# Blackstar Practice Amp: ID:Core Stereo 10 V2



## JonFairhurst (Dec 14, 2016)

I picked up a guitar practice amp for my daughter. She plays original music in a kind of ethereal style with more finger picking than strumming.

My first stop was a bunch of YouTube reviews, which can be quite helpful. They might not tell you which is the best, but it can narrow the field. I went to the local music shop expecting to buy a Fender Mustang 1 V2 ($120) and ended up getting the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 10 V2 ($100). It was about the sound, rather than the $20.

Based on the YouTube reviews, the Fender seemed to have smooth, natural clean and crunch sounds. I wasn't interested in a shredder amp. And I wanted a good tube (not transistor) emulation. (Note: my amp is a Vox emulator with the small tube in the circuit.)

I went to the local shop expecting to pick up the Fender and was lucky enough to talk with the section manager. He had bought a large inventory of the 10W Blackstar amps and had them stacked on the floor. His reason? The stereo output makes the amp sound much bigger than it really is.

Fortunately, they had a WildKat with P90 pickups on the wall - just like my daughter's guitar. I gave both amps a whirl.

And you know what? The manager was right. The two 5W, 5-inch speakers with w-i-d-e processing gives the guitar a nice, thick sound. From clean to crushed, it sounded natural and responded to dynamic playing well. It lean towards mild, rather than wild overdrive, which is just what I wanted. Finally, the effects are tasteful, with three areas: reverb, delay, and modulation (vibrato, flange, chorus). These are ideal for ethereal sounds, as compared to detuners, octaves, intervals, and other gimmicks. 

The amp isn't loud, so it won't work with drums unless mic'd. But it's more than loud enough for practice and playing solo in a coffee shop.

The real win though is the stereo output. It makes for a rich, full sound that's generally lacking in small amps. So instead of a dull, thin sound, a single player can create a full sonic foundation that should support solo voice well. That said, if you want deep bass, this isn't for you. The 5W 5-inch speakers won't double as a bass amp like my 12" Vox will.

The thing weighs all of eight pounds and is under 14" wide. You won't break a sweat with guitar case in one hand and amp in the other.

Anyway, what practice amp do you have? For shredders, the little Yamaha looks like the ticket.


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 16, 2016)

So I gave my daughter the early Christmas present the other day and... she loves it! 

We spent some time with one playing and the other tweaking the knobs. It was a cool way to play with the amp as she was able to focus on the knobs in real time when I played, and she could play a given song continuously as I went through the options. Overall, I expect that she'll settle on just two or three settings for any given solo gig. (Clean, Clean with effects, Moderate crunch with effects.) It does the ethereal thing great for such a small, inexpensive amp.

The stereo spread is a total winner. It might get messy with a band, but is great for soloists and solo practicing. It makes simple things sound good and has that nice, addictive quality that makes you want to keep playing.

The negatives? I knew the 10W version lacked a pedal input, which isn't a big deal in my daughter's case. Unfortunately, it also lacks the built in tuner, which would have been nice. She'll need a tuner pedal so she can mute, tune, and play without disrupting the cafe gigs that she has traditionally done with an acoustic. The 20W version includes foot pedal input and the built-in tuner and doesn't cost much more.

The other negative would apply across the line. The ISF tone control is a cool idea. Rather than Bass/Mid/Treble, it goes from British (with a woody, tenor sound) to neutral to American (brighter, more aggressive.) The problem is that it's a bit subtle. The room will have more effect on the sound than the tone control. And if the bottom end is muddy or thin, there's no way to correct it. Same thing for highs. So you end up relying on the guitar pickup switch and tone knobs to adjust it. But if the treble pickup isn't quite bright enough, there's little else you can do. The WildKat Epiphone P90s are known to be a bit on the dull side, and with my daughter's light, finger-picking style, it would be nice to be able to give it a bit more sizzle on the highs.

That said, even with the low power and small speakers, it doesn't feel like it's lacking bass - at least for my daughter's style.

This wouldn't be the right amp for everybody, but it hits a sweet spot by focusing on things in good taste. Clearly, it's not enough amp for playing unmic'd with drums. It's not a crazy overdrive monster. It doesn't have off-the-wall effects for going all experimental. But for blues, jazz, traditional rock, and ethereal sounds in a small space and a small budget, it does a great job. Given that, it would be a nice starter amp too as it delivers good core sounds that reward good playing, rather than distracting a student with gimmicks. And it doesn't compress the hell out of dynamics, so it won't mask hamhanded playing or discourage putting feeling and touch into a performance. 

Anyway, for the cost of a nice dinner for two with wine, you can get a heck of a high value amp these days. How I wish I could have gotten this for $100 when I was a kid!


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## jacobthestupendous (Dec 17, 2016)

I picked up a Yamaha THR-10 when they came out, and it's fantastic, but it cost about three times as much as your Blackstar.


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## wst3 (Dec 17, 2016)

I haven't tried that particular Blackstar model, but I've spent a couple hours at the olde music store playing with their studio and venue heads and combos. I have yet to find one I didn't like. Very easy to get that JCM 50 vibe, not quite as easy to get an AC-30 vibe, but you can get close, so far I've been unable to get a Fender vibe, but I have enough Fender and Fender style amplifiers to last at least a year<G>.

One of these days I'll buy one of the Blackstar amplifiers because try as I might, I just can't find a deal on a Marshall that is anywhere near as reasonable, and that's a sound I enjoy.

In the meantime now I have another amplifier I need to check out...

Congrats on your gift!


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## Wes Antczak (Dec 17, 2016)

The Blackstars sound great and are indeed more powerful than one would think. It sounds perfect for what you need it for. Yes, congratulations on the purchase!


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 18, 2016)

Played around with the amp a bit more yesterday and found her core sound:

* Both pickups selected. All guitar knobs at 10.
* Bright Clean channel.
* Gain @ 5
* Tone @ 0 (British)
* Reverb setting 2; @ 5
* Modulation setting 3; @ 5
* Delay setting 2; @ 5.

Sounds great. Treble pickup for a brighter, alternate sound.

It's nice and clean on the finger picking style and gets some attitude with a harder strum.

My next gift to her will be the Digitech polyphonic tuner. It costs as much as the amp! Her style demands good tuning. Nobody wants to spend a long time turning in front of an audience. And nobody in the audience wants to hear somebody tune. The polyphonic thing should help make it fast. Once you identify the bum string, you can go monophonic for accuracy. And it looks like it can do capo tuning, which she needs for some songs. Birthday plans...


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 18, 2016)

BTW, this is my daughter from a few years ago. She's now doing originals.


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## wst3 (Dec 18, 2016)

Just a quick note on tuners... I am a little bit of a tuner snob I guess, but for the longest time the only thing I'd use was a Peterson. Well, I also have an old Conn Strobe Tuner in the studio, but Peterson was it for gigging. I tried the TC Electric polyphonic tuner a while back and bought it immediately. It isn't quite as fast as the Peterson, but the poly trick sold me - fastest way to quick tune between tunes! When Digitech announced theirs I gave it a try because I like some of the features, but I was put off by how slowly it captured the notes. So for now I'm sticking with the TC. Before you plunk down your hard earned cash you might want to compare them - Digitech may well have sped things up by now. If they didn't you might be better off with the TC.


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## jtnyc (Dec 18, 2016)

JonFairhurst said:


> BTW, this is my daughter from a few years ago. She's now doing originals.



Love that song! Love that whole album! 

Great job!


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## Astronaut FX (Dec 18, 2016)

I have a Yamaha THR10C and have been very happy with it. Sounds great with guitar, and I can use the AUX in for my iPod or my OP-1.


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 18, 2016)

wst3 said:


> Just a quick note on tuners... I am a little bit of a tuner snob I guess, but for the longest time the only thing I'd use was a Peterson. Well, I also have an old Conn Strobe Tuner in the studio, but Peterson was it for gigging. I tried the TC Electric polyphonic tuner a while back and bought it immediately. It isn't quite as fast as the Peterson, but the poly trick sold me - fastest way to quick tune between tunes! When Digitech announced theirs I gave it a try because I like some of the features, but I was put off by how slowly it captured the notes. So for now I'm sticking with the TC. Before you plunk down your hard earned cash you might want to compare them - Digitech may well have sped things up by now. If they didn't you might be better off with the TC.



Great tip! I'll definitely look into the TC.

Will it handle a capo?


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 18, 2016)

jtnyc said:


> Love that song! Love that whole album!
> 
> Great job!



Thanks! It was fun to make the video. I used a 5D Mark II camera with 85/1.8 lens, wide open, for the dreamy, shallow DOF look. We had an SM57 on the guitar and a Rode LD condenser on vocals, just out of the shot. She played the song three times. The first was a test and to set levels. The second was the master shot and audio recording. The third was for the b-roll, off angle shots. Did some EQ and (a bit too much) reverb, cut the video, added titles, fade from/to black, and done.

It was cool just to record it outdoors in a quiet location. The lighting was all natural as the sun set through the trees.

And yes, great song and album.


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## JonFairhurst (Dec 18, 2016)

Tone Deaf said:


> I have a Yamaha THR10C and have been very happy with it. Sounds great with guitar, and I can use the AUX in for my iPod or my OP-1.



Sweet. From what I've seen/heard from demos, it's got the best overdrive sound you can get in a small package. How does it do on clean and light crunch sounds?

As always, the best gear is the gear that best matches your style.

And biggest isn't always best. I lug around my 12" Vox, which is too small for wheels, but it's heavy enough that it means two trips to the car. I've been using it for the odd piece on bass or electric guitar with our community orchestra, where I mainly play 2nd violin. A smaller amp would work just fine And would mean more playing and less lugging.


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