Blackstar Artisan 10AE Upgrades (?)

Shipwreck

Hi folks,

I have a Blackstar Artisan 10AE - the little brother of the  "real" Artisan 30 I sadly still have in storage with my family. I've recently moved into a flat that has more space so I'm using the 10AE more and more - but I'm not besotted with it. It doesn't have the clarity I like and I find 10w is actually quite loud if you want it opening up. I know it's a cheaper amp - certainly not comparable to the A30 - but I'm wondering if I should look to upgrading the Celestion 70/80 (Greenback? V30?) and perhaps the tubes? Has anyone done this? I can't imagine it was a super popular amp but I'm weighing up if it's worth the effort or if I should throw the money towards something else.  Cheers!

ecc83

Bruce Keir, Blackstar's late top designer must be spinning if indeed he was buried! He told me he would never design a single ended guitar amp.

Nobody was more surprised than I when that range came out. I have never seen one nor seen a schematic but I doubt you will be able to change its fundamental sound quality much. Marmite I guess? For one thing its output transformer is working its arse off!

They are not a patch on the design and build quality that went into the Artisans but then, very little is!

Dave. (sorry Impman, just how I see it)

timmypix

I really didn't like the 70/80 in my friend's Blackstar (HT, admittedly), and we both thought it sounded infinitely better through pretty much any other speaker emulation on a Two Notes Torpedo. V30 is great for rock but can be quite harsh in isolation. A greenback might be softer and less fatiguing at home volumes while still sounding much less cardboardy than my memory of the 70/80.

Shipwreck

ecc83 said:

Bruce Keir, Blackstar's late top designer must be spinning if indeed he was buried! He told me he would never design a single ended guitar amp.

Nobody was more surprised than I when that range came out. I have never seen one nor seen a schematic but I doubt you will be able to change its fundamental sound quality much. Marmite I guess? For one thing its output transformer is working its arse off!

They are not a patch on the design and build quality that went into the Artisans but then, very little is!

Dave. (sorry Impman, just how I see it)

Aye - I always say the OG Artisan feels like a separate company to the rest of B'star and it remains one of the best amps I've ever heard. I got the AE through a love of it and a need for something in smaller without breaking the bank and to that end it's been fine. Now I've bought a flat and can't see the A30 coming out of retirement, though, I am wondering if I should invest in a better "apartment level" amplifier. It never ends does it. 

 timmypix said:

I really didn't like the 70/80 in my friend's Blackstar (HT, admittedly), and we both thought it sounded infinitely better through pretty much any other speaker emulation on a Two Notes Torpedo. V30 is great for rock but can be quite harsh in isolation. A greenback might be softer and less fatiguing at home volumes while still sounding much less cardboardy than my memory of the 70/80.

That makes sense. I have V30s with the A30 but the Greenback demos I hear seem to sit right with me. I will keep my eyes peeled on the classified pages for a used one..!

digitalscream

timmypix said:

I really didn't like the 70/80 in my friend's Blackstar (HT, admittedly), and we both thought it sounded infinitely better through pretty much any other speaker emulation on a Two Notes Torpedo. V30 is great for rock but can be quite harsh in isolation. A greenback might be softer and less fatiguing at home volumes while still sounding much less cardboardy than my memory of the 70/80.

Also, if you want a slightly more modern take on the V30 which isn't as harsh, it's worth trying the Celestion V-Type. Absolutely my favourite speakers, and ridiculously versatile.

ecc83

Do check the impedance of the speaker in the 10 watter. I would guess at 16 Ohms but you never know.

Dave.

impmann

It’s a 16ohm driver.

Ive not tried fitting a different driver to mine, I’d imagine a greenback would work well. But bear in mind the tonal voicing of the amp was designed around the characteristics of the factory speaker - and may not work so well with others.

Dave isn’t a fan of SE amps but fact is they can (and do) sound great with a different sound and feel to a p/p one. A 10AE is voiced to be in the ballpark of an Artisan (I think it was closer to the 100 than the 30, iirc) but obviously isn’t going to be as huge sounding. I love them - *because* they sound and feel different.

GazAus

I put a Creamback Neo in my Studio 10 series EL34 amp (which is very similar to yours I think..) and it was a massive upgrade in tone.

Modulus_Amps

Definitely swap the speaker out. If you have not tried many speakers stick to the most popular ones used in guitar amps. Greenbacks, Creambacks, V30 etc

As for SE guitar amps, My theory is if you can make an SE amp sound really good (and that can be done) then sticking that pre-amp into a PP pre amp will make for an amazing amp.

ecc83

Modulus_Amps said:

Definitely swap the speaker out. If you have not tried many speakers stick to the most popular ones used in guitar amps. Greenbacks, Creambacks, V30 etc

As for SE guitar amps, My theory is if you can make an SE amp sound really good (and that can be done) then sticking that pre-amp into a PP pre amp will make for an amazing amp.

My view on SE amps, other than the old 5W Fender practice jobs, is much the same that auto engineers view the Porsche 911. They started with a huge design handicap but with some clever and innovated design eventually made it work!

I am also very averse to hum!

Dave.

Shipwreck

Thanks folks, really helpful. I'll keep an eye on for a speaker replacement as it will likely help but cautious of throwing too much cash at it. Part of me wants to try another small (US or Vox voiced) combo to pair with it and then things like the Marshall Origin 20 now exist which seems to be a similar Plex-ish thing with sensible attenuation that could replace it altogether. I think I'll let fate play a bit of a hand!