I must say, I own 2 smaller, 5 W black stars and I love them. I have worked on through an effects panel and have a stereo output. The cost of these ants was unbelievable. That's why everybody bought one. Unless you are really critical, there is nothing wrong with black star.Nothing that a petal can't care
I got a mkII -like new- when covid struck. Guy lost his job, i got it for $400 with optional 5 button footswitch. More versatile than my marshall that now collects dust. awesome amp- get one!!
Awesome intro! I own 3 different Blackstar combo tube amps and all of them have fantastic tones. Great sounding amps without the through the roof price tag. Another great feature of Blackstar amps is the emulated headphone out that sounds terrific.
This sounds amazing. You can always tell when Henning likes the amp by his facial expressions when he’s rockin’ out! Great demo! 🤘Do they do a 50 watt version?
I been thinking about this Amp I bought the EVH Iconic head a year and a half ago no problem with mine it's been fun,now this bad boy is same price point 1000.00$ affordable, Doug Aldridge is using these heads and cabs on Dead Daisies on going tour ,anyway might be a good buy .🎸🤘🍻
I've owned one of these for a few weeks now and have already noticed a few issues nobody has seemed to address.. yet. The primary issue being, the Cabrig presets are not going to sound exactly the same from day to day because, first of all, you have to realize this is a tube/sim hybrid amp, so even with proper voltage regulation, things are still not going to sound the same every time you turn the amp off for awhile, then switch it back on. This is because specific tubes will cause frequencies to 'drift' off target, which causes a consistency issue when dialing in a Cabrig preset you might like. I also noticed a heat related grounding issue before the amp becomes fully active, but somewhat cures itself after about 2 hours after warming up. This means you may notice a higher noise floor for about the first 2 hours of heating up. After that, the noise drops about 3 to 6 decibels, which seems to be part of the design, so even with a voltage regulator, how it will sound somewhat depends on 1. How long the amp has been running and 2. The voltage coming from your wall socket. Lastly, if you use a poor quality cable or a longer SPDIF cable, I can confirm this will also contribute to an inconsistent frequency drift.
@@EytschPi42- Well, if you're picky about having a specific tone (especially when recording), then that "fairy magic" is going to apply because things are not going to sound the same from day to day, which means there will be a lack of consistency. Anyone who's owned a tube amp knows they never sound exactly the same every time you turn it off and then on again. Original Peavey 5150 and VTM amps are notorious for that. That's why we have 'tone chasers'. Even Van Halen tried to control it using a variac. As for the SPDIF thing, if you're using the Cabrig output to go into a high quality preamp/EQ that has analog to digital conversion, it will likely have SPDIF on it as well, which only compounds the issue concerning voltage/frequency drift coming from this Blackstar. That was partially my point concerning the issues that will inevitably arise when combining a tube amp and a digital sim together. The problem goes together like polarized peanut butter and jelly. Frequency (tone) drift = Lack of consistency.
10:30 so basically this makes this amp look like to be based on a Peavey Valveking VK100 😅which was a very underrated amp, and now has extra options with the DI out and all sorts which the VK didn't have. You sold it to me right there, as I'm a fan of the VK. I guess what it does is in one position all the signal is pumped through all 4 of the power amp tubes and in the other extreme it's just two - getting more power and drives them to the edge.
Blackstar doesn't just make good amps for the price, they make great amps period. They are good clean AND good dirty and its hard to really find a better amp (especially at that price point) that can do both clean and dirty as well. Normally its one or the other.
You have an inordinate amount of nice sweaters .. that amp is badass and that song is an effing banger .. well done all . Your house and studio are also the schizz .
Came for the song, spend all the fun money this year already on something totally not guitar related and not regretting it even a single second. Still feels odd to not grab at least one Neural DSP Plugin during Black Friday. Still, great song so it MUST be a great amp.
I wasn't liking this at first because it sounded too dark for a Strat style guitar. Then you clicked the green thing and it was better. THEN when you clicked the voicy thing IT GOT REALLY GOOD! I'm not a pro and will never need something like this; but I'm glad that Blackstar is improving their sound. If only they would make this in a 5 watt combo amp for a equally low price. Their HT 1 and HT 5 cost WAY TOO MUCH!
Blackstar ht1 and ht5 aren’t to high there’s just a lot of people that expect a tube amp for the price of a katana. When they don’t get it they go online and say bad things about Blackstar and people listen to them rather than ignore them. I own a Blackstar ht1 MKII, ht20 MKII, ht5c and the first thing I done with each was put JJ tubes and a new quality speaker in and then I use a tube screamer mini to boost the amp and crank the bass, middle and treble on the amp and put an equalizer in the effects loop and they sound like an amp that cost twice what I have in the amp and pedals. 🤘
@@gwhiz3708The Stage Right amps sound great and cost a lot less. The same goes for the Joyo Sweet Baby 5 watt amp. Many of the Blackstar amps only have tube output stages, or maybe it is the other way around. They are really hybrid amps with solid state tone shaping.
@@MrMoneyHelper I know they’re hybrid amps but they get tremendous tube tone at a great price. They aren’t overpriced as you stated and there is no way I would buy the generic amps you mentioned when I can get a Blackstar . What are you talking about anyway? You said you would buy a ht1 or ht5 if they would lower the price and now you’re talking about they’re hybrid amps. Like I said people like you go online and talk bad about Blackstar because you can’t afford one! So rock on monoprice! You and your joyo junk! HA!
5:41 Why does it only have two preamp tubes? Is it another hybrid like the old ones? I am also saddened that there is no midi. This is a very good video, BTW.
I'm curious as to why so few, if any, guitar amps have a "Low Cut" switch that cuts out everything below 100Hz (or 90 whatever) since that is basically what you'd need to, should, do if you play with bass & drums in a live setting. Doing it in the mixer does not help the stage situation.
Is there a tone difference between HT MKII and MKIII ? I sold my HT50MKII years ago but now I'm curious of having the amp again now with Cabrig probably become more interesting
@EytschPi42 Henning, i'm raging that i didn't see this review before i pushed the button on a Hughes&Kettner Grandmeister 40 deluxe head and matching 2x12 cab from Thomann. I'm a blackstar user for 10 years (Series One combo and St James combo) which i have loved but i need a dedicated third channel and i did consider this head but the weight of it turned me off it, hence the purchase of the H&K head (It's still in transit from Thomann but hope to have it this week). I also saw your review of the H&K head (late also) and notice that you weren't crazy on it so i'm already having doubts about how it's gonna sound. I can i suppose return the H&K head if i don't like it but they don't have this Blackstar head in stock. What's your opinion on the Blackstar cabs? Celestion 70/80 speakers in this one i think so i might keep the H&K cab (it has celestion V 30's)
Tbh i don't think the price itself is that amazing, it's a pretty ordinary "entry level big amp price". The features are nice and it may sound good but for instance Marshall DSL100 is even cheaper and not bad either, or Engl Fireball 100 is just a little more expensive new (or even much cheaper if you buy used in the EU, there's the real prices you won't believe). Of course the right choice always depends on sound taste and feature needs.
@@jimmyjames7946 Oranges sound amazing but never tried one without the Orange amp. Used to be popular for recording back in the day (Jimmy Page used a small Orange on several albums, Marshall live).
It's not just the Quality of the cabs that is terrible It's also the terrible speaker choices . You either get Blackstar designed speakers or Celestion 70/80 speakers. The cabs would sound alot better with better Quality speakers like V30s or Greenbacks or something like a WGS invader or WGS Reapers . Blackstar was building Quality cabs for awhile with the Series one cabs and Artisan cabs. They were built with Birch Ply had V30s built more robust and the Artisan cabs were even hand wired but it seems the series one and Artisan cabs have been discontinued
Great tones, poor reliability. At least that’s been my brief experience with Blackstar and from what I’ve picked up from others about their similar experiences.
Sorry, but via the tube it sounds like other Blackstars I've tried in shops... it seems a bit " black and white" sounding; cross-hatching and shading to the enth degree, but lacking in character or colour to me,... a bit soul-less.
Nice amp, but Blackstar dropped the ball on their cabs. They look amazing with their old school looks, but they're sold at well... Not too affordable prices while they're made from cheap MDF and not so good speakers. They should have went a little further and made them from birch plywood and gone for a better quality speaker. I could get away with the not so good speaker since they can be replaced, but... ... C'mon, Blackstar. Orange still have a birchwood 4x12 at a really good price.
Have you not watched any of hennings other videos? He’s usually pretty transparent if he has objections or criticism in the past. Oh wait, you’re a Trump supporter so you have a one-track mind.
My Mini Rec and JJ Jr has some cheap ass components as well. China made amps are made out of the same shit as the ones in Europe and the States. My JJ has shockingly cheap parts in it.
Kudos to Blackstar... This may well be the next Amp I purchase... I'll be sending back the Marshall Origin 20 watt head ...
Get it ! You won't regret it !
That amp is just great! 🔥 We had a ton of fun using it at Gear Street! 🤘
I must say, I own 2 smaller, 5 W black stars and I love them. I have worked on through an effects panel and have a stereo output. The cost of these ants was unbelievable. That's why everybody bought one. Unless you are really critical, there is nothing wrong with black star.Nothing that a petal can't care
I got a mkII -like new- when covid struck. Guy lost his job, i got it for $400 with optional 5 button footswitch. More versatile than my marshall that now collects dust. awesome amp- get one!!
Awesome intro! I own 3 different Blackstar combo tube amps and all of them have fantastic tones. Great sounding amps without the through the roof price tag. Another great feature of Blackstar amps is the emulated headphone out that sounds terrific.
I love my little Blackstar amps and if I was gigging I would definitely buy one of these.
This sounds amazing. You can always tell when Henning likes the amp by his facial expressions when he’s rockin’ out! Great demo! 🤘Do they do a 50 watt version?
You're a really great guitar player Henning. Happy new year :)
My favourite guitar, my favourite delay and my favourite studio. Oh and a guitar the colour of Carsten’s spandex. Oh love the amp too!
Definitely an amp I'm considering, even over the mt100, but that amp is pretty amazing so I may save my pennies
I been thinking about this Amp I bought the EVH Iconic head a year and a half ago no problem with mine it's been fun,now this bad boy is same price point 1000.00$ affordable, Doug Aldridge is using these heads and cabs on Dead Daisies on going tour ,anyway might be a good buy .🎸🤘🍻
Yesssssssss, I do love "I am human" ! Great review that gives me envy to test that amp
I've owned one of these for a few weeks now and have already noticed a few issues nobody has seemed to address.. yet. The primary issue being, the Cabrig presets are not going to sound exactly the same from day to day because, first of all, you have to realize this is a tube/sim hybrid amp, so even with proper voltage regulation, things are still not going to sound the same every time you turn the amp off for awhile, then switch it back on. This is because specific tubes will cause frequencies to 'drift' off target, which causes a consistency issue when dialing in a Cabrig preset you might like. I also noticed a heat related grounding issue before the amp becomes fully active, but somewhat cures itself after about 2 hours after warming up. This means you may notice a higher noise floor for about the first 2 hours of heating up. After that, the noise drops about 3 to 6 decibels, which seems to be part of the design, so even with a voltage regulator, how it will sound somewhat depends on 1. How long the amp has been running and 2. The voltage coming from your wall socket. Lastly, if you use a poor quality cable or a longer SPDIF cable, I can confirm this will also contribute to an inconsistent frequency drift.
This all sounds like ferry magic to me and the bit about the SPDIF cable makes no sense because the amp doesn’t have a digital out.
@@EytschPi42- Well, if you're picky about having a specific tone (especially when recording), then that "fairy magic" is going to apply because things are not going to sound the same from day to day, which means there will be a lack of consistency. Anyone who's owned a tube amp knows they never sound exactly the same every time you turn it off and then on again. Original Peavey 5150 and VTM amps are notorious for that. That's why we have 'tone chasers'. Even Van Halen tried to control it using a variac. As for the SPDIF thing, if you're using the Cabrig output to go into a high quality preamp/EQ that has analog to digital conversion, it will likely have SPDIF on it as well, which only compounds the issue concerning voltage/frequency drift coming from this Blackstar. That was partially my point concerning the issues that will inevitably arise when combining a tube amp and a digital sim together. The problem goes together like polarized peanut butter and jelly. Frequency (tone) drift = Lack of consistency.
10:30 so basically this makes this amp look like to be based on a Peavey Valveking VK100 😅which was a very underrated amp, and now has extra options with the DI out and all sorts which the VK didn't have. You sold it to me right there, as I'm a fan of the VK. I guess what it does is in one position all the signal is pumped through all 4 of the power amp tubes and in the other extreme it's just two - getting more power and drives them to the edge.
Blackstar doesn't just make good amps for the price, they make great amps period. They are good clean AND good dirty and its hard to really find a better amp (especially at that price point) that can do both clean and dirty as well. Normally its one or the other.
That shirt & guitar go great together , that’s a very pink guitar,the amp & that guitar seem to be a perfect match
Killer amps with tons of spec for the money too
Herring!
Your Monty Python shirt (the one with pink donuts) almost got me tripping 😂
Nice amp.and video. 👍
I swear Henning's songs sound like straight outta an 80s movie soundtrack! 😂 Great stuff!
You have an inordinate amount of nice sweaters .. that amp is badass and that song is an effing banger .. well done all . Your house and studio are also the schizz .
Thanks and thanks and thanks
Came for the song, spend all the fun money this year already on something totally not guitar related and not regretting it even a single second. Still feels odd to not grab at least one Neural DSP Plugin during Black Friday.
Still, great song so it MUST be a great amp.
I wasn't liking this at first because it sounded too dark for a Strat style guitar. Then you clicked the green thing and it was better. THEN when you clicked the voicy thing IT GOT REALLY GOOD! I'm not a pro and will never need something like this; but I'm glad that Blackstar is improving their sound. If only they would make this in a 5 watt combo amp for a equally low price. Their HT 1 and HT 5 cost WAY TOO MUCH!
Lesson learned: always click all the things!
Blackstar ht1 and ht5 aren’t to high there’s just a lot of people that expect a tube amp for the price of a katana. When they don’t get it they go online and say bad things about Blackstar and people listen to them rather than ignore them. I own a Blackstar ht1 MKII, ht20 MKII, ht5c and the first thing I done with each was put JJ tubes and a new quality speaker in and then I use a tube screamer mini to boost the amp and crank the bass, middle and treble on the amp and put an equalizer in the effects loop and they sound like an amp that cost twice what I have in the amp and pedals. 🤘
@@gwhiz3708The Stage Right amps sound great and cost a lot less. The same goes for the Joyo Sweet Baby 5 watt amp. Many of the Blackstar amps only have tube output stages, or maybe it is the other way around. They are really hybrid amps with solid state tone shaping.
@@MrMoneyHelper I know they’re hybrid amps but they get tremendous tube tone at a great price. They aren’t overpriced as you stated and there is no way I would buy the generic amps you mentioned when I can get a Blackstar . What are you talking about anyway? You said you would buy a ht1 or ht5 if they would lower the price and now you’re talking about they’re hybrid amps. Like I said people like you go online and talk bad about Blackstar because you can’t afford one! So rock on monoprice! You and your joyo junk! HA!
that shirt screams rock and roll baby.
That is the best hoodie in the history of time!!!!! The world needs more donuts. Make donuts, not war!
Finaly Ibanez gets some love❤😁. Great playing😎👍
Nice intro song. All you right? Great amp too!
5:41 Why does it only have two preamp tubes? Is it another hybrid like the old ones? I am also saddened that there is no midi. This is a very good video, BTW.
No midi is a bummer! But a versatile great sounding amp!
I'm curious as to why so few, if any, guitar amps have a "Low Cut" switch that cuts out everything below 100Hz (or 90 whatever) since that is basically what you'd need to, should, do if you play with bass & drums in a live setting. Doing it in the mixer does not help the stage situation.
The clean channel is super
@5:42 OH DEAR LORD !
Great video I watched it 2X man might be my barffday 😂present in January the big 63 🎉😢🤘🎸🍻🖖😈😀
Is there a tone difference between HT MKII and MKIII ? I sold my HT50MKII years ago but now I'm curious of having the amp again now with Cabrig probably become more interesting
7:51 very cool. Well as cool as a hundred watter can run anyways. Hot tube power!!!!
hot TUB power :)
@EytschPi42 Henning, i'm raging that i didn't see this review before i pushed the button on a Hughes&Kettner Grandmeister 40 deluxe head and matching 2x12 cab from Thomann. I'm a blackstar user for 10 years (Series One combo and St James combo) which i have loved but i need a dedicated third channel and i did consider this head but the weight of it turned me off it, hence the purchase of the H&K head (It's still in transit from Thomann but hope to have it this week). I also saw your review of the H&K head (late also) and notice that you weren't crazy on it so i'm already having doubts about how it's gonna sound. I can i suppose return the H&K head if i don't like it but they don't have this Blackstar head in stock. What's your opinion on the Blackstar cabs? Celestion 70/80 speakers in this one i think so i might keep the H&K cab (it has celestion V 30's)
That's crazy! 😮😎🤘🎸🐦
Tbh i don't think the price itself is that amazing, it's a pretty ordinary "entry level big amp price".
The features are nice and it may sound good but for instance Marshall DSL100 is even cheaper and not bad either, or Engl Fireball 100 is just a little more expensive new (or even much cheaper if you buy used in the EU, there's the real prices you won't believe).
Of course the right choice always depends on sound taste and feature needs.
not 6l6 there el34s
Sounds really great. A pity I already have so many amps, *sigh* 🙂 Ah. And the looks... classic, rocking, stylish B L A C K. Yeah, baby.
They certainly look like EL34's , but they sound like 6L6's. Maybe they're 6C87's?
I think some of your marbles are rolling around on the floor , you seem to be having loads of fun with this amp , you can’t hide it 👍
why is it still not broadly available in Germany?? still only Kirstein.
No idea
Impresive.
Skinny 6l6s, are you sure that’s not an EL 34 model?
My thoughts exactly.
Full of opp amps!
🔥🔥🔥
Overdrive channel sounds quite fizzy to me. Is this all tube or a hybrid unit ?
all tube
Blackstar deserves more attention from the market.
Thomann Link doesn't work
Dude, party up.
they make great budget amps and terrible cabs. Put these through an orange or mesa cab and youll be shocked at how good they sound.
Never tried orange but mesa is KILLER. Makes almost anything sound good
@@jimmyjames7946 Oranges sound amazing but never tried one without the Orange amp. Used to be popular for recording back in the day (Jimmy Page used a small Orange on several albums, Marshall live).
It's not just the Quality of the cabs that is terrible It's also the terrible speaker choices . You either get Blackstar designed speakers or Celestion 70/80 speakers. The cabs would sound alot better with better Quality speakers like V30s or Greenbacks or something like a WGS invader or WGS Reapers .
Blackstar was building Quality cabs for awhile with the Series one cabs and Artisan cabs. They were built with Birch Ply had V30s built more robust and the Artisan cabs were even hand wired but it seems the series one and Artisan cabs have been discontinued
EL34's - Come on man!
It can also accommodate 6L6s.
Great tones, poor reliability. At least that’s been my brief experience with Blackstar and from what I’ve picked up from others about their similar experiences.
EL34s NOT 6L6s
A piece of chewing gum over the little seam on the front & it’ I’ll be fine😂
No midi?
no
Sorry, but via the tube it sounds like other Blackstars I've tried in shops... it seems a bit " black and white" sounding; cross-hatching and shading to the enth degree, but lacking in character or colour to me,... a bit soul-less.
really not
I always feel insulted when the clean channel has less than 3-way tone controls.
Tolex seam? Get a black marker pen. Gone!
I want "Shut the fuck up. Play music" on a t shirt
Still no IRs huh, sigh.
The people demanding midi for "switching cabs" .. that idea is so dumb for live. Your sound engineer will hate you.
Nice amp, but Blackstar dropped the ball on their cabs. They look amazing with their old school looks, but they're sold at well... Not too affordable prices while they're made from cheap MDF and not so good speakers.
They should have went a little further and made them from birch plywood and gone for a better quality speaker. I could get away with the not so good speaker since they can be replaced, but...
... C'mon, Blackstar. Orange still have a birchwood 4x12 at a really good price.
His shirt is full of holes, Donut holes .........
Not impressed.
WTF!!!! You get paid for working?!?!?! HOW DARE YOU!!!! 🙂
Sorry
@@EytschPi42 I should think so too! Just stop it! 🤣
You're only saying all of this for the money. And I'm going to vote for Trump next year. 😂
Have you not watched any of hennings other videos? He’s usually pretty transparent if he has objections or criticism in the past. Oh wait, you’re a Trump supporter so you have a one-track mind.
Made in China. So... same as the EVH Iconic. China.
My Mini Rec and JJ Jr has some cheap ass components as well. China made amps are made out of the same shit as the ones in Europe and the States. My JJ has shockingly cheap parts in it.