Blackstar ID 260 TVP

nick79

Still on the hunt for a flexible, big sounding amp for my band... Happened across one of those Blackstar IDV 260's yesterday and to be honest it sounded really good. Loads of sounds and a few effects built in, and very very loud - We cranked the volume to the max just to see what it was like and it nearly took my head off....  

Has anyone here got experience with gigging one?  Other guy in my band has a Blackstar HT40 and that sounds really big so i need something that can match it really. Only concern with the ID260 is it might seem a bit 'flat' maybe when cranked up and in a band situation. 

Thanks

EricTheWeary

@thomasross gigs with ons of the IDs. Although I think I just spelled his name wrong. @thomasross20 ">

ecc83

If he has heard one ICBM will I am sure give you as "Tonal critique" of the 260!

As far as welly goes, the HT-40 is a good amp as you would expect me to say but not perhaps THE loudest* 40/50 watter around? The 260 therefore should have no trouble keeping up with it.

One limiting factor with the 260 might be the speakers? Have you considered an ID 100 head and cab? Unlike perhaps a 100W valve head, a pair of V30s 8R would be pretty safe on the ID100 but of course you would have a vast choice of speakers..

But even IF (and I don't believe it for a moment) the tone was slightly compromised, it is never likely to go wrong!

*The HT-60 Stage on the other hand!!!!

Dave.

ICBM

Yes, @thomasross20 gigs with one.

I've heard it from out front where it was doing all the work, not mic'ed, and it sounded great. Easily loud and dynamic enough for a typical pub gig in a big room. I don't think it would have a problem competing with an HT-40.

thomasross20

Cheers guys!

Yeah i gig with one.

The dual speakers and fx section both bring a level of redundancy which is good (e.g. if my pedal board dies or one speaker dies, the show can go on). For the money it sounds great and is robust (I think @ICBM said once that they shorted the outsto ground and it still didn't die).

I preferred the sound to the valve amps I tried. No worrying about changing valves. Still heavy to me but lighter than valve amps. And it's plenty loud enough and takes effects well.

I've not played many valve amps so I'm a little biased.

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

For the money it sounds great and is robust (I think @ICBM said once that they shorted the outsto ground and it still didn't die).

Not sure if it was quite as brutal as that - Dave will know - but it was certainly proof-tested very thoroughly.

There's a rehearsal studio I do maintenance work for that has one of the 60W heads, which has never given any trouble in over two years - unlike every other amp in there except the old Peavey stereo chorus combo and a Line6 head. Anything that can survive a rehearsal room is as good as bombproof. I keep suggesting they should buy more, but I have managed to keep the Marshalls and Laneys running just about well enough that they haven't needed to yet.

nick79

Thanks guys that's very encouraging. @thomasross, do you have the footswitch with yours? If so how do you find? Does it change channels quickly and how is it to program? 

To be honest i'm running out of idea's really on which amp to go for. I was all up for a valve amp like the DSL40C, but new is just slightly out of budget (I could save a bit more i suppose but could do with something now). Maybe a DSL401 for cheaper but a bit put off by it's reliability - @ICBM kindly explained the pitfalls with these. 

There is a Traynor ycv40 in the classified on here, in my town, but i don't really know much about them. 

thomasross20

I have the footswitch. It changes channel not when you press a button in, but when you take your foot off. 

TBH I don't use it, I just keep it as backup in case my FX pedal dies. 

The FX are good, though. 

I'd have preferred if the pedal had two rows of buttons - one for amp channel and another for FX. 

Good luck with whatever you choose. 

Here it is in the rehearsal room:

Here it is live (unfortunately the wah was left on which is why it sounds sweepy!):

ICBM

nick79 said:

There is a Traynor ycv40 in the classified on here, in my town, but i don't really know much about them. 

Those sound great but are sadly also not very well-built and can be unreliable. They are also a complete pig to work on - even just to change the valves - so any repair bill may end up being worse than you would expect.

It's a real shame because they do sound genuinely great - its little brother the YCV20 is the best-sounding small amp I've owned, but I sold it because of the various quality issues. I sometimes wish I hadn't though.

For reliability, good sound and giggable volume and dynamics I don't think you can go wrong with the Blackstar ID (ID60 or up) or the new Orange CR solid-state amps (again, 60W or up) - very different things, the Orange is a basic one-sound (two channels, but both obviously 'Orange') amp, whereas the Blackstar is more versatile and perhaps less 'natural' sounding. Neither of them are *great* amps that would give a top-quality valve amp any real competition, but they're both more than good enough for a working band. Don't forget the Peavey Transtube series either, although I don't think the current ones are quite as good as the previous series.

EricTheWeary

Someone at Blackstar said let's design the perfect all in one box for a rock covers band. And they designed the ID series. Someone else at Blackstar thought that all that it was missing was a couple of pointless extra controls and some marketing bollocks. So, if you can ignore the one you get the other.

nick79

@thomasross , some great sounds there, thanks! Regarding the footswitch, does it change the instant you release the switch? I've read in a few places that there is a slight delay, i think that would annoy me a bit to be honest. 

@ICBM, thanks for that, i hadn't heard of Traynor's before, it's a nice looking thing but i could do without the worry of it breaking. I actually tried an Orange CR60 and i just can't get on with the Orange tone, but it did seem a nicely mad solid amp. 

@EricTheWeary , makes sense!

thomasross20

I read about the delay but there is none on mine. I think it's people thinking the sound should change when you click on. But it only changes when you pull your foot off.

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

I read about the delay but there is none on mine. I think it's people thinking the sound should change when you click on. But it only changes when you pull your foot off.

Ah, that would annoy the hell out of me. I didn't use the footswitch with the ID60 I tried so I didn't know that.

thomasross20

Yeah it caught me out at first! But not an issue if you get used to it.

nick79

That's cool, i can cope with that.

thomasross20

Let us know what you decide!

ecc83

Check with B's about that footswitch logic!

The switches are symmetrical squares. two pole c/over IIRC. If they are stuffed wrongly in the PCB they exhibit this problem (and I am sure it is a problem).

I had this on one of the first 2nd gen' pedals with the new switch regime.

Dave.

ICBM

ecc83 said:

The switches are symmetrical squares. two pole c/over IIRC. If they are stuffed wrongly in the PCB they exhibit this problem (and I am sure it is a problem).

I had this on one of the first 2nd gen' pedals with the new switch regime.

So they don't use the keyway to prevent that? Or did someone screw up horribly and get the keyway tab on the wrong side in the casing pressing? I came across that ages ago on something, can't remember what but I don't think it was a Blackstar…

nick79

Thanks again for the input guys, much appreciated. But, i've done a curve ball and picked up a Mesa F50. It popped up locally for a good price and i've had an itch for a Mesa for years so i had to do it. Haven't played it much yet but so far i think it's just what i'm looking for. To me it sounds 1000% better than the .50 Caliber i tried the other week, but then i don't think that was quite right to be honest. 

Weirdly, the chap i bought the F50 from is going to an ID260! The Mesa was getting too heavy, i can understand that as it does weigh a fair bit...

ecc83

ICBM said:

ecc83 said:

The switches are symmetrical squares. two pole c/over IIRC. If they are stuffed wrongly in the PCB they exhibit this problem (and I am sure it is a problem).

I had this on one of the first 2nd gen' pedals with the new switch regime.

So they don't use the keyway to prevent that? Or did someone screw up horribly and get the keyway tab on the wrong side in the casing pressing? I came across that ages ago on something, can't remember what but I don't think it was a Blackstar…

No mate! I am assuming the switches are the same as in the gen 2 pedals, i.e. a small "computer" switch with a barrel assembly above it (did I tell you the tale of the super rugged, quite costly early switches 'king up?)

The switch has an ident  mark but they are not foolproof (I assume when bandolier, robot fed they cannot go wrong? Doubt these are) .

The insidious thing is, if "they" get them wrong the circuit still works after a fashion!

The assumption is that computer kbd switches seem to last millions of ops, the tops come off but the switches still work!

Dave.