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Blackstar Amplification Club
- Thread starter Daniel Piper
- Start date
Yeah so took it in today, worked find on a U30 running it (guess too low powered), swapped out a fresh XLR and power lead, brought it home, same problem. Gargh, so it will be returned tomorrow. Zero stock till Nov now... pretty gutted TBH, been hanging out to run this stack for a long time. Maybe time to go back to the drawing board....
Damn!!!!
I think it sounds like a problem with the cleaning send on the 210, not the 115.
Possibly. But would be weird if thats the case as the 210 was BNIB. Either way, still means i need to schlep it back in again....
That sucks man- sorry to hear it.
So gutting when gear fails- especially new gear. A couple years back I had a new gk amp and a new Mesa cab go bad at the same time. Gutting
Just received the "new"(shop 2nd) model replacement and it farts louder than my dead gran on higher register notes, yes playing clean with cloth cover removed, 100% faulty cone. Man I'm done with this brand aye, going in for a refund after lugging this in to the shop for the 4th time! Guna chuck in a few more $$ and go Darkglass AO and a back on the hunt for a new lightweight speaker set.
Sooo if anyone is on the hunt for a Set of Blackstar Hot-covers for the Unity 500 and ACT 250 with custom big pockets big enough to house all ya fixings, Hit me up up a PM and I'll hook you up a mad under cost deal (since it has my initials on it!)
*dusts hands in anger*
Must be beer oclock....
D’oh! Sorry to hear it. They do the best micro amps, but it sounds like I will have to try before I buy with anything bigger.
I've been rocking a Roland Cube 30 bass for my practice amp for a while now and love it. But yeah. Hope i'm the only one with these issues....
Aaahhhhhhh sheeeeeeeeeeeet sorry man! That sucks so bad. Yip take that stuff back.
The AO900 is a monster. Their cabs would probably be the heaviest cans around at the moment though.
Music planet has some good deals going on their Aguilar gear too- could be worth looking into
The Mesa subway line is being pushed hard by the rock shop, and while they are amazing, they are also so so expensive aye.
Yeah, back to the drawing board bro. Considering the AO900 costs as much as I paid for the entire Blackstar setup, i wont be rushing out to get anything too flash to start. Maybe a 2x2x10 setup, like I was originally planning. If i had immediate Mesa or Aggie $ i'd be rocking bareface by now!
** Update! Final swap out (which i've only had the ability to test today) seems ok, still a bit rattly at higher volumes, but time will tell if that is the speaker or my windows, yet to jam with my guitarist. We'll see if it holds it's own. Pretty hard to dial in overdriven tones without peaking out volume on clean or dirty. Any tips or tricks there Dan? First really drive today though, i'm sure i'll get the hang of Gain/drive/master. Running it on Modern 6L6 with an active bass....
Yeah mate! Back in this!
The overdrive section (annoyingly) uses the input gain as its gain. This is the designs biggest drawback IMO.
I run input gain lower than I usually would, and the output section higher than I usually would.
Lower input gain is your friend.
The overdrive is subtle and I treat it more like a boost. For dirt purposes, it’s not that useful. I use the distortion for my overdriven filth. With the input gain lower, you minimise the volume boost when you kick it on.
Glad you are still in the fold- did you get to play it over the weekend?
Unity rig has been awesome the last couple of weekends- the 115 ext with the 210 combo is a really nice setup.
I definitely have to dial back the lows a touch to keep them under control- as someone else posted recently- these are quite ‘tubey’ in their sag/feel given the right settings.
I’ve got a new (to me) stingray arriving soon, I am looking forward to seeing how it handles the cut and aggression of a ‘ray!
I definitely have to dial back the lows a touch to keep them under control- as someone else posted recently- these are quite ‘tubey’ in their sag/feel given the right settings.
I’ve got a new (to me) stingray arriving soon, I am looking forward to seeing how it handles the cut and aggression of a ‘ray!
I have a Blackstar Fly Bass, does that qualify me for a number? It's tiny and tinny, but it does what it's supposed to, and has some fun sounds.
On the U500 + U250ACT setup, the already deep rich tone of the U500 is deepened considerably by the U250. I have to slim the bass down a smidge, depending on the room.
The U500 has more upper mid articulation, which is my cup of tea.
I still love the chorus, but my oc-2 and dirt pedals carry octave and distortion duty.
I have an effectrode pc-2a that evens the input signal, giving a tube feel, while I leave the compressor on the amp on, because I like the snap it brings to the higher frequencies.
Ironically, I don’t consider my tone overly compressed. The compressor on the amp is really good!
I am currently enjoying the ‘flat’ preamp voice into the 6550 output section.
Cheers!
The U500 has more upper mid articulation, which is my cup of tea.
I still love the chorus, but my oc-2 and dirt pedals carry octave and distortion duty.
I have an effectrode pc-2a that evens the input signal, giving a tube feel, while I leave the compressor on the amp on, because I like the snap it brings to the higher frequencies.
Ironically, I don’t consider my tone overly compressed. The compressor on the amp is really good!
I am currently enjoying the ‘flat’ preamp voice into the 6550 output section.
Cheers!
I'm out in Vietnam. Until the beginning of this year, Blackstar wasn't available as far as I can tell (I got my Bass Fl3 pair from Thomann), but then found the main music chain here started stocking Blackstar.
The biggest Blackstar in Vietnam is the Unity 120. Has anyone tried this. I can find nothing online that review this one alone, and it's the only one with a 12". I've never played out, and if I ever did it's going to be in small bars.
Just got back from a viset in the UK, and had play on my friend's MarkBass 2x10. After reading some of the troubles here, and knowing getting support in Vietnam is going to be a nightmare, not to mention the manger of the local branch of the music store is a bit mental to deal with, I'm wary to invest in the Unity 120. I'm thinking I should go for something like the Markbass mini 121 (12"). I read about people liking these Combo for getting in and out of cars, but for me transport in a Honda Bike, as you'd imagine in Vietnam.
Some Blackstar Stockist such have Thomann seemed to have reduced there range, making me wonder if that's why these are appearing in Vietnam.
The biggest Blackstar in Vietnam is the Unity 120. Has anyone tried this. I can find nothing online that review this one alone, and it's the only one with a 12". I've never played out, and if I ever did it's going to be in small bars.
Just got back from a viset in the UK, and had play on my friend's MarkBass 2x10. After reading some of the troubles here, and knowing getting support in Vietnam is going to be a nightmare, not to mention the manger of the local branch of the music store is a bit mental to deal with, I'm wary to invest in the Unity 120. I'm thinking I should go for something like the Markbass mini 121 (12"). I read about people liking these Combo for getting in and out of cars, but for me transport in a Honda Bike, as you'd imagine in Vietnam.
Some Blackstar Stockist such have Thomann seemed to have reduced there range, making me wonder if that's why these are appearing in Vietnam.
I've also noticed Unity models disappearing from stores (well I only really knew Thomann and one local shop carrying them). Blackstar recently launched the Silverface guitar amp line so I am kind of wondering if they are planning something similar for bass or if they decided the bass amps did not sell that much and are gradually phasing out of bass completely...
I really wanted to have fiath in the Unity range, but way too many niggles from purchasers on Talkbass. So decided on the Markbass, but with 60euro shipping, I'm waiting for the TC-MojoMojo to come into stock.
Then I saw the Silverline 50W, which I fancy in the future for my Guitars. In a way the Unity range seems their bass version of the Siverline, but if they are running down stock to release a new range, I've got about 2 months for that to be anounced. The Markbass and TC Mojo should be in time for my next birthday.
I do wonder if the are having QC issues on Unity range, hence some stock issues.
Blackstar Unity Combos and Powered Cabinets
Blackstar Unity U500 500w 2x10 combo and U250ACT 250w 1x15 active extension cab.
Then I saw the Silverline 50W, which I fancy in the future for my Guitars. In a way the Unity range seems their bass version of the Siverline, but if they are running down stock to release a new range, I've got about 2 months for that to be anounced. The Markbass and TC Mojo should be in time for my next birthday.
I do wonder if the are having QC issues on Unity range, hence some stock issues.
Hey! I want a club member #
The first unit had something wrong with the footswitch and DI but it sounded great so I gig'd with it anyways. I just received the replacement and was happy to see that there was no problem with it!
Blackstar Unity Combos and Powered Cabinets
Blackstar Unity U500 500w 2x10 combo and U250ACT 250w 1x15 active extension cab.
It’s a damn shame so many users have had issues- my U500 + U250ACT rig has been flawless.
Quite a few more gigs under its belt, I really like my ray through the rig- added articulation is fabulous.
Quite a few more gigs under its belt, I really like my ray through the rig- added articulation is fabulous.
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