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Looking for a small Practice amp, revisited Blackstar

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  • Looking for a small Practice amp, revisited Blackstar

    Hello all,
    I'm looking around for a small practice amp that I can plug into and go if I choose or break out the GT100 and use the 4 cable method on it.My Krank is just to damn powerful at 100 watts for home practice use and I feel I'm just wasting money replacing tubes on it as it eats Power amp tubes pretty fast.
    I tried out the Peavey 6505+ 1 x 12 combo but the cleans are not for me and that amp sound amazingly compressed.
    Yesterday my daughter had to go cloth shopping and she wanted to go the Frankin Mills mall which is where Sam Ash Music store is. So I was way into taking her so I could stop in Sam Ash and look around.
    Well I was checking out all the small amps and the Manager who sold me my Jackson SL3 back in 2006 told me about the kick ass Backstair HT5R which has a 12 inch speaker and 5 watts of power, effects loop , clean and OD channel and single foot switch and away you go. He also said Iron Maiden was using these amps for Studio recording work.
    I didn't care for Backstar the few times I have plugged into one but for the sheer hell of it why not. I used a Wolfgang Guitar in satin Black with a D Tuna on the floyd and started out with the clean channel. This is very usable Clean channel even with my High standards measuring everything to my Kranks Fender like cleans. it's amazingly basic in it just has a Tone knob but to my surprise I liked the different tones I was able to get out of it.
    The OD channel has from Classic rock blues type OD up to rip your face off Metal tones. Pretty damn versatile channel if you ask me. The mid range thickness is very attractive as it's a very nice solid bite. The ISF knob works wonders from American Tones to British Marshall like tones. It's really cool to be able to dial in a mix of the 2 and really get creative.
    This amp has some kind of reverb that actually isn't bad. Again my high standards in Fender amps this Reverb is very respectable and usable.
    At 5 watts this things still gets pretty damn loud. I wouldn't say Gig loud but it gets plenty loud to rock out at home. And the biggest thing to me is the lower volume setting so I can practice at home and not disturb my entire house and all the people in my neighborhood.

    I'm gonna try out a few other small amps, maybe check out a few of the Micro Heads as I kinda dig the mini stacks. But for the money I think this thing is going to be very hard to beat. Blackstar just re earned my respect with this little badass amp. Maybe I'll have to reconsider and check out the big boys and see if I can find my tone with one of their bigger amps.

  • #2
    Yamaha THR10X. If I were to buy any small practice amp right now, hands down the only one I would consider is the Yamaha. Check out some vids and read the reviews. It's pretty much the best thing out there right now.
    The 2nd Amendment: America's Original Homeland Defense.

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    • #3


      The THR10X kicks ass.

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      • #4
        Or...go balls to the wall.

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        • #5
          I have a Yamaha THR5 and really like it.
          JB aka BenoA

          Clips and other tunes by BenoA / My Soundcloud page / My YouTube page
          Guitar And Sound (GAS) forum / Boss Katana Amps FB group

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          • #6
            A really good small combo are the crate tube V series, like v8, v15 ect... or if you have a little more to spend get a line 6 DT25, these are pretty damn good.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by DRM View Post
              Or...go balls to the wall.

              I didn't even know Marshall was making a Mini JVM head, that RULES MAN!!!! Love it

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              • #8
                1 watt of all tube, high gain goodness.

                It's a JVM1H. You can find them used from time to time. They sound killer on a 4x12.

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                • #9
                  I have an Orange Dark Terror that is awesome.
                  I keep the bible in a pool of blood
                  So that none of its lies can affect me

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Tetsuo View Post
                    I have an Orange Dark Terror that is awesome.
                    I might have to revisit the Orange line.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by DRM View Post
                      1 watt of all tube, high gain goodness.

                      It's a JVM1H. You can find them used from time to time. They sound killer on a 4x12.
                      +1, the JVM1 is badd azz for home & studio recording

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                      • #12
                        Marshall DSL5C is pretty cool. And it has a button to go down to 1W. No reverb but you can get pedals cheap. I don't use an amp much but when I do use it I have a reverb pedal and an OD pedal and the DLS 5 sounds great.
                        http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steven-A.-McKay/e/B00DS0TRH6/

                        http://http://stevenamckay.wordpress.com/

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                        • #13
                          I've heard the Blackstars were very nice. All the amps mentioned sound good. But owning a JVM already, I'd probably be partial towards the 1W JVM.

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                          • #14
                            If you like the OD1 Orange and Clean Green channels, then you'll love the JVM1H. It has a great effects loop for pedals and can easily drive a 4x12 down at both a volume you can talk over and still shake the walls if you want.

                            It's very responsive to tube swaps in V1 and V2, by the way.

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                            • #15
                              Plus, even my wife thinks it's adorable stacked on its big brother.

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