The Brilliant Bartel Starwood - Is It The Right Guitar Amp For Me?

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JamesOnGuitar

JamesOnGuitar

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 82
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Trying the middle sized Bartel - this thing is just as good as the big Roseland, but maybe better for me! cheers
@djt6546
@djt6546 Жыл бұрын
Thought you'd like the Starwood. I suspect if you had bought the TK Imperial mkii instead of the SkyKing years ago, you would have ket it longer, until getting a Starwood 🙂 Perhaps you now see how I could play the Starwood, then play the TR Vintage Deluxe and be underwhelmed, especially given how different it is from the other TR's. The Starwood is special to me as it reminds me of the few high end HiFi setups that give you the extra clarity and depth to the soundstage, but do it in the sweetest fashion. If you do decide to go for a Starwood... I suspect the head with dedicated cab is the ultimate fidelity. But another reason to consider the head is that when I tried the head at Coda it was simply connected up to their 2x12 Soldano cab (loaded with Vintage 30 speakers) and it sounded fabulous then. The second time I tried the Starwood was the exact amp you currently have. I have been surprised and impressed how good the Starwood sounds through completely different cabs. Finally I was talking to Doug about perhaps you trying it on the channel before I left the store ☺ Looking forward to your final thoughts and decisions in the coming weeks. Cheers
@christophervincent8420
@christophervincent8420 Жыл бұрын
And now you understand that, you may understand the Tone Master amps. They are meant to cut through and still sound like the actual amp. It can also give you that vibe at home if dialed in. I really recommend the Deluxe reverb blonde or if you want really loud, the blonde Twin version. Please let me know what you think. BTW that Amp is absolutely phenomenal. It sounds amazing on my end. Almost left nutt amazing
@dp3476
@dp3476 Жыл бұрын
I bought a Starwood head from Coda 2 weeks ago. I didn't know about the pull "bright" function on the volume knob until you mentioned it. I can't see anything in the manual about it. Thanks for making me aware
@djt6546
@djt6546 Жыл бұрын
@@dp3476 Aha that was you :-) So I’ve played yours and the combo James is currently using when thinking about possible options for myself. Both were superb so the consistency is definitely there with these amps. Some weeks on I am leaning towards the head if I do take the plunge. I tried your head into the Soldano 2x12 they have in the amp room. It was surprisingly awesome. I reckon you could plug the Starwood into any kind of reasonably balanced cabinet and it will sound HiFi with a rich 3D sound regardless. Enjoy your wonderful amp👍
@laylortarson
@laylortarson 10 ай бұрын
I have the Starwood and it beats out every other amp I own. It’s pure magic. The way the cabinet loads a room with sound is absolutely breathtaking.
@godbyone
@godbyone Жыл бұрын
The guts of bartel are beautiful. Inside the best wiring looks like artwork
@hansjoit9403
@hansjoit9403 Жыл бұрын
I have two Starwoods.... One at home and one for rehearsal and gigging. I like the Push/Pull Pots for more brightness on Humbucker guitars. Playing with my band is so much fun because the Starwood is so warm and present. Also live and in the studio. It is my amp.
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Amazing!
@brettschulte3845
@brettschulte3845 10 ай бұрын
I just bought this amp this week after watching this. It sounds fantastic, very visceral!
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar 10 ай бұрын
Oh amazing - congrats!
@BSPotter
@BSPotter Жыл бұрын
nice to see a Bartel on your channel again. I've had a Roseland combo for a couple years and it's awesome. I could see wanting the Starwood for it's smaller size, but the tremolo on the Roseland is too good for me to not have.
@jessesadikman
@jessesadikman Жыл бұрын
I have the Starwood. I love this amp especially in the setting of playing with others. It really does cut through the mix while keeping dynamic harmonics. I usually run the volume at 3. Treble at 4 and bass at 6. And the master at 7. Really fun to play.
@danizel1
@danizel1 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for doing a review on this amp! I have been curious about how a different Bartel amps are from others. It seems to give something different that nothing else does
@Faded0811
@Faded0811 Жыл бұрын
Many of the reports are that the Starwood is the amp to get. It’s what I chose after playing all three.
@realitynuggets6204
@realitynuggets6204 11 ай бұрын
10:50 - good lord, what a sound! great playing, too, James! any chance you tried a Sugarland yet?
@aminahmed2220
@aminahmed2220 Жыл бұрын
What a fantastic video James have a wonderful happy holiday season ❤😊🌲🍪🥛🍰🎂🧁🍶🇨🇦🎸💙🧡💛💜💚🇬🇧
@TCMx3
@TCMx3 Жыл бұрын
"who is it for?" is an interesting question. I own one, as it happens. I got one fairly early, tbh I was trying to buy a Suhr Bella Reverb but when I played the Bartel I realized the price of knowing what it sounded like was a lot of money. I gave up a Lentz and an Xotic. I have really enjoyed it over the years, I think it sounds really amazing. I sold most of my amps when I moved across the US, kept the Starwood, my 100W Crystal and the 100W Classic Reverb. I mostly use mine as a softer/gentler black panel sounding thing. Sort of like a Carr but even better, if only slightly.
@cortmiller
@cortmiller Жыл бұрын
I had the starwood for a while and I sold it. kind of like you said it just wasn't the amp for me. I am a huge vintage fender amp fan, and thought the starwood would be right up my alley, given my experience with tone king and Mark's amps. the amp is spectacularly built. but im much more of a plug and play kind of guy. That amp has every sound I could want in it but it really is not intuitive for the preamp and I had to do a lot of twiddling a lot to get all the different tones. at the end of the day im just as happy plugging into an old deluxe reverb or super reverb and dialing in a nice tone in seconds so I ended up selling it. They are beautiful amps though.
@MBXTactical
@MBXTactical 8 ай бұрын
James Great info I had put my Roseland away and thought about selling but now with your video really found some great tones ! Thanks great channel and your playing always inspires me keep it up !
@pieve5516
@pieve5516 Жыл бұрын
Great review. Accoustics were nice. Now a fan of your channel.
@jamesmarcin4787
@jamesmarcin4787 Жыл бұрын
Great stuff. Mark Bartel makes great amps. I have a ToneKing Falcon Grande amp which I love despite some reviews that say it sounds too dark.
@jhwk1970
@jhwk1970 11 ай бұрын
I’ve been playing exclusively through a Starwood since the summer of 2018. I use one in my guitar room, in bands, at all types of venues, playing a wide range of music types, and with very different very nice guitars. I just can’t think of any reason why I would want anything else. The cost per year of happy ownership keeps going down for me. What’s not to like?
@mattkozink7488
@mattkozink7488 Жыл бұрын
Very nice demo and I particularly appreciate the section on "How the Amp Works." My first Bartel was a Starwood combo from Mark's first batch. I regretfully sold that amp but recently purchased a Roseland combo (the amp I originally wanted but was unable to afford at the time). Aside from the difference in power (and tremolo circuit) between the Starwood and Roseland, the Starwood is cathode biased vs. the fixed bias of the Roseland. IMO that makes the Starwood a bit sweeter sounding than the Roseland, especially in the tweed and BF portions of its tonal spectrum. I found that aspect of the Starwoods voicing very seductive. I have been able to mimic that sweet squishiness of the Starwood with the Roseland using an AmpRX Brownbox on the AC mains. But once one plays the Starwood there might be no turning back. I look forward to learning which Bartel eventual stays with you.
@Chris_mueller
@Chris_mueller 6 ай бұрын
Mark Bartel is, in my opinion, one of the best amp builders out there.
@ecowill10
@ecowill10 3 ай бұрын
Hello james and thank you for your content and your beautiful playing! After watching your videos and being completely blown away by the bartel amps, I'm finally gonna pull the trigger. The thing is that i can't try both the roseland and starwood to compare them and i would love your opinion on them. Im mostly gonna play them in lower volumes, home levels and occasional small gigs. Did you find any differences in the sound or does one of them work better in lower volumes? Which one had the better 'plexi' sounds? Any help will be appreciated!
@menamestom
@menamestom Жыл бұрын
Sounds great, albeit leaning more tweed than black panel. I wonder if the eq increases negative feedback as it’s turned up, so the amp is tamed as and cleaned up as the eq increases?
@graemero5532
@graemero5532 Жыл бұрын
I wonder James, do you ever get option paralysis ? With access to so much awesome gear is it possible to ever really get an intimate feel for any of it ? You must feel like a kid in a candy store every time you walk in that room. The new Bartel sounds luvvly jubbly too btw.
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
I have yes, had option paralysis - in the past more so. Now with more experience - and given i do this all day every day - i have learned to trust my gut. I tend to know what sound/feel i want and go to the right gear now. Yup, i do become intimate with the gear that I love - i spend so much of my week playing/recording/teaching that it accelerates everything. You have to keep in mind it is slightly different because I have (more in the past) some gear for the channel that I may not otherwise have but I enjoy being able to make content about - less so now, but having the channel does give me a reason too. I do feel like a kid in a candy store though 😅 cheers!
@jcshirke
@jcshirke 5 ай бұрын
Thanks for doing this. So, what Bartel did you decide on, if any??
@philbrooks3348
@philbrooks3348 5 ай бұрын
As a follow up....did you end up owning a Starwood? The Roseland or Sugarland? After your trip to the store. I can't decide between the Starwood and Roseland myself. I don't think I care much about the trem but not sure how different cathode vs fixed bias is side-by-side
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar 5 ай бұрын
Ended up with the Starwood - sweeter, easier to play and compress and loud enough! The roseland has some incredible tones but also can just be an ear buster and a bit stiffer. hope that helps
@seb0587
@seb0587 6 ай бұрын
I also have a starwood and i really love it. What other amp can you recommend that can give me the same satisfaction from a starwood? Or something that is similar overall?
@ryanchiachiere
@ryanchiachiere 8 ай бұрын
@jamesonguitar - when you're in Marshall mode with the preamp volume dimed is there a way to use pedals to get a solo boost with increased decibes? Or are you just overloading the preamp if you add a boost in front of it? One tricky thing about the Imperial is that when it's really juicy on the tweed side adding pedals just adds saturation but you can't get additional volume.
@aneeshd9
@aneeshd9 Жыл бұрын
I am torn between this amp, the Bsrtel Roseland, Tone King imperial mk2 and the two rock classic reverb. Which of these would you recommend for a musician who mostly plays at hpme but occasionally gigs?
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
If you love Tremolo - the roseland. If you love the big fender sound - classic reverb. If you like an easier amp - the tone king. If you want almost the best of everything - the starwood!
@djt6546
@djt6546 Жыл бұрын
I think of the Starwood as having the largest sweetspot to please more people than the smaller Sugarland or larger Roseland. A bit like the TK Imperial mkii has the largest sweetspot of the Tone King range. The smallest amps of these ranges sound great and you are left wanting a little more which is where the medium size amps come in. They give you that extra volume and a little more flexibility in headroom while still being rich and compressed when you want that. But if you go for the largest, like Roseland or TK SkyKing, you are definitely pushing into large amp territory and they want to be moving more air and pushing volume to get into their sweetspots in terms of tone and feel. The TK Imperial mkii is phenomenal value for money just like their new Royalist Marshall style amp is fantastic value too. The Starwood is like a purist HiFi version of the Imperial, which is reflected in the price and you also lose a channel switching capability. If you compare the Imperial and Starwood, my impression was the Starwood is a good deal ahead of the Imperial in fidelity and rich fidelity at that. But at the end of the day the Imperial is great too and once you've played for a few minutes your ears have already adapted to the tone (which is still great) and you still have great feel. The biggest question is can you be satisfied with needing to stop and twiddle knobs on the Bartel amps or do you want the traditional boost/channel switching function of the TK and still have a lot of money in your pocket. If you factor in the frequent opportunity to get a clean "used" Imperial mkii for approx £1,900. The decision can get harder. Go all out on the Bartel or still get a superb amp for half the price. In a band/mix both would be excellent, so the Bartel is serious indulgence. James and my opinions on the TR Bloomfield and CRS differ. On the topic of one TR to do all, I feel the Bloomfield is that amp because there is a master volume for both channels so you can tailor both a clean and drive tone without compromise on volume. The CRS has many options but ultimately operates volume wise like one channel and can't balance between a drive and clean tone on the fly without jumping in volume. Unless you like playing LOUD like James, the CRS will require a quality attenuator like the Fryette PS range to get anything beyond clean tones. The Bloomfield master volume is leagues ahead in my opinion which makes it far more flexible for home use without an attenuator. Having said all that if you want a Strat monster amp the CRS is amazeballs, providing you can get it to the sweetspot volume wise. The Bloomfield clean channel is a little more neutral with a Strat, but arguably that's more desirable as a pedal platform. Choices choices 😊 If wish to try TR, I suggest comparing Studio Signature, Bloomfield and CRS for yourself. Just trying to be pragmatic for you. Have fun trying them all for yourself 🙂
@OilCanHarry2U
@OilCanHarry2U Жыл бұрын
Tone King Imperial MkII owner for around five years…totally brilliant amp. You cannot go wrong.
@MaximilianMengwasser
@MaximilianMengwasser Жыл бұрын
Had the Imperial MKII and the Starwood. Too much options (for me) on the Starwood because of the different „tonalities“. I was permanently on the knobs to get the sound i preferred. It‘s a blessing and a curse. Overall the Starwood is a killer sounding Amp. But in the end i sold the Starwood and kept the Imperial MKII. Couldn‘t be happier!
@aneeshd9
@aneeshd9 Жыл бұрын
Thank you all for your awesome input and feedback on this! I am waiting on a few Bartel amps - the Roseland and Starwood to arrive at my local dealer and will play them to try them out against the Tone King and Twi Rock amps before deciding. I am leaning towards the Tone King though largely because it has that magic combination of ease of use, build quality, awesome attenuator and overall value but the high quality of the Bartel and Two Rock amps does give me reason to pause and at least try them out before deciding on the Tone King Imperial
@christophervincent8420
@christophervincent8420 11 ай бұрын
After listening to this video several times, I will say that is a very good amp. Although, I have heard an amp made in Tennessee called Keytone amps. They made a calibration amp with Lucky dog guitars. It's called the "lil scrapper". It is legit Fender Princeton clean with a beautiful reverb. Then the tone nob turned the opposite way sounds like a Marshall. Legit Marshall. With no pedals this thing sound phenomenal! I wish you could review that amp. Even their Ascent and Belvedere amps sound great. They are in wooden cabinets. That is the finish of them. Wood. Absolutely beautiful
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar 11 ай бұрын
Interesting! Thanks
@carlezzatvar4584
@carlezzatvar4584 Жыл бұрын
Great to see you showcasing mark's amps. I thought it was interesting saying how you felt your two rock was a little easier to use in an isolated situation. Ive had a starwood for about a year and i really love it and i am now use to its controls. I really wanted to buy a two rock bloomfield from coda music but couldnt dial it in and i felt it lacked quality compared to the bartel. Maybe it was the small demo room in coda maybe i couldnt open it up enough and the master volume maybe not as good as the bartel or maybe i was using it wrong coming from the bartel. Makes me think i should give it the two rock another go. My friend has the roseland and i think its superb. Slightly different to the starwood. Both exceptional amp. Great playing btw
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
I think what i said or meant to say about the two rock in isolation is that it is a bigger, prettier, fuller sound. The Bloomfield is a really hard amp and definitely not easy to dial. The classic reverb or even the studio sig are much more pleasing on first hearing imo.
@bigtguitars7312
@bigtguitars7312 Жыл бұрын
Are you based in Stevenage if you use coda my hometown left In 1988
@carlezzatvar4584
@carlezzatvar4584 11 ай бұрын
I wonder how the starwood compares to the new two rock vintage deluxe? Anyone played both
@MartinBabst
@MartinBabst 3 күн бұрын
Yes I‘ve had both and still own the Bartel. The Bartel is more versatile and even better built. Both fantastic amps but the Bartel is way better at lower volumes and this sealed the deal for me. The power tubes of the VD like to be pushed and that‘s gonna be loud.
@ramilrodriguez8340
@ramilrodriguez8340 Жыл бұрын
Nice video as always. If it’s the right amp for you, I don’t know but I do know not for me.😁😁Not that it sounds bad but not for me.
@godbyone
@godbyone Жыл бұрын
6.24 was great
@TelevsionCanyons
@TelevsionCanyons Жыл бұрын
the most interesting sound i've heard on this channel is still the Gibson falcon.
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Well yeah but tbh i think it would be more interesting than most sounds 😂 having said that it isn’t currently working, is very quiet when it does and no way would it cut through a band mix… but, i do love it
@TelevsionCanyons
@TelevsionCanyons Жыл бұрын
@@JamesOnGuitar sure, but it definitely has much more mojo than my left butt cheek. 😜
@darrylweller6143
@darrylweller6143 Жыл бұрын
How do you compare this to a lazy j?
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
I owned the J10 so not really a fair comparison. Quite different amps tbh and I would struggle to decide potentially but there is something about the Bartel sound - just something even more magical than the Lazy J to me
@darrylweller6143
@darrylweller6143 Жыл бұрын
Does it take pedals well?
@johnbeloe
@johnbeloe 5 ай бұрын
​@@darrylweller6143I'd agree owning a Roseland and having owned a lazy j. And yes, takes pedals beautifully
@pieve5516
@pieve5516 Жыл бұрын
Suggestion. Not sure if you know Stefan at GuitarPedal X but the guy has a huge collection tion of pedals and no KZbin presence. Maybe you can work together?
@jamesoconnor5154
@jamesoconnor5154 Жыл бұрын
James, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly do you do for a living? How do you afford all those cool toys, man? I have an R9, I had to sell my other guitars and still had to throw in some cash to afford it. You have multiple custom shop guitars, telecasters, and a shit load of amps. Are you a doctor or a lawyer or something?
@djt6546
@djt6546 Жыл бұрын
Don't go down the Doctor, lawyer, Dentist, CEO route... It's too cliche by now. James is just successful in what ever he does and where he does it which is key when you take a global view of work. Keep in mind when you do get to a certain point with a collection, a lot of gear is recycled and in addition being in the right circles gives James a lot of extraordinary bandwidth to experiment with more gear than most as is evidenced with his recent collaborations with high end stores in the UK.
@jdl2180
@jdl2180 Жыл бұрын
Perhaps he inherited a lot of money
@jamesoconnor5154
@jamesoconnor5154 Жыл бұрын
For the record, im not dissing james, fyi. I just noticed that he has a lot of cool shit that I'd like to have myself. Man if he's married his wife probably bitches about all the gear lol
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Haha - she doesn’t, but she’s the lawyer and makes me look like a complete failure 😂 i was in property - still am to a passive degree. Then i had a wine business i sold. Now i do this full time (youtube, teaching, learning). But djt is right it becomes recycling and putting in a little extra money from time to time. Sorry i can’t be more enlightening than that!
@jamesoconnor5154
@jamesoconnor5154 Жыл бұрын
@JamesOnGuitar damn james must be nice. Safe to say you got an education and all that when you were coming up? I grew up in the street (graduated high school, though). Then, I was pulled into organized crime from some guys I looked up to. Now, I'm trying my hardest to stay on the right track. It's next to impossible to get a good paying job when you have racketeering charges.
@jorbv8
@jorbv8 11 ай бұрын
So its not a Studio amp, more of a Live situation amp
@adamjoseph2704
@adamjoseph2704 Жыл бұрын
This has to be the cork-sniffiest channel on all of KZbin
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
The funny thing is, in any given group of people I am likely to be the last one talking about the details of gear 😂 the channel is like this because everytime I miss a detail out someone will bring it up in the comments and - anyone who makes youtube vids knows, whether you believe it or not, comments sting. So it’s like conditioning! If people would watch it I’d probably just makes videos of playing and some nice looking b roll - but there’s the other point, if you don’t have the chops to make people want to watch just for the playing then you have to talk about something 😂 i guess it’s just natural it comes across that way because I am generally learning what the gear does as I make the video. It is an odd thing I imagine for people who know me well, to see me going into anal detail about something, and for people who don’t know me well and then meet me to realise i don’t really talk about gear in detail in real life. Ah well. All going well, as the channel continues i will be talking more and more about music and playing as I get better at it.
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Having said all that, at least I’ve made my niche i guess
@stevest3v3
@stevest3v3 Жыл бұрын
By that I'm sure you mean, excellent in depth explanations and great demo's of musical equipment that most of us would love to own.
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
and yes, frankly, i do like making the video useful/giving people vicarious gas relief! (or gas, sometimes i imagine!)
@ABCDEF-ks5op
@ABCDEF-ks5op Жыл бұрын
man keep your hate to yourself , nobody wants to hear you rant about another guys passion
@tonyz4292
@tonyz4292 Жыл бұрын
Do not self censor yourself my friend if you wanna say blackface amp there is no racial connotation it’s a amp not a person
@stevest3v3
@stevest3v3 Жыл бұрын
Are you allowed to say it's 'an all singing, dancing amp'?
@tonyz4292
@tonyz4292 Жыл бұрын
@@stevest3v3 I’m not quite sure what you mean by that one….
@JamesOnGuitar
@JamesOnGuitar Жыл бұрын
Probably not in the same sentence as blackface 👀
@ABCDEF-ks5op
@ABCDEF-ks5op Жыл бұрын
:)
@christophervincent8420
@christophervincent8420 Жыл бұрын
I think it sounds very good. I love that tone. It sounds more Bassman/bass breaker like than Marshall. Which I would really love.
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