Amplifier Mistake (Blackstar)

ICBM

I do have nearly complete faith in them, but I'd still take a backup *solution* of some sort - not necessarily a spare amp. I prefer to rely on the idea of going through the PA if all else fails - it's not ideal but it's the least gear to carry to cover you. So to do that you need some sort of preamp pedal with speaker emulation, or just a speaker emulator to run your pedal overdrive through - you're covered for that bit already.

If you're planning to use the Blackstar speakers with a backup head, make *certain* the cables will reach first! If they don't, you'll need an extension anyway so by far the best option is a series splitter, so you can run both speakers, which will reduce the power of the backup amp you need.

There's nothing in a Boss BCB other than cables, by the way!

thomasross20

Maybe you should get one - big discounts over at thomman on Blackstar ID series

ICBM

I might have done if you'd wanted to swap me for the R&R and the Montage .

I am quite interested in them, but I just don't need one. I have two perfectly good amps already! OK, each of them weighs twice as much as the ID260, but I'm used to it .

I'm still a little reluctant to move away from technology I know I can fix myself, too - even on stage, which is why I don't take a backup amp. (It's its own backup to a very large extent since it has so many duplicated parts and functions.) And it's a long time since I've used an amp live anyway... mostly I play bass or acoustic these days.

thomasross20

I was referring to Emp, but maybe you too I guess

How does a series splitter work and any wouldn't the cables reach? Just get longer cables lol?

Ah, thanks for the info on the bcb60...! So I just need a spare adapter if I'm being paranoid.

Montage did look good, remember I checked it out. Wow, you have some heavy amps..!

ThePrettyDamned

thomasross20 said:

I was referring to Emp, but maybe you too I guess

How does a series splitter work and any wouldn't the cables reach? Just get longer cables lol?

Ah, thanks for the info on the bcb60...! So I just need a spare adapter if I'm being paranoid.

Montage did look good, remember I checked it out. Wow, you have some heavy amps..!

@ICBM doesn't use an amp, he actually uses a planet with two speakers in called a Trem-O-Verb. 

Sometimes, he uses two...

Jalapeno

thomasross20 said:

Jal quite likes the lunchboxes too - in time I'll check it out

Just uber-convenient for backup, 200w in a small box.  I totally agree ^^^^^^ the internal speaker sounds meh.

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

How does a series splitter work and any wouldn't the cables reach? Just get longer cables lol?

Try pulling the two speaker cables in your amp and see if they would reach a head sitting on top of it . They might, I don't know… but they rarely do on combos.

If they don't, you will need an extension. You can either do this with a special cable with a plug on one and and a socket on the other - to run just one speaker - or if you want to connect both speakers, a splitter box with a cable attached to it… and if you're going to do that, make it one where the speaker outputs are in series, so you can use both speakers with any amp and kill two birds with one stone! (I can make you one, if you don't know how to find one otherwise! - they're rare.)

thomasross20 said:

Wow, you have some heavy amps..!

Yes. 45Kg each. Now *that's* a heavy amp… but in fact, I can lift them on my own. It's not a casual lift, it's something you have to think about and be careful with, but it is manageable, even up stairs. They're quite compact (only very slightly larger than the ID260 I think) and have good handles and wheels. I love the sound of them so much that I can live with it, anyway.

To be honest, one is in the shop at the moment, but since no-one seems to want to buy it even at the low price the seem to go for, and I have got through my recent gear-money crisis, I'm highly tempted to get it back and do something more creative with one of them, like radically different speakers...

thomasross20

ICBM... I'll have to follow up on that at some point. I'll definitely be re-visiting this thread so I can remind myself to do that. I don't think the cables are long enough, you're right...

thomasross20

UPDATE!

I got a reply from Blackstar in response to some questions. They confirmed you can get sound out of the amp if FX loop is on but not used (as I confirmed) and confirmed it's safe to short FX in and out. 

I asked about making smaller heads but they say there are no plans for that as the 100W head is designed to fit onto the ID:412 cabinet. They're not ruling out future development of a smaller ID head though...

I also suggested a new footswitch with TWO rows of switches... one for patches and one for FX and they said they're putting this idea forward to their design team. 

ICBM

thomasross20 said:

They're not ruling out future development of a smaller ID head though…

Interesting!

You could always get a cabinet builder to just make a new box for the ID60 head, anyway. That would be quite small.

Or better, buy an ID60 combo and have it converted into a head, and get an empty Montage cab - that way you get the 4-ohm speaker to put in it as well.

EricTheWeary

Biggest trend in guitar amps in the last few years? I'd say lunchbox heads. Biggest selling valve amp in the USA ? Tubemeister 18- that's a lunchbox head BTW Blackstar. It's almost perverse that when launching a new line Blackstar didn't do a lunchbox version especially when the full size version is more air than components.

thomasross20

If they ever do an ID lunch box head I'm selling the 260 and getting it

RaymondLin

Everybody is at the lunchbox head thing now.

Suhr with the Corso. Mesa with the MarkV 25 and TA-15, Bogner with the Atma, Marshall with all their 1 Watters.  Blackstar too have lunchbox heads with the HT-1 and HT-5.

I think they are great and not a phase and is here to stay.  Not everyone plays huge venues and with a lot of venues having mics it makes sense to have an amp like that that you can carry with 1 hand, can record with and play in front of a small audience.  Granted some does it better than others.