Power Station – HomeToneBlog.com

22nd July 202619th July 2026

First Impressions: Blackstar TV-10A Amp Head

I recently bought a Blackstar TV-10A amp head.

This is a photo of three guitar amplifier heads, stacked on top of each other.

On top is the Blackstar TV-10A amp. In the middle of the stack is the Blackstar Debut 100RH amp. And on the bottom of the stack is the Marshall JTM Studio amp.

It's quite striking how much smaller the Blackstar TV-10A amp is. It's maybe 80% of the width of the other two amps, making it very compact.

The TV-10A also features a very white tolex, which is quite a contrast to Blackstar's more usual cream tolex used on the Debut 100RH and many of their older amps. — Blackstar TV-10A, with Blackstar’s Debut 100RH and Marshall’s JTM Studio amp heads for size comparison.

What do I think of it? Read on for my First Impressions.

14th July 202613th July 2026

#TweedTone: Dialling In Two 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Reference Tones For 2026

It’s that time of year again, where I have another go at building a signal chain to capture a reference tone for my beloved 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp.

This time though – as the post’s title suggests – things are a bit different. Instead of one reference tone, I’ve built a couple of them. Let me explain why …

7th October 20256th October 2025

#TweedTone: Is A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Valve Amp Right For You In 2025?

Last week, I published an updated Tweed Amp Rig price comparison, looking at how much it would cost (here in the UK) to build a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use in 2025.

There was one answer that was too long to fit in that blog post: is it worth you spending that amount of money on a Tweed Deluxe rig for home use?

Today, I’m going to try and answer that question.

30th September 202529th September 2025

#TweedTone: The Cost Of A Tweed Deluxe Amp In September 2025

Back in September 2023, in a blog post called “You’ve Got To Be A Huge Fan Of Tweed Tone To Get A Real Fender Tweed Deluxe Amp In 2023“, I looked at the costs of buying a real 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp here in the UK.

Two years later, I’m wondering: what has changed? How has the price changed … and how have my feelings on the price changed?

4th February 20252nd February 2025

#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Reference Tone For 2025

New year, new (and hopefully improved!) reference tone from my Fender 57 Custom Deluxe amp.

All made possible thanks to a late 2024 freebie from Origin Effects … and me figuring out how I’d been using my Fryette Power Station PS-100 wrong …

5th September 202324th October 2023

#TweedTone: You’ve Got To Be A Huge Fan Of Tweed Tone To Get A Real Fender Tweed Deluxe Amp In 2023

Regular readers will know that I’m quite the fan of “tweed tone”: the sound of classic amps from the fifties. So much so that, back in 2021, I went out and bought Fender’s modern reissue of the holy grail of tweed amps: the 5e3 Tweed Deluxe.

I’m glad that I got mine when I did, because I’m not sure that I could afford – or justify – buying the same amp in late 2023.

Read on if you’re interested in my thoughts and experiences on this topic.

29th October 202228th October 2022

Studio Diary #36: Why Does My Fryette Power Station Squeal?

For the last couple of months, I’ve been dealing with a problem with my Fryette PS-100 Power Station: it emits an awful squeal.

I’ve figured out why: it was caused by a ground loop. Read on if you want to know the whole story.

26th July 202225th July 2022

#TweedTalk 4: Recording A Real Tweed Deluxe Amplifier

#TweedTalk is my occasional Tuesday column, where I talk about all things related to tweed amps and tweed-tone pedals.

This time around, I share my notes on how I’m capturing the sound of my Tweed Deluxe amplifier, and my thoughts on the experience.

30th May 2022

Studio Diary #31: Attenuators Colour The Sound

This photo shows the front panel of my Fryette PS-100 Power Station attenuator. To one side, we can also see a glimpse of my Two Notes Captor too. — The Two Notes Captor and Fryette PS-100 Power Station

Attenuators are one of the reasons we can enjoy valve amps at home without upsetting the neighbours. I’ve never really thought about how they affect the overall tone … until now.

In this blog post, I’m going to look at the two attenuators that I have – the Two Notes Captor and the Fryette PS-100 Power Station – and work out what they sound like. And I’m including some sound samples, so that you can hear the differences for yourself.

18th April 202216th April 2022

Short-Term Review: The Fryette Power Station PS-100

Last summer, I bought a Fryette Power Station PS-100 as an emergency purchase, so that I could use my Tweed Deluxe at home volume levels.

Nine months later, how am I getting on with it? Would I buy it again if anything happened to it? And would I recommend it to you? Read on to find out.