BluGuitar Amp X

[JiveTurkey]

Baking in effects into an amp always gives off the air of "cheap". No matter how good the effects and amp are. Throwing modeling on top of that and oy vey? Probably will sound great but not drawn to it in the slightest.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Baking in effects into an amp always gives off the air of "cheap". No matter how good the effects and amp are. Throwing modeling on top of that and oy vey? Probably will sound great but not drawn to it in the slightest.

Yeah I agree. I mean, I’m sure the effects are great. But am I paying more for the device because of it? Probably. Are they as good as Strymon? Maybe, probably not.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yamaha THR100HD wasn't far off. I'm still disappointed that Yamaha has not made a successor for it, it was just some improvements away from being great. Stereo, with blendable channels, separate IRs you can give to each channel's each model...lots of good ideas there hampered by some boneheaded design choices.

This Yamaha amp sounded soooooo good. Too bad it kind of missed whatever imaginary mark for whatever reason.

 

[laxu]

Baking in effects into an amp always gives off the air of "cheap". No matter how good the effects and amp are. Throwing modeling on top of that and oy vey? Probably will sound great but not drawn to it in the slightest.

It's designed to be a replacement for a pedalboard. If Blug has been using pedals + Amp 1 now, Amp X will bundle all that into one, even smaller setup.

I think that's different from e.g amp heads having built in effects, often more as a convenience rather than something trying to challenge or replicate pedals.

For me it comes down to whether I like how they sound and if they are convenient to work with. I feel like I already have most of the Amp X by having an Amp 1 + pedals, it's just significantly larger. My pedalboard is roughly the size of something like 3 Amp X units if two are horizontal and one vertical.

 

[laxu]

This Yamaha amp sounded soooooo good. Too bad it kind of missed whatever imaginary mark for whatever reason.

Yeah. All it needed was a volume control for the boost, MIDI support, mono sum for line out (instead of per channel line out), better reverb and a more powerful poweramp.

 

[JiveTurkey]

It's designed to be a replacement for a pedalboard. If Blug has been using pedals + Amp 1 now, Amp X will bundle all that into one, even smaller setup.

I think that's different from e.g amp heads having built in effects, often more as a convenience rather than something trying to challenge or replicate pedals.

For me it comes down to whether I like how they sound and if they are convenient to work with. I feel like I already have most of the Amp X by having an Amp 1 + pedals, it's just significantly larger. My pedalboard is roughly the size of something like 3 Amp X units if two are horizontal and one vertical.

I'm still not convinced. And I think those switches are gross. They're like the Roland/Boss old GT/G switches. Pass. ESPECIALLY at $2k.

 

[Blix]

Bring back the DG-1000 with a kickass stereo power am!

 

[laxu]

I'm still not convinced. And I think those switches are gross. They're like the Roland/Boss old GT/G switches. Pass. ESPECIALLY at $2k.

The switches are my favorite type. They are as easy to press with your foot as they are to use with your hands. Never had a single issue, but they can be pulled out and replaced easily if needed.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I want a small head with a tube preamp, into a 12BH7 power amp section that goes into a small reactive load, and is reamped by a class D power amp, with no built-in effects.

I'm still on the prowl for an Amp 1 Iridium at a good price, because I still think they make a great-sounding product.

 

[Whizzinby]

It's designed to be a replacement for a pedalboard. If Blug has been using pedals + Amp 1 now, Amp X will bundle all that into one, even smaller setup.

The cool thing about this is it seems he is trying to create his own ultimate personal device. The downside seems to be that he is trying to create his own ultimate personal device.

 

[Gearzilla]

Baking in effects into an amp always gives off the air of "cheap". No matter how good the effects and amp are.

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[ejecta]

I tried the Iridium and it was cool but didn’t love it.

 

[Baba]

Yup; it was close. But yeah had some really dumb ideas, and now they’re gone.

What were the dumb ideas? I’ve always been mildly interested in this thing, but never even reached “listening to demos” status with it.

 

[laxu]

What were the dumb ideas? I’ve always been mildly interested in this thing, but never even reached “listening to demos” status with it.

No volume control on the booster meant it would always significantly increase volume. It also wasn't the loudest amp out there and the footswitch couldn't maintain state after power off. No MIDI support.

 

[timbuck3]

anyone still interested in this? i was but not so much now

 

[2dor]

anyone still interested in this? i was but not so much now

Still legitimately curious about it but yeah - the "mood"'s been shot dead lol

 

[laxu]

anyone still interested in this? i was but not so much now

I'd say I'm actually leaning more towards it now.

I've been playing my BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury Edition a lot lately, either through my Nanocab at home or taking it with me when visiting my parents - my 4x10 cab is in their basement for the time being since I don't have space at home and it would be too loud anyway.

In any case, if you have seen the recent "modelers losing their luster" thread, I've been thinking about how much I really need. I keep coming back to the pretty much the same setup no matter if it's pedals or a modeler. Marshall with Greenbacks, a bit of tape echo for leads, a plate reverb here and there. Add the odd overdrive and modulation and I'm good.

So this brings me to the Amp X. These are the things that appeal to me:

• Largely fixed signal path. I don't care too much about switching this even on my Axe-Fx 3, so Amp X's way works fine.
• All the amp sounds I already enjoy with my Amp 1. And more. I seriously don't need anything more than that.
• Built in poweramp makes plugging it into a cab convenient, no faffing about with "what's the best poweramp for this thing?" stuff.
• Stock IRs should be good. I liked about 80% of the ones on the Blubox and could easily live with those, so not having virtual mics etc "modern tech" is not that big a deal. I can always roll some IRs from ML Sound Lab MIKKO 2 if needed, or use my York Audio collection.
• If it has at least a good plate reverb and tape echo, I'm going to be happy enough with fx.
• Supposed to be flexible with its outputs. You could run e.g DI with and without cab sims for recording, use the outputs for wet/dry/wet rigs and more. That sounds very practical.

The things that my current Amp 1 doesn't do are IRs and having different settings for the clean channel so I use it mostly more like a single channel amp. The Amp X should sort those things out, but it is larger and more expensive.

I don't see the Amp X appealing at all to those who want hundreds of fx and amps and cabs. I see it more like something that fits between e.g boutique tube heads (2000-3000 euros) and modelers that has its toes in both worlds but still does its own thing.

Thomas Blug has said that we should hear more about the Amp X at Winter NAMM 2024, but I hope that means it's close to ready to be released. I fear the company has bit more than it can chew and should have been a bit less ambitious.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I really wish Blug or someone would come out with an amp like this, for guitarists. Yes, I’m aware of the DV Mark stuff, but honestly it can’t touch the Blug stuff in terms of tone. But I can’t stand floor amps. They’re stupid, and make too many compromises to be so tiny. The side controls on the Amp1, for instance. Put more of that on the face of the amp like the Mesa Subway, and just make a tiny 7 pound head.

 

[laxu]

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I really wish Blug or someone would come out with an amp like this, for guitarists. Yes, I’m aware of the DV Mark stuff, but honestly it can’t touch the Blug stuff in terms of tone. But I can’t stand floor amps. They’re stupid, and make too many compromises to be so tiny. The side controls on the Amp1, for instance. Put more of that on the face of the amp like the Mesa Subway, and just make a tiny 7 pound head.

Ya givin' me shit about me massive halfstack m8?

That said, I do agree. I get why Blug has opted for that form factor since he uses it like a pedalboard rig but I'd also rather have something a bit more like that Mesa Subway or the Yamaha THR100HD. I'm still bummed Yamaha did not make a 2nd gen THR100HD because it had a lot of good ideas but just missed out on the execution in various ways.

I also agree about the side controls. I've glued some small stickers where the tone knobs are because they are generally impossible to see and find otherwise. Thankfully all of them are at least "set and forget" stuff rather than something you fiddle with all the time.