This is my first Blackstar amp review in something like 10 years! If you want to see more from this range, just let me know. You can check it out using my affiliate links to different stores around the world. This video is not sponsored. 😎🎸 🛒 Sweetwater - imp.i114863.net/e4y0y1 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/3I24q4o 🛒 Sky Music - alnk.to/goXV552 🛒 Amazon UK - amzn.to/3ImUljV 🛒 Amazon AU - amzn.to/3YuWKyM 🛒 Amazon Canada - amzn.to/3YPDQlM 🛒 Amazon De - amzn.to/3K4okOO
The id core 100 2×10 amp is a bargain buster or bang for the buck. Really good sounding amp at 299.00 often can get for 249.00 to 279.00 in the US, but plenty loud and good tone as well. Great demo's.. thanks for your knowledgeable demo's friend, you rock!
@@davroshalfbeard8368that's a really great amp.. ht5 is gigable for sure. Probably have to mic or line out for loud drums or big stage, but definitely a good amp..
Personally, I think Blackstar make some fantastic amps for their price range. I bought a Katana Mk1 and a Blackstar TVP60 head at about the same time. The Blackstar head gets used all the time and it's hard to distinguish it from my Marshall JCM2000 once you spend a little time dialling in some sounds. The TVP control is awesome. That ISF dial works pretty good on their amps too. The software works pretty well and easy to use. Although they have updated it over the years too. The only downside is that you can create patches and share them, but they won't work over all their product range. When you're looking for patches, they generally don't distinguish what product they're for, so may not work on your product. Blackstar also do some great tutorials of their gear on how to get tones you may be after, including each control setting. A lot of the other amp companies don't seem to do this.
For the kids just starting out they have no idea how lucky they are right now when looking for an amp. They should have to experience the SS amps of old to really appreciate affordable amps these days.
I once bought a new tube Deluxe reverb all tube Amp for 250 dollars. I still have a music man 50 watt combo that I paid less than 300 dollars for. New. That's what I call lucky.
@@frankstein5967 I remember those days! I picked up a Vox AC30 super cheap because valve amps had gone out of fashion. I think those days are over though😭
I’m with you. Pignose, inputs on cassette decks, Gorilla, Panasonic stereos, Dean markley amp ( k 20 ??) endorsed by Alex lifeson , gallien Krueger 250ml ( also supposedly by Alex lifeson) That or a 100 Marshall head and a half stack that cost as much as the beater car that you drove NOTHING like the Yamaha thrx that Cameron Cooper plays Rock on, Garth ! 🤘
Thanks Shane for that review, I have this Amp & I absolutely love it. I bought the Fly first & I liked it so much that I sold my Fender Champion 20 @ Guitar Center to get this Amp. Much more versatile to me & I also got the FS-11 Footswitch which makes it even better.
I had a Fender Mustang and very similar however the Blackstar is a bit easier to operate. The Mustang was bought used and some erased most of the effects and restoring them was a pain so I sold the GT 100 and bought the ID Core 100 and it's quick settings with having to bring out the phone and hassle with the app. I found I didn't need all the options through the app. And Blackstar was $300 new. I'm happy with it next I'll be venturing out into a mesa boogie rosette 300 1x10. 15 guitars and five amps, mixers, PA system and a ton of pedals plus all the recording equipment...the place is getting crowded 😮. My hobby has turned into an addiction. Thanks for the video, always informative and helpful.
As someone whos never owned a black star amplifier, they are great for electric guitars. And they do bring out that nice sound quality when it comes to selling electric amps.
Great review. Absolutely a Blackstar fan. The ID Core line is incredible but that's not all they are limited to by any means. The HT5R is one I'd love for you to review. Their Studio amps would also be interesting as well as their Silverlines. There's a ton of versatility in all those amps and for the features I'd argue that they are fairly affordable. There's pretty much an amp with great tones for just about any budget and any need. But please if you will, at least check out the newer HT5Rs or even the HT1Rs. Thanks as always for the great content. 🤘🎶🙏🎶🤘
This is my first amp, I bought it in 2021, I had no clue what to get and I got the 10w one then got the 40w as I thought it was the right one for me. So it’s great to hear you give it the thumbs up as well as you saying the things I thought were an issue with it. I even have a little blackstar 3W Fly amp for my bass until I can find something better and it’s a great wee thing. Now you have reviewed my Mexican Tele and my amp and it seems I did ok for someone just finding there way a couple years back.
I’m planning to buy the 40W one. I heard on a different review that it’s not good at loud volumes and it sounds harsh. It’s good at lower volumes for practice in the bedroom but not for jamming with a band. Is that true?
I’ve had the 10, 20, 40 in V2 and V3. Lacking sorely on low end but the effects are brilliant, so much space and clarity and really good i overdrive too
ID Core:100 user here in the USA…I’ve had this amp for many years now and it’s proven it’s value over time…I mainly use it in my tiny studio and run it into a mixer then in my computer when recording…I did take this amp to a jam session once and felt that it really didn’t have enough juice to get up over the drums even at 100W (50x50 into 2x10 speakers)…even with that said I still would recommend the ID Core line to anyone building a home studio…the only other amp in this kinda class in terms of being very versatile IMHO would be the Boss Katana series…a lot of bang for the buck going on here…and lastly to Shane I’ve been watching your channel for years and just wanna give you a shout out and say “Thanks!!!” For all the great content throughout all that time… Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World Brother… 🎸🔊🎶🤘✌️♥️🤟
I had a v1 10 watt when I started playing again a few years ago. Gave it to my son when I got a tube amp, but I still plug into it every now and then. Great little amps. Thanks for the vid Shane!
Cool man I've been really looking closer at all of the small low powered modeling amps as an alternative route to record..they're mostly so affordable it's like buying a decent pedal and you have an entire modeling amp. They'd be more expensive if it wasn't such a competitive and flooded market I think..I like this one for sure..the fact it's footswitchable and also 2x20 stereo gives it an edge I think
I used to own one of the V2 versions of ID Core 20 Watts amplifier. The main drawback of it is the USB Mini socket. It's pretty outdated and the connector cable is not available anymore. Also the USB connector being on the front of the control panel, it is inconvenient to work on the control panel. Another drawback is the power adapter. It's 10.5 volt 3 amp, which is a weird configuration. If you try to get a replacement adapter, it's impossible. Otherwise the amp is great for home practice. Thanks Shane for reviewing it.
@@markseymour8365 Agreed, but the cables I get here come mainly from China. They are wobbly and have issues with fit with the usb socket in the amp. Also the USB socket is in the front panel and comes in the way while I try to adjust something on the control panel.
@@sajisguitar Yeah sorry, I think I must have misread your first comment. I thought you said that USB mini was obsolete but you didn't. You said it was pretty outdated, which is a fair comment. Enjoy your playing man - sorry for wasting your time.
I've got a Core ID 10 V2 and I've used it for several recordings going from the rec out/headphones out into my DAW and I really like it for putting something down quick since it is easy to set up.
I have the 10W version and it's really all you need, it's not an amp I would gig with anyway so 40W is an overkill imo. It's plenty loud for at home use and it can sound huge, especially with headphones.
I have the original version ID Core stereo 40... great sounding little Amp that I got used for under $100 to re-amp my phone at the commercial laundry where i worked to hear it over the various machines around the plant,, we were not allowed to use head phones or ear buds. so the amp did the trick quite well with it's twin 6.5in. stereo speakers. . I love it It has all the controls that the V3 or V4 have. Only lacking the streaming capability. ... if I want louder I just use an adaptor cable from the 1/8" stereo headphone output jack to 2 RCA jacks into the CD input of my surround sound sound receiver. including the powered subwoofer I get a much deeper and full sound with more volume too. or going stealth mode with just the guitar and headphones plugged in. my custom built Strat that I built with many mods and upgrades. sounds great through that tiny amp. only 14 lbs and the small form factor saves space and muscle work as well. the carry strap is like a guitar strap with strap buttons on the ends.. I [plan to fix that little issue when I add a pair of 1/4: switched extension speaker output jacks to drive the two vertical tower 4X12 cabs I plan to build for that. Impedance matched of course when stood together side by side and the amp on top face down with controls forward(internal speakers inactive when the externals plugged into the switched jacks) it will be essentially a 'Full Stack" ... LOL . I din't need expensive equipment to get great tone from my rig, just a little design and build work to get what I want.
Its amazing whats available now you can get this stuff thats insane, i started on a junk roland amp just pure garbage but it was my garbage, this is something i dreamed of back then.
The black star I.D. core series of amps are great and sound amazing! I own the I.D. core 10 and the I.D core 20 and love them both such a great practice amp and even good for small live gigs.
It is getting harder and harder to find valve amps, I was at a local music center over the weekend, and the digital modeling amps out numbered the valve amps by about 10 to 1, given the fact you have endless tonal options and virtually no maintenance it’s gonna make it hard for the tube amp to compete in this market.
Thanks for reviewing this product. Please let me know which one is the best between Black Star ID Core 40 V 3 and Boss katana 50 MK 2 ex. I am considering to buy a good Amp but could not decide between these two models mentioned above. However I am inclined more towards Boss katana 50 MK 2 ex because of watt variation option and input for Electric Acoustic guitar among other features. Please kindly suggest me.
Good video Shane. At $299, same price as the spark 40 from positive grid I think I like my Spark better. The lead tone with your PRS was really good but with all the different amps and pedals on the Spark I think you get more bang for your buck. Not thrilled with the Mustang either. For awesome leads I use a Mesa boogie rosette 300 1x10 and I run that through a mixer out to two Alto ts410's and a Beringer S12 Subwoofer. For acoustic-electric guitars I used the Boss acoustic singer pro and into the mixer and so on. For an all around orchestral effects I used either the Godin LGX-SA or Godin acs sa nylon slim and run them through Roland gr-20, gr-33 and gr-55 synthesizers. This covers A through Z of possible performance scenarios. A man of your talents is limited only by your imagination. Good show mate.
I own an original(or V1) ID core 40 watt stereo amp i bought used from my local Music-Go-Round for under $100 2 yes ago...lol the V3 looks identical to mine but for the handle.. and mine sounds great for the tiny size of the 6.5 in. 4 ohm speakers it has.. I plan to mod it with a pair of 1/4in.switched. external speaker out put jacks. to a pair of vertical tower 4 X 12 cabs (impedance matched at 4 ohms each) that when placed side by side will in effect be a full stack, with the Blackstar on top face down with the control panel facing forward. I currently have the Blackstar hooked into my full surround sound system through the headphone out 1/8 In. jack by a 1/8 to stereo RCA Rt/L jack adaptor cable into the surround CD input .....and yes that really works, and quite well in fact.. full deep bass from the Sub woofer in the system along with a better mid and high range sound from the rest of the surround speakers. .. the towers I designed to add to the amp and the over all system will stand to either side of my 100" big Screen with my Hd Projector for the full hone theater set-up that I have in my room. integrating the tiny Blackstar and the towers into the system through a switching box i designed to get any configuration i want be it the amp to the towers. of through the surround system from anp and out to the towers.. as I desire . sitting on my futon watching a movie or plugging my "Stellarcaster" in and enjoying the surround experience that way too...oh you want to know what a "Stellarcaster" is.. I totally stripped down a Starcaster- Strat electric guitar By: Fender (says it on the head stock) electronics, hardware, and then stripped the paint down to bare wood on the body and headstock repainted it with a custom stars and planets space theme spray can and airbrushed by hand with heavy hi-gloss clearcoat for a glassy finish with matching head stock.... and modified the crap out of it with 3 , quad rail /coil hum buckers with Les Paul style wiring (Vol and Tone each), push/pull coil splitting and a stainless steel pick guard, a bypass Sw. for bridge and neck p/u together regardless of the 5-way Sel. Sw. position. and a kill button plus a LED indicator system to show which p/u coil(s) are in circuit at any given time using the un used side of the push/pull Sw. part of the coil split 500K ohm audio taper pots... through testing them with my multi-meter I found the 2 sides are independent of each other and therefore usable. in a different circuits... so I capitalized on that little fact. the name is in the progression if the fender naming of their guitar line the broadcaster then no name to the Telecaster , the Oddball of the bunch that single p/u thing called the 'Esquire' then the 'Stratocaster'. and the 'Starcaster' (hollow body0 and the Starcaster 'Strat' electric guitar BY: Fender...lol says it right on the headstock... (two different styles of guitars got that one) I continued and in keeping and with the theme I named mine the "Stellarcaster" so chew on that and see how it tastes... LMAO ...this is only my very first guitar project the next wil be the "Esquire with classis wirinf...and away we go.. i plas to make many different guitars of th classic body shapes... strat (DIFF P/U layouts.. LP< SG, 335, Flying V and rev V, and many more with Humm buckers P 90's single coils adn all the rest... 1 at a time til i have all i want... yup i know a lot of work but hey I'm retired and widowed with scap all to do all day so breahing my boredom with these projects will do me just fine and dandy...yup thats why this is so long too ADHD all my life and absolutely nothing to do all day.. what would you expect.??..LOL ...
Another fantastic video! You spoke of having many USB cables to connect this to a computer. I, too, have several and I am yet to find which one exactly to use to make it work/to get it recognized by the computer as they look exactly the same. Would you advise? Thank you!!
I was disappointed with the so-called "clean" tones. I was hoping for a pristine clean, like on a Roland Jazz Chorus amp 🤷♂️ Thanks for the nice review and playing, Shane! 😃
I own the original ID Core Stereo 40 watt Amp whoch I bought used at my local 'Music-Go-Round for under $100 US a few years ago just befor i got a Starcaster Strat for about the same inorder to mod the guitar to my spec. I went all out whit it.. 3 quad rail humbuckers with vol. and yone ea like a Les Paul plus a bypass Sw. for bridge and neck P/U together regardles of the 5-way Sw. and coil splitting all pots are 500K Ohm Audio taper. Push pull volume and standard tone .047 orange drop caps.. custom hand made staimless steel pick guard and led coil indicators wiring is very custom but not really complicated. with the 5-way sel. sw. and the led 's are on the unused side of the push pull switches...lol testing the circuit was useful to determine that the 2 sides are independent of each other.. a 9v bttery and a few more wires were all that wre needed.. for tha little trick.. I also modded the amp to include a pair of switched 1/4" output jacks for external speaker cabs yet to be built.. AKA 4X!2 vettical towers to si either side of my 100" bog screen on the wall all hooked through the surround system for a fuller and deeper sound overall with the sub woofer adding the deepest guitar tones you can imagine... a switching box to be added along with the towers when completed.. Hd Projector for the big screen completes the home theater set up in my room... Yup Yup I do love my electronic toys .. all of them...my signal chain os off the reservation completely...lmao... the guotar was test built tfor proof of cncept and to insure it all worked as designed, then stripped down for paint and clear as yet to be completed. .but soon done sandind and polishing takes time...lol custom Air brushed space theme body and matching head stock. to match the unique name i chose for it.. the "Stellarcaster" in line with the fender naming progression from the original 'Broadcaster', 'Telecaster, 'Stratocaster and the cheapy Starcaster to the ultimate it can be my 'Stellarcaster' lol
I hope V3 don't have whitenoise as the V2 , I saw some discussion about it with feedback from blackstar that this is unfortunately an issue that cant be resolved , so I think if they are trying to sell it as something worth recording with , I feel let down ... for a practice however you wont hear any whitenoise during playing (unless your adapter has serious grounding issues)
Well we've had a 'Fats Waller' in musical legends so there's definitely room for a 'Fats Wallet' Great channel, I found by chance. It's strange how you can't find what you're looking for, then it turns up right under your nose😊
Just got one today. Better clean tones than Marshall solid states and the reverb is the best thing about it. Can get some decent blues tones from it. With a fuzz pedal, a bit more bass EQ and a single coil neck or middle pick up can get some Hendrix sounds.
Would you say this amp is a fairer comparison to the Boss Katana than the Fender GTX? These are the 3 amps I'm considering right now. Not so much concerned with price
Blackstar has always made some good stuff. The models on this sound really good, BUT all of them sound way too over compressed! And the freq response is was too bassy! Also with the ISF control I am pretty sure L is UK, & R is USA voicing. It is on the 1 I own! Good demo Shane!
I agree. You have to keep the gain at the absolute minimum to get good sounds out of these amps. Using .010 instead of .009 gauge strings helps a lot too.
Thanks for demo, good to know that for me the BS ID Cores aren't any better than when I bought a V1 years ago (and sold it a few months later). For the money the Katana 50 is way more versatile and much better sound from it's 12" speaker. Also, I prefer amps that don't need a power-brick. I too like my amps off the floor and with a 15 degree back tilt.
These arent bad, in the room theyre hard to mic but the 3D stereo ping pong delays arent bad in person. These just didnt get the saturated 6505 hi gain for me. Unless Ive missed it can u make your patches and save it to a preset button like the Spark which has 4 or a Peavey Vypyr with 16? If not big miss imo, its the modeling amps strength going from a clean Fender to a cranked 6505 w the touch of a button.
I had the 20 watt in this amp I sent it back , just didn't do it for me , I'm looking for a amp latter this year I have the Boss Katana Mini which is brilliant so I am leaning towards a safe choice Boss Katana 50 I like the bigger speaker it gives more dynamics, I know there's the 100 but I'm a home user the 50 is more than enough, hey Shane have you tried the Vintage Brand Guitars , I have heard they now have a distribution in Australia now, both of my guitars are Vintages I love them ,
Some years ago I had the first ID Core 20 and it was the worst modelling amp I've ever played - sent it back. Anyone having the same experience? DId they improve?
I have the new 40v3 and the 100, love the sound. I love the presence and resonance features on both of them. I got great sounds, but we all have different tastes. I usually spend some time tweaking any amp to make sure I am getting it's full potential.
Nice Review Shane! Too much Bass, there was very little note definition. I’ve found the Blackstars seem to be more designed for Metal than Classic Rock Abe definitely NOT A BLUES Amp!! Thanks man and Cheers from Salem, Ohio US.
I bought the 10 watt version just because it had two Crunch channels! That was the main reason to even bring it the cash register for me. You can dial in The Cars or whatever, power pop, very easily, not just metal.
I’m sure it’s not your recording, but every setting sounded like the typical digital clipping fizzy sound to my ears. It doesn’t seem to have any “warmth”. Not for me. Nice playing though.
I own this amp and pretty much hate it. Sounds empty and hollow compared to my Peavey. Tried giving it to a friend for free, he came over to test it out, said no thanks and left.
