Blackstar v. Marshall

[Seshmeister]

Anyone done a direct comparison?

Also has anyone tried the new Marshall MG things? Are they like the Valvestates or are they any good?

About to put my Marshall DSL in for repair and may have to replace it.

[jhale667]

Haven't tried a Blackstar, but I can tell you I was un-impressed with the Marshall MG I tried. I'd suggest checking out a VM over that if you're looking at Marshalls.

[Seshmeister]

Surprised to see that my DSL401 has actually gone up in price since I bought it, now going for $1000 here so probably will be worth getting repaired.

I'm ashamed to say for the last few years I've just been using a pod into the PA for jams out of sheer laziness but getting back in the saddle again and looking around these Blackstar things are everywhere.

[indeedido]

I like the Blackstars. They got some good things going on. They have a lot of models for every price range. The studio series is pretty cool too.

[jhale667]

I like the Blackstars. They got some good things going on. They have a lot of models for every price range. The studio series is pretty cool too.

Maybe if their top celebrity endorsee was someone besides Gus G....

[jhale667]

I like the Blackstars. They got some good things going on. They have a lot of models for every price range. The studio series is pretty cool too.

Maybe if their top celebrity endorsee was someone besides Gus G....

[Coyote]

Given the clips I've heard (youtube), they sound decent...

[Seshmeister]

Maybe if their top celebrity endorsee was someone besides Gus G....

I don't pay much heed to endorsements.

I know this is stating the obvious but they are paid for them. Does Zack Wylde not endorse Epiphone? Who would possibly want an Epiphone when they could afford better?

[Seshmeister]

Given the clips I've heard (youtube), they sound decent...

Does sound good doesn't it.

What's that hair tie near the nut on the last guitar for?

I assume it's not for his hair...

[jhale667]

Does sound good doesn't it.

What's that hair tie near the nut on the last guitar for?

I assume it's not for his hair...

Some dudes throw hair ties behind the nut as inexpensive string mutes...blocks extraneous string noise.

That amp doesn't sound bad...

[chefcraig]

Some dudes throw hair ties behind the nut as inexpensive string mutes...blocks extraneous string noise.

They are also a damned sight cheaper than the absurdly priced 90 dollar ones this bonehead tried to foist on the market:

The MAB String Dampener

You can hear them in action during this stunning clip...

[Diamondjimi]

[Seshmeister]

They are also a damned sight cheaper than the absurdly priced 90 dollar ones this bonehead tried to foist on the market:

The MAB String Dampener

You can hear them in action during this stunning clip...

He really is a complete fucking idiot that guy.

Firstly his 'incredible' design couldn't be any more obvious but the funny thing is wondering just how much money he lost on this given it cost him at least $10k for the US patent and probably twice that to get it tooled in China.

[jhale667]

[Diamondjimi]

Batio is fan from the first to desing one of these....

CLICK....

I've tried the hair ties before. They work great. And for 5 bucks you get a whole damn bag of 'em....

[chefcraig]

I just don't get this shit. Realistically, you could simply use an old capo, a tongue depressor and a book of matches to get the same damned effect. Why people believe they have to over-engineer stuff is beyond me.

[jhale667]

Batio is fan from the first to desing one of these....

CLICK....

I've tried the hair ties before. They work great. And for 5 bucks you get a whole damn bag of 'em....

And some of us have a bag of them on hand at all times anyway...

[ashstralia]

jenny batten had one of those in the 80's!!! the 80's people!!!! and yeah, re the 'endorsement' thing.... i won a few state 'shred guitar' comps in the early 90's while working at a big guitar store. the ibanez distributor here (australis music) gave me free stuff. now if they give some no name bozo from australia free stuff???!! admittedly i did sell a lot of their guitars, and i still own a few, but.. do you think tiger woods pays for golf clubs?

edit; on topic.. i've played a couple of the blackstar amps, they are excellent. however... hands down the best amp i've ever had the pleasure of playing is.... drumroll......... the peavey jsx. mindblowing. glad i bought one before they stopped making them.

[Seshmeister]

Having to use Peavey Bandits for years in rehearsal studios in the late 80s early 90s has left me with a, no doubt now irrational, hatred of anything with Peavey written on it.

[ashstralia]

yeah, i hear ya sesh. the stigma began to dissolve for me when the vtm ones came out, and the first 5150's were pretty good imho, but the jsx... jaysus! if you ever get the chance to play one, do it. what got me was the monstrously loud and fruity clean tone... then you start exploring the gain stages... i'm not ashamed to say it's the only time in my life i've said 'i absolutely HAVE to own this $4000 amp'

the bandit is the ford cortina of guitar amps.

[Seshmeister]

The thing that used to infuriate me about the Bandit was that there were so many knobs on it you ended up with false hope wasting half an hour before every practice.

'One of these fucking knobs must make this thing sound better'.

[Seshmeister]

Just found a used one for $900 Australian although that price is a bit distorted by the strength of your currency these days.

http://www.andertons.co.uk/clearance...GoogleShopping

[ashstralia]

mine's the 120 watt 2x12 combo, i paid $2500 'cause they were offloading the old stock. the retail was 3999, but that was when the dollar was at .75 or so.

[Coyote]

I've tried the hair ties before. They work great. And for 5 bucks you get a whole damn bag of 'em....

I second that. Personally, I won't go near a blazing amp without one on the headstock...

[Seshmeister]

Does it make any difference if you have a locking nut?

[chefcraig]

No, because all you are doing is dampening the strings. There isn't enough pressure exerted (like with a rigid capo) to restrict the strings completely.

[Seshmeister]

Sorry I meant does it still dampen if behind a locking nut?

Maybe I should just go try it rather that typing on here...

[Seshmeister]

mine's the 120 watt 2x12 combo, i paid $2500 'cause they were offloading the old stock. the retail was 3999, but that was when the dollar was at .75 or so.

Oooof!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=180679757614

Peavey JSX Signature 212 Combo Joe Satriani All Tube Guitar Amplifier
rrp £1799.00

This has only had around 4 hours (max) of home use and is in perfect nick...has all the power and tone you could ever wish for.
Included in the sale is the three button switching control pedal.

Genuine reason for sale...I have been given a Blackstar Series One head and cab.

Well that's you told!

[chefcraig]

Sorry I meant does it still dampen if behind a locking nut?

Maybe I should just go try it rather that typing on here...

It remains above the nut when not in use. You pull it down to the first fret when you want to dampen the strings.

[Coyote]

Sorry I meant does it still dampen if behind a locking nut?

Maybe I should just go try it rather that typing on here...

I just do it to dampen the headstock... Fucking annoying when that area rings out like a skinny harp, especially when recording...
Not to mention the trem springs. Gotta mute those too... All in the name of controlled feedback.

[jackassrock]

Ok, back on topic.

Last year I went amp shopping. I was looking for a rig for my bar band, so I was in the 50 watts and under market. I tried many different brands and models; Egnater, Fender, Peavey, Vox, H&K, Rivera, Bugera, Marshall, and Blackstar to name a few. To be honest, the Marshall Haze was pretty weak in the sound department. The GC I was in that day had the Haze set up right next to the Bugera V22 and the Bugera sounded a whole lot better to my ears, and the dude that was with me too (but he's a bass player, so...). I was really blown away by the fact that a company with a spotty reputation at best was producing better sounding stuff than the mighty Marshall, and at half the price. The Bugera was actually going to be my choice (I was as surprised as you), until I tried a Blackstar HT40.

For $650 I ended up with a brand new 40 watt 1x12 combo with two very USABLE channels (I'm looking at you Fender and Marshall), and a good tonal palate with fairly simple controls. I've had it for about a year now and I'm still in love with it. Soon I'm gonna retube with some good quality el34's and I'll probably change out the pre tubes as well. I haven't tried it yet, but am probably gonna swap out the 70/80 for an old Celestion G1275 that I have lying around and I'll report on that too. Oh, and it sounds absolutely effing killer through my 4x12 with greenbacks.

I also have a Marshall 6101 (the blue 30th anniversary model) that has become my at home practice amp. It can sound really good, but with three channels that each has it's own eq settings it's just a little too much to deal with on the fly with a cover band, and Marshall cleans are just not that good IMO. Plus I've had major issues with this amps reliability. This was a very expensive impulse buy several years back that I regret, and I'm waiting for the economy to bounce back so I can sell it for somewhere even close to what I paid for it.

Now, that being said, I will never, ever give up my JCM800 when it comes to my original band. Nothing compares. Unfortunately, it's a one trick pony, and it's way too loud for bar gigs, but that trick is just so goddamned sweet !

[Matt White]

And some of us have a bag of them on hand at all times anyway...

Yeah...those of us WITH hair!

HA!!!

[ashstralia]

Oooof!

Well that's you told!

nah, i still love my jsx... incidentally, i used a valvestate half stack for years with no probs at all. the tone comes from your hands first after all.

[Coyote]

Also has anyone tried the new Marshall MG things? Are they like the Valvestates or are they any good?

I always thought MG's were Valvestates re-named...

[Nitro Express]

Having to use Peavey Bandits for years in rehearsal studios in the late 80s early 90s has left me with a, no doubt now irrational, hatred of anything with Peavey written on it.

They were built like a brick shit house though. I never heard of one breaking. I will say one thing about Peavey gear, it doesn't break. A lot of their new stuff is pretty damn good for the money you are paying. The one thing you do have to do with Peavey amps is play with the knobs. A little tweak especially in the EQ will totally change the sound. A little tweak can take you from shit to brilliant and back to shit again. Marshalls are less touchy.

[ashstralia]

I always thought MG's were Valvestates re-named...

the original valvestate amps are really good. quality joinery good speakers and stuff.

[jackassrock]

the original valvestate amps are really good. quality joinery good speakers and stuff.

Yet still lacking in dynamic, like any solid state amp.

This dynamic effect went completely unnoticed by me for over 20 years of playing loud aggressive rock. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I truly got it. It's when you're trying to control the dynamic of your playing that it really becomes evident. With a good tube amp the sound just responds differently than getting loud or quiet, there's a different sound for every way you go at the strings. It actually cleans up a bit if you pick lightly, and get's louder and punchier as you add more bite to your attack. Dynamic folks, it's real !

Same goes for pickups. I've been touting the EMG 81 for so long that I almost feel like an endorsee (my wallet says different), and I wouldn't go any other way for the original band that is super amped up rock. It just sounds massive, but I tried my main LP for a different gig (much quieter gig) last week and it just didn't work for that application. I put it down for a LP special with some old Lawrences in it. It worked much better for what I was doing. Not nearly as compressed or maybe even "choked" sounding when I was trying to be subtle.

Anyhow, I've never met a SS amp that gave the same response as a decent tube amp. I mean, if you took the best of the best SS and paired it up with the worst of the tubies you might have a debate, but I'll put my Blackstar up against any transistor amp any day of the week and it just won't be a contest.

[Coyote]

I've had good experiences with Marshalls AVT series... tube preamp, solidstate output.

[Reverberator]

I have had my 1997 marshall vs 100 valvestate for a few years and must admit it's not bad at all .... but it's been rendered virtually redundant now because of the Hiwatt.

[jhale667]

I'm a tube snob, I admit it...the only thing I'll use digital for is recording, as there are some usable sounds in that realm... but live I don't want to go near a solid-state amp. Totally agree with Jackassrock's dynamics assessment too...they don't REACT the same as a tube amp, no matter how good SS gets, it still can't cop that aspect of tone.