Amplifier Worship - IT'S A SERIES OF TUBES - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > Amplifier Worship - IT'S A SERIES OF TUBES

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Just pulled the trigger on the Blackstar HT5 combo. Should get to me next week. Pretty stoked to have a nice little tube amp to practice on.

# ¿ Aug 6, 2010 15:07

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 08:26

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

I've had the HT5 combo for about a week now, and I am loving it. For a small amp, it gets a ton of gain. It's small, has very responsive tonal controls, looks good, and comes with a nice little footswitch. As noted, there's no built-in reverb. Still, for the way it sounds, I can't believe it was only $400.

If you're looking for a great sounding bedroom amp, it's a great choice. If you have a space or play small shows, you might be better off going with the HT20. Just a matter of what you're looking for.

If your guitar is loaded with EMG's or even high output passive humbuckers, you'll get a poo poo ton of gain at a pretty low volume.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2010 19:53

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Blackstar is set to release a tiny 1 watt tube amp, the HT-1.
Video demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUCI8WOJ16g
Looks like they'll be offering both head and combo versions, featuring similar controls to the HT-5 lineup. They added digital reverb and an mp3/line input. Looks like a nice mini amp. (Kinda wish they had the presence of mind to build reverb into the HT-5, but at least they learned from that mistake, I guess.)

# ¿ Sep 17, 2010 20:53

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Email response from Blackstar Amps asking about the US street date for the HT-1: "We aim to release the HT1 in January in the US. Expect to see it sometime after Christmas."

# ¿ Oct 4, 2010 19:50

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Zuhzuhzombie!! posted:

Anyone have anything to say about the VOX hybrid amps?

I have one and hate it. It is a 30 watt hybrid combo, and it sits in my closet. It's gain is miserable and muddy as poo poo. I think you'd be better off w/the recently mentioned Vox AC4TV, if you're trying to keep the cost low.

# ¿ Jan 21, 2011 20:04

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

rt4 posted:

If you're not going to gig I say spend maybe $50 more and get a small all-tube amp for extra vintage tone etc

Yeah, I'd go with a small all-tube amp too.
Globochem, see if you can try out the Vox AC4TV combo. poo poo's boss.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2011 02:04

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

I've got a Blackstar HT-5 combo. It seems less loud and kinda muddier than when I got it, so I was thinking of chucking some new tubes in it. Assuming I go with the same types of tube (12AX7 and 12BH7,) should it be fairly "plug and play?" I can't seem to get a straight answer anywhere, even the manufacturer makes contradicting statements.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2011 17:26

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Zakalwe posted:

Try a bright high-gain tube in the 12ax7 position. I've used Chinese and Electro Harmonix tubes to good effect. A JJ I had in there was too muddy. Neved swapped out the Bh7 though.
A Boss GE7 in the effects loop is also awesome for tweaking the sound.

Thanks! I was thinking about a TungSol 12AX7; poo poo's supposed to be pretty high-gain.
I'd been thinking about the MXC 10-band EQ, but I've always been a big fan of Boss products, so I'll look into that as well.

cheap sunglasses posted:

You might need to adjust the bias when you swap out the power tube, if there's a bias adjust. I have no idea if those are "fixed" bias like Mesas or what.

Exactly. Nobody seems to know! Maybe I'll leave the power tube in place.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2011 19:11

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Dr. Faustus posted:

amazing stuff from best Dad ever

Do you think your Dad will either adopt me or allow me to become his apprentice? Holy poo poo, that is loving awesome. You must be proud!

# ¿ Nov 1, 2017 14:01

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Gringostar posted:

My bedroom amp is one of the 50th anniversary marshall 1 watt amps so I can keep the volume on that dimed

I'm with you, I've had pretty good experience with small tube combos at home. Especially if they have 12" speakers.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2018 14:47

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

I dug out my mid 90s Mexican J-Bass from the closet the other day, but lost my amp in a flood 2 years ago.
I'm looking for a bass combo amp that would be good for home playing up to small gigs.
Any suggestions? I immediately thought of Fender or Ampeg combos, but I haven't played bass in years, figured I'd trust the experts here instead!

# ¿ Jul 18, 2019 15:41

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Electric Bugaloo posted:

And at least my area (Boston) is absolutely rotten with Berklee grads who teach beginner-to-masterclass level in pretty much whatever instrument you can think of. See what�s around in your area. Even dropping ~$500 on ten lessons with a pro teacher is a great investment and you�ll definitely notice the growth.

Aww man, I miss the Daddy's Junky Music on Mass Ave down there. There were some other smaller, mom & pop music shops too, but I assume they've all been replaced by Dunkin Donuts, Bank of America, or Chipotle by now.

But yeah, I def took lessons as a teenager in Malden, MA, and my teacher was a GREAT Berklee grad. Back then (early 90s,) lessons were $12 a session!

# ¿ Nov 6, 2019 16:29

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Is he selling these insane amps yet? I imagine he could demand a pretty good price for them.
People go bonkers for that point to point poo poo.

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 20:06

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Dang It Bhabhi! posted:

history lesson

That was awesome/informative. :cheers:

# ¿ Aug 5, 2020 21:19

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Joe Bogan posted:

I hope they removed the ground switch with the specific intention of electrocuting him.

This is a good take. :laugh:

# ¿ Aug 6, 2020 17:55

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Clayton Bigsby posted:

Yeah, a nice little video, some technical mumbo jumbo, and you got yourself a hell of a Kickstarter. An old british dude just had a pretty successful campaign making a small batch of hand built tube amps (I will fess up to being one of the backers). I imagine an amp built with the attention to detail shown here would be able to fetch a pretty drat high price.

Maybe dump a fuckload of black epoxy all over the internals so you can protect the "secret sauce."

# ¿ Aug 6, 2020 21:54

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

If I was looking to buy a small gig/bedroom tube amp:
Fender: Blues Jr. combo (15W)
Marshall: DSL20C combo(10W/20W switchable) or Origin 5 combo (5W/0.5W switchable)
Vox: AC4TV (4 watts, 1 watt, or � watt)

If not committed to a tube amp:
Boss Katana 50

# ¿ Jun 9, 2021 02:52

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

drat, that's one hell of an endorsement for the Katana.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2021 18:25

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

JamesKPolk posted:

There's secret amps!!!

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=20630.0

I think this should just work in the Mk1, in the MK2 you need to split the files. Its a little harder to find the split file but its out there so I didn't bother to upload mine but PM or something if anyone wants it. If you have an older FW mk1 you have Orange and Bogner models that everyone else lost but you need 3rd party software to get them (idk about this I'm just using tone studio livesets).

Having a lot of fun with these. Lots of samey sounds but a couple stand outs (1959 1+2, a couple of the crunches, I just generally like Mesa models but I was vibing on the rectos).

You are a god. I never knew about any of this. Can't wait to fire up a Bogner in this wacky thing.

# ¿ Jun 21, 2021 15:08

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

duodenum posted:

Well I have a Boss Katana and boy let me tell you hwhat.

For real, though.
Bought my Katana 50 on a whim with proceeds from cashing in my change jar. What an incredible surprise.

# ¿ Jul 21, 2021 14:44

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

Sweaty IT Nerd posted:

How big is this change jar?!

Just a regular mason jar, but there were some dollar bills (singles) in there too. I think I got the Katana for just about $180?

syntaxfunction posted:

I'm sad that companies like Jet City seemed to shift because I loving adored the model of "great famous tube amps, made cheaply but well." I really hope some brands pick that up, without the Bugera nonsense.

I sorta feel like Blackstar does this. Aren't kind of Marshall-esque, but just cheaply made in Korea?

# ¿ Jul 22, 2021 16:50

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 08:26

betterinsodapop: Apr 4, 2004; 64:3

I think Blackstar is great. I had an HT5 for a bit, and really loved it. Great bang for the buck.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2021 17:32

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