With my newborn baby, I might need an Amplug to play safely (AKA: I don’t want to wake my baby up but I still want to play) I was going to buy the Vox Amplug and while searching I’ve seen the BlackStar.
Does anybody here gave try them and have an opinion? I know those two brands are really great from guitarist friends. And it’s not like any amp you can try in a guitare store…
I have been using the Vox for over a year now and happily so… that said looking at the Blackstar I must say that I would love to be able to change the tempo of the drum machine…
I read some people here complaining about a hissing sound on the Vox which actually goes away by lowering the tone a bit. Don’t know if Blackstar has that as well…
The distortion on the Blackstar is good. People do complain that you can’t set the volume of the drum machine on the Blackstar. I personally would go for the Blackstar but I own the Vox amplug. Can’t really go wrong with either.
I have the Amplug, but never use it anymore.
Whatever you decide just make sure you get the version compatible for Bass.
Don’t get me wrong it works great but for a few dollars more I got a Zoom B1XFour which has more features and is not much bigger. To me this is a better choice especially if you want to start playing around with multi effect pedals. Other than an in-line Bass tuner this is the only other pedal I use for Bass although, there is also a Bass tuner built into the B1XFour that works quite well.
I have these, and I find them really handy. Besides getting a few licks in at 2 am without bothering anyone, they’re useful at other times. Like the other day when I was changing pickups, and I needed to tap a screwdriver on the magnet to see if they worked before putting all the wires back in, I just used my headphones at the workbench. The portability is nice.
+1 for the Zoom. I can’t imagine learning without this thing. Built in drum machine and tuner. Lots of different rhythms. Easily change the tempo, volume etc.
Plus all the various effects for $99.
It’s a no brainer for me. Best piece of gear I’ve bought.
If we are giving others options then you might want to consider these as well:
Blackstar Amps - Fly Series
The Blackstar Fly 3 Bass is also a nice option. The headphone output is surprisingly good on that device (much better then the amplugs) and you have the option to play via the speaker very softly. You can power it with 6xAA batteries or with a separate sold PU.
Palmer POCKET AMP BASS | Guitar Amplifiers | Palmer
The Palmer Pocket Amp Bass is my current portable practice pedal which you can use for practice, recording and gigs. It’s a preamp with a clean/distortion/fuzz channel and 3 cabsims. It sounds quite good for a preamp at this price range and feels very sturdy. It’s basically a metal brick. You power it with 9v DC or battery.
That said, I still think it’s nice to have an Amplug in your arsenal
My go-to remote thingy is now the zoom as well. Even thought it’s bulkier, mainly because of the tuner built in.
And because now I have a Joyo mini amp upstairs I can connect to with it and hang with the dog (who refuses to come into the music room) when no one is home
I like the nux for its portability but battery seems to die quickly and no tuner (I can use a clip on but dislike them) but the Bluetooth is helpful.
Somewhere in the middle is the worlds best headphone amp/multi effects pedal thingy.
Thanks all for your opinions! I will wait a little and check for the zoom it look nice, and maybe also give a try to a amplug in addition ^^ Oups GAS is striking? …