Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: _tom_ on March 14, 2009, 06:37:29 PM

Title: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 14, 2009, 06:37:29 PM
Finally got to get home to play my Blackstar HT5 today. Well I love it, it sounds awesome. Sounds like my Laney turned up but at a more reasonable volume :D I love the ISF control, but is it just me or does turning it left sound more british than usa and vice versa? the bit that sits on top says its the other way round but I find it to be opposite.. Theres loads of tones you can get from it, very versatile. As expected the clean is cr@p but I never use cleans anyway. All in all I'm very pleased for £200!

Anyway for the pics or it didnt happen lot:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/CIMG9764.jpg)

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/CIMG9769.jpg)

And for the "clips or it didnt happen" lot, I'll make some tomorrow :P
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: SG Thrasher on March 14, 2009, 07:01:28 PM
Great minds think alike.

(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/baz_strikes_back/Gear036.jpg)
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Denim n Leather on March 14, 2009, 07:34:08 PM
Nice, looking forward to some clips _tom_!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: FernandoDuarte on March 14, 2009, 08:28:23 PM
Looks good!

Nice, looking forward to some clips _tom_!
+1!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Matt77 on March 14, 2009, 08:35:43 PM
Glad you are pleased with it
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: ailean on March 14, 2009, 08:49:40 PM
I've got the Blackstar HT dual, which has a similar circuit in channel 1 I believe, and it's a great tone. I'm sure you'll have fun with it. :)
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Dmoney on March 14, 2009, 08:56:28 PM
i wish i had the space to collect amplifiers... what are the big boy blackstars like?
when i got my jcm800 i was told it was modified by a guy from blackstar, if thats true he did a bad soldering job and melted the corners off one of two capacitors!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 14, 2009, 09:12:50 PM
haha that doesnt sound good. Havent bothered opening this up, dont think theres any problems with it. The only negative is that it doesnt feel as sturdy as my laney - its really light. Looks so cool sitting on top of my cab though. Will have to stack it atop the Laney just because it'll look awesome :lol:

Think I'm going to take it to band practices/jams from now on though, lugging my laney around is getting annoying - save it for if we ever get any gigs I reckon. Although I just realised, this may not be loud enough - forgot how loud this drummer hits!

Havent tried a big blackstar, apparently they're bringing out 45 and 100w versions of the HT5, would be intereseted to play one, though I'd hope they feel more sturdy for the price they're asking.
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Madiac on March 14, 2009, 09:13:22 PM
How much distortion can you get from this one? Good palmmuting chuggachugga or is that beyond it?
Remember trying the HT5 Combo in a music store with a Gretsch electromatic G5122, sounded pretty good and sharp!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: maverickf1jockey on March 14, 2009, 09:32:54 PM
I'm agreed with you on the ISF control as it's backwards on my HT-DUAL too.

Though I don't honestly think it's worth the bother as I either turn it all the way to the left or in that region (the right hand side sounds like muddy cr@p IMO).
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 14, 2009, 09:49:36 PM
It has more than enough gain for me, I have it at about 10 o'clock at the minute and thats about right for me playing modern rock and things of that nature. It works well witha boost, tightens up the low end and makes it sound better for metal. I dont think my speakers are best suited to metal though, G12H30s which I'd guess are more classic rock type speakers.

One thing I noticed, this amp isnt as dark as people say, I only have the treble halfway up and thats plenty.
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Madiac on March 14, 2009, 10:03:41 PM
It has more than enough gain for me, I have it at about 10 o'clock at the minute and thats about right for me playing modern rock and things of that nature. It works well witha boost, tightens up the low end and makes it sound better for metal. I dont think my speakers are best suited to metal though, G12H30s which I'd guess are more classic rock type speakers.

One thing I noticed, this amp isnt as dark as people say, I only have the treble halfway up and thats plenty.

Okay, ive been considering this amp slightly, since its cheap, and seems to be more towards metal than a tiny terror (would you agree or not?) which i feelt was lacking just the last push for some chugga chugga metal. But even so the Tiny Terror sounded pretty great, to few controls though, and too dark for my liking.
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 14, 2009, 10:07:22 PM
Never tried a TT but I dont think I'd like the voicing. Not a huge fan of Orange sounds from what I've heard, they seem too fizzy/fuzzy.

I'll try to make a metal clip tomorrow, not really my style but I'll give it a go anyway!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: maverickf1jockey on March 14, 2009, 10:26:58 PM
The Orange amp sound isn't like that at all unless you dime the gain and even then it only goes to a mild loss of definition; much less than a mesa would for sure.

It just has a lower mid hump that many people don't much go for.

Use an EQ or an overdrive pedal boost and it can be easily tamed (especially if the amp has EQ like on most of the recent amps).

The thing to look out for with the Tiny Terror is the lack of a loop or a second channel, making getting a good clean sound difficult but not implausible and meaning that any pedals would have to be set up before the gain section of the preamp, which is bad for delays and modulation effects as well as not allowing for a noise gate.
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Madiac on March 14, 2009, 10:30:02 PM
Never tried a TT but I dont think I'd like the voicing. Not a huge fan of Orange sounds from what I've heard, they seem too fizzy/fuzzy.

I'll try to make a metal clip tomorrow, not really my style but I'll give it a go anyway!

Yes, too fizzy is how id describe the TT with max gain aswell!
Thanks, look forward to hearing them:)
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: dave_mc on March 14, 2009, 11:45:25 PM
sweet, nice amp there tom :)

i wish i had the space to collect amplifiers... what are the big boy blackstars like?

i tried the artisan 15... i didn't really like it. not that it was a bad amp or anything, just it didn't really suit the stuff i played. was really loud too, considering i was running it on the 5 watt setting (though it didn't help that i was running it through a blackstar 4x12, as it was the head version and that's the cab it was linked up to :lol: ).
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: ailean on March 15, 2009, 08:29:15 AM
i wish i had the space to collect amplifiers... what are the big boy blackstars like?

I'm awating the Series One with interest :) Although I think my amp budget just vanished.
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: juansolo on March 15, 2009, 08:43:21 AM
I actually found it to be quite nicely put together for a £200 amp. It's light because it's not got behemoth transformers and braces of valves.

(http://www.maccentral.demon.co.uk/Blackstar/7.JPG)

(http://www.maccentral.demon.co.uk/Blackstar/8.JPG)

(http://www.maccentral.demon.co.uk/Blackstar/9.JPG)
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 15, 2009, 10:37:34 AM
Well I tried to get some good clips but my laptops onboard sound is really shitee and just makes everything sound fizzy and cr@p. So it'll have to wait 3 weeks til the easter holidays when I bring my computer and interface home.

Still loving the Blackstar today though, got some really good tones. Turned back to my Laney and it just doesnt sound as good now haha. Much grainier if thats the word to use, and not as punchy or lively. They look cool stacked up though.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/CIMG9773.jpg)
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: JDC on March 15, 2009, 04:50:03 PM
I should find out on Monday when I'm getting mine!
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: Johnny Mac on March 19, 2009, 06:35:58 AM
Sounds like a great buy Tom! You sound well pleased with it.  :D
Title: Re: New amp day!
Post by: _tom_ on March 19, 2009, 10:31:56 AM
Yep I am, just hope I continue to like it - I've been happy with my laney for almost 2-3 years now (I think) so if this can last that long then I know it's good :P