How an industry Titan ripped off the BluGuitar AMP 1
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Welcome to The Tone Lounge Podcast. In this clip, Frank and I talk with Thomas Blug of BluGuitar about how one of the big British amp companies cloned one of his AMP 1 amplifiers, and the impact that it had on his company.
🔴Be sure to check out other clips from our longer format episode in this playlist: • TTL Clips
📽 Watch the full length episodes here: • The Tone Lounge Podcast
If you are currently looking for gear and would like to support us making the podcast, consider making your purchase at Thomann through the following affiliate link: www.thomann.de...
🔴Be sure to check out other clips from our longer format episode in this playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLclfX7JyH3GAQKpweSYuFOH_UB2dHy7co
📽 Watch the full length episodes here: ruclips.net/p/PLclfX7JyH3GA3CFbG-2pOYrEtDp-qfywa
Played a Blackstar for years. Was a big fan. After this shitty attempt I will never play a Blackstar product again.
What gear were you playing from them?
Bullshit
You can play the Bugera clone of your preferred Blackstar amp instead. ;)
@@peterheijnen33sadly Bugera doesn't produce the Tri Rec anymore😞
That amp was really good.
I stumbled on the BluGuitar Amp1 recently through some comments on other channels. And, I'm hooked. I've had mine for a week now. It really does have that "feel" you want from an amp because it is an amp. I haven't played a live gig with it yet. But, from what others have said, it's great live.
wow, that is pretty messed up!!! I have never tried any backstar product, probably because of all the negative reviews about their sound and quality...now I never will...will maybe have to try one of Thomas' AMP 1 amps...great video guys!!!
I owned the Amp 1 Mercury for a little over a year but sold it as I was planning to buy the Amp X but still waiting. I am very much missing the Mercury now.
Sounds like you need both units ;)
Funny thing was I was all ready to push the button on the blackstar amped one about a year ago. Never heard of the bluguitar amp1 at that point then read somewhere it ripped off the amp1. Looked into the amp1 and ended up buying a mercury… so blackstar got you the sale Thomas 😂. I’ll never look back. Sold all my orange stuff too. I cannot praise it enough. I’m itching to buy the amp x when it comes. It will be worth the wait for sure. Thomas has integrity and it will be ready when it’s ready and I’m good with that.
That’s great to hear. I just got myself a Silver Edition Amp1, just to complete my collection. 😊
I love Thomas and his products (I’m holding my gas to buy amp x if it ever releases 🥶) but what did they copy beside the output transformer? Because he did talk just about the power transformer and you can’t claim a copy from a single component …
Unfortunately unless you have a patent on something it's virtually impossible to stop this from happening. It definitely sucks though
100% part of the game, unfortunately.
Didn't Thomas patent his things so that they wouldn't simply be copied by other companies?
That stinks… this guy was putting out an incredible simulator years ago that was ahead of its time in real amp feel & tone.
Greed, just plain greed.Screw Blackstar and all companies like them.
I use the Amp1 Mercury Edition from Thomas for my #majikband It’s an excellent amp
This is what happens when you don't patent or copyright things.
Cpm z80 vs. Microsoft dos.
Plagstar
❤❤❤
Cheap, lazy and tawdry on the part of Blackstar. Won’t be buying anything from them
load of nonsense, just because it's got a similar name. there are lots of pedal board amps now boys, where have you been?
I think you're missing the point here. Yes, pedalboard amps have been around for some time (although Thomas definitely initiated that trend). This is about taking apart another device and copying components 1:1, and then calling it pretty much the same to divert people, which is a pretty big spit in the face tbh.
It's all about the name isn't it?
Had Blackstar called theirs Pedal:1 nobody would care.. they are 2 different things Amp1 is an amp with an effects loop, analog in it's workflow, it's aimed at people who like tube amps but want something more convenient.
Amped:1 is an amp with digital pre and power amp emulation, bypass switches for both to be transparent when used with modellers, it has an IR loader with external software, and XLR outputs to DI to FOH, plus it adds a couple of 9v outs to power external pedals.. it's aimed at monitoring for modellers. Different in every way.
Did they copy the transformers? Maybe they did, but every amp made since 1980 has copied one of the big 3.
The real problem is the name, ..which was a dumb idea.
Blu amps are awesome.. people just blind to see the genius this guy gives the industry.. still wiating for him to be done with the one we all have been waiting for yrs
he also worked with vintage guitars and put them to another level. got a v6 s-type and its awesome and on par with mexican fenders.
Thomas came to demo the Amp1 at my local guitar shop. His passion and innovation led me to buy the amplifier, along with the speaker emulator box.
He deserves the recognition both intellectually and financially.
100% agreed! He's a great guy and brilliant, too.
I just love the philosophy, integrity and mindset of Thomas Blug and his company, and also his thoughts about things outside his and his company's space. Very humble with his criticism.
Just watch the guy play; genuine. He is so genuine in what he loves and does.
I did not know this. I'm happy that I don't use Blackstar.
What gear are you rocking?
The AMP-1 Mercury Edition is the next thing on my to-buy list. I am a big fan of Thomas Blug and BluGuitar, I watch his podcast every week.
I had the Iridium for a few weeks and it's a GREAT amp. I really want to try the Mercury too. Only reason I don't still have it is because I had a bad case of option paralysis. It has so many great sounds you get stuck trying to have all of them at the same time and the amp just doesn't work like that.
On the other hand, while I won't entertain the blackstar Amped 1/2, I did enjoy the HT Stage 100 that I demo'd on my channel. I think for a 3 channel tube amp with built in cabinet simulation that you can configure on your computer via a companion software app and run the amp without a cabinet for under $1000, there's really not much else on the market quite like it in that price range. The Mesa MK VII can do all of that but at a significantly higher cost.
That’s sad and pathetic. I hope he finds legal recourse, but it is probably difficult for a single person to afford a fight against a much larger company. That sucks. This, for me, too, completely changes my view of Blackstar. I’ll never buy anything from them.
I'll third and fourth that.
Oh shit, this does change my view of Blackstar as a whole..
Blackstar has been shady as hell for decades. But yes, absolutely screw them
I’m selling my blackstar 😮
Electronic circuits don't have much legal protection unless they are covered by a patent.
I love my 2015 Amp1 Silver and was ok with the HT series by Blackstar (HT1 for practice and HT5 for home use). However, the company lost out with me big time when they ripped of the branding with their choice of naming the pedal amp so obviously as a rip off. That my Blackstars are developing PCB board issues after 5 years of use adds on to make it easy to say Good Bye to this manufacturer. Bluguitar will stay with me!
Jonathan Here. My only experience with Blackstar is the HT-1M and I found it to be surprisingly great for such a small amp. I have yet to try any of Thomas' stuff, but it's on my to-do list.
Blackstar doesn't provide schematics for their tube amps either which makes repairing them quite difficult.
It's OK to use the same recipe, but you'll have to use your own ingredients and season it to your own taste. Blackstar obviously just raided Thomas Blugs fridge.
Good point!
Would have assumed this kind of behavior from some copycats in far east. But Blackstar has positioned themselves as a genuine British company. Shameless seems to be the right word.
I am surprised Bugera-Behringer’s Uli hadn’t ripped Blugamps, too.
Dear Mr Blug, I hope you have all the patents you need for the new Amp X
you can't patent a circuit Serkan, anyone can open a device , put the same components in the same order and sell it - my Klon clone is just that
@@frankcarter6427he can patent the product as intellectual property. The Amp X isn’t just circuits, it’s an amp, modeler, IR loader and multiFX board. There are heads that are similar, but as a pedalboard product, he has a claim. The problem is that patents can take a while to get and there’s no rule against another entity applying for the same patent which would either lock up or toss out the process. I went through this process years ago with a speaker design so I have a little insight into how the process works.
@@frankcarter6427You can copyright a circuit if it is a unique design! Just because there are clones out there doesn’t mean they aren’t breaching copyright, it just means in many cases the copyright owner doesn’t have the will or finances to litigate.
@@jasonlewis5350 then why didn't he?
@@frankcarter6427 because he's not interested in law suits, or even money. His full focus is on getting GREAT TONE.
Thomas is such a great guy. Humble, taking the high road, totally void of any malice. Not only that his amps are second to none.
Yeah, he's a great dude. Very knowledgeable and super kind, too.
I personally hate copies of other people hard work. Blackstar will never get my money for sure.
Never liked Blackstar. The tube stuff sounded dull and the overly priced solid state stuff sounded like hollow, stiff turds. Pay half as much and get a Katana or Catalyst that blows it away. It’s ashame they had to rip a guy off to make an actually good sounding amp.
I have a Bluguitar amp 1 it’s all the amp you’ll ever need. I tried lots of amps but the amp 1 truly stands out. I’m pretty disgusted at what Blackstar has done. I’ve heard demos of their ripoff it was hilarious because I thought you might as well buy the real thing from Bluguitar 😂
I discovered Thomas Blug at the Frankfürt Musik Messe a couple decades ago and I was amazed. Awesome player. 🤠
Btw I'm all for avoiding digitallization when it's not necessary and can simply be done with analog circuitry. Some compression, saturation and filtering, I don't believe you need digitallization.
Same here! :)
Didn’t know this.. That’s pretty disgusting.. Shame on Blackstar..
did he work and h&k?
i think he had a part in designing the switchblade?
anyways it's the best marshall/saldano made... and at a fraction the cost.
Really puts all those youtube demos of the "amped1" in perspective.
Right?
@@ToneLoungePodcast I've always wanted a blu amp1 iridium as an emergency gig backup, probably time to get one
I might (gasp) buy it new, just to support Thomas. It would be my 3rd or 4th time not buying used in 30 years 😂
I am an Italian who by chance tried his amp for two years, what can I say, fantastic, but above all Tomas is a person I have admired for many years as a musician but above all as an honest man. He puts all his passion and professionalism into spreading his philosophy, great man.❤
He should be able to sue them for millions, and immediately shut down the production of their pieces of S!!! A holes! Unable to create their own idea.!
you can't patent a circuit and the copy isn't pretending to be a bluguitar product - tough, but he just has to deal with it.
But
Here in Russia I can not buy BluGuitar Amp1
And I can buy that Blackstar Amped.
🤷🏻♂️
I think I can speak for a lot of people. We have dabbled with with Blackstar. We've even owned one of their amps. But then the shine wears off, the midrange honk of a cocked wah, which seems to be a signature sound, gets a little old, and you move on. But after this conversation, there's absolutely no way for me to respect them again. No chance.
No problem! The Blackstar „Amped 1“ is a complete failure!
Haha, fair point!
That sucks they copied the amp1, did they copy anything other than the power transformer? I just bought a Blackstar St James 50 EL34 combo and its so good like surprisingly good and the best sounding pedal playeform ive found, like all the pedals sound great all the guitars sound great. I also have a blackstar cab for my h&k tubemister, im sad now that ive heard this about them cause the m new to Blackstar and this St James EL34 is a really fantastic amp
To be honest, Taurus Amps made pedalboard amps long before all other brands and they are still the most legit ones in this field. I have nothing against the other brands, probably I could live with a Blackstar too but the Taurus Classic is what I like.
I had 2 different Blackstar modelling combos and always had a somewhat uncomfortable feeling when playing. That's why I sold these amplifiers and went back to analogue technology. Today I know that this was because such devices cannot work without delay.
This man is a genius and I feel he is not given the props he deserve because people but listen with their eyes and not with their ears. They need a brand name to trust the quality of the product. Truth be told this fella has been ahead of the game for way longer but now when Blackstar rips the same product now they are interested.
I heard a couple of his amps and was blown away, I would gladly play one.
Blackstar copied the Bluguitar, and still made something that doesn't come close to the real thing ! :)
This kind of behaviour is nothing new... I was frequently asked to be a distributor of copies of my own Session 'Sessionette:75' channel switching amp back in the early 1980s! I just had to ignore them and get on with production and marketing! Good luck Thomas... your creativity will help you win the day!
The Amped 1 seems a lot different, other than the name (and apparently the transformer). It is also marketed as an amp platform for amp modeling pedals.
I think this is just incredibly scummy.
Maybe Thomas didn't protect his patents enough...but still
This is theft and they're a big brand.
The only thing I have is a fly3 which I use a lot for practice... And I was even thinking about buying other products from them but now... I won't.
It's important to respect the true innovators.
This man put so much work into his Blug stuff.
Blackstar always seemed lame and bland. I didn't realise they were also copycats. I had no positive opinion of them but now it is negative
Blackstar were always copycats. Their Series One amps are copied from early Lee Jackson modified JMPs.
All they did was replace the rotary mid-range frequency selector switch with a potentiometer and name it ISF.
Copying designs from amp designers isn't new to them.
Not nice but let’s remember how Blackstar started.
A group of breakaway employees from Marshall. Thomas Blug is a small business that prides itself on its owners understanding and wizardry knowledge of amplification.
I hope he can take them to the cleaners, sue them up hill and down dale Thomas!
God only knows what they were thinking? Like many others my loyalty is with Thomas, I will never buy a Blackstar product!
Made in China by ex-Marshall guys.
What is the Bluguitar or Blackstar ?
@@benallmark9671Blackstar
@@benallmark9671 Blackstar, ex-Marshall guys.
The worst of Marshall got together 😂😂
I never liked Blackstar. They were always just an artificially hyped copycat company
After over 40 years of pro touring with Marshall amps, five years of touring the BluGuitar Amp1 has convinced me to sell my Marshall backline and I won't be going back.
Just the name Amped 1 struck me as a cheap plagiarism of an existing product's brand name.
Now to discover that Blackstar has ripped off some of the internal, BluGuitar design bespoke architecture has totally disgusted and angered me.
Thomas Blug should sue.
However, having heard RUclips demos by my usual go-to product reviewers it is totally obvious that Blackstar have another low rent piece crap on their hands that sounds l totally synthetic.
May as well plug into a Line 6 Spider 🤮
Yeah, the Blackstar does not seem to hold up well against the Amp1, or other pedalboard amps we could mention.
Plot twist all big company are corpses who feed stake holders, and none is giving squat about you and product youl'l use. What matters is sell, income an new model.
Also why Schaller produce Floyd Rose :)?
I own a Blackstar HT-20 combo and love it - but I def will not be supporting their ‘pedal amp’ efforts. What a shame to hear…
Mr Blug got it wrong about the 39k cold clipper resistor and who inspired whom though. Soldano SLO100 predates Peavey 5150 by about 5 years (1987/1992) so there is no doubt that Peavey where steeling it from, or got inspired by, Soldano.
But he said that 😂😂
Soldano got ripped off
@@JohnWiku Got it. It was a bit unclear to me the way he decribed it.
Thomas is a legend 👊🏻 I want an AmpX when it’s released
I hope the amp X will be a huge success. Thomas deserves it, he really goes the extra mile. It’s on my radar for sure.
Every company has ripped another companies idea and tweaked it.
The thing is will it sell to the masses or go under the radar?
If it goes under the radar then the rest is overlooked anyways.
Direct copying and then modifying in a way that takes away the main USP of Amp 1 (the direct 'Amp like' feel, aka no added ADDA latencies) defies my understanding. No 20 years of experience needed, should be trivial to any pedal developer.
If this was a price or marketing based decision, they underestimated the musical skill set of those guitar players buying high end/high priced pedals like this.
In the end this seems to play out well for Thomas in the long run.
I'm not saying that this is cool. It is absolutely not! But at the end of the day, being copied (kind of) by a company like Blackstar, is also a very big compliment to Thomas, that he created an outstanding product that is very useful for many guitar players.
Never liked Blackstar. I’ve owned a couple and they always sounded dull. Its like a branch of the worst era of Marshall.
This is something I didn’t know and gives credibility to Blackstar. You can see Blu amp amps are still holding better resale value
Yeah, the BluGuitar stuff is a wise investment, and hold a great resale value.
Not that it's any cancellation, Blackstar makes very so-so amps nor are they any sort of "Titan" in my mind. That's just a "what were you thinking" moment for Blackstar. I hope you get paid for any lost revenue and punitive damages. I dont think backstar is going to survive this economic downturn though, many of these mid companies probably wont.
That's s pretty bad move by Blackstar.
Thomas is a good friend of Uli Jon Roth, who had promoted his amps in the past. Uli also endorses Blackstar amps. I wonder what he might have to say about it ?
I would've expected one of the Chinese companies to have done it but Blackstar? They're already in hot water for other things. Ate yhey speed running chapter 11 or something?
I wish Thomas all the best. I wish he could sue and win. I've wanted one for so long. Best Regards and Best Wishes!
I hope that this proof of Backstar‘s „glory“ will spread fast - shabby company. A company to avoid.
Last week I got in touch with with the "BS distribution guys" by accident in my local music store. The guys seem to be very kind. I wish I watched this video before. Rippin off Thomas is a outrageous. Thomas has such a big impact to all of us guitarplayers and music lovers. There is no way to exuse that kind of piracy.
I will never use a Blackstar-Amp after this video. Fullstop. Thanks for bringing up the facts guys!
@Thomas Blug: Thanks for your kindness, your brain, your thoughts and your irresistable heart! Can't wait for the amp x 🙂
That's pretty disgusting. Reminds of the Vertex scam, although it was not identical as the guy used the same component, hidden in melted resin and called it his own. If Thomas can't sue them for reverse engineering and using same spec'ed components, it's really unfair and tough. The icing on the cake is naming it Amped 1 (and 2) which is adding insult to offence...
Thomas makes great products and you get what you pay for. I wish him lots of luck for his AMP X and hope he'll sell so many that it will bury the copycats under tons of shame (and lost market shares as I doubt they can any feel any guilt...)
Brutus admits to having purchased Joyo pedals exactly like Tech 21's "character series." That said, not everyone can afford $100+ per pedal.
I never have or will play blackstar.
Blackstar isn’t known for longevity or QC
This unfortunately happens in this industry. JHS did it for years and claimed it was his own, designs Vertex didi it, the list goes on. A lot of amp companies try to get away with it, copying exact layouts and components.
I have two Blackstar (1W and 60W) will never buy another one. Iam very disappointed
Thomas Blug is a genious. Once I tried the BluGuitar amp1 mercury the search for tone was over. I’ve used the amp1 with the blubox on so many recordings and it always sounds incredible. Really excited for the release of the new AmpX. ❤
Case in point, the BBE Ben Wah and the Vertex Wah. Pretty much just changed the labels.
Thomann rips off every guitar company's designs with HB and nobody complains cause they are cheap.
In guitars, only the headstock can be copyrighted, not the body shape. Lot of companies make Gibson and Fender style bodies for their guitars, but never the headstock.
Amen. There’s a LOT of this sh!t going around, and few people call it out, as long as it benefits them. Until consumers start holding these people accountable, it will never stop. Never MIND what you see in a Walmart coming out of China.
But never quality gear like BlueGuitar stuff
Thomas is a great man. I hope he gets justice. If it helps, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Maybe someone else will do the same, but under license. There are oodles of Marshall amp clones because they are fantastic, like AMP 1.
The Black Star doesn't sound/feel as good as the Amp-1
You did an A/B comparison between both?
Thomas deserves to be respected by the industry ,He have achieved great results on his projects .
I've got both Amp1 and Iridium models and they are fantastic! I still use my Bogner, Matchless and CAA heads but so many gigs now suit a smaller rig and Tomas's amps sound great at any level. F@#k BlackStar! 🤟😎
Jonathan Here! I never played any of the BluGuitar stuff but Frank has and tells me they are awesome.
Blackstar's "version" will most likely break down after a short period of time.
I’ve never liked Blackstar, I’ve had a few amps and never liked the sound of them.
TB is a class act on so many levels!
I’m only buying from Thomas period!
Awesome!
You know if AMP1 would have had an IR loader included it would have smoked everyone :(
What a nice guy.
He definitely is the most humble person ever!
A Blu One amp and 4x12 Marshal bottom totally rocks. Thomas you rock, BlueStar-Bad
Never really liked Blackstar in the first place. Now even more.
At 4:34 - 5:40, Mr. Blug states they aren't the same. He clearly states the way different sections of the Blackstar are implemented are clearly different.
Yes, it’s the power amp section they ripped off, specifically the output transformer.
You gotta love this guy. I am skeptical of any advantage over digital modeling other than less latency. A model is only as good as the algorithm, but I am psych'd about the amp X.
Yes, mainly latency. But this is very critical as it gives a huge difference in feel.
After years of line6 in my living room, I bought a Delta King to indeed enjoy the directness of an analog Amp. Very noticeable with certain sound choices and styles of pkaying.
@@cbaten2A digital modeller is only gonna give you a couple milliseconds latency. Entirely undetectable. The only way you are going to get less latency is to use an all analogue signal path and monitor with headphones.
Bluguitar Amp 1 is the real thing, forget the others.
Check out the Thomas Blug signature V6 guitar.... Maybe he should think twice about moaning about being ripped off.
It's not the same thing. There are hundreds of Strat style guitars. He actually designed something from the ground up with the Amp 1.
I happen to love all the Blu products. I did sell my AMP 1 and Mercury Edition but, only because Im waiting on the latest magic box to be released. I have also been using 2 Blackstar Silverline 212 stereo combos for quite awhile. Love them. Finding this info out puts me in a pickle. I know, there are plenty of copies of so many pedals and amps. Just burns my ass that a company very capable of designing their own products, has to steal/ copy.
If you love their products, then don't let that influence you. It's all business and these folks can sort things out amicably.
Never knew this! I saw a demo of pedalboard size power amps and the black star amped 1 sound best compared to others (the Blu wasn’t featured). No wonder as it’s based of the Blu
It seems to be a pretty successful product for them.
Blackstar seems to be quite a horrible company, i hear nuthin but bad things about them
I've had no experience with them, so I can't comment.
Never bought Blackstar and never will…
I just was about to try one of their tiny practice amps. Not any more. I’ll spend my (hard earned) cash somewhere else.
There's a lot of great products out there. It's a great time to be a guitarist.
Black Star I think belongs to Lee Andertons
lol doesn’t he own Boss and Bluguitar as well 😂