Review: Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb

****

Bluetone’s new combo, the Black King 15 Reverb (prices start from 1,440 €), is a compact and lightweight (9 kg), handcrafted single-channel all-valve guitar amplifier. It’s the small brother of the Black King Reverb, offering 15 watts of output power from a pair of 6V6GT-valves.

The Black King 15 Reverb’s sound takes its cue from a rather rare Fender combo, the Vibro King, which was in production between 1993 and 2003, and which has become The Who’s Pete Townshend’s favourite live amp.

In terms of its sound and touch sensitive behaviour, the most crucial feature of the Black King 15 is the preamp’s gain structure and character, which is more aggressive than, say a Fender ”Blackface” amp, putting the new Bluetone combo squarely in the middle between ”Blackface”, ”Tweed” and Marshall-style amps.

****

Bluetone’s Black King 15 Reverb comes in a Fender-type combo cabinet of approximately the same size as a 1960s Fender Princeton combo. The fetching Country & Western covering, as well as the wheat-coloured grille cloth come as standard.

In addition to the Volume-control the front panel gives you access to a three-band EQ-section with two additional switchable boosts – Bright and Fat. There’s a control for the spring reverb, as well as for the (post phase inverter) Master Volume.

In addition to the Power On/Off-switch the back panel gives you a switchable internal dummy load that makes it possible to record the amp direct via its line output with the speaker turned off. There are also two outputs for external speakers, as well as an on/off-switch for the spring reverb.

The combo we got for review came with a ten-inch 20 watts Warehouse Speakers Veteran speaker. You can also order your Black King 15 Reverb with a model G10-C/S from the same company.

****

The Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb exudes an air of top-notch quality right from the get-go. Switching the combo on you’ll find an extremely low noise floor – the mark of a well-made boutique amp. Low self-noise is a direct result of careful planning, low-tolerance components, and the sensible placement of hum-inducing transformers on the amp chassis.

The Black King 15’s 6V6GT-powered power amp naturally adds a nice dose of Fender-ish character to proceedings. There’s a healthy amount of clean headroom to be had from this combo’s preamp, but tasty break-up sounds start entering the picture earlier than in a typical ”Blackface” amplifier.

In the ”break-up zone” the Black King Reverb 15 is very touch sensitive and dynamic. The more you put in the more distortion you get out.

The Black King 15 Reverb offers plenty of distortion, which can be had at low volume levels, thanks to the master volume control. This combo also likes effect pedals.

Thanks to the preamp’s excellent EQ-section and the additional boosts, dialling in a wide range of sounds is easy, making the Black King 15 suitable for many different musical genres.

If you’re looking for a combo with more aggression than a ”Blackface” has to offer, you should definitely try the Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb. This amp offers boutique-grade quality a a very reasonable price.

06/11/2024 0

Testipenkissä: Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb

****

Bluetonen uusi Black King 15 Reverb (hinta alkaen 1.440 €) on kätevän kokoinen (9 kg), yksikanavainen ja käsintehty putkivahvistin. Se on vuoden alussa ilmestyneen Black King Reverb -kombon pikkuveli, joka tarjoaa 15 wattia päätetehoa kahdesta 6V6GT-putkista.

Black King 15 Reverbin soundillinen esikuvana on toiminut suhteellisen harvinainen Fender Vibro King -vahvistin, joka oli tuotannossa vuodesta 1993 vuoteen 2003, ja josta on sittemmin tullut The Who -yhtiön Pete Townshendin luottotyökalu livenä.

Tärkein ominaisuus soundin ja soitettavuuden kannalta on Bluetone Black King 15 -kombossa etuvahvistimen gain-rakenne, joka on hieman Blackface-tyyliä ärhäkkäämpi, ja joka istu soundiltaan Blackface-, Tweed- ja Marshall-tyypisten vahvistimien muodostuman kolmion keskipisteellä.

****

Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb -kombo on Fender-tyylisessä kotelossa, joka on samaa kokoluokkaa 1960-luvun Princeton-kombon kanssa. Country and Western -tolex ja vaaleanruskea etukangas ovat tässä mallissa standardia.

Etupaneelista löytyy etuasteen Volume-säätimen lisäksi kolmialueinen EQ-osasto kahdella lisäboosteilla – Bright (diskantti) ja Fat (ala-middle). Jousikaiulle löytyy oma säädin, samoin kuin vaihekääntäjän jälkeiselle Master-volyymille.

Takapaneeliin on päälle/pois-kytkimen lisäksi sijoitettu sisäisen keinokuorman kytkin, jolla saa kombon oman kaiuttimen kytkettyä turvallisesti pois päältä, jos haluaa käyttää pelkästään Black King 15:n omaa linjalähtöä. Lisäksi takapaneelista löytyy jakkeja ulkoisille kaiuttimille, sekä jousikaiun oma päälle/pois-kytkin.

Testikomboon on asennettu Warehouse Speakersin 20-wattinen kymppituumainen Veteran-kaiutin. Vaihtoehtoisesti Black King 15 Reverbiä saa myös saman firman G10-C/S-kauittimella varustettuna.

****

Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb -kombo on erittäin siististi toteutettu vahvistin, joka vaikuttaa laadukkaalta heti kättelyssä. Yksi silmiinpistävä ero tällaisen laadukkaan boutique-vahvistimen ja monen massatuotetun putkikombon välillä on Bluetonen todella alhainen kohina- ja hurinataso. Se kielii kombon laaddukkaista komponenteista ja tärkeiden osien – esimerkiksi muuntajien – osaavasta sijoittelusta laitteessa.

Black King 15 -vahvistimen 6V6GT-putkilla toimiva päätevahvistin antaa soundille luonnollisesti hyvin Fender-maisen karakteerin. Etuvahvistimen gain-rakenne tarjoaa hyvin headroomia puhtaille soundeille, mutta alkaa lisätä herkullista rosoa selvästi aiemmin kuin esimerkiksi tyypillinen Blackface-kombo.

Breakup-vyöhykkeellä Black King 15 Reverb mahdollistaa hyvin dynaamista soittoa, jossa vahvistin reagoi dynamiikkaan eriasteisella säröllä.

Black King 15 Reverb tarjoaa runsaasti säröä, ja kombon Master-volumen ansiosta se on saatavilla myös hyvin maltillisella volyymitasolla. Vahvistin myös pelaa erittäin hyvin efektipedaalien kanssa.

Etuvahvistimen loistava EQ-osasto Bright- ja Fat-lisäkytkimillä antaa kitaristille laajan skaalan erilaisia soundeja, minkä ansiosta Bluetone Black King 15 toimii ongelmitta monissa genreissä.

Jos Blackfacea hieman ärhäkkäämpi kompakti Fender-tyylinen kombovahvistin kiinnosta, kannattaa minun mielestäni ehdottomasti tutustua Bluetone Black King 15 Reverbiin. Se tarjoaa ehtaa boutique-laatua reiluun hintaan.

09/10/2024 0

Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb + Testi tulossa + Working on a review

The Bluetone Black King 15 Reverb is a lightweight 15-watt all-valve guitar combo handmade in Finland. The preamp is inspired by a Fender Vibro King amp. The power amp runs on two 6V6GT tubes. Find out more HERE.

****

• lead guitar: Hamer USA Studio Custom; neck pickup; distortion adjusted with the guitar’s volume control

• rhythm guitars: Fender (Japan) ’62 Telecaster Custom reissue + Epiphone Casino with Göldo pickups

• all guitar tracks were recorded with a Shure SM7B microphone running into a Cranborne Audio Camden EC2 preamp

• no pedals used

• a little bit of delay and reverb was added during mix down

****

• rhythm guitars: Brownsville Choirboy 12-string electric (left), Fender Stratocaster (centre), Fender Telecaster (right) – no pedals used

• lead guitar: Hamer USA Studio Custom through a Uraltone Fuzz Face Si clone with delay added at mixdown

• mic used: Shure SM7B

• audio interface: Universal Audio Volt 2

26/09/2024 0

Review: Bluetone Amps Fried Eye & Bugaboo distortion pedals

Finnish valve amp specialist Bluetone Custom Amplifiers has broken new ground by releasing a trio of handmade pedal effects, comprising a delay/reverb-unit, called Echoes, as well as two different preamp/distortion boxes, the Fried Eye and the Bugaboo.

****

Bluetone’s Fried Eye Distortion (269 €) offers two high-quality effects in one box:

The boost circuit can be run separately from the pedal’s distortion side. It offers a considerable amount of boost (up to 12 dB), which is adjustable with the pedal’s Boost control.

But the Fried Eye Distortion’s main raison d’être is, of course, its comprehensive distortion section. The pedal’s distortion circuit is a solid-state version of the acclaimed Bluetone Fried Eye tube amplifier’s crunch channel. Its aim is to give you a wide range of Marshall-inspired crunch and distortion tones.

Bluetone’s Fried Eye Distortion pedal runs on nine to eighteen volts DC supplied by a PSU (not included) via a standard 2.1 mm plug (centre negative). A look under the hood reveals a large circuit board and clean and neat wiring.

Soundwise the Fried Eye pedal hits the bull’s-eye in my opinion, offering a wide range of Marshall-type tones from a light crunch to full blast. The effect’s three-band EQ works really well in tailoring the effects sound to your musical needs.

This short audio clip gives you an idea of the Fried Eye’s basic sound with the Gain control set to 12 o’clock. The first half showcases the distortion side on its own, with the boost kicking in for the second half. I used a Hamer USA Studio Custom with the bridge humbucker engaged. The clip was recorded direct off a Blackstar HT-1R’s speaker emulated output:

The Muse-inspired demo song shows you how the Fried Eye performs in a band mix. I used a Bluetone Shadows Jr. combo and a Shure SM57 to record all guitar tracks.

The demo features the following guitars:

• rhythm guitars – Hamer USA Studio Custom (left channel), Gibson Melody Maker SG (centre), Fender Stratocaster (right channel)

• reverse guitar – Gibson Melody Maker SG

• lead guitar – Hamer USA Studio Custom, Morley wah-wah

****

The Bluetone Bugaboo Distortion pedal (249 €) is based on the company’s none-more-Metal Bugaboo valve amplifier’s crunch channel.

The Bugaboo is aimed more squarely at the Hard Rock- and Metal-crowd, offering much more gain and a lot more juicy compression than the Fried Eye pedal.

The wiring inside our review unit looks a bit less tidy, due to the long wires going from the circuit board to the pots and switches. I’d like to stress, though, that this specific pedal is a very early production model that has been superseded by a more compact version (but with completely identical specs and features) recently!

The Bugaboo-pedal, too, runs on nine to eighteen volts DC supplied by a PSU (not included) via a standard 2.1 mm plug (centre negative).

Bluetone’s Bugaboo does exactly what is says on the tin:

This pedal turns any amp into a fire breathing thing of beauty, offering plenty of gain. The three-band EQ has been bolstered by two very nifty mini-switches. Bite offers a presence boost that will help your guitar to cut through even the densest mix, while Tight helps you keep the bottom end from becoming too boomy.

This short audio clip gives you an idea of the Bugaboo’s basic sound with the Gain control set to 12 o’clock, Bite engaged and Tight turned off. I used a Hamer USA Studio Custom with the bridge humbucker engaged. The clip was recorded direct off a Blackstar HT-1R’s speaker emulated output:

The demo song shows you how the Bugaboo performs in a band mix. All guitar tracks were recorded direct off a Blackstar HT-1R’s speaker emulated output. The song contains the following guitar tracks:

• Rhythm guitars – Fender Stratocaster (left) & Gibson Melody Maker SG (right)

• Lead guitar – Hamer USA Studio Custom

****

In my view, the clean, business-like look of the new Bluetone-pedals is a clear bonus, especially on stage. Sure, the Fried Eye and Bugaboo don’t sport any flashy paint jobs that scream ”Hey, man, I’m a weird boutique pedal”, but at least you can tell instantly what type of pedal you’re dealing with, and which knob (or switch) does what.

In terms of their sounds both units are winners, each offering a wide array of different shades of distortion, with the Fried Eye being a bit more ”Rock” and the Bugaboo a tad more ”Metal” in character. These are professional grade, handmade effect pedals at a fair price.Save

Save

21/05/2019 0