OK - DuelinGuitars (scroll down for info & more pics on the Blackstar).

The owner of DuelinGuitars is a man by the name of Don Scheib. Don is a guitar instructor - and with every penny he makes - he puts it back into his passion - guitar building. Don is a guitarist and banjo player. He put a patent on this guitar design, and sent it over wanting to know what I think about it. To be honest - the guitar is a great invention, and nice change for someone wanting something different, especially if you are into alternate tunings. Let's face it - there's so much of 'the same stuff' out there - something different is always a breath of fresh air. PLUS - here's a guy taking every penny earned, and is putting it into a guitar for the world to enjoy, play and share - which is commendable, considering todays crowded & competitive market. Like me - 1 guy, trying to make a small difference to players across the globe - show Don some love - he's 1 guy trying to make a difference, and is excited about what he's doing. Thanks Don!

You can visit Don's website by clicking on his guitar below - or click HERE.

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OK - Blackstar HT5

Questions I know you are going to ask :

1) Is it worth the $$$ ?- For $300 bucks (for the head) - hmmm, I guess so. It's nicely constructed, and it sounds pretty good.

2) Are the cabinets worth the $$$ ? - YES. For $100 bucks, you get a nicely finished cabinet, with PROPER angled corners on the back panel, WITH a Celestion speaker - the same one that's found in a Orange AD5 combo amp. NOTE : on the Marshall Zakk Wylde microstack cabinets - they are UNFINISHED, and to remove the back panel - you have to remove the plastic corners - which is just plain silly. Very poorly designed. I give Blackstar 5 stars on the cabinets. Great speakers, Great construction, Great design.

3) WILL THIS AMP KEEP UP WITH DRUMS? In my opinion, NO it won't. This is a bedroom amp, or a living room amp, or perhaps a studio amp. It won't be able to keep up w/ a full band - UNLESS you use the OUTPUT and run into a more powerful power section.

4) Where did I buy it? Guitar Center - $499 (at the time of writing this article) with both cabinets as a bundle.

5) Where can I get it? Well - Guitar Center (at the time of writing this article) doesn't sell the pieces individually. Try Musicians Friend. WHEN THEY GET THEM IN STOCK (4/09) - you can buy just the head for $299 or the cabs for $100-something??

<--- Compare to the inside of a 1x10 Marshall Cabinet. Ugggh.