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Review: Blackstar HT Club 40
British company Blackstar Amplification have earned a reputation for producing versatile, reliable, no-nonsense valve amplifiers for the modern player. Their ever-growing roster of endorsers from a wide variety of different musical styles is an irrefutable testament to this.
This time Kitarablogi will take a closer look at the Blackstar HT Club 40 combo (current price in Finland 694 €), which looks like the perfect workhorse for the gigging guitarist.
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As indicated by its name, the Blackstar HT Club 40 is a 40-Watt valve combo. The preamp is designed around two ECC83-valves, while the power amp uses a pair of EL34s.
This made-in-China combo is a two-channel affair and comes equipped with a single 12-inch speaker.
One of Blackstar’s trademarks is the clean and crisp, unfussy look – the HT Club 40 means business, and it’s ready to go.
This mid-sized combo weighs in at about 24 kilos…
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Review: Ampeg GVT15-112
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Digital amp-modelling has come to stay, no doubt about it. But while some form of amp-modelling is used almost daily by many guitarists, the good old valve amp isn’t really fading away. On the contrary – it seems that these days especially low-powered valve amps are experiencing something of a renaissance.
A good example of this type of all-valve amp is Ampeg’s new GVT15-112.
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The Ampeg GVT15-112 (current street price in Finland: 620 €) is a relatively compact 15-Watt valve amp, which can also be used at home, thanks to its half-power power amp mode.
Made in South Korea, the combo’s cabinet seems very well made, and the amp’s looks have a stylish retro touch. Our test sample receives a small cosmetic mark-down, because the decorative metal rail below the control panel sits slightly askew.
The clean and understated look carries over onto the Ampeg’s back…
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Gear Review Finland 