Blackstar TVP 15 or Mustang 2/3?

Arktik83

So I got a bonus from work and have a little bit of disposable income, max £200 really and I fancy getting a modelling amp that you can deep edit and save your own patches etc and I'm looking at the TVP 15 or Mustang II, maybe the III.

Right now I'm more drawn to the TVP 15, I would go for a 60 if I could but they're like £400 and as my computer is right next to my amp I can just quickly edit the missing adjustors in the Insider software.

Now I just wanted peoples opinions on what they'd go for and why?  Strictly for home use, for practice and learning etc.  Maybe record a little bit but it'd be little ideas and noodles, nothing too pro.

Cheers!

longi

I picked up an ID15 a couple of weeks ago and I'm really impressed with it. I personally prefer it to the HT5 that I also have by quite a big margin. Even the the Super Crunch channel sounds like it's modelled on the HT platform I think it sounds better much less sterile sounding! I dunno why that should be but my ears just like it better. I also think it does low gain sounds really well although I don't know how it would sound in a band enviroment yet as I haven't tried it but in isolation I think it sounds very good. That said, if you put it up against a valve amp you can tell that the clean channel is solid state not digital sounding though. The drive channels sound more like a valve amp. I ab'd it against an HT20 and you can't really tell that it's solid state! Patch changes are instant and as far as I can tell there's no drop outs between patches. The reverbs are very good and I quite like the delays. The chorus I like too but I haven't tried any of the other modulations yet.

The downsides are that if you want to alter the midrange you have to do it through the Insider software which once you get used to it, it isn't so bad. You can't plug an extention speaker in either but if yuor looking to keep the amp you could mod it with a jack plate and socket etc. I'd also recommend picking up the FS10 footswitch it works very well but as is only has four buttons banking up or switching to stompbox or preset mode may be a problem for some but once you get used to it it's not so bad.
 
You can pick up used ID15's for just over a £100 on the Bay if your lucky you might get a footswitch thrown in. I've also seen ID60's go for £150 with FS10 footswitches. I haven't really got a bad thing to say about it really other than there's no midrange knob and that's not really a problem once you get used to it. I know a lot of people diss Blackstar but the ID range is well worth checking out. Personally I think it's ace and I hate solid state amps!

Just to add, even though you can use the mp3 in and speaker emu for an effects loop (I belive! Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!) I don't feel that I really need it but then I'm a meat and potatoes effects kind of guy.

Hope this helps!

samldr1984

I've an ID10 and a TVP30 and they're both great very useable practise amps. In some ways I prefer the sounds from the cheaper ID Core as the stereo speaker setup sounds big from just the two little speakers.
It's also great for plugging in a phone or something for playing along with backing tracks.

monquixote

Blackstar all day every day.

I've had a Mustang and now have an ID:Core 20 and it's way better. 

The Mustang does extremely good clean sounds, but the drive sounds are awful and it hates pedals so it's only really useful if you are strictly clean only.