BluGuitar Amp1 Iridium Edition

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I finally got to try a BluGuitar amp, the Amp1 Iridium edition. I was curious but slightly skeptical because a lot of devices of this size either only function as a preamp, the powersection isn't convincing or they simply don't sound close enough to a tube amp. I genuinely was really impressed when I first plugged it in. It really sounds damn good! The nano tube in the powersection really helps with the whole feel and response thing and it actually acts as a tube powersection as well. When you crank it it starts to sag and saturate, that sort of good stuff. The nano tubes are Russian and I believe old stock so I imagine they still have a lot of them at the factory. I saw an interview where Thomas (the creator of the amps) said that they basically never have to replace them, which is a good thing nowadays right? ;)

The clean channel is nice and versatile because you can make it overdrive too, so it can get pretty crunchy. I love that for clean channels, it's always a plus to have that option. The vintage channel sounds like a Marshall basically with bite and clarity. The classic channel sounds kinda like a Rectifier but less scooped, so kinda like a modded Rectifier. Nice and loose but organic response. Definitely not as loose as a rectifier, maybe more towards the Diezel realm. The modern channel sounds very tight and articulate. Basically more than tight enough for extended range guitars. So all in all this thing is very versatile. The built in gate and boost are a nice touch too.

The reverb level was a little low at max for my taste. Would have been cool to have more range and personally I would love the modern mode a little bit more if it was slightly less tight and more organic, so closer to the classic channel. However, it sounds just perfect with my 8 and 9 string guitars. Has anyone else tried these? What did you think?

Here's a demo and review with a bunch of different guitars and stuff:

 
I have been wanting to give one of these a shot. Waiting to see if a few pop up on the used market after the new version is released. I don't need any of the IR features or other fancy stuff so the basic amp tones are the only thing important to me.
 
fek said:
I have been wanting to give one of these a shot. Waiting to see if a few pop up on the used market after the new version is released. I don't need any of the IR features or other fancy stuff so the basic amp tones are the only thing important to me.
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It's as plug and play as you want it to be basically
 
I liked how the Iridium sounded in Euge Valovirta's demo as well. The Iridium continues to impress me. I like the fact that it is essentially a real amplifier and as simple as it gets.

I think if I needed a great portable fly rig or a lightweight gig rig I would definitely try one of these out.
 
beej said:
Great review.

I have the Mercury Edition- it's all kinds of great in a small package. I'm interested to try the Iridium when I can get my hands on one.
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Have the Mercury as well -- great amp and so versatile. Hell, you can even use it as a 100 watt power amp!
 
harddriver said:
Thanks for taking the time to make such a thorough video explaining all the features and different amp modes, I think they all sound great.
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I don’t think he is doing this for free. Sounds great with IR in this production, but I would like to know how it sounds through a real cab.
 
There are some decent videos out there- Thomas Blug does a good job of putting it up against his old Marshalls. The Jennifer Batten video was the one that caught my ear a while back- she was an early adopter.

But I think it's like any amp you're considering- you won't really know if you dig it until you hear it up close. Mine sounds pretty great through any of the cabinets I have. (Particularly through an old Marshall 4x12.)
 
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I'm in a position where my MT15 & 5153 are too loud for my current situation.
How does the modern tone from the Iridium sound at bedroom levels?
 
Sphere said:
I'm in a position where my MT15 & 5153 are too loud for my current situation.
How does the modern tone from the Iridium sound at bedroom levels?
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Pretty damn good! You can also put it to a half power mode. The thing is that the loudness does affect the tone like a real tube amp but it still sounds really good at lower levels.
 
Laurens said:
I don’t think he is doing this for free. Sounds great with IR in this production, but I would like to know how it sounds through a real cab.
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Just to be transparent: I'm not getting paid any money but I hope they'll let me keep it because I love this thing. If you were to mic it of course it's never going to sound exactly the same as the IRs as you'd never be able to exactly mimic the cab, speaker, mics etc that were used for the IR shoot but the IRs definitely sound pretty much exactly the same as a real mic'ed cab.
 
Laurens said:
I don’t think he is doing this for free. Sounds great with IR in this production, but I would like to know how it sounds through a real cab.
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Whether or not Guitarjon is or isn't being paid to review this product is irrelevant to me personally. The video is very informative and well put together that covers all of the Iridium features and sounds.

Here's "The Count" Euge Valovirta demoing the Iridium in to a 4x12 speaker cab @ 13:35
 
harddriver said:
Whether or not Guitarjon is or isn't being paid to review this product is irrelevant to me personally. The video is very informative and well put together that covers all of the Iridium features and sounds.

Here's "The Count" Euge Valovirta demoing the Iridium in to a 4x12 speaker cab @ 13:35
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Euge is such a cool guy!
 
Guitarjon said:
Just to be transparent: I'm not getting paid any money but I hope they'll let me keep it because I love this thing. If you were to mic it of course it's never going to sound exactly the same as the IRs as you'd never be able to exactly mimic the cab, speaker, mics etc that were used for the IR shoot but the IRs definitely sound pretty much exactly the same as a real mic'ed cab.
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Youtube flags it as "Includes paid promotion". I hope you get something out of it, because it looks like you put a lot of effort into the production.(y)
 
Laurens said:
Youtube flags it as "Includes paid promotion". I hope you get something out of it, because it looks like you put a lot of effort into the production.(y)
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I did that myself. I always do that when I get something in return. It doesn't have to be actual money. If you get something for free or even a discount or something you're required to put that banner up.
 
This demo sounds great! Personally though, I would have loved to hear what the $850 Iridium sounds like using it's own "great" included IR's instead of listening to the $1450 combo of the Iridium into the Captor X with 3rd party IR's. I have to assume the Iridium doesn't quite cut it as a standalone.
 
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