Everything You Need! | Blackstar AMPED 2 100W Floor Amp + FX Rig
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
- Your entire rig in a single portable device? That's what Blackstar's AMPED 2 seeks to achieve. 100W solid state floor amp with footswitchable FX and all the connectivity you need to make this the heart of your pedalboard.
Get your own Blackstar Amped 2:
Blackstar - bit.ly/AMPED-2-CS-Guitars
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This video contains paid promotion from Blackstar
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#blackstar #amped2 #solidstate
Timecodes:
00:00 - Introduction to Amped 2
00:31 - Amped 2 Features
02:17 - Pre-amp Types and Power amp Response
03:04 - Built in FX
04:03 - Speaker and XLR CabRig Simultaneously
04:38 - Sounds of Amped 2
08:45 - Who Should Use This?
09:20 - Omitted Features
10:57 - My Final Thoughts
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Contact - colin@csguitars.co.uk
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![5 Ways To Use EQ Pedals | Too Afraid To Ask [Boss EQ-200]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rA17mta5kq4/mqdefault.jpg)
![5 Ways To Use EQ Pedals | Too Afraid To Ask [Boss EQ-200]](/img/tr.png)
Your entire rig in a single portable device? That's what Blackstar's AMPED 2 seeks to achieve. 100W solid state floor amp with footswitchable FX and all the connectivity you need to make this the heart of your pedalboard.
Get your own Blackstar Amped 2:
Blackstar - bit.ly/AMPED-2-CS-Guitars
Thomann - thmn.to/thoprod/558765?offid=1&affid=367
Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/5bWYW2
This video contains paid promotion from Blackstar
More details on how CSGuitars implements product promotion - www.csguitars.co.uk/disclosure
#blackstar #amped2 #solidstate
Timecodes:
00:00 - Introduction to Amped 2
00:31 - Amped 2 Features
02:17 - Pre-amp Types and Power amp Response
03:04 - Built in FX
04:03 - Speaker and XLR CabRig Simultaneously
04:38 - Sounds of Amped 2
08:45 - Who Should Use This?
09:20 - Omitted Features
10:57 - My Final Thoughts
More from CSGuitars:
Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars
Join CSGuitars Discord - discord.gg/csguitars
Buy CSGuitars Merchandise - www.csguitars.co.uk/store
Website - www.csguitars.co.uk
Contact - colin@csguitars.co.uk
____________________________________________________________________
*Description contains affiliate links. Purchasing using one of these links will generate a small commission for CSGuitars at no additional cost to you.*
How dynamic are the amp models when using your volume controls? Are they passable enough to move between cleaner tones and drive tones without the MIDI switching you mentioned?
How is this superior to the Hughes and Kettner Black Spirit Floor? That seems a lot more flexible.
@@shred4Him they both suck
Tube amp n pedals are the only way
The Amped 3 will be the one with the Clean/Crunch/Overdrive/Boost functions.
This is fantastic for people like house bands, orchestra pit musicians, event musicians and anyone needing a basic palette of portable basic tones in multiple genres. The lack of presets is kind of limiting though.
I would like to thank you for the time taken to review this unit. I know it takes a lot of hours to research and edit this video. This is a superb review. Thank you! 👍
Great review/demo. I was intrigued by Anderton's video, this made a lot more sense!!!
appreciate you keeping it real re: the fuzz. i've got my own fuzz anyway, but this seems like a pretty sick piece of gear
love your videos. Have you ever thought about writing a book? I think 'the science of loud' would be a interesting read, with the science/technology/electronics etc behind the electric guitars, amps and pedals used to make rock/metal music.
Great video. Love the channel. Cheers from Brazil.
Ooh and it's fairly well priced as well!
Very nice!
Superb video mate! Cheers 👏
If you're just getting here to the comments section, grab some popcorn and settle in. Fascinating!
...especially the part where Colin puts the pants on greevar and Jim Lil... :D
This caught my eye because I’m a fan of the old Line 6 Flextone II HD. They were used by touring artists for a while but proved to be cheap and unreliable in the end. But the loud AF amp with onboard effects and midi interface was great and the tone wasn’t terrible. I’ve been looking out for something to replace it for 20 years and I think the Hughes & Kettner is spot on. I’m tempted to try this because I know that Blackstar has killer tone. But the H&K is a tube amp with a digital interface and probably more suited to my needs.
It reminds me of my Yamaha THR100HD head. The Yamaha is a very good sounding digital modelling head with 100 solid state watts across two identical amp channels in one head. It can be run as two amps or it can be run in stereo, but either way the two channels are completely independent. It has a handful of amp models, an IR loader, a built-in OD, and you can switch between a bunch of different power amp types, but other than that, it's interface is that of a real amp, with no presets, and no way to switch amp models with a footswitch. It mimics not just the sound, but the interface of a real amplifier. Perfect for the luddites among us, but enrages the people who are into the full featured modelers available now. Personally I enjoy tweaking a couple of knobs and settling on a tone quickly rather than going crazy with a million parameters on a piece of editing software plugged into a unit.
I'm very interested in this. Waiting for others to buy it first. 😃
Always looking foward to your vids as they are well researched and informative but with your own personality! Just got a multi fx pedal that has some nice amp options but this does seem pretty nice too for the convinience. Keep up the great content! :D
Can I ask which Multi FX you bought?
You should do a video on different peddles and is it a great idea to buy a new or used peddle for beginners
This looks & sounds sick! Definitely could do with better channel switching options though. Its neat that its got a built in power amp, but I think personally I'd rather spend a little more on a HX Stomp/Stomp XL & a Power Amp pedal for this kind of set up.
The halen sounds you were getting at 7mins was so damn good. Honestly, I'd just put on the (eddie V-H setting) and never change it 🤣 p.s I'd love to see a short on the Fuzz section turn't all the way up. (Big fan, thanks for all your info you've dropped ) 🙏
Having the flanger on for the whole riff is a sin imho
@@florisvanlingen oh my god, relax dude. lol
@@Slevinlobell I will start meditating right away sir
After your latest video the thing you said about playing the same cliches is definitely noticeable
Amped 2 is fully midi compatible and yes it adds to the footprint but something like a midi mouse will work to change presets
Would be interesting to know what it would need for it to become your main rig. Is it because the sound is good, but not completely credible? Is it because it's hard to tweak or some other user experience issue? etc.
I would have loved that when i was young. I had no car i could just had a little cab at home n a bigger one at my friends
Hi, Can you explain a midi switching with MeloAudio? Can I switch whole presets by PgChange commands? Like: FS1 - clean + FX , FS2 - rhytm higain, FS3 - solo, FS4- clunch + FX etc .. Thank you
The instruction manual says holding shift can change the sounds on each FX, most importantly the fuzz can be re-biased; maybe that'd get a "better" fuzz? (great video btw, am just curious if the fuzz is as bad as you say)
I only noticed after filming that one of the parameters in the Architect software was fuzz bias, so maybe it can be dialled in more there.
Fuzz is a very personal thing for most people, I think the sounds I got out of it with the Strat were good, it's just not what I would typically want in a fuzz.
I want something a lot nastier that rips apart, this was more of a Muff style smooth fuzz.
You're a great presenter ;-) Great vid
Missing off the ability to switch channels is absolutely mental.
I've just bought a Helix, as I've gotten sick of carrying my 6505 but like you, I absolutely dread programming the presets, so I'm currently £800 down and still carrying the 6505 like an idiot.
Midi controller. Save as many presets as you like and needn't be a big unit. Something like a midi mouse will work
I was almost sold until you said that there's no foot switch to go from clean to drive...and for 650 bones, it's a nah for me
Yeah, theres no real reason why you wouldn’t do this.
It has a drive footswitch. Set up an edge of breakup tone and then hit the drive for a distortion tone. That's how the old school players did it.
This is also how I use my Yamaha THR100HD head. It has a built-in OD, so I set it up on a high gain amp model with the gain backed off so it's just breaking up and then use the OD footswitch to go between a slightly crunchy clean and a pretty heavy chugging distortion. Remember, old school amps didn't have that much gain, that's why OD pedals were invented.
@@Patrick-857 that's great for rock, but I need a box that does shimmering cleans and nice gains...and I'm 50, so I know how the rockers do it...
Did you say you could use this as a audio interface? So if I don’t have an amp, I could plug these into my studio monitors? Would this sound any worse than using a guitar amp? I have Yamaha hs5 monitors. Thanks!
Can you imagine what the reaction of some of the famous musicians who have passed on would have to these new amps with all these effects
895.94 CAD
Not available yet at the Blackstar dealer locally.
100% agree , including multiple functionality foot switches and omitting the ability to access 3 dialed in tones on an amp with 3 channels seems like a massive oversight
Your at least one of the few reviewers willing to expose this as a missed opportunity
The black star promo vid states it can save “presets “ in the app and be switched recalled via midi but it’s unclear if this means Channel and power settings or a full preset Save including tone EQs as they don’t respond to questions regarding it
If by chance you find that I can be done it would turn this from great idea to a truly all in one solution
To be clear: I don't think it's a missed opportunity, I think it's a product tailored to a narrower demographic of players who don't need that feature.
It's absolutely not an oversight, it's a deliberate choice Blackstar have made. There will be an Amped 3 which will focus exclusively on channel switching for those people who need that.
This is designed for people who want a single channel amp and many switchable effects; people like me.
@@ScienceofLoud thanks for the reply , and also to be clear I agree as a single Channel amp this is great !
However black star suggests that the channels are indeed switchable as presets via midi and it’s really just this possibility that I’m trying to clarify by reaching out to reviewers that actually have the unit
Think I’ll just steer clear of this one,
Awesome thanks for your efforts. ive bought amped 3..its good ..wanted the present functionality. Its not loud enough to gig with tho ..
I have a question about the three power levels. Do they affect the sound at all? In a tube amp they certainly would with the output stage distorting different output levels and in different ways because the power supply would affect the highest power level the most, etc. The 1 watt level would have a full output of 1.5-ish when pushed into distortion.
All that said. I would assume that the "analog amp" in this is a class D amp (switching power supply modulated by audio) set for very clean. The sound being created in the modeling. As such it would make the most sense to set things to 100watts for greatest headroom and turn the master down... unless the master is a part of the modeling circuitry, in which case a pot rather than a 3 way switch would be handier. The difference between 1 watt and 2 watts driving most 12 inch speakers is noticeable, while 10 watts is getting into the complaining neighbours territory. If the master level comes after the modeling and merely controls the level into the power amp, the three way switch is not needed. Otherwise, it is the wrong style of control... and costs more than a pot too. (this thing is pretty expensive already for what it does)
I'd assume that the different power output levels are just for different applications, say as a practice amp, home amp, and some live/recording applications. If it's a class D then it certainly can't be driven and 100W might be too much power for some and even more than enough headroom in those specific settings.
Master control would be easier to manipulate at lower wattage for that.
Presets? Favorite? Snapshots?
How is the noise floor on this in use? How is the fan noise?
I couldn't hear the fan while operating the device.
Noise floor is very low, gain hiss only significant when using the fuzz with single coils. Background noise levels were not altered, so any noise floor will be audible in the sound samples.
No presets? That's a missed opportunity really. If they wanted to make it an convenient "all in one" you'd think that "being able to program in a setlist" would have been on the list.
You can save presets via the app as far as I understand.
No, you can create and save CabRig presets: cab, mic, room arrangements applied to the XLR out.
The amplifier and FX operate the same as if you had a pedalboard of individual pedals and an amplifier.
@@ScienceofLoud that's a shame. I mean it makes sense. Adding like a layer of midi or something like that to the controls is a whole lot of extra effort and complexity and would have raised the price for sure. But it does take away from that "one thing and be done with it" vibe.
A lot of the features will be programable over Midi which will allow channel changing etc with an additional footswitch.
These are aimed at being expandable - so perhaps the 'all in one' label isn't entirely accurate.
As someone who has always used discrete pedals into a single channel amp, AMPED 2 is no different to how I'd normally operate - but I'm doing home studio stuff, not gigging. A lot of gear is aimed at the gigging market and has many features I'll never use, or stuff missing I wish it had. This one feels tailored towards my situation, so it's nice to be included - but as a reviewer I have to recognise its shortcomings for people outside of my situation.
I disagree about it not collecting my pension, in two months it will collect part of mine because I will have to pay for this fantastic piece of gear
The question is can you set up the footswitches to change through 4 presets/patches? If not it's dead in the water.
Watch from 10.27.
No you can't and no it's not
Can you run stereo to separate cabinets
No, this is a mono amplifier.
@@ScienceofLoud maybe next time
See if you can pick up a Yamaha THR100HD on the used market. They are pretty rare as they didn't sell well and were discontinued, but they are pretty awesome for going stereo.
I wish they had that without the amp, so I could just hook it to my 20W Blackstar tube amp, instead of buying several basic pedals. Would be perfect for a basic setup.
Sounds like a fairly regular multi-effect like the Boss ME-80 instead
There are endless other options on the market for multi-fx units for this exact purpose. In the mid 2000s EVERYONE had a ZOOM.
Amped 2 can go direct into a regular guitar amp too
@@ScienceofLoud I still do.
Well done
But a midi switching system is not a big deal at all…everything considered
Sounds very, uhh…..solid state
That's good, because it IS solid state.
@@ScienceofLoud I know, it was just the nicest thing I could muster. Great demonstration though as usual!
yes, but can it make nachos : )
Only very spicy ones 🌶️🥵
Without knowing the price, I'm going to guess $399, only off by about 33%, in the wrong direction!
£539 on Anderton's website
An informative review, thanks.
The bawbags are out today, though.
Being a pensioner that's a serious missing feature Colin.
Not being able to switch between amp channels is a dealbreaker for me. What a stupid oversight from Blackstar. Alllmost hit it out of the park… but no
Yup
For the price of this, I would just buy a. decent tube amp combo
No funny bit at the end?
Not trying to be negative but this device doesn't sound good. I wouldn't spend my money on it. Great video and good job showcasing this but in my opinion it isn't that great
I forgot to add, power is not power when comparing tube guitar amps to solid state boosters. A 100watt tube guitar amp will put out as much as 150 watts in full distorted use. A 100watt SS amp when used as a level boost after amp emulation would be between 10 and 20 watts if you want to stay away from solid state spike chopping. (which sounds really harsh and has a tendency to do bad things to speakers) This box will not fill a stadium by a long shot. It should be considered equivalent a 20ish watt tube amp in the 100watt mode.
The 100 watt setting is 100 watt valve equivalent and no amp fills stadium without a PA
@@thewickedwizard valve guitar amp? not a chance. A valve guitar amp is meant to be over driven and is rated at the point that over drive is not noticeable. By the time it is fully over driven the output is close to 150% of rated output. (150 watts). In this case with a class D amp (based on size alone I would expect class D), where all the "sound" is based on modeling before the sound gets to the power amplifier, the power amplifier must produce pristine sound or it will have that "wonderful" added sound of solid state devices in cutoff mode, which sounds horrible. This means that the average level in a solid state amp used in this fashion needs to be kept at about 10% of it's rated output to allow for 10 to 20 db spikes.
So how much difference is there between 10 watts and 100 watts? Your brain will tell you that the 100watt amp is twice as loud as the 10watt amp. Thus the choice of 1, 10 and 100 watts.
I do agree with using front of house either direct the case of this amp, or miced in the case of a valve guitar amp. I prefer a quieter stage, just loud enough to keep up with the drums. FOH can deal with the rest.
@Len whatever Have you used Amped 2? I have.
@@thewickedwizard Have you measured the output with something other than your ear? (Meter, scope) Have you done an A/B test with a valve guitar amp of similar power where you could not see the amps in question? I have never seen any amplifier manufacture that rates an amp at 100watts that can actually put out more than that (cleanly).... especially not an amp that can put out 10 times what it is rated. Solid state amps with cabinet modelling DSP (like this one) have to run with the average power output at much lower than rated power output to avoid clipping. In fact a valve amp with cabinet modelling DSP would also need to run at much lower power than rated for the same reason. The old guitar valve amps are played beyond rated output so that the pleasing sound of distortion can be used and as such comparing the power rating of the two just does not work. This is why many bass players have 600 to 1000Watt amps in the same bands a guitarists 25 to 50 watt valve amps.
@@lenwhatever4187 I do not have the energy to argue with someone that has already made up their mind. Have a nice life.
$650 😡 Way too pricey for a beginner amp . No way I trust it onstage , no way!
Orange crush 100watt amp usually @ $400 , Marshall 20hr @ $500, etc.
Sell this at half price then I might buy 1 or not.
It's not a beginner amp, and you're not comparing like to like here. Sit down and think about it some more before getting angry.
Keep this in mind: Don’t expect a live sound guy to have any idea how to hook this up to his PA system.
Do you seriously have so little faith in sound engineers that you think they can't plug an xlr into this?
They may even use the one that would typically mic the cabinet, since they won't need that if there is an xrl direct out - something they are extremely familiar with.
Every sound guy I've ever met has been over the moon to discover a guitarists equipment has an xrl so they don't have to use a mic.
Sound engineers know much much more about equipment than the standard guitarist, don't project your lack of knowledge onto them.
Meh
You lost me at solid state.
Only use one cab…..pass
I used to like a lot your channel Collin, but now it's become an annoying infomertial😔. Cheers bruv. I`m out
What kind of bloated junk is this?
I think it's hilarious that it simulates "tube tones". Tubes don't have tone. The EQ circuit is where the tone comes from. Different amps have a different default EQ curve, which people have falsely attributed to the tubes it uses, which marketing mercilessly exploits. When you set the EQ to noon, the EQ is not flat. Most have a mid scoop or a treble shelf.
This is horrid misinformation being passed around with no understanding of how valves work:
Valve response is about the dynamic reaction NOT the EQ, different valve topologies have a drastic impact over the headroom and speed of response at different frequencies.
Valves are obviously designed to amplify the signal as linearly as possible (you wouldn't want valves to alter the EQ) but they respond differently to dynamic changes which can result in tonal differences. Tone is more than EQ.
What you'll find, if you listen for it, is that 6L6 topologies are able to deliver tighter bass response (not more bass EQ, but reacting quicker to those frequencies) and more headroom (the valve is able to amplify transient detail more accurately without saturating)
EL84s do the opposite, they have less headroom resulting in a more restricted dynamic range, more transient compression, and their slower low end response gives more low end bloom (again, not the same thing as more bass EQ)
These aspects can drastically alter how a particular preamp will sound, valves are important for the dynamic and reactive elements of guitar playing. I know where you've got this misinformation from, so take it from someone who DOES know something about circuits: This line of reasoning you are regurgitating without any understanding is wrong and ultimately will prevent you from getting the sound you want from your equipment.
@@ScienceofLoud So clear now
@@ScienceofLoud Hey Colin! I know where mention he got the info from. Now, I _think_ I understand what you mean but, would it be possible to apply your engineering knowledge to also demonstrate it? I'm thinkin it might be possible to show it with the osciloscope or something like that?
@@ScienceofLoud So, where do you think I got my information? Are you referring to Jim Lil? He made it quite abundantly clear that it's easy to match the sound of the most popular amps out there with solid state components, just by following the circuit diagrams. No tubes required.
I promise you that the tubes have a far more minuscule influence on the tone than the EQ, speakers, and microphones used to record the performance than the tubes ever will. I've had no difficulty getting my desired tone. Tubes are about 1% of the tone, at best. I have far more control over my tone through the aforementioned components of my rig than any tube.
Yes, tubes can tend to act like a capacitor for brief moments, but they are the very last thing to consider when getting your tone.
If you truly believe that you're correct, back it up with scientific rigor. Otherwise, I have to assume you're defending a sponsored review.
Jim Lil's video is not in any way, shape, or capacity rigorous science. He proved nothing except that he doesn't understand what he's trying to investigate and that he can't design an effective experiment.
In science, a null result does not equate to disproving the existence of something. That's like me doing an 'experiment' to see if crocodiles are real by walking out my front door, looking around and then when I obviously don't see any crocodiles claiming that crocodiles must not exist.
Jim Lil's amazing revelation was that the EQ circuit is what changes the EQ curve - a blatantly obvious observation that would have been apparent to anyone with even a modicum of knowledge on the subject. His tests for everything else were insufficiently designed to exploit the differences the elements under test do make - and the wrong conclusions were drawn.
Let me put this very bluntly: I'm not defending a product, I'm defending the very idea of rational thought and proper scientific procedure, of which there was none in the video you are citing. I do not have to perform counter experiments, I simply have to point out the glaring errors in his approach to silence any claim that his information is accurate.