it, it's awesome
I believe a PRS MT15 would blow this thing out of the water in tone and volume in my opinion, no boost it's a beast
Yeah pity his reporting of the price isn't accurate considering the price is actually only 1015 Euro for the head and only 488 for the cab and only 1045 for the combo. The combo is actually cheaper than the Archon and the Blackstar has a built in reactive load and excellent cab software for direct out. IMO for the price you can't get any better.
my first amp was a 20watt little blackstar amp and ever since i got my MA100H and cab i've only used the blackstar as a computer speaker. always noticed i didnt like the tone on that thing
I never get tired of those Haunted riffs
I like the sound of this. 👊😎
Awesome!
That first riff got me chub
Yo, Ola! I would love to know your choice for the most affordable, giggable home amp with uncompromising metal tone. Does such a thing exist?
Does sound good !
Interesting! Probably lighter weight because of the switching mode power supply. It is very interesting to see since a lot of folks that build amps abhor anything other than traditional power transformers.
Ohhh lawd…somewhere in the world Fluff is having a huff over some new Blackstar gear. While it isn’t the greatest it’s still a decent amp…but you Ola make anything sound great 👍🏽
retail price $1400 here in China, when I was looking into a 16ohm 212 cab, the cab is at around $550 along...after watched your video, I will go the head+cab.
That signature Volbeat sound
That red and gold guitar is hot.
Intro riff reminding of Orbit Culture, and that's as good as it gets.
Actually sounds pretty damn good
6:08 High probability of this just being a one off riff, but does anyone know if this is an actual piece or not?
I have a feeling this amp would sound better with a lower tuned guitar as well.
I think the real takeaway here is that getting your string stuck on the pickup sounds pretty fuckin neat. There was also some shit about a stale amp named after that post-Carcass band.
Witchery 🤘🏼😁🤘🏼amp sounds killer!
Pricewise it's almost in EVH 5150 III 50w territory. I wonder if it's worth it compare to engl fireball 25.
Hey Ola! Greetings from California.
I was wondering since you have brought up Rammstein a few times in your channel, if you ever felt inclined to doing a tone video for their sound. They have a monstrous live sound. I would love to see what you could accomplish.
IIRC They basically ditched the ISF knob and made 2 separately voiced amps. The EL34 one is your classic british tone and the 6L6 is modern high gain
I think this sounds really good, mic'd and direct. Not sure I could get by without a presence control though.
That's okay, adding one(and a resonance too, if you wish) is one of the most simple mods you can do
🤘❤️🤘
That intro riffs ...
8:15 tone & riff is wicked how do i get this on my blackstar id260tvp i have one pedal berserker boost zakk wylde ola show me the way to trash town
I see Ola was also blessed with the Fat Juul Rip video is his algorithm.
Woah.
Like the amp like the size would have been perfect for what I needed in my practice room but the price is outrageous
Considering its a full power 50 watt amp with built in reactive load and cab sim tech, it seems like an alright price. I would like a crunch mode on channel one and maybe a presence/depth though.
Yeah there’s a bunch of 50 watt tube amps with the same features and more for a lot less money,lmfao in what country because it’s not the u.s.
Nice sounding rig - versatile sounding not a 1 trick pony at all -
That 2 watt mode , record your typical 2 channel rhythm track , but use the 2 watt mode to record 2 more tracks to beef the 2 track rather than a straight quad track. Might be something their. Even though it’s technically quad , but you guys get what I’m saying.
Sounds very good! FAQ: Do you think NAMM is dead? Thank you
It'd be interesting to see this head with a normal can and the cab with another head, like a cross comparison test.
Agreed on presence. Not "in your face" at all for lack of better term
Sounds pretty decent. Hey Ola please could you consider recording an amplifier review playing a low profile-budget guitar? Will it chug? Thanks \m/_
Thomann have the head listed at 1015 Euro not 1400 Euro and they are selling the cab for 488 Euro not 600-700 so yes it's expensive if you are overpaying for it or paying imaginary prices, I don't know where you got those prices from. But 1500 for the head and cab together isn't bad IMO. And then Thomann is also selling the combo for 1045 Euro.
dude this guitar fucking epic!!!!!
Do they have any repair facilities in the US yet?
Never cared at all for the Blackstar stuff. This sounds much better than the others I have heard. Kewl!
Will it chug? HT5 made me throw my pick down and sell it quick on FB marketplace for a 6505mh too Ola.
how are you my Sweden friend I’ve been watching you all the time
I picked up a Blackstar HT Stage 100, with matching HTV Blackstar 2 x 12 cab, with vintage 30 speakers, for £450 - from eBay. I wouldn't even consider paying that type of price.
are they gonna make a low-power lunchbox head version called the little st james?
Great riffage... cool amp, i like the size. They probably made it lighter for cheaper shipping costs. Everything is getting so dang expensive.
When will you a demo on the evh lbx stealth?
Edit: lol "you can rip shit off too"
I always liked Blackstar tone!....even though I have a 100W Marshall for my garage, I use the Blackstar for my bedroom amp.
My amp isn't working and I'm quite sad today ..this makes me more sad!
I wish I had another amp jus like this one
🤘🤘