Guitar and Bass Sep 08 Review

Handwiredclass A circuits,burgundy/blackBluesbreakercabs– it’s amatchlesscombination.First ImpressionFirst ImpressionFirst ImpressionAmp ReviewPrice: £799-£1199Handwired amps with toneful, no-frills Class A circuits, useful low-power switches,quality Celestions and boutiquey looks? At these prices? Dave Petersen is impressedBlackstarArtisan 30 & Artisan 15Since Blackstar introduced these,their first models, at the LondonGuitar Show last summer, they’vebeen attracting a healthy amount ofinterest. Designers Bruce Keir and IanRobinson are the team behind some ofMarshall’s more recent successes, andNorthampton-based Blackstar aims tooffer hand-wired gear at reasonable cost,with classic design, high component/assembly quality, and exceptional sound.Design and distribution is UK-based, withmanufacture carried out in South Korea.Both amps have a solid, purposeful airwith a traditional simplicity in theirlayout. Laurel-leaf linework on etchedblack control panels, knurled knobs,industrial-weight toggle switches, wideradius contouring and faultless burgundycabinet covering give an impression ofquality. As on a Marshall, the chassis isfixed at eight points to the rear panel andis carried on 18mm battens, as in theclassic Bluesbreaker and 20W 1974Pure Simplicity: the 15 has twochannels with Volume andTone, plus a 1/3 power switchcombos. In both Artisans the frame is of18mm ply with 12mm front and rearpanels, while the chassis is of 1.5mmplated steel with welded corners. It’s thekind of solid quality you might expectfrom a no-expense-spared handbuilt.Both amps are cathode-bias class AEL84-driven designs with valve rectifiersand choke-filtered HT supplies, andElectro-Harmonix valves fitted asstandard. Circuits are fairly conventional,with a mix of early Vox and Marshallinfluences. In both amps, one preampAll Blackstar amplifiers comefitted with Electro-Harmonixvalves as standardThis Northampton-based company aimsto offer high quality handwired gear withclassic design and exceptional soundchannel is fitted with an EF86 pentode,the other with a 12AX7 twin triode. The30’s EF86 channel emulates the old AC15with its switched bass contour and singletone control, while its 12AX7 channel iswired with a three-band tone stack, abright/warm Voice selector, and Gain andVolume controls. The Artisan 15 has nofrillsVolume and Tone in both channels.Both amps feature a low-power switchthat cuts the output from one phase ofthe push-pull driver, effectively changingthe amp from push-pull to a single-FACTFILEARTISAN 15& ARTISAN 30Description: 15W & 30W valvecombos. Built in KoreaArtisan 15 specs: one EZ81,two EL84s, two ECC83s andone EF86 valve. 12" CelestionG12M speaker. Control panel:Channel 1 input jacks (paired);Volume, Tone. Channel 2 Inputjacks (paired); Volume, Tone;Pilot; 5W/15W output selector;Standby; Mains. Rear panel:IEC mains socket; mains fuse;HT fuse; output selector 4-8-16 ohms; paired speaker jacks.Comes with slipcoverDimensions: 62cm wide, 52cmhigh, 24cm deep. Weight:23kg/50lbRRP: £799Artisan 30 specs: one GZ34,four EL84s, three ECC83s andone EF86 valve. Two 12"Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.Control panel: Channel 1 inputjacks (paired); Volume, Tone,five-way Bass Shape selector.Channel 2 input jacks (paired);Gain, Voice selector bright /warm; Treble, Middle, Bass,Volume; Pilot; 15W/30Woutput selector; Standby;Mains. Rear panel: IEC mainssocket; mains fuse; HT fuse;output selector 4-8-16 ohms;paired speaker jacks. Comeswith slipcover and castor setDimensions: 72cm wide, 56cmhigh, 26cm deep. Weight:34kg/74.8lbsRRP: £1199Others in range: Artisan 100head & cabContact:Blackstar01536 312620www.blackstaramps.co.uk70 September 08 – Guitar & BassSeptember 08 – Guitar & Bass 71

Amp ReviewTHE COMPETITIONBLACKSTAR ARTISAN 30:VOX AC30H2EF86 channel, Class A outputand blue speakers combine tomake a strong challenger atsimilar street price levelRRP: £1299FRAMUS Ruby Riot 2More extensive features, butotherwise comparable if you’renot looking for handwiringRRP: £1625BLACKSTAR ARTISAN 15:VOX AC15CC1XClass A-driven blue-speakerupdate of one of Vox’s finest.Low-cost build but great sound,keen pricing, an comes withtremolo and reverbRRP: £485MARSHALL 1974X HandwiredOne of the feeder designs forthe Artisan series – maybe Ianand Bruce were worried thisone might turn up! Handwiring,EL84s, tremolo and benchmarktone, but at a UK-built priceRRP: £975ender but leaving the output stage biascurrents at normal levels, avoiding risesin supply voltage that might lead tooverheating. Circuitry is laid out on asingle long pax board using underwiredturret-tags rather like on early Marshalls.Wiring runs are short, which suggests amethodically-designed layout andbenefits transient pulse response.Switches and ceramic valveholders are ofgood quality, and very few componentsare fitted off-board in a way that might bevulnerable to vibration.SOUNDSThe valve rectifiers ensure a fuss-freewarm-up, but the cautious may prefer touse the Standby switch as well. The ampsrun quietly with zero Volume settingsalthough the preamp stages aren’t gated.With half Volume white noise increases,but even with single-coils this settingtakes us near the amps’ limits in cleanmode. A Strat in the 30’s Channel 1 has aclear, chimey response at full gig levels,while with the SG we’re already edginginto saturation, and the Volume has to godown to around 3/10 to stay clean.There’s a mix of clarity and edge withboth guitars, but the SG benefits from arolled-off Bass switch setting to keep fullThe tonality is best-of-British, but thejangling complexity of the harmonicssuggests a high-end American EL84 ampThe Artisan 30 has one VoxyEF84 channel and one 12AX7channel with three tonecontrols and a Voice selectorchords from flapping out. It’s tempting todescribe the tonality as best-of-British,but the jangling complexity of theharmonics has a suggestion of high–endAmerican EL84-driven amps. In the 15,the EF86 channel (2) sounds similar, sothe pentode gives both amps a morelively and open sound; indeed, the actual12AX7 channels sound more reined-in anddocile. Some players will prefer that,because it sounds more ‘older amp’, andit’s nice to have the choice. Channel 2 ofthe 30 has a more conventional gain andtone structure, and will sound familiar tousers of Hiwatts and early Marshalls.Beyond the clean limit – gig-worthy ineither amp – the saturated sound issmooth and open, with a clear grittinessand little tendency to add undertones.The SG blends effortlessly into octave-upovertones and the ‘sweet spot’ balance of2nd and 3rd harmonics is very easy tofind, although the 30’s hard-hittingvolume level may be too much for this atanything but big gigs – even the mostenergetic drummer will have someserious competition. Pushing the Gainagainst the Master on the 30’s Channel 2to get earlier distortion doesn’t get thesame result – in fact it doesn’t seem tooverdrive much with single-coils at all,and, like the older Hiwatts, really needshumbuckers for this. There’s also atendency to undertoning, although thebright Voice selection helps keep it tidier.By contrast, the low-power selection isgood for rehearsal and recording,retaining clarity but saturating nicely atmore practical levels. The 10W setting onthe Artisan 30 is still pretty loud, so ifyou’re doing pub/club work, the 15 maybe easier on your back and your finances.VERDICTBoth these amps are among the best intheir classes, regardless of price. The lackof footswitching or an effects loop mayseem over-simple to those used to moreelaborate amps, but the direct wiring andsignal paths are an important part of thatharmonically rich, punchy sound that youget so much of for your money.FINAL SCOREBuild Quality ...........................18/20Playability ...............................16/20Sound .....................................18/20Value for money .......................18/20Vibe ........................................16/20TOTAL ...................................86%Good for... indie pop, blues, blues rock, jazz andhard rockLook elsewhere... for country or heavy metal72 September 08 – Guitar & Bass