Blackstar ID:Core V3 Stereo 40 Combo Guitar Amplifier

Voor ik deze versterker heb aangeschaft heb ik heel wat recensies bekeken op YouTube.com.
Het is me niet ontgaan dat Blackstar met deze transistor versterker ietwat negatief overkomt, ten onrechte overigens.
Wat mij betreft klinkt deze versterker heel goed - voor alle duidelijkheid ik ben geen gitaarvirtuoos die jaren ervaring heeft met elektrische versterking.

Plus:

- Clean tones : gewoonweg heel goed.
- Crunch: ook super.
- Architect software: heel goed (Cab Rig Lite).
- ISF toonregeling is goed.
- In een band; kun je hiermee 'giggen' - geen idee, hangt ervan af hoe luid de andere bandleden spelen.
- Kamervullend geluid: zeker!

Min:

-Superwide Stereo: really ? Dat is niet mijn ervaring.
- Impedantie hoofdtelefoon mogelijk probleem
- Onbegrijpelijke mini USB B mini 2.0 port - ik schrijf dit in 2023 en mijn laptop heeft een USB-C poort. (dus extra verloopkabeltje aangeschaft)

Vandaar 4 sterren.

Very good clean sounds and great effects, good distorted sounds. Perfect amp for practice, rehearsals, and small gigs. I tried this one out at the store, comparing it with Mustang LT50 and Boss Katana 100, and now I've been using it at home for over a week. It has, by far, the best clean sounds, reverb, delay, and modulation effects of the three. This might simply be due to its use of stereo speakers - they really fill the room, especially when you combine multiple effects (a bit of flanger + multihead delay + plate reverb is the way to go).

Speaker quality is great. They have a lot of clarity, allowing the high end to shine, but can still deliver silky mids and a lot of ooompf on lower end. You can crank the amp up for a rehearsal or small stage gig and it will do just fine, though you might have to use both gain and volume to cut through the mix. The speakers also work very well at living room/conversation volumes. You really don't need to use higher volumes to make the amp sound great, which is very useful for home practice. You will not be disappointed with the dirty sounds either. Crunch delivers a nice vintage sound, superdrive just pushes it all up to 11. Lead and metal presets sound lovely, with a lot of sustain and the same clarity as cleans.

The controls are quite intuitive and switching between presets is fast and easy. I like the built-in tuner more than I'd expected to. Choosing modulation/delay/reverb settings takes a bit of getting used to but that's natural considering how minimalist the interface is (Boss Katana has a lot more knobs but I didn't find it any easier to use). Speaking of effects, the envelope/autowah is surprisingly fun to use, and multi-head and tape delay sound awesome, though all these effects might be a little quiet if you don't push the volume up. The plate and spring delay are also really good. The hall reverb is a little uninspiring, and so is the linear delay, but that might just be my preference.

When you use the amp without connecting it to your computer, you can either dial in your settings manually using the knobs (in the Manual mode), or use patches. The latter option preconfigures the amps using patches that contain effects and enable or disable noise gate. If you want to get a really cool sound quickly, using patches is the way to go. For example the "Boutique Clean" patch available on the "Clean Bright" position sets gain to about 1 o'clock boosts bass and treble, takes a bit off middle, and adds a spring reverb. "Smooth Solo" patch on "OD1" sets gain almost to the max, boosts bass and mid, sets treble at around 11 o'clock and enables noise gate, multi-head delay, and plate reverb. Unfortunately, you can't see it on the amp (due to minimalist controls) - only in the Architect application.

The biggest downside of this amplifier, and the reason I gave it 4 and not 5 stars, is the fact that you only get the ISF equalizer, and no knobs to manually set bass/middle/treble. ISF is fun to make quick changes to the sound, but it does not allow you to fine-tune it. For that, you have to use the Architect application. The application itself is intuitive to use. It gives you access to some settings that you cannot change from the amp itself, for example: bass/middle/treble, resonance, presence, and many effect settings - e.g. delay time. It also allows you to enable noise gate on clean channels, something that's not possible from the amp itself.

Using the app also allows you to use the amplifier as an audio interface to easily record your guitar inside digital audio workstation application (DAW), and use the amplifier as PC speakers (for example to play a backing track). Architect also has the option to emulate different cab rig configurations, which might be really useful especially in your home recordings. My favorite feature of the app is the option to download presets created by other users. Most of these presets are actually designed for Silverline, but work well enough with ID:Core.

Build quality is superb - the corner protectors are solid, the amp is VERY light, knobs and buttons are all set well in place. The amp is really easy to pick up and carry thanks to the handle on the back. Big shout out to the staff at the Bax Music store in Antwerp. They were really helpful in setting it all up and made all the accommodations I needed. I really appreciated the opportunity to try all these amps out in person. Strengths: + Great clean sounds + Very good modulation, delay, and reverb effects + Speaker quality, clarity, and power + Great stereo + Interesting app features + Light and easy to carry Weaknesses - Distorted sounds aren't as good as clean sounds (though they are still very good) - No bass/middle/treble controls on the amp (only ISF available).