Finally the whole Grand Guitars report in English:
A Stark Impression!
I had never heard of StarkAmps until a few days ago. I’d heard of strong amps and weak amps, yes, although mainly in reference to their output wattage. But StarkAmps, I’ve learned, is a young firm based in Berlin, with just a handful of employees, that has been in existence since 2006. The CEO, Leon Janucek, must be rubbing his eyes in wonder over the company’s sudden success. Stark’s ascent from start-up to the big leagues is a fairy tale come true.
At the moment, the company’s product line couldn’t be simpler: just one combo, a speaker cabinet and an amp head. Standard colours are cream and black, but any other colour is available on request. I received the whole trio for a test. So now this cuddly amp head named “Stark 1” rests on top of the 1x12” cabinet, the combo right beside them, and the all-tube boxes seem to be just waiting for me to pick up a guitar and have a go at them. But first, we want to take a critical look inside the pieces.
It’s too bad the cases aren’t Plexiglas, because the layout is a model of clean design and the point-to-point construction is hand-wired, with painstaking classic terminal strip assembly: the manufacturer claims this yields high reliability and simplifies service, as well as possible modifications. I’m reminded of the tiny Giotto pralines, because the amp head really couldn’t be any smaller: if it were, it would be impossible to change the output tubes. The head is factory-equipped — excuse me: hand-made — with two matched EL34 G-Tronix from JJ Tesla. These can be easily swapped for any other type of tube with an octal base thanks to a bias selector switch with several predefined positions (although on the test model they’re not labelled yet). Perfectionism is apparent in such details as the ventilation opening in the base plate of the amp head — that may come in handy, since both amps are fan-free. The pieces are very robust, but not at all heavy. Their 15-millimeter birch plywood can take real punishment, and yet is lighter than chipboard of the same thickness. The knobs have a creamy soft feel, and the switches have a solid snap. So mechanically, everything inspires a high degree of confidence. Which is reinforced by a customer hotline for emergencies that’s manned around the clock!
Complete Package
I’ll start with the Stark 2 combo, without the extra speaker cabinet. Both the High and Low inputs deliver pleasing results with passive pickups. Which one to choose may depend on the overdriving that can be attained. Next to the inputs are two knobs labelled Gain and Drive, the first with a red and the second with a yellow LED. I do think it would make more sense to have Channel 1 light up the yellow LED, and switching in the Drive light up the red. Gain controls the input sensitivity, and thus both the fullness and the level of distortion — especially when the Drive afterburner is switched in, either by the toggle switch or the foot switch that’s included. I’m sorry to say the foot switch is not so hot: it’s a featherweight that doesn’t really fit the amp’s indestructible image, and its two-meter connecting cable is much too short. The foot switch also has an LED — but it only works with a battery inserted.
The Treble, Middle, Bass, Reverb and Master knobs need no further explanation. The labels would be better placed above the large chicken-head knobs, or else five millimetres lower below them. As it is, the labels are completely hidden by the knobs in certain positions, and anyway who (besides Angus Young) wants to play lying down?
The integrated power attenuator, which throttles back the maximum output power from 50 watts to 35 or 20, is a nice treat. It doesn’t sound like much, but it may be just the option that makes the difference between heaven and hell when playing in a smaller location. Of course, the Stark can’t quite be trimmed down to bedroom volume. And that’s a good thing!
A word or two about the reverb: I have never before experienced a spring reverb that is so solidly mounted: where most amps with a spring reverb break out in a cacophonous crash at the approach of a shoe, chair leg or the like, and won’t be consoled, the Stark 2 Combo only grumbles for two or three seconds and then shuts up. Great! And did I mention that the reverb has an excellent sound? Deep and warm, not a trace of metal, and without the dreaded “boing.” That’s what I call an outstanding spring reverb! If only Stark would get rid of that obnoxious buzzing in low-volume situations: except for that, the amp is surprisingly free of noise. The rest of the instrumentation consists of a non-adjustable serial effects loop, an adjustable, symmetrical XLR DI-out, a ground lift and the aforementioned bias selector switch.
Natural Sound
Admittedly, this title, borrowed from the hi-fi sphere, is neither new nor particularly original, but when I turned off the Stark 2 combo after a good hour of playing, I just had to jot down the following attributes: tight, warm… and very natural. So in a way, it’s like hi-fi. The attack never comes across soft or mushy. Thanks to the powerful Class AB ultralinear output stage, it’s not likely to give any ground. I notice a musically gentle compression and a nice, smoothly fading sustain. The amp reacts very fast, hits the road running.
About the controls: The bass delivers every nuance, from hollow asceticism to fullness; the midrange is right where it works the best. (Regular readers know by now that I complain of many amps having the Middle knob centred on too high a pitch.) The only thing I could wish for, since the combo doesn’t have a Presence knob, is a higher treble pitch. All things considered, the clean sound is delightfully well done.
Vintage? Yes, Only Better!
And how does it sound with more dirt and guts? Without the additional driver stage, the distortion is only very moderate — but so beautiful! Softly purring, harmonic and sensitive, even in the face of double stops, complex chords, diminished fifths and other dirty tricks. Across the whole range of the Gain knob, there is a wide field for experimentation with the dynamically active clean-to-crunch boundary that we all love.
Other amplifiers may offer this at a gain between 10 and 11 on the knob. If you switch in the drive and leave the knob on the left peg, there is no audible difference to the non-turbocharged sound. Now you can gently ease in the overdrive, the basses get leaner, the middle tones step forward boldly, and finally you get a fantastic crunch sound that would make AC/DC envious. That’s more than enough for solemn leads, especially in combination with humbuckers. It is a bit of a struggle to make the amp’s good tone last: slippery legato licks are not necessarily its stock in trade. But the connoisseur is not disappointed: he is happy with what he has, and that is an excellent vintage tone, with a big extra scoop of gain compared to honourable classic amplifiers, and with very moderate baseline noise. Neither glassy like Fender nor snooty like Marshall, the Stark amp has a distinct, powerful boogie character. After all, “stark” in German means “strong.”
As expected, the combo gains a fuller sound and volume with the extension speaker cabinet connected. The cab is exactly the same size, and goes under the combo as a mini-stack or set apart from it. The bottom of the cabinet has two mesh-covered bass reflex ports — aha, that explains the tall feet! To compensate for the total impedance of the two speaker cabinets, a switch on the back needs to be set to “Ext”.
Unequal Twins
The Stark 1 amp head is technically almost identical, but has one less pre-amp tube because it lacks the reverb. It comes with a Presence knob as compensation, however. And only now do I notice that this control would suit the combo as well, since it gives single-coil pickups that sparkling brilliance that is not so pronounced in the combo’s gentler sound.
What I wonder about, though, is the head’s significantly lower potential for distortion: played through the high input, it sounds like the combo’s low, at best. In other respects, the head is not equal to the combo in clarity and lightness: it sounds more confined, not to say compressed. To compensate, I’d rather combine it with a bigger speaker cabinet. On my 2x12” wedge, it makes a better impression already. How would it sound on a 4x12”? Apart from that, all the advantages I described in detail above in regard to the combo are also present in full measure in the head. In a word: an excellent, mature amp in chihuahua format.
Summing Up
A strong debut! Acoustically I place the Stark amps without a doubt in the top class, regardless of their price and the criticisms mentioned. They feature a very airy-neutral sound, never overbearing and yet capable of asserting itself in a band. Their creamy overdrive sounds are well-rounded, harmonic, and very dynamic. Stark amps are actually very simple, but apparently there is still room for small improvements, and it’s very obvious that the manufacturer has given intense thought to the matter.
The StarkAmps company is still relatively unknown and the list of professional customers is short, but that should change soon. For jazz musicians, and for everyone who expects highly cultured sounds and has the finger technique to produce them, these components may bring a long search for the ideal amp to its end. Anyone who can afford the price should definitely give them a listen. I for one am very pleased with these intriguing performers, and I’m already sorry to see them go.
TECHNICAL DATA
Manufacturer: StarkAmps
Model: Stark 1
Made in: Germany
Product type: two-channel guitar amplifier
Design: all-tube amp
Tubes: 3 x 12 AX7/ECC83 + 2x EL34 (can be replaced with 6L6, 5881, KT66, 6550 or KT88)
Channels: 1 (plus Drive)
Special effect: none
Output: 20, 35 or 50 W
Controls: Gain, Drive, Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence, Master
Switches: Power, Standby, Channel (red/yellow)
Input: High/Low Grain
Connectivity (back): bias, groundlift, footswitch, FX send/return, power attenuator, DI output/level, speaker out 4 + 8 Ω
Dimensions (L x H x W): 382 x 260 x 265 mm
Weight: 12,5 kg
Accessories: protective cover, footswitch, power cable
Price: 2,400 €
Model: Stark 2
Made in: Germany
Product type: two-channel guitar amplifier
Design: all-tube combo with separate cabinet
Tubes: 3 x 12 AX7/ECC83 + 2x EL34 (can be replaced with 6L6, 5881, KT66, 6550 or KT88)
Channels: 1 (plus Drive)
Special effect: Belton accutronics reverb
Output: 20, 35 or 50 W
Speaker: Celestion Classic Lead 80
Controls: Gain, Drive, Treble, Middle, Bass, Reverb, Master
Switches: Power, Standby, Channel (red/yellow), Speaker Int./Ext.
Input: High/Low Grain
Connectivity (back): bias, groundlift, footswitch, FX send/return, power attenuator, DI output/level, speaker out
Dimensions (L x H x W): 382 x 502 x 265 mm
Weight: 20.2 / 13.4 kg
Accessories: 2 protective covers, footswitch, power cable, speaker cable
Price: 2,900 €
Marketed by: JFS GmbH, Berlin
Tested with: Fender Telecaster, Tokai Love Rock, Ibanez AS 103, 2x12” Wedge/Celestion V30
www.stark-amps.com
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