About the Venue Series...

[guitarlord28]

I'm in the market for a new amp. I play classic rock (Zeppelin, Hendrix, etc.) generic blues, some metal, and instrumental/shred (Vai). So I need an that can go from good cleans to classic crunch to saturated leads. I also need one loud enough to gig small to medium venues. I was looking into the Venue Series. Specifically the Studio 20 and Club 40. Could either of those two amps meet my needs? Do they take pedals well? And have they released them in the US yet? Help is appreciated!

[Phantom]

Hi Guitarlord28,

Yes Yes and Yes ... but I'm biased. To answer your questions:

The Venue series has filled the gap that's left by the Hotrod etc whereby you love the Fender sound but need more tones. I've found that the Venue series fills all of the roles you mentioned and a few more. Versatility is Venues word.

Loud enough for the gig .... hmmm to be honest my pick of the bunch is the HT Stage 60. It's a three channel with 2 x 12" Celestions. It will be loud enough for any gig and can take a full stack of 4x12" if you need them.

Take pedals ... they eat them for breakfast! Because of the valve front end (and rear of course) the headroom is enormous. You don't have to fear the hottest pedal with the hottest pickup combination in these puppies.

In the U.S. Yep they are. Blackstar has opened their own office in the U.S. now so if your store doesn't have them then look up the site and get the office number ... they'll let you know where to go try them.

Hope this helps!

Phantom.

[guitarlord28]

That does help man, thanks . I've gotta go try these babies. I'll consider the 60watt also. The other amp I was considering was the Carvin Legacy II, but its 100watts and a lot of money. Does the 40 or the 60watt come in head form, or just combo? And how is the quality of Blackstar, are they worth the money?

[Phantom]

Hi Guitarlord28,

Cool. No the 40 and 60 don't come in a head ... yet! ... lol

That's going to be my next poll and of course protest out the front of the Blackstar office! ... lol

They have a 20w head and a 100w head all which are great ... but I'd like to get that transformer saturation of driving the amp without taking the paint off my walls. It would be easy enough for them to tip the 60w upside down and sticking it in a sleeve ... lets hope they do! #channels, 60watts (or maybe 50watts to split the diference) and a 4 x 12" cab ... works for me!

Phantom.

[gt_jumper]

If size wasn't an issue i would go the 60 too, It has more gain and better bottom end (so i hear, i haven't played one yet ) . the HT-20 have obsoleted my classic 50 half stack and is about to make the ENGL collect dust......

[guitarlord28]

I'm really interested in trying one of these. Hopefully I should be able to get a Vai-ish tone. The 40 might be my best option...of course, I gotta try it out lol

[gt_jumper]

I'm really interested in trying one of these. Hopefully I should be able to get a Vai-ish tone. The 40 might be my best option...of course, I gotta try it out lol

if you're in a single guitar band, the 20 will just scrape in, but i would go the 40 - 60 money and size permitting dude. Via tone is perfectly acheivable, but tone is mostly in the fingers

[Phantom]

Be aware there is also a Soloist 60 coming next month. It's a 2 channel unit with a solo boost and a 1 x 12". Could give you the power you need but the weight you don't. It will also drive a full 4 x 12" stack if you need it to.

Phantom.

[guitarlord28]

Thats what I got confused about. Either the 60 Soloist or the 60 Stage. Do you know the differences yet?

So the cleans are great on the Venue series? And I can get saturated tones? And can I make the higher gain more of a smooth tone, not like a harsh, crushing metal? Sorry if it seems like I'm repeating question, but I want reassurance, you know?

[Phantom]

Hi Guitarlord28,

Here's the scoop ... first of all I caveat all my comments with "it's all a matter of taste" ... now that's out of the way ... lol

The Blackstar amps to me will give you an awesome clean tone ... not quite that of a Fender but crisp and defined. The crunch is pure "old school" 80's crunch which for an Aussie is pure AC/DC. I love it. That tone whereby you can run your guitar on 8 and have that just breaking up crunch and then roll it to 10 and have a screaming lead ... awesome. And the drive ... no it's not a buzz saw drive. The best way I can describe it is like a Dual Rectifier drive but with a bit of British warmth thrown in.

Amps are like women ... thankfully we all like different ones!

The differences between the Soloist 60 and the Stage 60. In a nutshell here you go:

The Soloist 60 is a 2 channel amp with a single 12" Celestion with Presence on the master section. The Stage 60 is a 3 channel amp with 2 x 12" Celestions with an added Resonance in the master section. The Stage 60 also has an additional ECC82 valve for the 3rd channel of course.

Bottom line ... the Soloist is more for the the Solo player that needs less variation of tone but greater portability in the amp. The Stage 60 is broader spec'd and therefore has broader appeal but comes with the cost and larger size.

Hope this helps!

Phantom.