Amplifier Mistake (Blackstar)

thomasross20

Damn, damn, damn. 

I only recently got the Blackstar 260TVP with a cool cover to go and the footswitch... and it sounds amaaaaazing!!

BUT!! It's just too heavy and bulky for me! I had to take it to practice today and just about did my back in! I even bought a little trolley for it but it didn't help all that much. 

So I'm probably going to sell it in order to buy a light single-channel amp with great clean, and just run my pedals through that. I have a Riot pedal for distortion and it still sounds pretty damn good. 

Any recommendations? Originally I was looking at the Matrix VB800 & NL12 cab but combined that is a very costly option. I really wish I hadn't sold my Roland Cube 40X now... That weighed something like 10kg and was about right, but the BLackstar is something like 26kg which is too heavy for me. Honestly, I just can't handle it.

As a side note... when I played through the clean channel my boost pedal worked a treat. However the boost pedal did NOT boost the volume as soon as I went into an overdrive channel. Strange?

ThePrettyDamned

Hot rod deluxe?

Or maybe something more exotic. What's the budget? You could probably ask mjw or another UK builder to build you a 40ish watt clean voiced valve amp in a head shell and go from there.

Not a big fan of the riot, but I'd imagine it would get a good crunchy sound from a fender style amp quite easily.

But the hot rod deluxe is pretty much the go-to as a clean pedal platform. No frills, just good tone.

ICBM

ID60 .

You won't need to buy a new footswitch either...

No, a boost pedal will not boost volume when going into an overdriven amp, just increase distortion. It might increase volume a touch if the amp goes from not very dirty to very dirty, but not much.

thomasross20

I've the totally opposite view on the Riot (Reloaded) - I can get great crunch tones, the leads are amazing, and it sounds a bit valve-like to my ears!

I was originally going to get the ID60... I'll have to check the weight out online. Bugger that I just got the case for the 260!

Will also check out the Hot Rod Deluxe. 

Don't want to spend anything! I reckon with the 260TVP, footswitch and cover, I should be able to get something relatively cheap through a trade/sale. 

Just to re-iterate... the amp itself is AMAZING. Just too heavy and too big for me.

thomasross20

Hot Rod Deluxe is 18kg+? Got to say I still think that's a bit heavy for me. 

I ideally don't want anything weighing too much more than the Cube I had. 

thomasross20

Just checked and the 260TVP is 29kg.

The 60TVP is 20kg.

I wasn't joking, by the way... my back is actually a little sore!!

EDIT - so to get the boost to work on the distorted channel, I'd have to go through the FX loop?

richardhomer

Man up! I used to gig with a MkIII Boogie with an EV speaker. In the boot of my MkII Golf GTI (this was the '80s after all) it lightened the steering considerably....

EricTheWeary

I think you are going to struggle to get a giggable combo at that kind of low weight. Even the new Blues Cube is slightly heavier than your 40x. A ZT Lunchbox is probably the lightest. What about head plus cab ? ID 60 head plus cab mebbe.

John_P

thomasross20 said:

Hot Rod Deluxe is 18kg+? Got to say I still think that's a bit heavy for me. 

I ideally don't want anything weighing too much more than the Cube I had. 

I'm struggling to think of many amps that would give a half decent tone and weight less than that.   There are light amps but I can't think of any that sound really good.  Even something like a peavey bandit is around 18kg.

Wouldn't it be easier to just get a good amp and use a trolley or fit wheels (unless you have a back problem or several flights of stairs to deal with)

Maybe a head and cab is the answer?   My evh50 and 2x12 are an easy one in each hand trip to the car - a 1x12 would be even easier but I've been happy with a single speaker on stage.

thomasross20

How on earth can you guys carry these things!? I'm not a muscle man, maybe that's part of the problem...!

I'm not going to do my back in trying to be a "man" lol... I've got a trolley but that's no good when it comes to carrying it up/down stairs.

ThePrettyDamned

Maybe an id60 is the best bet, or a Blues cube?

The blues cube looks like a great grab and go, I really want to try one.

If money is an issue, remember you'll be selling the blackstar anyway - you will lose some money, but not loads

thomasross20

I should have kept my Cube 40X, it was small and portable. Sold it for £40! Gah!! 

horse

Think outside the box - hire a roadie

thomasross20

Blues Cube looks good but why so expensive compared to normal Cubes? Will have to check it...

dindude

If you've got room, keep the Blackstar and pick up a secondhand Cude 40x like you used to have for, say £40. This less than you'd lose on selling the Blackstar and then you have both options.

EricTheWeary

IIRC @axisus has the ID60 head? The other advantage of a head would be if you go somewhere cab supplied you just need that. I couldn't spot a weight for it online but @ICBM reckons the contents of the ID amps are largely air so it should be pretty light. Blackstar seem to match it with their 4x12 but I guess you'd need to look for a 1x12.

midlifecrisis

I sympathise, I used to gig a fender frontman 212 which was quite light for a 212 then got a marshall  jvm 212 combo which was much too heavy for me, real struggle to lift in and out of boot. now gig a laney vc30 212 which isn't too bad but im considereing using my cub 12r for pub gigs, have done it before so I know its up to it but as I get older im finding the next morning my back and legs are sore and convinced its not from playing but carrying the gear.

thomasross20

The Blackstar is great and would be perfect for bigger venues... but it's just so damn heavy for me... I think (unfortunately) it will have to go. 

I'll be playing a lot of rock - G N' R, Bon Jovi etc... 

fretmeister

I used to use a pair of 110lb (50 kg) bass cabs.

Man up !

thomasross20

60TVP head is approx 10kg. 

1x12 cab is ~11kg.

I think heavier amps just sound a bit better, more substance to them... but with technology these days, surely lighter amps are the way to go. Honestly, all I need is something light with a good clean channel that can crank out creamy leads with my pedals. 

midlifecrisis

...or take up the harmonica...