Photos provided by: Loida Liuzzi
To break the ice in this article, I asking Chat GPT if he preferred Valve Amplifiers or Digital Emulators and this was his response:
Both tube amps and digital emulators have their merits, so it really depends on what you’re looking for! Tube amps are often praised for their warmth, dynamic response, and the natural compression they provide when pushed. Many guitarists love the character and richness of their sound, especially for genres like rock and blues. Digital emulators, on the other hand, offer versatility and convenience. They can replicate a wide range of amp sounds and effects, often at a fraction of the size and weight. Plus, they’re great for home recording and practicing without disturbing others. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and the context in which you’re playing.
And the truth is that I couldn't agree more, in my daily life, most of the time I use Digital Emulation, either plugging directly into the Soundcard with Plugins or with the Quad Cortex on stage, but I still have some tube amplifiers in my Home Studio and even though every year Plugins or Super emulators (QuadCortex, Helix, etc.) improve their algorithms, often I feel the need to connect my guitar to an good OD pedal and shake the walls of my little Home Studio with an “Real Amp”, and that is how today's guest comes to my hands.
From Belgium, (I had never tried an instrument built in Belgium before) with the signature of Invader Amplification I received this single channel combo of 30 Watts and a 12” Speaker, called BlueVerb 530, the name is logically due to the spring Reverb that it incorporates and the possibility of using it full power at 30 Watts or cutting it to 15 Watts.
Specs:
It is a really simple device, almost minimalist, if it weren't for the three Switches (very useful) and the integrated Reverb, but once you try it thoroughly, you realize that nothing is missing, anything you could add would help only to unnecessarily complicate manufacturing, increase cost, and possibly compromise the tone. Because if there's one thing this little guy has, it's TONE! From crystal clear Deluxe Reverb-style clean to bad ass Crunch, playing with the Gain/Vol and Tone Switches is much more versatile than it seems at first glance.
Guitar Thrills Broadcast
Does a Single Channel Amp make sense for a guitarist looking for versatility?
If we put pedals into the equation, clearly yes, I think that if you have some Gain pedals that you like (does anyone believe that there really is a guitarist who doesn't have more than one Gain pedal?), a good Clean amp is preferable to 2 or 3 channels Amp that complicates your life, having to deal with Effect Loops, various Volume levels, etc.
Let's be honest, guitar monsters don't use a multi-channel amp, they use a single channel of several Amps, but since that is generally reserved for the realm of the Gods, most of us mortals must settle for an Amp, that's why we look for multi-channel amps, but what if instead we just added more OD, Fuzz or Distortion pedals?
I’m sure that some will understand my point and several others will think that I am talking nonsense, but after testing this theory, every day I am more convinced that I am right on this point.
Sound:
But let's go back to the BlueVerb 530, the first thing that caught my attention is the volume it handles, although the Half Power mode lowers the Volume quite a bit, I also think it loses a little headroom, so the first thing I did was connect the Torpedo Captor between the 8 Ohms Output and the Speaker, attenuating the volume without losing the character of the Amp at Full Power. I recommend this to any lover of tube amplifiers, I think that even for 15 Watt Amps it is a great tool when we seek to squeeze out all the potential of a good tube Amp. Starting the test with all the controls at 12 o'clock and the Switches disconnected, the sound is already very balanced, depending on the guitar we use we can cut a little Treble or Bass, it is notable how starting from this point and adjusting only what is necessary, the lack of a mid control is not felt.
With the Crunch switch engaged, the change is very noticeable, but not as noticeable as when you change from Clean to a Crunch Channel, there is a small increase in volume, but what really happens is that the signal is compressed more and we can compensate for it by lowering it a little the Volumen.
Something that is notable and could be a problem for guitarists who use different guitars live, is the sensitivity of the tone to changing guitars, going from a Strat to a Les Paul is a world of difference, but on the other hand, it is not exactly that what we are looking for when changing instruments? But here we cannot configure a Preset for each guitar 😛 so we will have to manage the dynamics in our hands or regulate that forgotten gadget that almost no one uses on their guitars anymore, the volume knob!
I found the Switch Sweep to be the most aggressive, it modifies the midrange curve and in Crunch mode it can give an extra kick to the amp's natural distortion. And lastly, the Bright Switch which I kept mostly off, but it can be very useful for brightening up a very dark guitar or if you're looking for a really bright tone.
Reverb, I have nothing bad or good to say about it, it is exactly what we expect from a Spring Reverb, wide and transparent, you could leave it fixed at 25% just to give more dimension to the sound and add longer Reverbs from the Pedalboard as FXs, or you could use it at 35% or 50% and get a fantastic sound, but we don't have a footswitch to disable it.
Finally I tested it by connecting a couple of external Cabinets, a 2x12 enclosure with Vintage 30 and a Marshall 4x12 with G12-75. I really liked the 212, especially the headroom and the depth of the bass and the 30 Watts move more easily in the 412, but unless they were going to play in a stadium (and without InEars) I think a 212 is enough for most of the uses that we mere mortals could give it.
Construction:
I think Invaders could be classified as a Boutique factory, the manufacturing process is carried out 100% in its own workshops in Belgium, wired and assembled by hand and the possibility of customizing your Amp by choosing Speakers and finishes among many options like leather, tolex, polished woods, etc. I did not disassemble the Amp, but at first glance the finish is first class, the wooden structure is thick and very solid and at no time are there any vibrations or problems at high volume, as the size is relatively small, the weight is very manageable and easy to transport.
From what I was able to investigate, they use high quality electronic components like TAD Valves from Germany, and Canadian Hammond transformers, so I suppose reliability should be maximum. The Amp includes a quilted blanket that protects it very well from dust and minor impacts during transport.
Improvement points:
I think there are not many, because being a simple and unpretentious amp, it is easier to be pleasantly surprised than to be disappointed, but there is always something to improve, for my part it was a bit difficult for me to connect the Torpedo Captor because the Speaker cable is very short and I had to adapt a 2nd cable to reach the Input of the Torpedo, adding a few centimeters of cable to the Speaker this is easily solved.
The Half Power Switch is a bit useless to me, because the volume reduction is not important, I know other amps that go down to 5 Watts or even 1 Watt, but I think that involves some gadgets that possibly compromise the tone of the BlueVerb.
The only thing it might be missing is a connector for an On/Off for the Reverb, since it works very well but we don't always want to have it on.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a Boutique Amplifier, compact, lightweight, with an outstanding tone as a platform for your pedals, I think the BlueVerb 530 from Invaders is a great option, with an official price in Europe of Є 1,799.- it puts up a fight with any Vintage Fender, Morgan or %13.
A RECAP OF WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
