• Small but mighty!

  
  As reviewed by Bob P. on 2/10/2010

  When i first saw this thing at GC, I was intrigued by its obvious sleek looks. The Blackstar name was a plus too, i had always wanted to try one, so upon plugging in an Ibanez Artist guitar, i was blown away by the overdrive tones i could get from it. With a turn of the ISF knob to the right, i got a rele thick and smooth tone, great for singing leads. Then i turned it to the left and noticed a tighter, brighter tone, awesome for articulate, palm muted rhythms and fast legato lines. Basically, I went from Marshall to Mesa, and anywhere in between, so i could always get the sound i was desiring...but this is not a modeling amp. This is a true tube amp with great tube response, and as much or as little controllable gain as you could want right out of the box. And for only 5 watts, this thing PUMPS! I've already played live with it more than once, and this cuts fairly well when cranked, but most may want to mic it live. Construction on everything is splendid too, both the head and the cabs get a lot of abuse because i transport them alot to jams and practices, but they hold up to it nicely. Only problem for me is that i LOVE lots of clean headroom, and this amp doesn't deliver that. when you put the clean channel volume past 11 o clock it starts to break up. Some people like that though, for a nice cranked, bluesy clean sound, but I like super bright and clear at high volumes. even so, this is the best amp EVER for your bedroom or studio, and still works pretty well for playing live and jamming!

  11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
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• Simply Amazed!

  
  As reviewed by Ken on 9/16/2010

  I went to GC to buy a new PRS so I took the guitar into the 'quiet room' so I could really jam. I plugged into a Mesa and it sounded great. I also tried the Egnators, Kranks, Orange, and a nice Marshall. I noticed this inexpensive Blackstar and thought I'd give it whirl. All I can say is 'WOW"! The PRS came alive! As I tried the various settings on this rig, I continued to be even more impressed. I own a Marshall DSL401, a Mesa Double Rectifier, and I Peavey XXX which are all good amps. I was buying a $2800 guitar and had no intention of buyng an amp but I had to have it. Besides, GC has a 30-day return policy if it failed me. I left the store with my new PRS and my new Blackstar. I love the various tones fom this amp and I sepcially like the ISP control. Like all amps, you have to put some time into it to get the tones you like but it was a lot of fun doing it. The only downside is that it doesn't have reverb. (But a good pedal takes care of that.) I started using this as a studio-only amp and the bigger rigs for bigger rigs. However, I now use only the Blackstar and I mic it. It's nothing less than awesome! It's built like a tank too. No problems at all. If this small stack got stolen, I would buy two more - before they raise the price. There is nothing like it on the market.

  5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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• WOW! Simply Great

  
  As reviewed by M.A.H on 7/9/2010

  After messing around with different head and cabinet combinations, trying to stay on the cheap, I decided enough is enough. So I lugged all my used gear into GC played around with a few different combo's in the same price range. Knowing I was going to look at this stack (again) last. It smoked everything else in this price range Hands Down! So I negotiated a fair trade (yes I could have gotten more selling out right, but the hassle and the time to do it did not appeal to me. I can work and make up the difference in the amount of time it would have taken to sell it.) Took it home, ran my tuner over drive and noise suppressor through the front of the amp and my reverb and Marshall Regenerator through the FX Loop (nice feature!) FINALLY!, TONE! Great clear cleans, the built in overdrive is very good and versitile, and boost the OD channel with an OD pedal and crunchy goodness sparkles from the speakers. OD pedals work great through the clean channel also. My Les Pauls sound better than ever! I can't say anything bad about this amp.

  4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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