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Thread: BLACKSTAR hr-5 AND FENDER SCXD

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    Default BLACKSTAR hr-5 AND FENDER SCXD

    I didn't want to HIJACK the HT-5 thread so here goes:
    The Fender SCXD has two 6V6 tubes and a 12AX7 I think; plus the digital modelling for the different amp sounds. So, for all intents and purposes, the tubes just warm up the DSP signal as opposed to being a pure tube amp.

    Is the ISF feature in the HT-5 essentially the same thing or is it really a TUBE amp? I read all this stuff and sometimes my eyes glaze over.
    If the HT-5 is really tubular in the classic sense, it sounds like an AWESOME amp.

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    Quote Originally Posted by piebaldpython
    I didn't want to HIJACK the HT-5 thread so here goes:
    The Fender SCXD has two 6V6 tubes and a 12AX7 I think; plus the digital modelling for the different amp sounds. So, for all intents and purposes, the tubes just warm up the DSP signal as opposed to being a pure tube amp.

    Is the ISF feature in the HT-5 essentially the same thing or is it really a TUBE amp? I read all this stuff and sometimes my eyes glaze over.
    If the HT-5 is really tubular in the classic sense, it sounds like an AWESOME amp.
    The Blackstar also only has one 12AX7 preamp tube. Given that the Blackstar has lots of gain, I can only assume that some (or most) of the sound is solid state generated. I did notice a lot of opamps on the PCB pix linked in the Blackstar thread. Not that it is a bad thing in this case. The Blackstar sounds very good from the clips I've heard. I'm not sure if there is any digital modeling going on in the Blackstar, though.

    The VibroChamp XD is a single ended Class A amp using one 6V6 in the power section. It also has a single 12AX7. It is rated for the same wattage as the Blackstar. It has only one channel.

    The SuperChamp XD is a push pull Class AB amp using two 6V6s in the power section. I would assume that the 12AX7 is the phase inverter tube and only contributes a small amount of gain. The gain is most likely generated by digital modeling. It has two footswitchable channels.

    The Blackstar is a push pull amp using a 12BH7 dual triode. I'm not sure if the amp uses a 12AX7 as a phase inverter or not. The 12BH7 could be configured as a grounded grid amp (often incorrectly called "self split") This means that the 12BH7 is configured to operate as its own phase inverter and doesn't need a separate tube to perform that function. The end result is that the amp is Class A.

    All of this is just pure conjecture on my part as I have not seen any of the schematics.

    So to answer your question, I would call the Blackstar a hybrid: solid state preamp/tube output section. Is it a real tube amp? Yes, but not in the sense that a Soldano, or Marshall, or Fender is a real tube amp. It is not *all* tube. But that doesn't make it a bad amp.

    tung
    I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
    - Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$

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    Actually as I understand it, the Blackstar uses a 12BH7 and an ECC83, which if memory serves is the British name for a 12AX7. It is all analog but not necessarily all tube as Tung pointed out. My uneducated guess is that it uses the 12AX7 and then adds in opamps for more grit. Basically it's a built-in distortion pedal. The preamp is essentially one of their HT-5 pedals. Otherwise if you wanted to get high gain from tubes, you'd have to add a bunch of preamp stages like a Soldano which would make the amp much more expensive.

    From the marketing-speak that I've read, the ISF seems to be a very fancy contour control. But instead of just moving the mids it moves the whole tone stack. Theoretically if you turn it counter clockwise it sounds more American (Fender?) and clockwise it sounds more British (Marshall?).

    All's I know is that I want one.
    Axen: Jackson DK2M, Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster, Reverend Warhawk 390, Taylor 914ce, ESP LTD Surveyor-414
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    I'm with Tung (again). The Blackstar's manual states that the HT5 is based on the HT distortion pedals. It has far more gain than you'd get from two tube stages so there's some SS component to the preamp. I'll also agree with the 12AX7 in the SCXD as phase inverter, that means either a digital preamp or, more likely, the SS front end from Fender's Frontman line feeding a tube power amp. Lots of good amps have used this arrangement. The Music Man amps from the 70's are one example. Designed by Leo Fender and used by Eric Clapton among many others.
    Electric: Fat strat > Korg PB > TS7 > DS1 > DD-20 > Cube 60 (Fender model)

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