BluGuitar Amp X

[Sascha Franck]

I took a quick look and Bourns makes rotary encoders without detents that seem like they would be perfect for this, and they are cheap.

Similarly the code needed to detect the changes is not difficult, though if you want them to feel nice (rather than require a lot of turns) you may want to apply some acceleration curve to them which is a bit more math.

I think "cheap" is not exactly an objection when it comes to Amp X.
However, it seems to be cast in stone that it'll feature non-endless encoders - and as far as that nonsense goes (there's no justfication for standard 270° encoders in the digital world anymore), I'm defenitely not one of BluGuitars customers, regardless of how great this thing will sound.

---

Interestingly enough, even if it might read as an oxymoron: To get as close to analog usability in the programmable world, analog-style pots are completely counterproductive.
"Select something -> perhaps (visually) check current parameter value -> adjust". That's the closest you can get in digital land.
"Select something -> try to find out about the current parameter values in whatever weird ways -> adjust" however is bogus. But it's precisely what you get with analog-style knobs.

 

[laxu]

I’m not a fan of the BluPrint addons ($) but this sort of DLC is not going away in this space unfortunately.

I am curious to see how comprehensive the amp and effect list is for this thing. With all the dev delays it needs to come out of the gate fully realized.

It will never satisfy anyone here who is used to Helix, Fractal etc level of effects etc available.

Most likely it will come with a good selection of Blug's own vintage pedals and amps, some high gain classics, everything the Amp 1 models can do, everything in the Blubox cab sim, as well as some custom delays, reverbs and modulations.

My Amp 1 ME already does a ton, so I have no concerns about not getting sounds I love out of it. Effects quality and usability are my concerns.

 

[laxu]

I think "cheap" is not exactly an objection when it comes to Amp X.
However, it seems to be cast in stone that it'll feature non-endless encoders - and as far as that nonsense goes (there's no justfication for standard 270° encoders in the digital world anymore), I'm defenitely not one of BluGuitars customers, regardless of how great this thing will sound.

---

Interestingly enough, even if it might read as an oxymoron: To get as close to analog usability in the programmable world, analog-style pots are completely counterproductive.
"Select something -> perhaps (visually) check current parameter value -> adjust". That's the closest you can get in digital land.
"Select something -> try to find out about the current parameter values in whatever weird ways -> adjust" however is bogus. But it's precisely what you get with analog-style knobs.

Yeah that's disappointing to me too, but it's a compromise I can live with. That's basically what is going on with my Amp 1 + pedalboard setup right now.

The Amp X would at least improve it a bit by being able to immediately see current settings from the displays vs the "turn the knob until you see a LED flash" on my Strymon and SA pedals.

 

[jellodog]

It will never satisfy anyone here who is used to Helix, Fractal etc level of effects etc available.

Yes, that's a good point.

With this product you would be essentially enjoying a curated collection of tones and effects.

Nothing wrong with that! It will suit some people and not others; same as any gear.

 

[laxu]

Yes, that's a good point.

With this product you would be essentially enjoying a curated collection of tones and effects.

Nothing wrong with that! It will suit some people and not others; same as any gear.

Yup. If I learned something from owning a bunch of modelers, it was that it didn't matter if there was only a handful of things to choose from, as long as they were good and worked for what I wanted to play. I don't care if I have a Marshall Superlead 1959 model, all I care about is getting "a really good Marshall Superlead style sound."

While I trust Blug's ears, and the H&K Replex and reverbs he has demoed sounded really good to me, my worry is that it will be a mixed bag for effects. With my Strymon/SA pedalboard the bar for quality is pretty high as is.

I think the Amp X will end up in the gap between amps and modelers, where it's probably closer to running a pedalboard + amp in 4CM while also having some aspects of the floor modeler units.

My current pedalboard + Amp 1 rig is more complex than e.g Fractal or Line6 for programming things like switching multiple fx at once, but is much faster for changing settings on multiple effects. If the Amp X can deliver that, but with easier programming in a size that is about as big as my pedalboard, I think it will work well for my needs.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

It's a great concept. I recently tried out the Hughes and Kettner floor unit (Black Spirit, I think) and while I prefer the tone of my BluGuitar ME, the functionality was pretty great. If the Amp X combines the BluGuitar tone with that kind of flexibility, it will be awesome.

 

[JiveTurkey]

It's a great concept. I recently tried out the Hughes and Kettner floor unit (Black Spirit, I think) and while I prefer the tone of my BluGuitar ME, the functionality was pretty great. If the Amp X combines the BluGuitar tone with that kind of flexibility, it will be awesome.

I can't remember if I ordered the head and Musicians Friend sent the floor model or vice versa by mistake. I packed it back up and didn't try it and I sort of regretted not giving it a go before returning it.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I can't remember if I ordered the head and Musicians Friend sent the floor model or vice versa by mistake. I packed it back up and didn't try it and I sort of regretted not giving it a go before returning it.

It's not bad at all. The Blug stuff does sound better though, at least for Marshall based tones. The H&K sounds more like, well, H&K amps, which are cool in their own way.

 

[laxu]

It's a great concept. I recently tried out the Hughes and Kettner floor unit (Black Spirit, I think) and while I prefer the tone of my BluGuitar ME, the functionality was pretty great. If the Amp X combines the BluGuitar tone with that kind of flexibility, it will be awesome.

I saw the Black Spirit in a store in Japan and didn't realize how huge it is physically. The Amp X is at least a bit more friendly size.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

I saw the Black Spirit in a store in Japan and didn't realize how huge it is physically. The Amp X is at least a bit more friendly size.

Yeah it's pretty big, but when you consider that you would only be taking that and a cab (or even the unit alone via DI), it's not that bad for everything it can do. I used to have 8u+ racks to get that kind of versatility.

But yeah the BluGuitar will be smaller and I bet it will also sound better.

 

[laxu]

Yeah it's pretty big, but when you consider that you would only be taking that and a cab (or even the unit alone via DI), it's not that bad for everything it can do. I used to have 8u+ racks to get that kind of versatility.

But yeah the BluGuitar will be smaller and I bet it will also sound better.

Yeah, I was just taken back because I always thought the Black Spirit floor unit was fairly compact but it's like 3/4 of a Helix Floor.

The BluGuitar will also be at least a little bit less ugly, but neither is winning any "elegant design" awards.

 

[saarangnarayan]

 

[GuitarBilly74]

Yeah, I was just taken back because I always thought the Black Spirit floor unit was fairly compact but it's like 3/4 of a Helix Floor.

The BluGuitar will also be at least a little bit less ugly, but neither is winning any "elegant design" awards.

I actually like the BluGuitar design. Thomas came up with something that's uniquely his, which is hard to do on a floor format.

The other day, I was watching an outdoor show and I was at a good distance from the stage. I looked at the guy's pedalboard and I could immediately tell he had a ME there. It was pretty much the only thing I could identify on his board from say, 50ft away from the stage. So that's cool :)

 

[mbenigni]

Thomas Blug has that "playing guitar at you" / "too much eye contact" thing down to a science.

 

[jellodog]

Thomas Blug has that "playing guitar at you" / "too much eye contact" thing down to a science.

Yes! He has those "Come to NAMM eyes".

 

[Whizzinby]

Thomas Blug has that "playing guitar at you" / "too much eye contact" thing down to a science.

LMAO. I’ll never unsee it with him now.

Like bro, this is getting uncomfortable…

 

[timbuck3]

View attachment 23228

Some new Amp X tidbits from BluGuitar's latest livestream.

• They've been working on getting vintage wahs just right, among other things.
• They seem to have made their own expression pedal with Amp X branding, styling etc.
• The Amp X should release this year!

Blug seemed pretty happy and confident about their progress.

There's also a cool shot of the Amp X prototype internals spread apart, seen above. That thing is just absolutely packed if you consider putting the two layers together! Something like this would be impossible to build without surface mount components. The power supply and poweramp alone takes a good chunk of space.

I'm still not convinced that using regular 0-10 style pots for the 4 "X controls" with the little displays above them is the right move, infinite rotaries would make more sense to me. But I'm not an amp designer so maybe BluGuitar has good reasons to go with this solution instead, even if it makes adjusting different fx a pain in the ass in comparison.

Agree on the rotaries for 2 k$ .. I would also rather see qc switch/ knobs instead of the square buttons and 2 rows of the for 2 k

 

[timbuck3]

I think the first trick it has to pull is to convince people that it isn't vapourware*!

That being said, I'm still entirely unconvinced in the idea of chargeable Blugprints, unless the unit actually ships with a much larger number than has been previously mooted.

* I jest - I'm sure it will see the light of day, but it has been a *very* long time since it was originally unveiled!

I agree on all your points after paying 2k I don’t want to pay more for extra stuff

 

[MirrorProfiles]

 

[Whizzinby]

I happened to stumble on that last night. Scumbags for sure.

If the gear world got reduced to only products that required some form of originality, about three quarters of the market would vanquish.