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Blackstar Silverline

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  • longilongi Frets: 95
    Ooh! And they're bringing out a midi foot controller too! I like that bit the best!
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11676
    Tried one of these in PMT today, was very impressed with the brief experience I had, superb airy sound, nice and deep clean, and sounded like it would go pretty loud.

    Was simply too crowded and too noisy to simply blind buy there and then, but I came very close!

    Andertons have the 100w in stock though...
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • Tried one of these in PMT today, was very impressed with the brief experience I had, superb airy sound, nice and deep clean, and sounded like it would go pretty loud.

    Was simply too crowded and too noisy to simply blind buy there and then, but I came very close!

    Andertons have the 100w in stock though...
    Which one did you try? The 100w? I’m currently pondering a new amp and was sort of set on the Blackstar HT Club 40 Mkii.....but the Silverlines look lovely. Had a a Katana 100 previously which was great at home, but cranked I just couldn’t get it to sit right so a little bit concerned these might be similar
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11676
    Tried one of these in PMT today, was very impressed with the brief experience I had, superb airy sound, nice and deep clean, and sounded like it would go pretty loud.

    Was simply too crowded and too noisy to simply blind buy there and then, but I came very close!

    Andertons have the 100w in stock though...
    Which one did you try? The 100w? I’m currently pondering a new amp and was sort of set on the Blackstar HT Club 40 Mkii.....but the Silverlines look lovely. Had a a Katana 100 previously which was great at home, but cranked I just couldn’t get it to sit right so a little bit concerned these might be similar
    The 50w and it sounded like it would go proper loud, they have much nicer speakers than typical in their class.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Tried one of these in PMT today, was very impressed with the brief experience I had, superb airy sound, nice and deep clean, and sounded like it would go pretty loud.

    Was simply too crowded and too noisy to simply blind buy there and then, but I came very close!

    Andertons have the 100w in stock though...
    Which one did you try? The 100w? I’m currently pondering a new amp and was sort of set on the Blackstar HT Club 40 Mkii.....but the Silverlines look lovely. Had a a Katana 100 previously which was great at home, but cranked I just couldn’t get it to sit right so a little bit concerned these might be similar
    The 50w and it sounded like it would go proper loud, they have much nicer speakers than typical in their class.
    Ta! 
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11676
    I think the best comparison might be a Katana Head into a V-type cab vs a Silverline combo.  I think a lot of the nice sound that surprised me could go down to the nice speaker.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • BarnezyBarnezy Frets: 2175
    Aren't these Nextone competitors rather than Katana? 

    The next generation of these digital amps will spell the end for tube amps I reckon, at least for the hobbyists. I welcome it, I would much rather one £500 amp that did everything, then multiple £1000+ amps that weigh a ton and need maintenance. 
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  • Rich210Rich210 Frets: 577
    I'd avoid Blackstar amplifiers. A respected tech was showing me the amount of blackstar amps he had in for repair...quite a few of them were just left by their owners because they cost too much to repair and weren't worth it. They're effectively disposable amps that are mass produced with cheap components. Barnezy said:
    Aren't these Nextone competitors rather than Katana? 

    The next generation of these digital amps will spell the end for tube amps I reckon, at least for the hobbyists. I welcome it, I would much rather one £500 amp that did everything, then multiple £1000+ amps that weigh a ton and need maintenance. 
    I still think quality tube amps have their place, especially those that have lots of headroom and are a great base for additional effects etc. I recently modded my old musicman 210 sixty five with some KT88s and it sings. Plugged into a cab it's a great bass amp that's got a lot of punch. For guitar I've enough volume a medium sized gig and I think a fantastic platform for effects, and reamping etc. Plus it's not an expensive amp on the secondhand market really, easily pick one up for under £500. 

    I think the future of practice amps would be a minirig setup with a decent preamp. I practice guitar and bass at home with my minirigs and it's just as good as any practice amp for home use. I've even had some amazing effects using an additional sub here and there. 
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  • I disagree about Blackstar amps. I've owned four now and they've all been excellent. The HT5 MK II is one of the best sounding amps I've owned and is a fabulous choice for home playing.

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  • Rich210Rich210 Frets: 577
    I disagree about Blackstar amps. I've owned four now and they've all been excellent. The HT5 MK II is one of the best sounding amps I've owned and is a fabulous choice for home playing.
    Tone does count and if it's right for you then awesome, it's worth keeping and servicing. 

    It's just the feedback I got from Pat when we were comparing what he had on the bench - A five year old fender delux that needed a new tranny (again the value engineers hit that one too), A very expensive Bugera that was fitted with a cheap AC converter for multiple markets (that needed replacing with a standard 240volt) and about 5 Blackstar amps he had in the back which were just left there. Granted I don't know which Blackstar amps they were, but I'd avoid the cheap ones...
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    My experience with Blackstars is that they are generally pretty reliable, but if they do go wrong they can be difficult and often expensive to repair at component level. To be fair, this is not uncommon for modern electronic equipment - and Blackstar themselves are very helpful.

    I've not been a fan of the voicing of them up til now but I'll keep an open mind - the new HT series do appear to sound quite different, more than be accounted for just by using better speakers - and it's pleasing to see that they have finally reversed the trend of choosing speakers by cost and not tone.

    The top-mounted controls are a big backwards step though, unfortunately.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Rich210Rich210 Frets: 577
    ICBM said:
    My experience with Blackstars is that they are generally pretty reliable, but if they do go wrong they can be difficult and often expensive to repair at component level. To be fair, this is not uncommon for modern electronic equipment - and Blackstar themselves are very helpful.

    I've not been a fan of the voicing of them up til now but I'll keep an open mind - the new HT series do appear to sound quite different, more than be accounted for just by using better speakers - and it's pleasing to see that they have finally reversed the trend of choosing speakers by cost and not tone.

    The top-mounted controls are a big backwards step though, unfortunately.
    Ahh that explains it then! Best buy one in warranty? I'd still go for something built like a tank and serviceable
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Rich210 said:

    Ahh that explains it then! Best buy one in warranty? I'd still go for something built like a tank and serviceable
    Yes, although 'serviceable' is not always that easy to evaluate with modern gear. For the average user, something which has a low chance of breaking in the first place even if it then becomes uneconomical to repair if it does, is a better buy than something which can be repaired but often needs to be... since the average user will almost aways not experience a failure - even the very worst amps are unlikely to have a failure rate anywhere near as bad as 50% - that even applies to amps I would describe as 'unreliable', like Marshall JCM2000s.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • Rich210Rich210 Frets: 577
    ICBM said:
    Rich210 said:

    Ahh that explains it then! Best buy one in warranty? I'd still go for something built like a tank and serviceable
    Yes, although 'serviceable' is not always that easy to evaluate with modern gear. For the average user, something which has a low chance of breaking in the first place even if it then becomes uneconomical to repair if it does, is a better buy than something which can be repaired but often needs to be... since the average user will almost aways not experience a failure - even the very worst amps are unlikely to have a failure rate anywhere near as bad as 50% - that even applies to amps I would describe as 'unreliable', like Marshall JCM2000s.
    That's why I said 'built like a tank'! I do agree though, I think it depends on how they're used as well. Like your Marshall that's set up on a hot biased and abused regularly will always need servicing a lot more frequently than one that's run cooler and has a careful owner that doesnt' run the gain and mids on 11 with hardly any master volume, and not had time to warm up or cool down. Even with a latent fault, it'll always depend on how it's taken care of before it emerges. So I'd expand what you're saying to it depends on how the average user takes care of their gear. 

    I bet the other reason why there were so many Blackstar amps in for repair was more to do with their popularity. But, clearly like anything that's a pain in the rikker to service, don't abuse it in the first place
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  • longshinslongshins Frets: 246
    I’m not a Blackstar fan at all but I have to say I like the way these look and I may be in the minority but I much prefer top mount controls, If you are gigging and need to make a change on the fly I find it easier to see the panel by walking over and peering down rather than crouching.
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  • ICBM said:
    I've not been a fan of the voicing of them up til now but I'll keep an open mind - the new HT series do appear to sound quite different, more than be accounted for just by using better speakers
    Definitely. The MK2 HT5 really does sound wonderful. They've really made quite an improvement over the original amp. 

    I am playing mine through a HB 212 V30 cab, but even so, the amp has had a massive improvement in voicing.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    longshins said:

    If you are gigging and need to make a change on the fly I find it easier to see the panel by walking over and peering down rather than crouching.
    I would never gig with my amp flat on the floor, you can't hear it properly there and always end up dialing it in too loud and bright. If the amp is raised up or tilted back so you can hear it properly, that's exactly why you need them on the front... if they're on the top it's then almost impossible to see them without leaning right over the amp.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12649
    Rich210 said:
    I'd avoid Blackstar amplifiers. A respected tech was showing me the amount of blackstar amps he had in for repair...quite a few of them were just left by their owners because they cost too much to repair and weren't worth it. They're effectively disposable amps that are mass produced with cheap components. Barnezy said:
    Aren't these Nextone competitors rather than Katana? 

    The next generation of these digital amps will spell the end for tube amps I reckon, at least for the hobbyists. I welcome it, I would much rather one £500 amp that did everything, then multiple £1000+ amps that weigh a ton and need maintenance. 
    I still think quality tube amps have their place, especially those that have lots of headroom and are a great base for additional effects etc. I recently modded my old musicman 210 sixty five with some KT88s and it sings. Plugged into a cab it's a great bass amp that's got a lot of punch. For guitar I've enough volume a medium sized gig and I think a fantastic platform for effects, and reamping etc. Plus it's not an expensive amp on the secondhand market really, easily pick one up for under £500. 

    I think the future of practice amps would be a minirig setup with a decent preamp. I practice guitar and bass at home with my minirigs and it's just as good as any practice amp for home use. I've even had some amazing effects using an additional sub here and there. 
    Could you PM me which tech this was please? 
    Thanks :-)
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17485
    tFB Trader
    I think the only fair comparison would be to try all the heads into V Type cabs. I wonder how much difference there would be between the first and second gen TVP amps once you'd accounted for the improved speaker.
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  • 57Deluxe said:
    is just me?? but Blackstar started out really interesting and soon escalated into marketeering endless products rather than building a dedicated user base based upon a quality of tone and performance
    I had the AC15 type one. incredibly bright as I remember. Didn't stay long....
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