Search for the ultimate bedroom tube amp may be over?

[emperor_black]

Blackstar HT-5!

If you havent tried this little giant out, you should! I got it in brand new condition for $260. High gain enough for playing metal. Throw in a EQ pedal and scoop it out for great nu metal tones. Ultra low bedroom volumes and still does not sound sterile or stiff. I'm really contemplating on getting a combo to play in the family room while watching tv.

it also has a headphone out which mutes the speaker. but a load has to be connected at all times mind you. the headphone even emulates very well a 1x12 or a 4x12.

The shared EQ is not a good thing because the clean channel suffers if you have warm sounding OD setting. But it can get very marshally glassy clean sounds and really fat thick Zack Wylde type metal tones. Its not as bright sounding as a rectifier or ENGL. But it does Marshall and Mesa tones very well. I've got a MK IV sitting right next to it for comparison.

Most important, the preamp tube that comes stock sucks balls. I think its a low gain sovtek or something. I changed it out for another sovtek that I had lying around and it really brings the amp to life. Supposedly, the tungsol's are the best for this amp.

its loud for a home/bedroom but I dont think it can last in front of a drummer. I did dime the volume and its not loud enough. But the ISF really can give you infinite variations in sound.

[DonP]

Sounds cool. For some reason, I always see these in GC but haven't tried one out yet. Like the Egnater Rebel 20 when it came out, but it's a bit more money (like double).

[toxikdeth]

I love those amps. I've played them a couple times at guitar center

[bibz]

Yep these little guys rock

[mjtripper]

I just picked one up as well and it does make a really good practice amp. The combo version is small and light, which really helps in my space challenged area.

[markD]

i haven't tried one yet but i want to. for me the ultimate bedroom tube amp has always been the boogie MKIV. i like it better at bedroom volumes than cranked up...but it is MEGA expensive compared to the blackstar!!!

[tonemonster]

Looks damn cool. I wasnt aware of these amps. I need one like I need a hole in the head, but I would like to try one.

[skorb]

yeah that looks really nice. and it sounds cool what they did to make it a specific low volume tube amp.

but I already have the microcube, which suits well enough.

[emperor_black]

Well, with a solid state, I lose the feel of a tube amp. I was trying to learn a Lamb of God song. The parts I could do very easily on a spider, I was messing up left and right on my tube amps. I've mostly stopped playing on the spider and I'm learning the song faster and its more precise.

[toxikdeth]

i haven't tried one yet but i want to. for me the ultimate bedroom tube amp has always been the boogie MKIV. i like it better at bedroom volumes than cranked up...but it is MEGA expensive compared to the blackstar!!!

Thats interesting when I was amp shopping everybody told me that mkiv's needed to be ridiculously loud to not sounds like crap

[emperor_black]

Some people find the MK IV very hard to dial in. The issue really is that the Mark's are not like other amps. You're supposed to dial with your ears and not your eyes. For example, the gain goes up, you have to dial the bass down. I have mine set at 3 and some people say go to 0. This might sound very weird when compared to traditional amps like say Marshall or Peavey.

The GEQ is amazing and very very sensitive. I've got it output (master) at near bedroom levels and have also turned it up to 6. People who own a MK IV will tell you that's enough volume to kill a baby. It sounds great at all volumes. But different volumes does warrant eq/GEQ changes. Enough! I'll stop typing.