Star Amplifiers Nova 110 Combo

This amp has already been reviewed pretty accurately so I'll keep this short. The lack of the fx loop has been covered and is a shame because this amp has the sweetest overdrive I have ever heard (would love to use a delay after it). I know previous reviewers seem to like the headphone jack (a thoughtful feature) but it doesn't sound good to me. Neither of these negatives are a big deal for me, however.

I am playing this amp with an all original 1966 Strat. and it is beautiful. I have a PRS custom 24 that I rarely play but sound good through the amp, too. My style is pretty diverse but for bedroom/screwing around I always play rock.

For my taste: The cleans are good but not great. The slightly dirty to distortion is flat out amazing. I don't know what to compare this amp to. I have owned Swart, Victoria, Orange, and old Fender Champs and this one is nothing like those. I also had an old Matchless Lightning and it sounds nothing like that either - Nova has a lot more range and better overdrive. It sounds pleasing/familiar but still has its own identity.

I love this EQ! It definitely has plenty of range!

I have never tried a pedal with the Nova - it sounds so good by itself I haven't made the effort.

Built incredibly, tough.

Have no idea.

I have been playing for 20 years and have owned and sold several amps. Right now the only other amp I have is a Bruno Underground 30 (3 knob reverb). The Bruno is phenomenal but LOUD. It has no master knob and is impossible to play at low volumes. I have searched for several years for a TRUE bedroom amp and Star Nova is the one for me! If you need an amp for rock, at low volumes... this is probably what you are searching for!

The amp is perfect for a great variety of players.It can easily cover sounds from vintage BLUES to '70s and modern ROCK.It has two channels, unfortunately no switching between channels or effect loop.
One headphone jack which, acording to the manufacturer, could be used for direct recording and one 1/4" jack, for connection to a 1x12" or 2x12" cabinet.
One 10" Jensen alnico speaker, which makes it sound much closer to vintage low watt US made amps, and of course, point to point Sampson quality.

I play mostly blues, so I mostly use the clean channel.Sometimes I crank it a bit, especially with my LP, it sounds unbelievably "beano".For blues, I also use the drive channel but, with the volume controls not around 7-8.For harder-heavier tones, you can turn them full and get super tone at a great overdriven sound.
I use it with a '76 strat and a 2001 CS Les Paul.
With my strat playing with the neck pickup, in the clean channel I can have TONEFULL sounds and get a bit more agressive just by playing a bit harder.It is the most sensitive amp that I have ever played.
It follows the known recipy that combines Marshall sound with a Vox preamp section.
For hard rock I use it with my LP.If you play or try one, you will notice how cleverly Sampson has designed its equalizer section.You can make it a bit cleaner, or maybe add mids with the bass and treble controls.They are very sensitive to any change you may make and deliver (honestly)a great variety of tones.
There is also a relativity between the two channels of the amp.
If you change the preamp tube of one channel, for example, you will see that the other has changed a bit too.
It's maybe the best low wattage amp that has produced from 1980 till now.
I think it's no accident I never use a drive/distortion or fuzz pedal with it.
There's no use doing that.Everything I want is already there.
I even recorded a whole album using its clean and driven tones and only an echo pedal.

I had two accidents with this amp.
The first happened when I mistakenly dropped it when I was putting it in my car.
The second was in a recording, were I had placed it facing up and it slipped and fell facing the ceiling.
Thankfully it still works OK and no sound problems at all.
Construction-wise, it is a very "solid" product.
You can see that by checking the way that the tolex is folded in the corners, or by checking the chassis and the screws that hold it.

I have no experience with customer support.
I noticed that there are no phone numbers or any contact e-mails posted in Star's website.
I don't think that, that shows a bit more "boutique" profile, than the one Sampson delivers.

I bought this amp in Easter 2006.I was searching for a low wattage amp for home use, practice and recording.I owned champs, but sold them because they sounded a bit "tired".I also have a vintage Gibson GA-5, but I wasn't feeling OK with carrying such an old and rare amp for recordings or small jams in friends' houses and getting it hit here and there...
So I was mostly looking for an amp which would be similar to all the prementioned, but with a Matchless flavour and a bit more suitable for a today's blues-rock player.
It's the best choice I've ever made for an amp.
That's why it was the only amp I used for recording an album and trust me, I have, or I could borrow stuff that many guys would envy...
In the owner manual, M.Sampson suggest experimantation with NOS tubes.
The amp originally had two JJ AXs and one Harmonix 6V6.
I replaced them with two Raytheon AXs and one Gennalex 6V6.
Maybe the best NOS combination for this amp.
WITH NO DOUBT, I recomend this amp to any blues/rock player who wants to own great tones in a small Sampson made, quality package.
Please feel free to e-mail me.

Look previous reviews for features.

But I like to mention this. Since putting the delay pedal in front of overdriven amp doesn't work so great, I miss having effects loop for delay on this amp.

That's why I'm giving a 9. Otherwise, delay in front of a clean setting is great.

For recording, I mic'd it with a dynamic and a condenser mics as described above. Plus, I use the line out feature into a mic tube preamp to boost the signal and then run through the delay pedal and then to the board. Now, I could drive the amp with any amount of gain I want with stereo sound from a single amp.

First, I disagree with Richard below. If you are looking for 3D(room filling) sound, then of course you need to get a open-back speaker cabinet. But let me explain why this amp does not need room filling 3D sound.

It's only 5 watts, which means other than home practicing, it is either for recording, or, mic'd and/or line-out for live use.

For recording, why does anyone need to fill the room? It will loose focus and the sound you hear from the room will not be the same as the sound you hear from the recording. And same for live situation. Although some could argue that one also need to mic'd the whole cabinet from some distance with a condenser mic to capture the whole characteristics of the cabinet, while using a dynamic mic positioned close to the cab to capture the attack and raw sound from the speaker.


That being said, this amp defines TONE!
I'm using a Ash Strat with SCN pickups that came with stock for this review.

The clean channel, I cannot get any bad sound. It just puts out pure tone. Very organic. If not, there is something wrong with your fingers. Breakup in the clean channel is excellent. Sounds transparent , sweet, and non-compressed to my ears. The drive channel, goes from jazzy-clean to rockability overdrive. Here, the overdrive sounds somewhat compressed but not so mid-rangy.

In my opinion, I think the best part of Nova is the Master control. In other class A tube amps I have owned, increasing the Master control brought whole new sound and EQ. What I meant is that, increasing Master control changed my sound. It did not amplify the same sound from the lower volume to the higher volume. However, the Nova delivered! Maybe it's the 6V6 tubes, I don't know. Whatever the reasons are I am so glad that the power section just increases power; not adding EQs or unwanted breakup or adding different tone.

cons: there is a slight hum when the speaker is connected. But not so noticeable.

My music style varies quite a lot. I'm in two bands. A trio, somewhat trying to be like John Mayer trio but we don't do covers. Another is a cover band and we do many genres. I mean MANY! From Ganster hiphop to pop, jazz to blues, and country to metal, and even trance! This is a quite a large band with vocals, rappers, chorus singers, multiple guitarists, keyboardist, bassist, drummer, percussion guy, and a violinist. And the Nova fits well in the trio purposes.

I had this amp for couple weeks. Seems sturdy. Although the outer covering tolex seem soft; I think the tolex could get scratched, tear, or get dirty easily. So I ordered tuki covers. I haven't received that yet. Other than tolex, all seems reliable for heavy gigging.

haven't dealt with them. I notice previous reviews from couple years back saying the website hasn't updated. Well, it still isn't.

No, I did not played for 30+ years. And No, I did not try all the amps out there. I've played electric guitar less than 5 years. During my playing so far, I had 7 amps, mostly tube. As soon as I started playing on a tube amp, I think I became one of those tone purists as many people call it; looking for the ultimate tone. Although my experiences are limited, I think Nova came real close to my ideal sound.

I would not let it be stolen, but if did happen, I would buy it again but with black color option. I have a cream color and I'm afraid it will get dirty pretty soon.

I have very limited resources and purchasing this amp have shaken my bank account and still is. So I had to make a most desired/cost effective choice. I was thinking about getting Mesa Lonestar Special. It costs more but with more power and features. But I have always liked the matchless sound ever since I started playing electric. But they are so expensive even the lower wattage models. When heard about the Star amps, I knew it would sound awesome. So I bought it without even trying it.

I wish Nova had the effects loop, but again I know how to get around it. Well, I wrote this too long I think. I hope this is helpful to those wondering about the Nova. I highly recommend!

At first glance it may not seem like this amp has that many features, but the ones it does have are excellently thought out and executed.

This is a 5 watt, two channel amp with Input one being the high gain channel and input two being the low gain channel. Drive (for channel one only), Volume, Bass, Treble, and Master controls are on the front panel along with inputs for channel one and channel two. The rear panel contains the removeable power cable, power switch, speaker output, headphone jack and the line out jack. The cabinet is loaded with a 10" Jensen speaker. The tube compliment consists of two JJ 12AX7's and a EH 6V6.

These amps are available in a wide array of colors, mine has a nice green tolex covering with gold colored panels and a brown/gold grille cloth. The markings on these panels are not the standard cheap paint on metal though, these markings are very nicely engraved into the panel itself. This looks so much better then the printed markings and I was really impressed when I first saw it. Not sure how many other amps use a similar marking style but this is the first time I've ever seen it.

The tone controls on this amp work very nicely and effectively. They are interactive with one another and do a fine job of sculpting the tone within a truly useable range.

One of my favorite features is the headphone jack. I use this in a small apartment that I share with a roommate and when I want to play late at night it's great to be able to play just through the headphones. Plugging in the headphones do not cut off the speaker, though you can unplug the speaker safely on this amp because there is a built in load that kicks in whenver the speaker is unplugged. I pretty much bought the amp just for this feature...there really aren't many tube amps with a headhone jack out there and it's such a nice feature on a small amp.

Sounds quality is great with my 1996 Strat Plus with Gold Lace Sensor pickups. I have trouble coming up with the words to describe good tone but lets just say this is one of my favorite sounding amps (though maybe not the absolute favorite....that would probably go to the Victoria 518, but my desire for a headphone jack made me go with the Nova instead).

My favorite sound comes from channel two (the cleaner of the two channels) having the volume at about 10 o'clock, bass at 1 o'clock, treble at 11 o'clock and master at 2 o'clock. Rolling the treble back a little really fattens up the sound with the single coils.

If I could give it a 9.5 I would because, like I said, I do think there are a few better sounding amps out there for my needs but they are very few and very expensive. Since I can't, I'm going to go ahead and round up to a 10.

Haven't had it longer then a month yet so I can't comment on this yet. No problems yet and I doubt there will be. I did remove the chasis and the internal wiring is a beautiful sight.

Ok, there is no contact info on the website nor with the literature that comes with the amp. That had me a little worried at first. I've had a few questions about this amp just because there isn't a lot of info online about them yet. So, I emailed one of the dealers and asked if they had any contact info. They hooked me up with an email address which I have since used three of four times with soem random questions about the amp. Every time I've gotten a polite and helpful response within 24 hours (usually within 12). I think that is excellent service, I love it when my emails are returned promptly and I'm not made to feel like a bother.

It's expensive, it's small, and it's low powered. I love it though!!! It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for when I went shopping for a new amp and I'm quite happy with it. The headphone jack is my favorite feature but I just love the whole thing. The quality is very high overall, from the Tolex covering and the handle, to the engraved markings and the cabinet construction...this amp is top notch all the way.

2007

Get great amp sound at a volume you can talk over. Truly and instrument in itself!

Built like a tank

Bought from Supersound music..They go the extra mile to make mail(internet or phone) order better than picking it up!

Playing 30 years. I would buy another Star amp even if this is not lost. Compared to all other small tube amps I have tried this has the hottest richest tone. You can dial in a wide variety!

I'm giving it a ten because most boutique amps of this size are very limited in features, yet this amp does a couple cool things worth mentioning. First the jacks are somewhat dummy-proof. You can plug and unplug inputs without pops and switch speakers/headphones/line-outs as you wish without worrying about keeping it loaded.

It takes awhile to learn how to use the tone controls on this amp as well as adjusting to finding the sweet spot with only 5 watts. It also took a little time to break in. I mostly use a 98 maple-neck AmStd Strat with pickups from a 62 in the neck and middle and an HS-1 in the bridge.

I'm giving it a ten because I think it leads the class of small tube amps.

I operate it in three modes. Back on, back off, and plugged into a 1x12 cab loaded with a greenback. In the first two, the amp has a variety of unique voices. With the cab it can do nice classic Blues as well as heavy Plexi sounds. The circuit gets the most gain you can get out of two 12AX7s, which is alot, and maintains to be almost completely noiseless. The single 6V6 is a great choice but again, it takes time to learn where to set the master to hit the sweet spot depending on how you have the rest of the controls set.

It hasn't had a failure yet but isn't due for one. I've opened it up and all the soldering looks good. Big resistors and mostly electrolytic caps are used so its plain to see there should be no problems there. The only thing I wonder about is the hand-wound transformers. I'm not going to rate the reliability yet.

Haven't had a reason to call them.

I've gone though a ton of gear over the years and I'm in a phase now where I appreciate the tone you get with proven simplicity and a short signal path. This amp is brilliant and simple, which is what I was looking for.

10 for what it is...little amp with tons of character and tonal controlis very sensative..there's a world of sounds here! I have the all grey with silver grill - looks killer!

I use a Fender US Made Highway1 strat - I can get a wicked blues tone outta this little guy , infact it can do Jazz all the way through to heavy rock screaming guitar. I have tried out all the competition Dr.Z mini Z , Fenders Champ amp, Top Hat Cadet, even Mark Samsons Bad Cat cub ...trust me the Star Nova is way more versital ans sounds absolutely killer....it wins hands down!

Built like a Penzer tank...everything is heavy duty ...military grade pods and heavy duty chasis. Built to last a very long time.

N/A I don't anticipate any issues here

Get one of these things before the price on them goes through the roof. I would definately replace it with another one if stolen. These little guys are becoming very difficult to find ....I guess Mark is having a hard time catching up to the sales volume of these little gems ...easy to see why.

A nice little amp that is very well made. It should last a long time and take a good beating. The controls are very effective and one can get a large range of sounds. It would have been nice to have remote channel switching! and it seems that pluging in headphones does not turn the speaker off ( at least mine dosen't) Nice and light/portable.

OK - I'm not going to drool over this amp because I do own better ones. This amp arrived along with a Victoria 518 (tweed fender champ clone) so I got to compare the two. I will do a review of the Victoria when I get the time but for now let me say that the Victoria only has a volume knob and an 8" speaker ( same Jensen as the Nova but the 8" version) The Victoria was perfect the second I played it and it will be one of my all time great amps, get one while you can.Back to the Nova. At first I found the sound very 2 dimensional and thin. Could this be in your face class A ??? I tried for a couple of days to get a sweet spot on it but saw myself endlessly adjusting knobs. The lack of reverb was not an issue, the amp really does not need it. Then I noticed the 6v6 tube was a JJ and the paper work with the amp recommended an Electro-harmonix. Well, I just happened to have a few unused Electo-Harmonics 6v6's and went to change the tube. 6 screws to remove the back!!! later I switched tubes. The sound improved greatly. Now this was an amp with a sound (don't use the word tone, it drives me nuts) Was it the tube change? NO- It was the removal of the back! take that back of your Star Nova and listen to what you get!!! The round whole on the back does not seem to let enough air move. Gone was the thin, in your face sound. Instead, there was a warm, 3 dimensional sound that a great amp should have. That's why I'm giving it a ten. I've been playing for near 30 years, I now use an old Gibson ES-175 and a rosewood neck telecaster playing mostly Jazz/ flatwound strings on the gibson and blues/rock on the tele. There is just about any clean sound you want, I can even get Polytone sounds ( but never with the back on) Cranked up I sings!

Just got it but as above it is very heavy duty

N/A

Would I replace it if it got stolen? at the moment no but given time I think it will grow on me. Other than that, it is a great amp for what it is. (clean the Victoria is a bit louder) I think it would carry a small jazz venue. Mic it to the PA and it will do what ever you want it to. I really like it's size and weight it's all you need in an amp if you are playing around the house. The Victoria cost the same and is perfect but in the end I kept this amp as well. My compliments to the manufacturer's and if you are thinking about it play one first and take that back off!

As mentioned by the first reviewer, two inputs one of which has an extra gain stage and gain pot. IMO it's almost like the amp has a built in OD pedal. The way the controls interact is incredible. Very well though out gain and EQ circuitry to have the level of tonal possibilites available just with minor tweaking. I'm giving it a 10 based on the array of tones avaialable. No bells and whistles just many tonal options.

First off what I like most is that it is not a 5 watt amp trying to sound like 15 watts. I had a Cornford Harlequin that was 6 watts but sounded more like 20 - it was too friggin loud when trying to get a decent tone. The Nova allows you to get great clean, slightly dirty, and downright nasty dirty tones at levels that you could have a conversation over. The tones? Very organic and detailed. With my older Strat with Suhr V60LPs in it all I do is smile when playing thru the Nova. Vintage all the way but with the ability to really purr and scream. I've yet to get a bad tone. This amp is truly an instrument!

Built like a tank. Looking inside the chassis you see the same level of PTP craftsmanship you'd get in $2000 and higher amps. I like the fact that Sampson approached this with all the same attention to detail as with his flagship amps of the past. This is the Rolls Royce of low wattage amps in my book.

N/A - haven't a clue but knowing Sampson's reputation, I'm sure it will be top notch. Just wish the webpage would get updated and Star would start getting some mainstream press.

I agree with the first reviewer. If you dig classic tones you should own one. It's portable and not too loud and it will keep you playing for hours. I was suprised to see that less than 1 month after I bought mine the sell price went up by $200! I think the Nova is destined to become a classic in the small wattage arena.

Ten, because for what this is (a 1x10 combo) it is stocked with features. Controls are as follows: Drive 1, Volume, Bass, Treble, Master. Reverb would be pointless and defeat the purpose of such a compact amp. This also has a line out (which operates with or without speakers connected), and a headphone out. More than you could need (headphones??).

This amp has two inputs ? normal and high gain. The ?drive 1? knob refers to high gain input 1 and interacts with the volume/tone/master controls. Input 2 relates to the volume/tone/master controls only.

This thing really sounds phenomenal. I spent the first few days playing with EQ both on 5 (flat). The sweet spots occur with the master set above 6 and the volume (pre amp) adjusted according to the application. The beauty of this amp being 5 watts is its ability to achieve power valve warmth at low volume. This combined with the optional high gain front end makes for one cooking little amp.

The magic of the EQ section didn?t even become apparent to me until after several days playing ? it sounds that good set ?flat? (tone and bass at 5). However, upon experimenting I realised that the EQ section opens up a whole new world of possibilities in terms of sonic sound sculpting. The treble and bass both act as bass/treble cut (respectively) when in their furthest clockwise position, as WELL as treble/bass boost. (For instance turning the Treble knob clockwise boosts treble until turned to circa 8, at which point it begins cutting bass as well.) The interplay between these two knobs and the volume/gain controls allows for some SERIOUS sonic sculpting.

These amps are only very new so time will tell. Judging by all outward appearances it seems very well made and sturdy.

No idea. The web page certainly needs some massive updating - these amps aren't even mentioned on it yet.

www.staramplifiers.com

It's a pleasure to be the first reviewer of this amp. I had been looking at on old champ or perhaps a bad cat mini or savage macht 6 to fulfill my low wattage requirements. This leaves all champs I have heard for dead. (Sure they are great amps, but this thing is amazing and includes many useful updates on the small amp concept.)

I own several of the "holy grail" amps - 60s' ac30s, deluxes, a 71 100w superlead and an amazing Pallister custom combo. This amp is seriously good, without any of the hassles of the aging older ones. (The Pallister combo - an Australian custom made valve amp - is also to die for - contact through www.northcoastguitars.com.au.)

Whenever I come back in to the room after a break from playing I am always shocked at how small this amp is in the flesh. It sounds so massive when you're playing that you forget how small it actually is, which is a really big complement I think.

Get in quick before these guys really take off. If you can justify the money I doubt you will be disappointed. (And it is a lot of money, but consider the prices ie small Matchless combos are going for now.)