Blackstar HT-5 R or Fender Mustang III v2?

Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
Just a quick one to draw on info from those that have one.

Toss up between

Blackstar HT-5 R

or Fender Mustang III v2

Both are way different but have key features I require, most importantly headphones out.

Your thoughts please

Thanks in advance

Jon

Comments

  • BuzzwagonBuzzwagon Posts: 143Member
    Chalk and cheese but I'd go with the Blackstar every time. Why? Because it's a tube amp, it's what I've got already and I love it :-)

    Jerry
  • LesterLester Posts: 1,730Member, Moderator
    I would have said the same as Jerry for the same reason but being a valve amp I would be surprised if it has a headphone socket, so I think that if you check the spec's it might eliminate itself from your list.
  • DaveBassDaveBass Posts: 3,328Member
    According to the online owner's manual, the HT-5R does indeed have a headphone output. It's called a "speaker emulated output" and it's suitable for use with headphones.

    http://www.blackstaramps.com/pdf/handbooks/ht-5r-handbook.pdf

    Dave
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Yes Blackstar without hesitation.
    Great if it does have speaker emulation (a marshall JCM600 I had, had a speaker emu thingy) really handy at times.
    smile
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Oo some oneelse that surfs?
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member
    The Mustang III does (or maybe did) have a risk factor of the "fizz" when playing clean that affects some of their number very badly - I've heard some demos of that fizz and it's VERY ghastly. eek

    Megi on this forum hit that problem.
  • The TiggsThe Tiggs Posts: 333Member
    Blackstar.

    Fandango have lost the plot.

    ...when it comes to amplifying guitars you need valves, transistors just don't cut it no matter what sort of software they are fitted with...

    its an organic thing
  • zoglugzoglug Posts: 314Member
    I have been very, very tempted by the blackstar ht5 mini stack recently after trying one at the local dawsons! I fell in love pretty much instantly but, felt it too much for practicing in my little man cave especially when I already have mustang 1.

    Blackstar definitely gets my ill-informed vote!
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Wow an overwhelming view on that one thanks all, I have both lined up to demo, my understanding is that the Fender is remarkably good especially at low volumes and I like the idea of multiple tones at your finger tips, however after trying the HT-5R the other day it sounded so good, I now have a dilemma, affordability might play a part also I will keep you posted.

    thanks again

    Mark P, apparently the new V2 fenders have a revised "low noise" power amp section and the fizz is a thing of the past...

    Tinyghost, yes I do surf, not as often as I would like as work and family take priority but when the waves are head high and clean i'm on it.....you surf much?, where South Coast??
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Originally Posted By: Jon van derlim
    Wow an overwhelming view on that one thanks all, I have both lined up to demo, my understanding is that the Fender is remarkably good especially at low volumes and I like the idea of multiple tones at your finger tips, however after trying the HT-5R the other day it sounded so good, I now have a dilemma, affordability might play a part also I will keep you posted.

    thanks again

    Mark P, apparently the new V2 fenders have a revised "low noise" power amp section and the fizz is a thing of the past...

    Tinyghost, yes I do surf, not as often as I would like as work and family take priority but when the waves are head high and clean i'm on it.....you surf much?, where South Coast??


    Hi Jon van derlim. Yes me too, not as much as I would like. South coast you have to be a bit hardcore (surf through the snow and storms). We have a few little spots, but mainly Joss Bay in Broadstairs. You have to watch like a hawk and be prepared to get out whenever it's happening....which doesn't fit well with the rest of life unfortunately. My board has seen less and less daylight over the past two years frown Off to Lanzarote in a month and may try the right point break at Los Lobos...after a lot of practice on the island beach breaks. Last time I went, bottled it as I was unfit and the waves were 10ft with clean tubes sections...one day smile...sorry enough surf chat, this about guitars etc...Blackstar:), although that's uninformed as I've only heard them (live).
  • HobbioHobbio Posts: 21Member
    I don't have personal experience of either amp, but I would go for the tube amp every time. I have a Peavey JD30T tube and a Marshall MG30FX solid state amp, and there is no contest in the sound stakes.
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Originally Posted By: Tinyghost


    Hi Jon van derlim. Yes me too, not as much as I would like. South coast you have to be a bit hardcore (surf through the snow and storms). We have a few little spots, but mainly Joss Bay in Broadstairs. You have to watch like a hawk and be prepared to get out whenever it's happening....which doesn't fit well with the rest of life unfortunately. My board has seen less and less daylight over the past two years frown Off to Lanzarote in a month and may try the right point break at Los Lobos...after a lot of practice on the island beach breaks. Last time I went, bottled it as I was unfit and the waves were 10ft with clean tubes sections...one day smile...sorry enough surf chat, this about guitars etc...Blackstar:), although that's uninformed as I've only heard them (live).


    Bournemouth used to be my nearest break as I lived in Bucks, I also surfed Brighton lots too at the power station, these days Saunton / Croyde or Wooly are my local (i live about than 2 miles away from them) sometimes we head south to Kernow for a change too.

    Enjoy Lanza, I have surfed there a few times mainly the beach or the reef at Famara, I am off the Portugal this summer- can't wait. grin

    Back on topic, thanks for the input I will be most likely making my purchase on the 14th so all will be reviled.

    Jon
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    You lucky sod, 2 miles from some great breaks...I like Puttsborough too. If i go west now I tend to head to Wales (fresh water west) as it's quiet. But during to "proper" seasons (either end of winter)I bet it's quite quiet in North Devon too.
    I've surfed in Portugal (on the lower left sticky out bit), amazing and very powerful swells. First day I struggled just to get out back, took a few days to get used to the power. You can hire a guide to take you to the best spots and prep you on the breaks (one to one and really cheap). I found that really helpful, local knowledge makes a lot of difference.
    Have a great time.
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Putts is good on a pushing tide for sure, I love West Wales there are some great spots on the coast, one of my faves is Manobier, on a big swell it gets loads of shelter and pumps....

    Its manic all year round here nowdays, when the surf is pumping its like human soup on the good banks.

    I have surfed the SW area of Portugal before (we spent 6 weeks there as part of our honeymoon travelling around Europe) and have been back several times since, there are some great setups there and pretty much always waves to be had.

    Amps..... why is it when ever you want to do a direct comparison they never have stock at the time, my usual shop wont order one for me to try with out taking a deposit even though they normally stock them....go figure??
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    I'm jealous of your surfing opportunities...wish I'd moved down there years back when I first thought of it shocked
    Shame that things are so crowded, we used to go down and have the beach to ourselves (late 90s) but there was a massive take up around 2000. Thought it may have settled down by now. Ho hum.

    Good luck with the amps. That's a bit mean of the shop btw. What about just buying the two amps from somewhere like Andertons (online) and sending back the one you don't want? i used to do that with wetsuits (not so costly I guess). Somewhere that has a good rep and a no questions refund policy, you could even tell them what you're doing and they may not charge your account until you've made the return (again, wetsuits are my only experience of this kind of good natured business). Worth a try.
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Unfortunately the opportunities don't get used as often as I like due to work and family however if the surf is really good then you just have to...

    Amp and Guitar ordered, I went to another shop that I thought would be much more pricey and they gave me a much better deal (over £50 off the already discounted price from the other store).

    I tried loads of Guitars and amps and went with a pairing that works really well together, all will be reviled next week...

    I am well happy, I pick them up next Thursday
  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Posts: 355Member
    I'd go neither, if I'm honest.

    The V2 Mustang should have fixed the fizz issue some guys had. But at that price you're starting to get into "proper amp" territory.

    Equally, the Blackstar doesn't feel like a "proper amp" despite having valves in it. I just find them incredibly bland. I guess it depends what kind of music you're playing on it though

    For my money I'd go a Laney VC15 or LC15 or Cub 15 or a used Fender Blues Junior.
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Yes (and I think i've stated it a few times before) I too would definitely go for a second hand laney vc15 or 30 (love them), plus there are a few older model fender amps that are great (inc the blues jnr).
    But I do like the blackstar, it's not the greatest amp, but the choice was simply between this and the Mustang (which i don't like that much).
    Sounds like you've found what will suit your needs Jon van delim, so what anyone else says is now useless.
    Good luck...let us know soon what you've paired up wink
  • martinsmith99martinsmith99 Posts: 391Member
    I must admit that having moved from an old 70s Marshall 50w head and 4x12 cab to an 80s Peavey 2x12 tranny amp, I wonder what all the fuss about valves is about.

    I get a better sound out of my Peavey and it's the same at all volumes.

    It's also versatile with sounds and takes pedals well.
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    The Blues Jr or the Laney would have been on the list along with many others but I have got to have phones out and didn't want the expense of having both a small crappy headphones amp and a tube amp that in reality would only get used at proper volumes once in a blue moon.
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Originally Posted By: Jon van derlim
    The Blues Jr or the Laney would have been on the list along with many others but I have got to have phones out and didn't want the expense of having both a small crappy headphones amp and a tube amp that in reality would only get used at proper volumes once in a blue moon.


    I hear you wink
    Oh but the orange micro terror has headphones, has valves (and a solid state stage), is small, a loud (valvish level) 20Watts and is only about £155 with the orange cab! But the thing there is it's the one (very good) sound...no reverb, nothing fancy. So, Is it the Fender? wink
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Originally Posted By: Tinyghost
    Originally Posted By: Jon van derlim
    The Blues Jr or the Laney would have been on the list along with many others but I have got to have phones out and didn't want the expense of having both a small crappy headphones amp and a tube amp that in reality would only get used at proper volumes once in a blue moon.


    I hear you wink
    Oh but the orange micro terror has headphones, has valves (and a solid state stage), is small, a loud (valvish level) 20Watts and is only about £155 with the orange cab! But the thing there is it's the one (very good) sound...no reverb, nothing fancy. So, Is it the Fender? wink


    Yes

    I tried the Orange Micro and I loved the over driven and crunch sounds it produced through bigger cabs but through the 8" cab was weedy and tinny sounding, so totting up the Head with a decent 1 or 2 x 12 cab and then a reverb pedal would come to 300 odd quid but still with limited ability to do chimey cleans.

    I spent quite a long time trying different amps including the HT-5r and Vox's etc and I genuinely found the Fender Mustang III the most useful for me (being a home enthusiast) and I would honestly say some of the cleans and mildly driven tones were as good as the HT5 but at much more usable volume levels for me. I also like the ability to record directly into your PC and the use of the FUSE thing (I like PC techy gadgets) for creating your own sounds that can then be saved.

    For me as I non gigging player it's ideal and at an amazing price along with the deal I got for buying both the Guitar and the amp it would have been daft to refuse.

    grin
  • Mark PMark P Posts: 2,314Member
    Congrats on finding an amp to suit your requirements cool - it's tricky trying to guage the relative merits.

    Quite right in what you say about the needs of the non-gigging player being different.

    Valves are great in an amp, but if you're mainly playing low volume a lot of their benefits are lost. If you're after low volume cleans then Fender is an amp name that's gotta be high on the list of possibles.
  • TinyghostTinyghost Posts: 834Member
    Originally Posted By: Mark P
    Congrats on finding an amp to suit your requirements cool - it's tricky trying to guage the relative merits.

    Quite right in what you say about the needs of the non-gigging player being different.

    Valves are great in an amp, but if you're mainly playing low volume a lot of their benefits are lost. If you're after low volume cleans then Fender is an amp name that's gotta be high on the list of possibles.


    Yes sounds like you've found the right amp for you, have fun. What guitar?

    BTW I think you're right Mark P, I've had a lot of people say they can't get good chiming clean sounds from the orange "lunchbox" heads...or even the bigger heads. I think that's not true as my orange does a fantastic clean sound (with my jazzmaster) which imo is much nicer than my Fender 60 clean. It's all about how you push the amp, the volume you use and the speaker config I reckon.
    At home the orange is nowhere near as exciting as it sounds in the rehearsal room. Playing live or with a band requires a very different use of the amp.
    So perhaps I should stop recommending micros/terrors and dual terrors to people who only play at home. Even in the shop when I bought my DT it sounded a bit tame....until I had worked out how to set it and increased the volume enough.

    Good luck with the mustang, sounds like a deal smile
  • Jon van derlimJon van derlim Posts: 170Member
    Well, I picked up my new Mustang III v.2 on Thursday and due to birthday commitments haven't really had the chance to dig in deep but my initial impressions are very good indeed, some of the pre loaded amp models are not to my taste (these can be easily changed) but there a many that are, the clean ones are incredibly warm and full sounding add an overdrive effect and you get a very genuine sounding bluesy tone, I loaded the Fuse software last night along with the other free packages and the Fuse interface was very intuitive and quite exciting.........

    I will report back once I have had more time with it.
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