Doug Aldrich signature Amp - Blackstar DA-100 Ruby

[DrewJD82]

$1499. A complete and utter steal on today's market.

Here come the player-haters in 3.... 2.... and....




I am not exactly wowed that this is the HTStage 100MKII platform
with a tweaked/modded PCB they added onto it.

Still a nice option for the "Can't afford a $3500 tube amp" crowd.

It might have a great price point but going off those demos, did you hear anything that made you want to run out and try one?

 

[2dor]

It might have a great price point but going off those demos, did you hear anything that made you want to run out and try one?

Not really unfortunately. Too bad - Doug is one hell of a player

 

[Jarick]

Doug rules, absolute monster player and a totally chill dude. Curious to know what they based this on seeing as he's used Cameron modded Marshalls forever.

Blackstar Atomica would be a trip!

 

[la szum]

It might have a great price point but going off those demos, did you hear anything that made you want to run out and try one?

I can't run out and try any amps where I live.

If it was utter shit I am not sure Doug would be involved. He seems
pretty selective about his gear, and has not been an endorsement slut, so far
as I can tell.

I also already own 2 Blackstar Tube Amps. Ban me now!!!!!!!

 

[JiveTurkey]

I'm still trying to tell if it's using up the rest of that blurple tolex or if they came up with a custom shade

 

[la szum]

Blurby!

 

[Blix]

Doug rules, absolute monster player and a totally chill dude. Curious to know what they based this on seeing as he's used Cameron modded Marshalls forever.

I don't think he has used the Cameron-modded ones for quite a while, for the last 10-15 years his Suhr modded JMP has been his main amp. :)

 

[DrewJD82]

I can't run out and try any amps where I live.

If it was utter shit I am not sure Doug would be involved. He seems
pretty selective about his gear, and has not been an endorsement slut, so far
as I can tell.

I also already own 2 Blackstar Tube Amps. Ban me now!!!!!!!

ANSWER MY QUESTION LA SZUM!!!

 

[GuitarBilly74]

$1499. A complete and utter steal on today's market.

Here come the player-haters in 3.... 2.... and....




I am not exactly wowed that this is the HTStage 100MKII platform
with a tweaked/modded PCB they added onto it.

Still a nice option for the "Can't afford a $3500 tube amp" crowd.

I'll be the first to admit I have an skepticism towards BlackStar, based on previous amps I had.
But I recently tried the Jared James Nichols 50w signature amp and it sounded great.

So maybe with some input from players, they can make some solid amps. I doubt Doug would sign off on something crappy or that he didn't have other endorsement opportunities. So I'll reserve judgement for when I play one. The price is great given all the features etc

 

[KingsXJJ]

I can't run out and try any amps where I live.

If it was utter shit I am not sure Doug would be involved. He seems
pretty selective about his gear, and has not been an endorsement slut, so far
as I can tell.

I also already own 2 Blackstar Tube Amps. Ban me now!!!!!!!

Blackstar Aficionados Silencio Aqui.

 

[KingsXJJ]

Love the idea but the color? I’m a traditionalist.

 

[HotRats]

I don't think he has used the Cameron-modded ones for quite a while, for the last 10-15 years his Suhr modded JMP has been his main amp. :)

Yes and he's become a blackstar around last year

 

[Blix]

Yes and he's become a blackstar around last year

Yeah, he's got to eat!

 

[Byrdman]

Yeah, he's got to eat!

Good for him, everyone needs to make a living especially as you enter your golden years. TBH, he is a monster player but has played for a lot of different bands over the years and many it seemed as a hired gun vs resident musician. Although I'm not a Blackstar fan, I'm glad he has found something that he feels comfortable representing and can make some change from it.

He, like many other musicians, probably were not thinking about Retirement, 401K's, saving for the future, etc while doing lines of blow of groupies' asses at 4am on a Tuesday morning

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Happy for Doug but Blackstar are basically a modern day Crate and just because it’s half the price of Marshall or Friedman it doesn’t mean it’s good value.

I don’t think it’s too bad sounding (just sounds generic and solid state/flat like most Blackstar’s), but I can’t really understand why anyone would want it, aside from owning a piece of gear that has Doug Aldrich’s name on it. IMO it’s destined for the landfill

 

[Byrdman]

Happy for Doug but Blackstar are basically a modern day Crate and just because it’s half the price of Marshall or Friedman it doesn’t mean it’s good value.

I don’t think it’s too bad sounding (just sounds generic and solid state/flat like most Blackstar’s), but I can’t really understand why anyone would want it, aside from owning a piece of gear that has Doug Aldrich’s name on it. IMO it’s destined for the landfill

Tell us how you really feel and dont pull any punches

 

[BahamaDada]

One thing I will never get is the hate this forum has with Blackstars, while worshipping basically every other manufacturer, that does not sound better or worse.

I've had several Blackstars (including modeling and solid state stuff) and it was all quite decent for the price.

The Series One is still a hell of an amp if you ask me.

 

[mbenigni]

DSL100HR is $830, and a far better sounding amp. It’s also actually a tube amp, not a hybrid.

Made me look. $830?? What's the catch? I gather they're built in Vietnam, but how is their reputation in terms of reliability, etc.?

Whatever the case, that's just crazy cheap. Sign me up for all the Indonesian guitars and Vietnamese amplifiers, please.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

One thing I will never get is the hate this forum has with Blackstars, while worshipping basically every other manufacturer, that does not sound better or worse.

I've had several Blackstars (including modeling and solid state stuff) and it was all quite decent for the price.

The Series One is still a hell of an amp if you ask me.

How they sound is subjective, nothing wrong with enjoying how they sound.

What isn’t subjective is building amps with non-repairable PCB’s full of tiny surface mount components. Solid state gain stages/preamps, solid state phase inverters, cheap pots and caps all while being marketed as something beyond what they are. I think I’d be less bothered if they designed their stuff to actually last and be properly maintained, but they’d rather just dump a broken amp than go to the trouble of having something repairable.

Made me look. $830?? What's the catch? I gather they're built in Vietnam, but how is their reputation in terms of reliability, etc.?

Whatever the case, that's just crazy cheap. Sign me up for all the Indonesian guitars and Vietnamese amplifiers, please.

DSL100H’s are brilliant, and IMO a much better compromise on an affordable amp.

 

[mbenigni]

DSL100H’s are brilliant, and IMO a much better compromise on an affordable amp.

Thanks for sharing your opinion. I was looking at used JCM2000s for pretty much the same price. The DSL100HR seems like a much safer bet.