Skinnyman Posted June 25 Posted June 25 I’ve had a ton of guitar amps over the years including Line6, Marshall, Fender, Vox and Boss Katana. I’ve ended up moving them all on as they were too big, too loud, too heavy or just a bit…., meh. Most recently I’ve been using an old Fender G-Dec 15 for practice and that’s an amp that has outlasted all the newer, shinier models that have come and gone while I’ve had it. It’s been a great practice amp but It just sounds a bit….ordinary and it’s no good for recording. Enter the Blackstar ID:X 50 and, so far, i am loving this! It seems to be positioned as a direct competitor to the Katana but i think they both have a very different approach. The Katana is all about the Boss FX built in. It sounds fantastic but i think you need to spend a lot of time with the app to customise it to your own needs. The Blackstar has FX onboard and has an app but it really is an amp first and foremost and you don’t really need to touch the app to get great sounds from it. I like the USB connection to the computer and the ability to use it as an audio interface to record direct (with IR cab simulation). I also like that i can play backing tracks from Youtube (or wherever) through the USB connection into the amp or direct from my phone. But the main thing is the sound. It sounds superb even on the 1W setting. 2 Quote
ezbass Posted June 26 Posted June 26 10 hours ago, Skinnyman said: but it really is an amp first and foremost and you don’t really need to touch the app to get great sounds from it. 10 hours ago, Skinnyman said: But the main thing is the sound. Which should be the starting point for all amps. Well played, Blackstar. 2 Quote
EliasMooseblaster Posted July 6 Posted July 6 On 26/06/2026 at 08:53, ezbass said: Which should be the starting point for all amps. Well played, Blackstar. I quite agree: I appreciate what Line6 were trying to do with their (earlier) amps, but if the core tone is horrible, no amount of clever effects is going to compensate for that! 2 Quote
Skinnyman Posted July 7 Author Posted July 7 Quick update….. This is the first time I’ve managed to record a guitar into Logic and have it actually sound like the guitar I played. Straight out of the USB on the Blackstar using their cab emulator and into a plain audio track in Logic (no fx, EQ or compression added) and it sounds just like the amp does in the room. I’m very pleased with that. Quote
