Session 5
Ambassador of Strings & Wings
This amp seems to me to be a winner, Remember BlackStar SS amps . This is not a modeling amp.
Certainly the Sessionette has a little more low-end fullness to its sound, but the difference is not chalk and cheese. When I went to audition the Debut 50R at the shop, I took the Sessionette with me to compare side by side with the new amp and I was most impressed at how similar they sounded. As a result I bought the Blackstar on the spot and I haven't regretted it for a moment.
I was conscious of the cheap and cheerful nature of the stock Chinese speaker and was quite prepared to upgrade it. However, now that it's bedded in a bit I don't think that'll be necessary. Bearing in mind that the Debut's cabinet is not only open-backed but also has a couple of small ports in the baffle, I find its tonality and projection highly satisfactory.
Just as a side-note, on gigs I normally have my amp on a little Ultimate tilt-back stand, so that I can hear better what it's doing in the tight space we usually have to work in. Perhaps surprisingly this doesn't cause too much loss of bottom end compared with having it upright on the floor. I also tend to play with my little Donner optical compressor permanently on, which fills out and smooths the sound a bit without compromising picking dynamics too much. Finally, I never use the overdriven channel of that or any amp; I have outboard analogue effects if I need any of those noises!
Keep well. Best, T.
Hello, Ted! I'm still extremely happy with my Debut 50, and I've been using it for almost all my gigs. That said, on a whim I took my beloved RetroToned Sessionette to last Saturday's job at Ganley's in Morden, Surrey, because we'd played there the previous weekend as well. It's a big, busy pub with an enthusiastic crowd and no volume restrictions. I was thus able to compare like with like in the very same circumstances.
Certainly the Sessionette has a little more low-end fullness to its sound, but the difference is not chalk and cheese. When I went to audition the Debut 50R at the shop, I took the Sessionette with me to compare side by side with the new amp and I was most impressed at how similar they sounded. As a result I bought the Blackstar on the spot and I haven't regretted it for a moment.
I was conscious of the cheap and cheerful nature of the stock Chinese speaker and was quite prepared to upgrade it. However, now that it's bedded in a bit I don't think that'll be necessary. Bearing in mind that the Debut's cabinet is not only open-backed but also has a couple of small ports in the baffle, I find its tonality and projection highly satisfactory.
Just as a side-note, on gigs I normally have my amp on a little Ultimate tilt-back stand, so that I can hear better what it's doing in the tight space we usually have to work in. Perhaps surprisingly this doesn't cause too much loss of bottom end compared with having it upright on the floor. I also tend to play with my little Donner optical compressor permanently on, which fills out and smooths the sound a bit without compromising picking dynamics too much. Finally, I never use the overdriven channel of that or any amp; I have outboard analogue effects if I need any of those noises!
Keep well. Best, T.
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