Will this replace a full sized amp? Blu Guitar Iridium Edition

Can a portable amp weighs under 3lbs compete with a real tube amp? For metal tones? Let's find out!
Get it from Thomann at: bit.ly/2QIT9fu
Disclosure... yes, I got to keep it. Going to shoot it out against a Revv and 5150 next.....
The Intro & Outro song - "The Eagle Has Landed"
• The Fiddlin' Bens & He...
Reaper skin is "Fusion Beta"
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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@Evilwhiteclownpunk]

"Instead of bringing your mega-expensive tube amps..."... Have you seen my stuff??? THIS would be my mega-expensive "tube" amp...

[@dagoelius]

Thomas Blug is an absolute master of guitar, strat tone and engineering. Cant wait for his AMP X to come out which will change everything.

[@RedNK]

This doesn't ring any less true 2 years later. They hype is really fucking real.

[@crazymanwithastick]

I would have loved this back in my gigging days. Still might look into this! Thanks for the video!

[@robruthless4703]

That tone was epic!!! The leads were very full sounding I’m impressed

[@vincephil7814]

Your drum mixes have greatly improved in the last year or two. Even the mighty Glen Fricker can get better,

[@alecmunro1732]

My band played with Punks UK Subs and Vibrators earlier this year, and the guitarists for both bands were using one of these. I asked them the question, what the hell is that, of course, and they told me all about it.. Both bands have just one guitarist, and I have to say, they sounded amazing.

[@diarrhea_splatter]

Great job on the review!

[@JOpethNYC]

I've owned this unit for a few months now and am extremely impressed and pleased with my purchase. This amp allows me to go to a rehearsal or live show with a small pedal board. It rips. This thing replaced my Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100 watt head and rack units.

[@CS-ru4xd]

@ Joe Minutillo So...you're saying this thing is loud enough to practice/gig with? My worry is not the sound quality at lower volumes ,but at higher practice/gig volumes as we all know that tones change at higher volumes and sometimes NOT for the better! Would love to know your or anybody else's take on it

[@ricmel8008]

​@@CS-ru4xd I would love to know also

[@Nickdiciccomusic]

"Will this" maybe, I dont know. Great video as always G! Thank you

[@ToxicxEternity]

that metal mix sounded amazing! drums included

[@RemyRAD]

Really, the drums were so-so. Basic and diminutive.

[@pr0_gabby656]

Just to clear up a couple of things. You don't need anything else to access the clean channel. From the factory the first foot switch switches between the clean channel and which ever overdrive channel you have selected above (Vintage, Classic or Modern.) The second switch turns the boost on/off and the third switch turns the reverb on/off. There is also a preset mode that allows you to use the 3 foot switches to for changing channels instead. By adding a simple 2 button foot switch you have access to all 4 channels and the boost. Don't use lighted switches as most use resistors and this causes problems. Use two button foot switch with no lights and a TRS cable. The AMP1 does a great job of lighting up the different features when you use a switch like this so you don't need the lights at all. The top EQ knobs are the master EQ for ALL channels. Use the tone knobs on the side to dial in the sound of each individual channel. You can also change the tone of the boost! I can't imagine why he would have had trouble with the gate function. Set it to metal for chugging and soft for lead work. Activating the reverb foot switch automatically changes the gate to soft. You can even turn the reverb all the way down so you're really only switching the gate function. You can control a TON of parameters via MIDI from a MIDI controller or using the BluGuitar Remote1. The only thing digital on this unit is the reverb. Everything else is analog, so there is NO latency from A/D, D/A and DSP use. Just think of AMP1 as a multi-channel head that sits on the floor instead of on top of your cabinet.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Mine was a prototype... #4 I believe. Might explain a few things...

[@garyheighway7635]

I really liked the tones...definitely interested.

[@ryfmetalchile6593]

Love the snare sound

[@ryanburchett8455]

That has amazing tone! I am really impressed too.

[@mikemota]

Great demo Glenn....

[@janvirtanen6199]

Glenn, I am going to buy this one. I dig the hybrid sound, and I love my Valvestate 8100 as well. Of course I am going to buy at some point a Peavey 6505+ but right now the Iridium is the thing I want.

[@ArnoldPlaysGuitar]

Glad it got to you after all.

[@mattjc]

Doesn't the first (leftmost) foot switch toggle between clean and distortion channels in default mode? At least that's what its supposed to do. Then there's also preset mode, where you can just select between three presets using the three buttons, no external controller required.

[@fredacuneo5180]

Great video Glenn. Thanks. I definitely have this on my wish list. I loathe lugging heavy gear around.

[@jasonsapp792]

I bought one off Reverb from Alto Music in NY....I had it in my cart and they offered a deal so good I bought it...I guess because I had it in cart but not made the commitment they offered 48months 0% Interest and lowered the price by $100 .... I would describe the amp kind of like the EVH 5150iii 50w ... The cleans are great, the Classic channel is good but kind of like the EVH green channel gain turned up....the Vintage channel is like the EVH Blue channel with the gain maxed ...a lot of punch and enough tone to get in a great rock tone 80's/90's metal.... The Modern is a lot like the EVH Red channel that the gain can get pretty hairy and less is more The Reverb reminds me of a Mesa type that it sounds behind the signal not ahead pushing the guitar down the hole The noise gate works really well...I use the Reverb and the Vintage channel almost all the time and it cuts in and out very well

[@TexAgsArmyVet]

Loved the full mix. Very Opeth! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@RemyRAD]

Yeah the mix was open. It was not tight. Some folks like open. I like tight. Supertight and huge. And totally ballsy. Open can be cool also. You know your flies open?

[@benjaminlaeuchli320]

Got one of those too. Haven't used it much though. This reminds though why I bought it and that I should use it more. An amazing sound you got out of it! Are running the Iridum direcly into your mixer or is it hooked up to a mic'd cab in the sound demo?

[@SergioGonzalez-gi9kr]

interesting product. thanks for your vids. great content. off topic: watching some live footage of someone switching to an SG in the set and noticed the artist having to tune every damn song and even mid song. now that you've made me see those issues with gibsons, I can't unsee it.

[@hooliganstreet]

This thing sounds really good!

[@bemi-ton]

channel switching and noise gate: RTFM! :P stay safe and healthy, thanks Glenn!

[@jam_nineworkz]

Does the clean demo has a bit of subtle chorusing? It sounds lke it does! ;)

[@matturner6890]

ohhh yah bud

[@the92project]

I play the Amp1 Mercury and holy shit that's metal enough for me. The classic channel is amazing

[@ronlamar1790]

Hey Man, Love the show. What do you think about the HeadRush pedal board ?

[@sillyness3456]

Sounds amazing. I bought a Helix LT for live use, to shave off 75 kg compared to my Diezel/Mesa rig. I think floor amps or modelers are definitely the future, while heads or rack modelers will probably still have a place in the studio.

[@yargnad]

They are _part_ of the future but we are squarely in the New Golden Age of tube amplification. This is not a modeler and will never become outdated like digital gear will _appear_ to be once the next generation is released. Who's buying a POD anymore? But I distinctly remember way back when those were _the future..._

[@sillyness3456]

yarg nad I know, that the Iridium is a full guitar amp, it even uses a microtube in the preamp. Which is why I specifically named floor amps, for example the device presented or the Hughes&Kettner Black Spirit 200F. My point is, that the more portable form factor of floor units, regardless of technology is the future of touring, while heavier, bulkier units, that require individual foot switches, etc, like for example a tube head, or a Kemper Rack, will probably become less common, especially in the underground touring business. I still own two cabs and my Diezel Herbert and don’t plan on getting rid of those. I got rid of a Randall solid state head, though. I just bought the Helix for three reasons: 1. Portable for live and home use 2. DI-system -> better for InEar monitoring 3. I can’t afford the big boys right now (Let‘s be honest, it doesn’t make a big difference)

[@smiley19092]

id love to see something like this for bass! oh who am i kidding, a practice amp is loud enough for the audience to not have to hear

[@RemyRAD]

I think this thing should be perfectly appropriate to use with a bass guitar. Why wouldn't you? It's, a guitar amplifier. After all. That means it amplifies guitars. And a bass guitar. Is a guitar. And maybe you don't need all that distortion? So don't turn it on. Maybe just a smidge? Instead of all out vomit sound. Because you don't have to do that you know. Turn everything up. So don't do that. And plug a bass guitar in. And see if it works? I think it will. It's a guitar amplifier. And it's made to amplify guitars. Any port in a storm will do. It's lightweight. And fits in your gig bag. And that's reason alone to purchase it. And oh by the way. I have a great studio. One of the best. And 4 major music award nominations. And I would use this amplifier for bass guitar. What's stopping you? It amplifies guitars. In a nice compact lightweight manner. And it amplifies guitars. As in amplifying guitars. That you plug in. So it doesn't take a moron to figure out this would be more than adequate for bass guitar. You're not a moron are you? I mean I don't like to assume anything. But you're really making me wonder now. It's an amplifier for guitars. That's all you need to know. And so it's made for guitars. RemyRAD

[@Staminist-MMF-80]

@@RemyRAD No, you need to have it specially made for bass, if you wanna sound as a regular, fat bass.

[@shealeffler6147]

Staminist the vast majority of “bass” amps today were just “instrument” amps when they came out. When they started differentiating the only differences were really the tonestacks being tuned maybe an octave apart. Modern bass amps are different from “classic” bass amps, and older/more vintage style guitar amps make fantastic bass amps for clean and vintage dirt style bass tones. The Ampeg V4B is identical to the V4 except for, again, the tonestack tuning; same damn circuit except for a couple of caps. The idea that bass amps and guitar amps are somehow a whole different world is total bullshit; cabinets, however, *can* be very different, and modern solid state bass amps tend to be very different in power amp design. But again, at low volumes, even highly distorted guitar amps can make great bass amps and put out enough low-end for recording.

[@guitarandgames1386]

@@Staminist-MMF-80 no you actually don't need an amp specifically made for bass but you need a speaker that is rated for bass. The amps will do fine tone wise for anything but most of the concern is the speaker as guitar speakers will be blown out

[@fabriziocordasco5381]

Not at all it was broken afte 7 months, it's a toy, get serious thing for gig

[@matthewsanford4171]

Bought one about a year ago and have been gigging religiously with this. I sold my Randal Diavlo 100watt head for this. If you’re on the fence about it, don’t be. This is the best investment for any gigging guitarist who is tired of the heavy gear.

[@davidclark8877]

You should do a tone shootout with this, the Joyo, and one of the Orange Micro-amps against your usual setup. I'm currently running a Microdark into the Harley-Benton G112 (the even cheaper one) with a Tubescreamer mini in front and would like to know whether it can hold it's own against a more "elite" signal chain.

[@IntheDAW]

Sounds fantastic

[@wulfman15]

I'd love to hear this with a boost or OD in front. These mini amps are excellent. Wish they were around when I was gigging.

[@BluGuitar]

Hi Chris, sure you can use boosters and overdrive pedals in front of AMP1 iridium edition!.... the Modern channel is already so tight and gainy, so here you would only change the color of the tone. There’s „more room“ on the Vintage and Classic Channel to do this. Give it a try!!! Cheers, Thomas

[@janvirtanen6199]

I have it for 3 months now, and I am so happy!

[@WalmartTom]

Hey, how's the build quality of the amp 1 iridium? I've been thinking of buying one since my prs mt15 is having issues all the time.

[@janvirtanen6199]

@@WalmartTom Hei Tom! It is awesome. Metal solid chassis. The knobs are well and the bag is well crafted as well. :)

[@doegywhail728]

I would like hear it in a live situation, seeing how it keeps up with the rest of a band.

[@bellmeisterful]

Well its 100W and I know that can be subjective but Im sure it'll be awesome. 😊

[@pikkubuddha]

It’s Class D 100W ,so it’s gonna be as loud as 100W tube amp 👍🎶🤟

[@henkdegraaf1609]

It really does, I have my Marshall amp in my living room. A 100 watt head and 400 watt cabinet. The Iridium BluGuitar is by far more tighter and loud as hell. Much better sound too.

[@werewolf7696]

WOW!!!! Have to score one of those!

[@jason.martin]

Wow, 100 watt power amp ! nano tech or what ! great review

[@shadowsymphony1]

Great great great drum sound!

[@pooyamoradi8009]

hey glenn great episode loved it.you mentioned alot of good info about this product.but i think it would be great to you to tell somthing too.how should we change those nano tubes if it needs.arent those tubes rare thanks again

[@RemyRAD]

That's exactly what I was talking about. Why the FUCK didn't they use a standard,, glass envelope, dual triode. Where you can change the sound. By selecting different tubes. And what the FUCK do you do? If that little micro tube, craps out on you? Not like you can run out to the local parts store to pick up another one of those tubes. So that's a bit impractical. And what happens when that tube manufacturer goes out of business? What can be retrofitted? Answer? Nothing. So yeah. You're smart. Like me. But it is a cool and effective device. Just, I don't think very well thought-out. It needs a standard tube. And no reason not to have one. No good reason whatsoever. Other than, they got something much cheaper. Which is usually the case.

[@Dicktoben]

@@RemyRAD that Russian tube is supposed to be almost bulletproof

[@stevegee218]

Any way to get a shootout of a this vs Hughes Kettner Black Spirit floor?

[@TomMilleyMusic]

Can you set it to clean and just crank it like an old tube amp?

[@sid35gb]

Yes and you can boost the clean as well.

[@landonrice]

Does this have the limitation of other high watt tube amps in that the volume needs to be at unreasonable levels to get the best sound? Also, how is the volume control? Does it instantly jump from too quiet to deafening like my Mesa does?

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

it isnt a tube amp friend,its a psuedo tube amp without any tubes.theres also no speaker cab and no foot switch,buy an attenueator and enjoy your awesome mesa

[@Chinoden07]

Will you do a video on Fluff's new amp sim?

[@sbrave]

I can see this, a couple modulation pedals, cables, in a gym bag and a 2x12 cab for any gig...done. I stopped bringing 4x12's to gigs 10 years ago.

[@youssefad3572]

What about the Bluguitar Iridium vs Laney IRT-SLS ?? really love both unit

[@KevOppelt]

Hey Glenn! If you are practicing playing guitar right now won't you vlog some of it? -KevO. Orlando, Fl

[@hailmaryrecordings8255]

Yep … This is the one. Thanks, Glenn.

[@gregpace5982]

Looking good there SLIM.

[@ricmel8008]

Is it loud? I have an EVH5150 head. Can this amp keep up with loudness?

[@therealcharliebrown]

Can this go into the Torpedo Captor X and use the Two Note IRs into a Behringer mixer?

[@autobotsNdecepticons]

Neat. Wonder if this nanotube stuff can help Diezel lighten the load on their amps. But don't get not including a foot switch for the clean channel on a pedalboard amp.

[@stewie3128]

What snare is that? Sounds awesome!

[@adrian0goncalves]

The metal mix tone sounds a lot like Opeth, nice

[@sansocie]

Amazing.

[@chrismarcyy]

HOLY SHRAP THOSE DRUMS!!!

[@RemyRAD]

And you would poop in your pants. If you heard the drums gated. And twice as big sounding. I mean the drums were okay and cool sounding. They really weren't anything to write home about. If you know how to record and mix drums like I do. So you are easily and simply, impressed. A little too easily.

[@DJARCxD]

Glenn! I'd love to see you partner up with Charlie Waymire from Ultimate Studios inc on the show, much like you do with Warren. He has a lot of your same philosophies when it comes to sample replacement (it's lame).

[@guybayo2002]

Does it also work with a bass guitar, or only with a regular guitar?

[@BluGuitar]

Autistic Guy Bayo it sounds good, but it’s not powerful enough for giging.

[@pablorar]

Hi Glennnnnnnnnn you should do a review on the Orange Stamp Terror.

[@corym8374]

Was kinda surprised at your response to the whole channel switching footswitch design blunder. Would have been pretty easy to include a toggle for the channels on the amp. I'm sure it's a nice piece of gear but that seems like a line 6 level design blunder deserving of at least a little bit of rage lol

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

This one is a prototype

[@lexeriw]

So is a tube pre-amp and then the power amp is a class D right ? Sound neat

[@mauikrawalski1074]

What's up with the ULTRA preset?

[@thinkingape7655]

Cool idea and sounds solid, but that price is putting it up against strong competition. What makes this device better than every other portable solution out there?

[@zolwikwkurwik]

Finally a Cort guitar!

[@Microang]

So does this actually have a tube pre amp? Because I can't find anything in the Thomann link that says it does... 🤔

[@billrand4138]

no its in the power amp

[@Microang]

@@billrand4138 so it's not a tube amp. By that logic a line 6 spider valve is a tube amp. Or those cheap vox modelling amps with a power tube 😂

[@ralphshaw9758]

The preamp stage is all solid state but fully analog and the nano tube serves to give power tube characteristics to the output section that is also solid state class D.

[@yargnad]

Of course it can it's one of the best sounding amps I've ever played. I planned to get one before the world economy collapsed. Now there's no point since we will all be broke and homeless in the next 6 months.

[@hadleymanmusic]

And dead

[@corym8374]

Panic! Be scared!

[@torchlord11]

That is OK, save up for the Amp X that Blug is making which includes Mercury, Iridium Editions Dynamic Impulse Responses, and some tech that allows him to fuse the analog and digital worlds together with component level switching. It is supposed to have Blug prints you can download from other manufacturers amps/ preamps ( if he can get them on board. It came out at Namm this year and there is a tab dedicated to it on the Amp1 webpage.

[@yargnad]

@@corym8374 I am totally calm about it. It's just the reality of this world now. I am already broke and now no bookings for me or my wife. Both incomes gone instantly.

[@torchlord11]

@@yargnad That sucks, hopefully are the government will get it shit together. I think they will be forced to as soon as the Covid 19 cases start rolling.

[@zonakmahanta]

Amazing... But how frequently you need to change tubes???

[@sid35gb]

The way it’s setup you grand kids will have to figure it out because you’ll have expired before the nano tube does.

[@Stefan-]

It doesnt use IR´s but analog speaker emulation according to the manufacturers site i quote "The loudspeaker simulation of the AMP1™ Iridium Edition is analog and is voiced specially for metal sounds." It can be turned off though.

[@rasmuslaurberghansen8484]

Didn't you upload this yesterday? Why the pull / reupload?

[@michaelsnydermusic]

Question: Does the choice of an amp change if you are playing in standard vs tuning down or even using a 7 string? I’m currently using Bias and many of the cloud user amps will say “best for low tunings”. Also, I do find that tuning to standard or drop D has a clearer melodic effect than going super low. I’d love to see you do a video on this as I find most modern metal to be boring and almost totally lacking in melody. Korn, the Deftones and Slipknot make it work but more recent bands just don’t. Though this may be due having singers that can actually sing. Love the show!

[@varanecomodski4845]

Well this amp has 3 modes of distorted channel. You can alway go to vintage or classic mode and boost it, so it can sound amazing at every tuning. My opinion

[@lucasgasse]

Looks like a real game changer

[@MesaMXR]

FUCKING HELL those drums are slammin'! Was that Jackson Ward?

[@anriburkadze5732]

Does it works with analog pedals good ?

[@sqlb3rn]

Is the small single tube for the preamp? If so, 100w solid state power amp is not very loud compared to a full tube amp head.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

The tube is in the power section

[@BluGuitar]

Please check above where I explained the Nanotube design... 100watts tube tone power... not 100 Watts Class d power;-) cheers,Thomas

[@mexicanmaggot666]

What about trying the Orange Terror Stamp?

[@SamuelB-]

How does it handle pedals? Pretty cool stuff.

[@alexeypolevoybass]

There's a FX loop in it, so it should do without any problems.

[@krogwaugh]

I would love to try one, but I might prefer my Laney IRT Studio.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

it is superior in every possible way(your laney,that is)

[@krogwaugh]

@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 Its a shame more people don't realize how good Laney IRTs are! And I got mine for under $400.

[@havenlane992]

How does it compare to an hx stomp

[@nickb8507]

2% of the comments are about the actual product 98% are about the typo that was in the title

[@jaysguitars1179]

Will it Ran on Battery, and try it solo METAL LEAD ?

[@jacak47410]

Thing is quite revolutionary.

[@torchlord11]

Checkout the Amp X he unveiled at Namm. It will be twice the price but if he can pull off Digitally controlled configurable analog components and dynamic Impulse response boom!

[@tattooedstranger]

I got the galien kruger 800 fusion it kicks ass

[@davidmurray9193]

Could this be used without a cab and damaging the unit, taking it direct to a tascam dp32sd??? My Laney irt stack pisses the neighbours right off

[@isothewall]

You can use it direct without a cab or dummyload i do this all the time and it works great

[@BluGuitar]

Yes, you can use it without a speaker being connected.

[@Tommi_D]

Great video as always 😊 Does the original mercury edition need the extra footswitch to switch to the clean channel as well?

[@Mot1onM4n93]

none of them do. in default mode, you use the left footswitch on the device itself and it changes between clean and dirty. in preset mode, you can have any preset on any of the fooswitches

[@oscarito8417]

What model is that Cort? looks nice

[@ChrisRiffinski]

Thanks man, I thought so too. It's a Cort M520

[@RubyRoks]

It just seems more complicated than it needs to be. Something like the Terror Stamp from Orange makes more sense to me

[@skunkproductionsMLA]

Sounds like a Hughes and Kettner to me. Something about amps... The older designs like Plexis have really huge boxes which give the impression that bigger is better. But you can redesign tube amps to be much smaller. But that way it kills the stage vibe. Marshall succeeded with walls of full stacks because the products were also the marketing onstage.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

this isnt a tube amp guy,dont go there

[@slidey1000]

The size doesn't surprise me, I have a class d subwoofer amp, 1500W rms in a package not too different in size to the iridium. Admittedly there's no preamp or anything extra in there but you can't beat the power to package size ratio on the class d stuff.

[@thedondeluxe6941]

When a German engineer starts taking notes about stuff, you're in for a treat.

[@BluGuitar]

LOL!

[@davidmarquez6715]

Will sound good connect my boss multi affect pedal me-80

[@joeyskar]

Two Notes Le Lead vs this. 👀 Who do you have in this Glenn?

[@Justafeller]

I'm pretty surprised with the metal tone in the mix. Sounded familiar, but I won't say of what MB. Classic tone sounded pretty decent too.

[@The0ldboy]

Jennifer Batten use one of this since day one.

[@bellmeisterful]

That metal mix riff is badass! Im jealous. The chorded part.

[@officialWWM]

I replaced my full sized amp with an Amp1 years ago!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

isn't that lack of air moving wonderful? isn't that inability to get your amp to be dynamic and to sing like an angel awesome? hint:no it isnt

[@JohnnyBeane]

Dunno but sounds cool!

[@Diabolik771]

I had a dream I was at a skate park and this dude's radio was the size of that amp with a speaker and it was so fucking loud. The song had loud guitars and the words I remember were "RAP MAN RAP MAN RAP MAN!"

[@charlescowart5423]

Skull Leader? Is that a Macross reference?

[@fatmanpez]

What Cort model is he playing?

[@ChrisRiffinski]

Hey, it's a Cort M520

[@kevinfox8920]

I swear this video was already posted before?? Idk maybe I’m dumb 😂

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

It got out a few days early.

[@qjo]

That explains it haha. Thought I had time looped somehow. Hell the DeLorean won't even start these days, couldn't understand what happened.