633 Amps

ICBM

ecc83 said:

Yes, the Rocket is (almost) universally detested but not ALL the speakers you dislike are so by other people. The possibility must be considered that, like your "ear" is not attuned to those of the Blackstar design team in terms of electronics, you are similarly "out of step" with their speaker preferences?

I know you will say others agree with you but some of that is surely "hero worship"?!!

Ha, I hope not .

I do know there are at least two major camps in the 'guitar tone' world though, and I'm definitely in one while the Blackstar design team are definitely in the other. I like open, dynamic, clear, sparkly clean sounds and edgy, crunchy overdriven sounds without that much gain and where you can still hear the individual notes (from amps, anyway - pedals are a different matter). I like a lot of bass and treble, and not so much midrange... pretty much the opposite of what a Blackstar sounds like!

What I find very puzzling is the ISF - they clearly state that the "US" sound is anticlockwise, and the "UK" sound is clockwise. This is completely backwards - the way I hear it, anyway - and makes me think the design team just have some extremely different points of reference from me. I genuinely can't understand how anyone can hear the two sounds the wrong way round though, it's a simple matter of EQ.

So I would actually be interested to hear one of these 633s, and see whether any of it has carried over with Cliff. Not necessarily, since I know the original Blackstar team were mostly ex-Marshall, and Blackstars do not sound like Marshalls. Not even with the ISF to the left .

Kalimna

ICBM - if you are ever near Stirling, you are most welcome to give my 633, Driveking combo w2ith G10-40N's, a play. Can't say whether you would like it or not as I quite like the Blackstars Ive played through (Fly and TVP15) too.

I love it, and Cliff is a real gent to deal with, very accommodating both pre and post purchase.

Adam

hotpickups

Kalimna said:

ICBM - if you are ever near Stirling, you are most welcome to give my 633, Driveking combo w2ith G10-40N's, a play. Can't say whether you would like it or not as I quite like the Blackstars Ive played through (Fly and TVP15) too.

I love it, and Cliff is a real gent to deal with, very accommodating both pre and post purchase.

Adam

Ooooh that's the one I like

Kalimna

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

hotpickups

Kalimna said:

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

Thanks Adam that's really good of you. In my case though, 633's workshop is nearer to me should I wish to try one out. However, I fear that visit as I'll only want one more and I can't buy one Bawl

Modulus_Amps

hotpickups said:

Kalimna said:

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

Thanks Adam that's really good of you. In my case though, 633's workshop is nearer to me should I wish to try one out. However, I fear that visit as I'll only want one more and I can't buy one Bawl

I think you should do a visit on behalf of the Fretboard forum and report back........ no pressure to buy.. ha ha

hotpickups

Modulus_Amps said:

hotpickups said:

Kalimna said:

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

Thanks Adam that's really good of you. In my case though, 633's workshop is nearer to me should I wish to try one out. However, I fear that visit as I'll only want one more and I can't buy one Bawl

I think you should do a visit on behalf of the Fretboard forum and report back........ no pressure to buy.. ha ha

LOL easy for you to say @Modulus_Amps  

Although I am planning a visit to Rift amps soon which isn't a million miles away from him

Modulus_Amps

@hotpickups said:

Modulus_Amps said:

hotpickups said:

Kalimna said:

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

Thanks Adam that's really good of you. In my case though, 633's workshop is nearer to me should I wish to try one out. However, I fear that visit as I'll only want one more and I can't buy one Bawl

I think you should do a visit on behalf of the Fretboard forum and report back........ no pressure to buy.. ha ha

LOL easy for you to say @Modulus_Amps  

Although I am planning a visit to Rift amps soon which isn't a million miles away from him

  ha ha... a trip to Rift put you in danger of a new amp and a new pedal board filled with Thorpfx... Thorpy if just next door. That is a very very dangerous trip and best to leave the wife at home.... you will need the space in the car

hotpickups

Modulus_Amps said:

@hotpickups said:

Modulus_Amps said:

hotpickups said:

Kalimna said:

Well, the offer is an open one if anyone would like to try mnie out - I'd like to think you won't be disappointed....

Adam

Thanks Adam that's really good of you. In my case though, 633's workshop is nearer to me should I wish to try one out. However, I fear that visit as I'll only want one more and I can't buy one Bawl

I think you should do a visit on behalf of the Fretboard forum and report back........ no pressure to buy.. ha ha

LOL easy for you to say @Modulus_Amps  

Although I am planning a visit to Rift amps soon which isn't a million miles away from him

  ha ha... a trip to Rift put you in danger of a new amp and a new pedal board filled with Thorpfx... Thorpy if just next door. That is a very very dangerous trip and best to leave the wife at home.... you will need the space in the car

LOL I ain't telling her where I'm going that's for sure

Kalimna

May I also point out that Ant Ryder of spectacular LP fame is just down the road from Rift too......

hotpickups

Kalimna said:

May I also point out that Ant Ryder of spectacular LP fame is just down the road from Rift too......

Oh godamnit I have no chance do I

Rene

These are really nice amps indeed. Great features and tone. I would be curious to try one and hear how different they can sound against a Dr. Z or Hamstead. Those 2 are very good amps too... Oh: and there's Martin Whelan in East Scotland that made these nice hand-made amps: MJW Amplification at quite affordable price points ! He's off for a few months but might build amps again in the future.

sweepy

Played rwo so far and was underwhelmed tbh, but different strokes etc 

rainer2859

@racerjimmy uses one with the Classic Rock Show, sounds awesome to my cloth ears, seems pretty versatile considering the amount of stuff they cover in one show.

Plenty of stuff on YouTube if you wanted to hear one in a live setting.

monkey42

What kind of prices do these go for. There’s no reference on there website

FelineGuitars

Rene said:

These are really nice amps indeed. Great features and tone. I would be curious to try one and hear how different they can sound against a Dr. Z or Hamstead. Those 2 are very good amps too... Oh: and there's Martin Whelan in East Scotland that made these nice hand-made amps: MJW Amplification at quite affordable price points ! He's off for a few months but might build amps again in the future.

Spoke with Martin MJW yesterday. Don't think he has any interest or inclination to return to ampwork.

Wazmeister

FelineGuitars said:

Rene said:

These are really nice amps indeed. Great features and tone. I would be curious to try one and hear how different they can sound against a Dr. Z or Hamstead. Those 2 are very good amps too... Oh: and there's Martin Whelan in East Scotland that made these nice hand-made amps: MJW Amplification at quite affordable price points ! He's off for a few months but might build amps again in the future.

Spoke with Martin MJW yesterday. Don't think he has any interest or inclination to return to ampwork.

Did Martin pack it in and then re-start up again ?

It would be sad to lose his lovely amps.

joeW

I spent some time dragging a LP, L5 and tele round stores to demo amps.  Tried 2Rock, Morgan, DrZ and Hampstead and eventually got a 633 Grooveking mid 2019.  I don’t play with much drive and probably have different requirements to most (Jazz mainly) and this fit my ear the best.  Resale will, off course be that much harder (and probably painful) but I found there to be a spectrum of tones I found very musical and without getting overwhelmed with controls (single channel).  Let’s hope I don’t need to sell it to pay for loo roll in the coming months - recon the exchange rate is about 25 quilted currently.

hotpickups

joeW said:

I spent some time dragging a LP, L5 and tele round stores to demo amps.  Tried 2Rock, Morgan, DrZ and Hampstead and eventually got a 633 Grooveking mid 2019.  I don’t play with much drive and probably have different requirements to most (Jazz mainly) and this fit my ear the best.  Resale will, off course be that much harder (and probably painful) but I found there to be a spectrum of tones I found very musical and without getting overwhelmed with controls (single channel).  Let’s hope I don’t need to sell it to pay for loo roll in the coming months - recon the exchange rate is about 25 quilted currently.

If you ever did I might be interested dependant of funds at the time lol. Lovely amps and the logo lights up Is yours a head or a combo @joeW ;;

Lodious

OMG, it's a font atrocity