Hello Leigh Fuge, so It's been 8 months now since I bought this amplifier. I tested it in different rooms (I moved from an apartment to a house), with different volume settings (master) and different guitars (first a Les Paul Classic 2022 and now a Stratocaster American Ultra (Texas Tea)). I am very happy to have followed your advice because I am fully satisfied with the result, both in clean (with an MXR EQ on the front and the reverb at 3/4) and in light crunch (MXR EQ on the front and OD engaged with the gain at 1/2) and in "full gain" (by engaging an MXR Hybrid Fuzz at the beginning of the chain, before the EQ, with the amp's OD to smooth it). The sound is just extraordinary in these three configurations (I am 54 years old and I have tested a lot of different equipment following the evolution of my tastes - indie rock/hard rock/blues). I do not regret having trusted you, so merci beaucoup !
Wow, thank you for this comment, that's awesome to hear and it means a lot to me that you trusted my judgement on it. I am happy to confirm that I've had the Studio 10 6L6 for 4 years now (I think I got it at the end of 2020...) and it's still one of the main amps I use for my RU-vid demos.. I've shot 5 demos this week all using that amp. For me, it's become a really reliable reference and I know how it's going to sound when I do specific things with it. I'm really pleased to hear that you're also having a great experience with the amp!
I Purchased this amp and straight out of the box I got the tone in my head this is a great little amp with great organic tones AMAZING amp for the money.
Hey Andrea, That's awesome! I love it. It's become my go to amp for demos. It appears in 95% of my RU-vid videos as my main amp these days! It's so easy to get a great tone from.
@@LeighFugeGuitar Heres a story I used to use a Fractal Audio AX8 and I decided to go back to basics sold my AX8 and got this amp after a part ex and cash back I just threw a decent MXR delay and a boost in the F loop and I have all of the tone I need at a bluesy Toto fan its perfect for me. for the size and price it's toooo great to be true. But it is. Amazed customer.
Hey Mike, Thanks for checking it out! It's a fantastic amp. If you like Fenderish style tones, this amp does it all. It goes surprisingly loud when you crank it too!
I'm into John Mayer stuff and SRV, you tottally sold this amp to me. I was looking for a amp with 6L6 but seemed impossible to get something small and not so expensive! Thank you!
Oh wow thank you man! It's such a great amp. It's the perfect 6L6 amp for someone who doesn't want to spend a fortune. It's pretty simple, but it does the Mayer/SRV thing well. I actually shot a video for the Blackstar RU-vid channel when I dialed in some Mayer style tones with this amp too. It's super easy to dial in a tone. Since I got this amp it's become my go to RU-vid amp. I use it in probably 95% of my videos because I love it so much.
@leigh Fuge I’ve played it nonstop since it arrived. I love it..I’m trying to learn some Nile Rodgers techniques (with your assistance) it sounds great. I feel like with the brightness it has a wider tonal range, especially with the addition of pedals. I also love the simple controls. My Strat sounds like buttah through it.
Hey Rich, thanks for the comment and thanks for checking the video out. Yeah it's a fantastic amp for home use. I've actually done a gig with it too and it works well for small gigs. It's a lot louder than you'd imagine for such a small amp, but it can also be used easily at home volume
That’s awesome! Thank you for checking it out. I’m happy to report that 3 years on from making this video, the Studio 10 is still the amp I use for 90% of all the videos I make. I love it!
@@LeighFugeGuitar Amp ordered (at Hurricane Music, here in Bordeaux, France). Can't wait to play with. Will be back at you after that to compare our reviews. Thank You !
Great video, dude. I’m shopping for my first amp which I’ll just play at home and through my research I can see (and agree) why simple is better and how one could go down a “rabbit hole” with too many controls. I just want to learn how to play the guitar, not how to dial in an amp (I’m sure that’ll come later as I progress). I think I’m sold on this amp. Thanks again from California!
Great amp, I love mine. Can’t wait to start using it at small gigs and cranking it up once we get back to some form of “normality”. It sounds great with my old Strat and Casino for dirty, bluesy stuff. I don’t play with a drummer (I use a suitcase drum to accompany myself) but I think you’d keep up with one (who doesn’t remove their bottom skins and dribbles less than the usual drummer). I set mine a little past break up on the clean channel and then push it with an overdrive and boost pedal. There’s just the right amount of headroom for me, I can get away with a delay and reverb into the front and spank it good.
They're awesome little amps. I actually did get to use it at a small gig last Summer, it was an outdoor gig but it kept up with the band quite easily. Considering it's only got a 10w rating, it behaves like a much louder amp, the headroom even when cranked is still pretty big. I was running it about 75-80% on the Master volume and it stayed pretty clean and you could easily hear it. This was with a drummer who didn't remove any skins from the kit, and we were doing all 50s and 60s Soul, Motown, Blues etc... maybe if it was a heavy rock drummer it would start to struggle, but you could always mic it up.
Nice overview of the Studio 10. I've reserved one at Sweetwater Music. As soon as it comes in, it's mine! I can't wait to get it home and plug in and play.
Hey David, Welcome to the channel, great to hear from you. Oh man, you'll love it! The Studio 10 6L6 has become my favourite amp. I've used it in most of my recent RU-vid demos. Everytime I test a new guitar or pedal for a video the Studio 10 is the amp I grab! The setup is super simple, but it sounds great whatever you do to it. I can't wait to hear what you think of it! You'll have to let me know when it arrives!
Hey Neil, thank you for the kind words, appreciate that, thanks for checking out my videos. I’d love to see the channel grow to 100k one day! If you know 94,000 other people feel free to invite them along 😂
You're not wrong. That's why I said it... BUT.. a lot of people are put of buying a small amp for this reason. Many people don't think to mic up a small amp for gigs so it's always worth helping people out by telling them that. In fact, I actually did a small gig with this without it being miked up and it was loud enough to handle it.
@@LeighFugeGuitar Thanks for the reply, yes you are right of course. I have just acquired one of these and I am mightily impressed already, great amp. Working my way through my guitars and rediscovering them one by one as this amp makes them shine like never before.
That's actually one of my favourite things about this amp, whatever guitar you plug into it totally changes the experience. I shoot a lot of regular videos for Blackstars RU-vid channel and one video we made a few months ago was on that exact topic, how the Studio 10 handles different guitars and how it changes when you plug different things in. The day I got this amp I just sat down and played for like an hour, just plugged straight into the amp. It's such a good amp.
@@LeighFugeGuitar Now I'm starting all over again but this time with a Vintage 30 1x12 cab' : so far results are excellent. So many great things I can do with this.
Blackstar studio 10 6L6 is best for my needs. Bedroom, studio and maybe good for gigging. I wanted to get a fender blues junior but it was too loud for bedroom use. Almost wanted to get a modeling amp again instead such as a boss katana or VOX Cambridge 50 to get those tube amp voices, but when I tested the studio 10 6L6 at a local store, I said this is it.. my first tube amp... fuller, brighter and dynamic tones, I love it.
Hey! The 6L6 is a great choice! I use it in my studio at low volumes, I also use it a lot when I shoot videos that appear on the Blackstar RU-vid channel and it always sounds so good! I actually did a gig with the Studio 10 6L6 and it was plenty loud enough to keep up with a drummer. You'd need to mic it up for big gigs, but it's definitely got enough volume in there.
Leigh Fuge exactly bro. I love it. The tones are great. The color is a big plus too. Now all I have to do is learn how to play as good as you . Nice playing btw
Hey Mike, I've had a few people ask for this so I think I'll add it to my video list, a lot of people have asked for studio or rig tours so I will get something arranged! Thanks as always!
Hey Sergei, Thanks for the comment and thanks for checking out the video. Yeah it can handle lower volumes well. I actually record all my videos for both my own RU-vid channel and the Blackstar RU-vid channel that feature this amp with the volume on 2 which is loud enough to be heard but perfectly acceptable for home volumes.
I purchased this amp about 6 months ago. Absolutely love it but I'm trying to get a tone similar to Joe Bonamassa. I've tried some dumble in a box as well as a few other expensive Boutique pedals and none of them seem to sound as good as just the amp. They would get real flubby and muddy sounding. What would you recommend as far as using this amp to get a tone similar to his? Maybe a nice 10 band equalizer I'm open to suggestions
I just got this and it sounds soo nice, I got it for the distorted tone and gain. Super nice quality, sounds thick and crunchy and grindy , just the type of distortion I like. However, the gain and crunch comes from their gain circuit right? Meaning it’s mostly the circuit doing that sound, not so much the tube itself? Iv seen it’s based on their ht pedals . Seeing as I love the gain I wonder if I would be fine with just an ht pedal. Iv seen people say this amp is like a repackaged version of their older amps with 6l6. I’m not sure. I like the sound a lot but I’m wondering if what I like is just the circuit and maybe I should just get their pedal, and a bit higher wattage amp. I love the gain but if it’s just a circuit idk if I should stick with it for a circuit I can get on their other products . I have a big Marshall but this is awesome I’m just wondering about that drive sound. I also wonder if they have a head that produces this tone.
Hey! Yeah it's a great sounding amp. The overdrive circuit is awesome. It's great for rock when you crank it. Personally I love to lower to mid gain tones because that fits my style but I have wound it up to see what it's got under the hood. The gain circuit is inspired by the HT-Drive but the tube definitely makes a difference to the overall tone of the drive too. I actually own the HT-Drive pedal too and personally, I don't think it sounds anything like the pedal. The pedal is way more compressed and bottom heavy whereas the Studio 10 is a very open drive sound. I suspect the Studio 10 with EL34s would be a closer match to the HT-Drive pedal. The 6L6 version has a lot more top end chime to my ears. I don't believe they do a Studio 10 in a head form, the closest amp you'd find there would be the Series 1. They do a 6L6 version of that which comes as a head. If you're happy with the combo though, I'd stay stick with it. I love mine. It's a great sounding amp. I've actually shot a few videos about this amp that are on the Blackstar RU-vid channel too where I've covered a little about what it can do. Maybe that will help you decide!! You've always got room for more amps and more pedals! haha
Thanks for the answer , yeah when Iv heard videos of the ht pedals, they seem a bit more compressed and saturated in distortion. I figured maybe in person there would be a difference In tone of the pedal and perceived saturation. But what you mentioned was enough for me to think I’ll just stick w it. It really sounds awesome. Just wanted to make sure. Thanks dude
Oh btw does your amp get pretty hot near the standby on and off switches? Iv noticed to the touch it gets pretty hot. I figure it’s the tube however if never owned an amp get hot to the touch like that.
Yeah man, it would nail that sound. It’s just 10w too. I actually recorded this video with the master volume on maybe 2. It’s enough grunt to sound great but not too much for home use. You can push the front end with the gain knob too. Even on the clean channel you get a really lovely low level breakup!
Hey Seba! Thanks for your comment. Great question. It can be used at pretty low levels, most of the videos where I am micing this amp up the amp is set to just 1 or 2 on the master and it's not too loud. It can get pretty loud when you crank it but it's not too loud to use at home on lower levels.
It depends how loud you crank it! You can get great tones with the volume set to 1 or 2, but it depends how loud your neighbours think loud is! It can be used at home I think, but it can also go very loud when you need it to.
Hey, Thanks for the comment! Great question. I believe Santana used Fender Twins in his early career, which are also 6L6 loaded. I know he's really known for using Mesa stuff, which have EL84s - slightly darker than 6L6s. You could probably get a Santana style tone from this, its only 10w so it's easy to really push this amp. Especially if you put a drive pedal in front. The only thing that might hold you back is the single tone control - you can't do any really tweaking with the EQ. But, personally, from using the amp I find that the amp is super reactive to how you play it and what guitar you use. Between the amps single tone control, the guitars tone control and any pedals you might use, you can pretty much dial in whatever you want!
@@nitewolfmusic9142 no problem man! glad that helped! It's such a versatile amp I think you could pretty much make it do whatever you want - except metal!
Hey Kurt, Personally, since I got this amp it's become one of my favourites. I use it in the majority of my channels videos as well as a lot of the content I make for Blackstars own channel. It's super versatile, takes pedals well, has a great clean sound, and it's surprisingly loud for a 10w amp!
@@LeighFugeGuitar Nice! Well, in the time between my comment and your reply, I ordered it-saved about $100 by ordering from a music store on Reverb which had had it for display/use in their store (Used - Mint). Pumped to have it coming my way. Thanks for your review that contributed to my decision!
That’s a nice saving! Well I hope you love that amp! I’ve done a few gigs with mine too, it’s got plenty of gas in the tank, and it sounds great mic’d up too. I love the simplicity of it. Easy to dial in a good tone and it takes pedals well!
I don't find it noisy. I use this amp for gigs and 90% of my RU-vid videos, and most of the videos I shoot for Blackstar's channel too, it's never given me any noise issues.
Good question! Headroom in amps is essentially the space the amp has in it's power handling before it distorts. When an amp distorts at a low master volume setting, this is a low headroom amp. If an amp retains a clean tone when the volume is pushed, it's considered high headroom. This is why certain amps are referred to as "Pedal Platforms", because they have high headroom and can be used as a clean amp to pair with pedals. Another way you can tell if an amp has high headroom is to turn it up and use a boost or drive. If it continues to get louder beyond the master volume being cranked, the amps power handling and headroom is higher than the volume allows for.
@@LeighFugeGuitar Thanks for reply. Now I understand the basics very clearly. That last paragraph, though....? So, solid state amps, with no organic break up as volume increases, would be considered High Headroom? Right? Thanks again. I get it.
