Have You Or Anyone You Know Had Problems With Blackstar Amped 2 100W Pedalboard Amp + FX ?

[Spaced Out Ace]

Lots of blackstar aren’t repairable. They’ll just throw it in the bin and send out a new one. Cheap ass surface mount components that aren’t worth messing around with. Ex Marshall but a very different approach with their products and designs.

Future landfill material is all most of it seems to be. We need less of that junk, not more. The sounds people get in videos seem very vanilla and uninspiring to say the least. Take a Marshall/Fender circuit, remove ALL character, mass produce, ????, profit! I wish their stuff wasn't complete junk, but here we are.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Best solution for anyone looking for shit like this is Amp 1 Mercury/Iridium and a VP4 or HX Effects. Better tones, more reliable.

The Amp 1 form factor is kind of eh, but who gives a shit. It is a floor amp that doesn't seem to have constant reports of reliability issues. The only thing I don't care for are the plastic pots, but 2024 and all that.

 

[Jarick]

No problems with mine but it's gonna be up for sale pretty soon as I don't need it. Blackstar stuff strikes me as pretty good sounding for the money but not built to last.

 

[Eagle]

No problems with mine but it's gonna be up for sale pretty soon as I don't need it. Blackstar stuff strikes me as pretty good sounding for the money but not built to last.

Trouble is it’s 50/50 if it lasts the gig!

 

[KingsXJJ]

No problems with mine but it's gonna be up for sale pretty soon as I don't need it. Blackstar stuff strikes me as pretty good sounding for the money but not built to last.

I like the sound and use it strictly at home. The CabRig feature set is rich and feels like minimal latency to me. I’d like to see a small form factor pedal with just CabRig…

 

[paisleywookiee]

He used his BluGuitar amp into a Marshall 4x12 last night for his last ever gig in Scotland with TN .
View attachment 34004

Sounds like he went back to what works. Good choice.

 

[Zodiac]

I have an Amped 2, got it when they first came out. Still going strong. No issues. Admittedly I've never gigged it, only home use.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

I’m still happy with my stJames, sounds good, 50w all tube a can lift with a finger, decent cabsim out, fairly priced for what it is.
Everyday is “pick on blackstar” on fora, personally I think it’s all a bit overblown.
IF this model has a reoccurring issue…it’s about how they handle it for the customers affected, and how they fix it in their production. Afaik, most brands that drop some volume on the market have had to deal with “stuff”.

 

[Zodiac]

Makes me wonder whether all the hate for Blackstar comes from people who have owned Blackstar gear, or just read about it on forums.
I've owned Blackstar amps ( as well as other makes) and only ever had one single issue. I bought a brand new Silverline Deluxe 100 combo, and after 2 weeks it developed an intermittent fault. Kept randomly switching between clean and crunch modes. Took it back to the shop, who sent it to Blackstar. Had it back about 10 days later, all good.
All amp brands will have issues at some point, it's just the way it is. But I do think Blackstar seem to come in for more criticism that is warranted.

 

[laxu]

Makes me wonder whether all the hate for Blackstar comes from people who have owned Blackstar gear, or just read about it on forums.
I've owned Blackstar amps ( as well as other makes) and only ever had one single issue. I bought a brand new Silverline Deluxe 100 combo, and after 2 weeks it developed an intermittent fault. Kept randomly switching between clean and crunch modes. Took it back to the shop, who sent it to Blackstar. Had it back about 10 days later, all good.
All amp brands will have issues at some point, it's just the way it is. But I do think Blackstar seem to come in for more criticism that is warranted.

While people online tend to post about devices that have issues, the common thread across Blackstar models seems to be faults, more than some far more popular brands. Their design is such that only the manufacturer can repair them easily, and that might be a problem for long term ownership.

My personal experience with the Blackstar amps I've tried is that the tones are somehow quite generic. Like they are not bad, but just don't have a vibe of their own that makes me say "that's the Blackstar sound, that's the sound I want".

 

[Zodiac]

While people online tend to post about devices that have issues, the common thread across Blackstar models seems to be faults, more than some far more popular brands. Their design is such that only the manufacturer can repair them easily, and that might be a problem for long term ownership.

My personal experience with the Blackstar amps I've tried is that the tones are somehow quite generic. Like they are not bad, but just don't have a vibe of their own that makes me say "that's the Blackstar sound, that's the sound I want".

Fair comment, my post is just based on my own personal experience.
I have an ID 100 TVP head that is about 12 years old and still working fine. I had an HT Stage 60 combo and a HT Club 40 for years, both had no issues. The Silverline I traded in for the Amped 2.
But I honestly think the whole Blackstar hate thing is blown up out of proportion. YMMV.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Their design is such that only the manufacturer can repair them easily,

What makes you think that blackstar is different then other brands?

How I see it: any amp, from any manufacturer, that has digital components, if one of those components goes down, odds are the only economical method for repair is replacing boards. Modeling amps, amps IR loaders, all suffer that same faith don’t they?

When you get a 100% tube amp from them….isnt it all the same across pcb amps in a certain pricerange? (Give or take a few extra bolts maybe, Idnk)

In my mind, pcb amps are a lot cheaper, and maybe have a bit of risk of higher repair costs…but they have to break first, then you need bad luck that it’s something subject to the above… before that risk materializes.

Im all for buying stuff that is likely to serve its purpose for many years to come, if not for economic reasons, then for the sake of our planet. But “risk = likelyhood * impact”, and if the price of mitigating 100% of risk is high.. sometimes accepting it is the better option.

 

[sleewell]

I just steer clear of the brand entirely lol

 

[MirrorProfiles]

What makes you think that blackstar is different then other brands?

How I see it: any amp, from any manufacturer, that has digital components, if one of those components goes down, odds are the only economical method for repair is replacing boards. Modeling amps, amps IR loaders, all suffer that same faith don’t they?

When you get a 100% tube amp from them….isnt it all the same across pcb amps in a certain pricerange? (Give or take a few extra bolts maybe, Idnk)

In my mind, pcb amps are a lot cheaper, and maybe have a bit of risk of higher repair costs…but they have to break first, then you need bad luck that it’s something subject to the above… before that risk materializes.

Im all for buying stuff that is likely to serve its purpose for many years to come, if not for economic reasons, then for the sake of our planet. But “risk = likelyhood * impact”, and if the price of mitigating 100% of risk is high.. sometimes accepting it is the better option.

It has nothing to do with using some digital bits, nor PCB's. Blackstar uses lots of surface mount components which are very fiddly to replace. They also don't send out schematics so a tech either needs to trace the PCB out, or the user has to send it to a Blackstar authorised tech.

Aside from the Artisan, I think most of their amps feature a lot of solid state stuff? Not an issue, but they're marketed as these hyper modern flexible valve amps that are really just finding areas to cut corners on in order to produce a cheap amp. It's never really clear which amps have solid state gain stages or phase inverters. I think a lot of these approaches using different tech just leads to OK sounding amps.

I don't think anyone is insinuating they are more prone to failing than any other amp, or that anyone will 100% certainly run into issues. All amps are subject to going under a fair bit of stress (both electronically and often physically on the road). Stuff goes wrong, things need servicing and checking. With many blackstar amps, they're simply not cost effective to repair because of the amount of hassle vs value of the amp. I would say there aren't many companies building hybrid solid state/valve amps with surface mount components (Orange have a few though), so in that regard Blackstar are different to most other brands.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

It has nothing to do with using some digital bits, nor PCB's. Blackstar uses lots of surface mount components which are very fiddly to replace. They also don't send out schematics so a tech either needs to trace the PCB out, or the user has to send it to a Blackstar authorised tech.

In my mind this just something in the balance of pro’s/cons of an amp, and since Ime amps (in general) hardly go bad, at least in the first 30 years, not a super heavy weighted thing.

With many blackstar amps, they're simply not cost effective to repair because of the amount of hassle vs value of the amp.

Yeah, but isn’t that true for all lower budget things these days? I mean, guitars on the market these days that are cheaper then the cost of having a pot replaced or a level job

Last year i spend 150,- on an egnater amp (another one that is supposed to explode by looking at it)..I can’t even give away that one on the used market But, 15 year old amp, got it for 300,- used 8years ago, i like it…55,- per year…not too bad. And id rather keep it alive.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Last year i spend 150,- on an egnater amp (another one that is supposed to explode by looking at it)..I can’t even give away that one on the used market

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

Funny cause it’s true!

 

[JiveTurkey]

Funny cause it’s true!

That's all I have ever read on those amps, too! I always thought the idea of them was cool and Egnater has a great ear. I am not a huge fan of the aesthetics though.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

That's all I have ever read on those amps, too! I always thought the idea of them was cool and Egnater has a great ear. I am not a huge fan of the aesthetics though.

Agreed..the tolex color is not attractive at all.
But the Rebel has served me well for 8 years now. Currently at a small club where I organize jazz Sundays..so it gets abused by a lot of players. Nice gigging amp, lots of noise from a relatively small amp. And…it’s got a vent hole just above the speakers…kinda of “personal monitoring” hole when you have no other option then to place the amp close to you.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Yeah, but isn’t that true for all lower budget things these days? I mean, guitars on the market these days that are cheaper then the cost of having a pot replaced or a level job

No, not really tbh. Most production amps aren’t exactly boutique build quality. Something like an EVH is nothing special, and costs a bit to work on as removing the board takes quite a lot of work. But having surface mount components means a lot of techs won’t even touch it as you need different irons, a good eye, even more careful hand etc. And doing it without schematics can be even worse, especially if you are trying to find what the problem even is.

Blackstar are cheap enough that it’s not too important, you factor the build quality into the price. But IMO they don’t really sound good enough to be appealing at all, maybe if there was an amp that truly blew me away AND was really affordable I’d think again.