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Blackstar Artist 15 1x12 inch 15-watt Tube Combo Amp Reviews

15-watt 2-channel All-tube 1x12" Guitar Combo Amplifier with Effects Loop and Reverb - Black

Blackstar's Artist 15 15-watt tube combo amplifier is based on their boutique Artisan series, but with added features to make the Artist 15 ready for any gig you throw at it. The two independent channels deliver clean to gritty crunch tones, and features like onboard reverb, a series effects loop, and Blackstar's patented ISF control let you tweak your tones. And the Artist 15 was built from the ground up to work fantastically with your favorite pedals. The Blackstar Artist 15 will be your go-to amp for all of your performance, session, and rehearsal needs.

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Highest Rated Reviews

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Amazing Amp

By William on November 24, 2018

I wanted a tube amp for a very long time and when I saw this one on sale, I jumped on the offer. This truly is a great amp, takes pedals well and sounds amazing. It"s pushing my musical playing as I can add pedals and get some really great sounds through all my guitars. ISF is a cool feature, I generally leave it at about midnight and I find the reverb nice as well. Solid investment.

Blackstar artist 15

By Sweetwater Customer on October 19, 2018

I have struggled with a blues junior for many years. Not really liking it. Not liking the quality of it. I decided to sell it and I bought a blackstar artist 15. These 15 watt amplifiers are in different leagues. By that I mean the Blackstar is way ahead. The blackstar is absolutely what I always wanted in a 15 watt amp. The second you switch it on you know it"s quality in sound and build. Don"t waist your time on these cheaply made overpriced fenders. Get a blackstar you won"t regret it.

LOVE THIS AMP!

By John P. from Long Island, NY on October 11, 2016

After months of searching, I took the plunge and bought the Artist 15 and in three words ...I Love It!

Talked with Lucas at Sweetwater and ended up with a demo for eighty bucks less than retail.
Sweetwater had the amp at my front door in less than two days and everything arrived in Mint condition right down to the footswitch (and the bag of candy was a nice touch too!).

This amp sounds awesome!
The Clean channel is very basic - just Volume and Tone (perfect for Jazz), but the Gain Channel delivers everything from twangy single-coil style tones all the way up to Humbucker dirt. The Digital Reverb is very impressive and the ISF really does create a definite USA/British difference and the Emulated Output lets either the amp or the amp with pedals come through loud and clear for recording.

The definition through all the gears is very impressive and if I want to, I can crank it up and take the paint off the walls --- 15 watts is LOUD! With the ISF cranked to the "British" side, it does sound very Marshall-like and the "USA-side" sounds Fender-ish but the overall sound is somewhere in between.

The ECC83(12AX7)/6L6 tubes ought to make it a Fender by default but there's something in the circuitry that either gives or takes something from that configuration to create a unique sound all its own. Most people think of Blackstar as a high-gain, high-saturation Hard Rock or Metal amp but the Artist was built to be deliberately different and has a far more organic or old-school sound which is what I love. The master volume allows for bedroom-level play and even at that level there's more than enough crunch to satisfy my ears, but turn it up a bit and it really starts to sing. As for pedals, the clean channel is a blank canvass, but the gain channel becomes a whole universe of voicings when pedals are added and I'm still exploring the possibilities.

I played other amps in this category and price range but I could not find an actual Artist 15 to play so I depended on online reviews and it was a "Sweetwater Minute" by Mitch Gallagher that sold me on the this amp. His video was a simple "Plug n' Play" demonstration with no pedals - just a couple of guitars, a cable and the amp and was the most comprehensive demo I'd seen on this amp and it's what convinced me that this was the one for me.

If you're looking for pedal-friendly, low-gain amp with an "old-school" feel, bluesy grit and plenty of punch, the Blackstar Artist 15 is worth a long look. I'm totally happy with this amp and with Sweetwater's service as well!

Perfect Pedal Platform

By Keith S. from Arizona on July 19, 2016

The Artist 15 is exactly what I was looking for. It has high headroom for cleans and works extremely well with all sorts of pedals. It has a nice breakup at high gain settings on channel 2 which works great for classic rock and blues. The single 12" Celestion V-Type speaker sounds great.

The amp is quite heavy, so if you are looking for something ultra portable this may not be the best choice. The weight does, however, make it feel solid and super sturdy and well made. Too bad this does not have a standby switch like the Artist 30 model. I've tried many amps looking for one that works for me, this one is a keeper.

Great Service - Great Amp

By Ronnie from Louisiana on February 18, 2016 Music Background: Pretending to play for Years

Thank you Andy Rice and the folks at Sweetwater for getting this gem to my door in record time although they hay just started a great promotion and their phones were ringing off the hook. As far as the amp is concerned I could not be better pleased. It arrived doubled packed and in perfect condition.
This is a very well made and versatile amp and you can get a lot of different sounds out of it. Its not a high gain amp but the Infinite Shape Feature allows you to literally get an infinite number of clean sounds out of the twelve inch speaker. This handles stomp boxes like a rock-star, I tried both a Tube Screamer and Classic Distortion and they worked great. The two separate channels are very unique and this allows you to create even more tones. Depending on the pickups in your guitar when overdriven this amp can get some sweet and soulful distortion. It is a shame my playing can not do this amp justice yet, but it will certainly give me incentive to practice and get better.

Hats off to Sweetwater for finding this great amp out off England.

Blackstar Artist 15, Finally

By Sweetwater Customer on November 21, 2018 Music Background: Home player, Dad-aged, sonic explorer

Been looking at this amp on the tubes and in stores when I stumbled across it. With the current (closeout?) deal it was hard to pass up. So, I like it. I have a fender deluxe - Sweetwater version to compare to, and I use a lot of effects (pedals). Going in the front of the amp, I still like the fender more, but that makes sense. The 1st channel on the Artist is very neutral, so you need pedals to give it character (or just real expressive/dynamic playing). The 2nd channel has some mojo going from Fenderish to British territory as advertised. I prefer the British side and it takes pedals well on this side. The head room is fine, but I am primarily a bedroom player who likes to home record, so it covers all my needs. Can't comment on in band context or stage context. A speaker upgrade may add some more character. Its a handsome and wide open beast with lots of versatility, a solid platform for experimentation.

A great Blues Amp

By MikeS from NC on November 15, 2018

Took a chance on this with the sale price. It's a really great blues amp. Excels at mid-pushed cleans and a more Fender mid-scooped overdrive. Channel 2 really has a nice bluesy breakup.

Blackstar Artist 15

By Don Holmes from Pensacola on October 4, 2018 Music Background: Full time musician and songwriter

My Sweetwater Rep, Chris Goldbach helped me with this purchase providing good info and advice. Playing a Les Paul, Strat, and Tele through this amp gives me a variety of tones. Channel 1 takes a pedalboard very well with plenty of edgy midrange to cut through the mix on solos. Channel 2 offers more 6L6 chime and also takes a pedalboard fairly well, but I'll use it more without effects. With a 12" speaker the physical dimensions make it a bit bulky for a 15W and I believe it could be smaller, but the weight is only a few pounds more than other popular 10" amps. Glad I added this fine tool.

NICE!

By Greg Jones from Ohio on July 8, 2016 Music Background: Semi Pro Guitarist

What an amp! This replaced my Dr Z Maz 18 Jr combo. Believe it or not, to my ears this thing smokes it.

The Artist has a tight bottom end and a chimey/crisp top end. It is very versatile, with the two channels and the ISF knob. I use it primarily with pedals and my pedal board has never sounded better with any other amp.

My only complaints would be Blackstar's design of the control panel on the top of the amp (not conductive for tweaking the amp without standing over it) and the bad location of the power jack, effects loop, footswitch and amp cab jacks which are on the back of the amp at the bottom facing the floor. I don't think you could design a worse place to put those jacks. However, this is standard Blackstar design.

Blackstar Artist 15 combo

By Sweetwater Customer on November 22, 2018

This combo amp gets a real nice sound. I've never really been a 2 channel amp kind of guy, but i like how different both channels sound. Plus i really like the ISF knob to find a sweet spot. Still blows my mind that this thing has 6L6 tubes inside pushing 15 watts. I just jam with friends and occasionally play small clubs and it's perfect for that. If your playing bigger shows get the 30 watt 2x12 version. I just dont do that anymore, so this size is perfect. And its affordable.

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