200W 🤘 but all of them sound great. All depends on the song and the flavor you want. And I'm sure you can combine them in a 4track session to get a brutal Blackstar wall of guitars.. You should try'em all at your studio 😈
In my opinion Artisan was the best, St. James was the second. Artisan has this midrage growl, kind of boosted Marshall. St. James seems to be very flexible, I guess one could get a lot of tones out of it, not necessary metal. I believe you should also try Blackstar HT mkii series, to make it complete ;)
Gotta admit, Blackstar is starting to seriously get my attention, in terms of being a possible go to brand for multiple applications for me in the future.
They sounded great for recording. Dynamic, lots of clarity and nice tone overall. People who are most used to chug on their home all by themselves adding extra gain and bass on their settings might find this a bit underwhelming. Those tones in a mix would be crushing, no doubt.
Thanks, I like the 6L6 St. James 50. love the sound on clean and dirty, and weight especially since I have back issues ( have 3 of these amps now and simply love them). I have never tried the other amps / heads you reviewed, but they seem great as well in a traditional fashion. I have had Mesa, Krank, Marshall and Peavey in the past. Anyways happy for the St. James Series - really enjoy. Nice review and best of luck :)
Of these I liked the 200 the best, it was fuller sounding. Where do you have the gain set? I have a HT40 and a HT60, and they both can sound a little buzzy.
I have the HT stage 60 El-34 tubes, switched out the 70/80 Celestians & installed WGS ET-65 & RETRO 30 speakers. It was night and day difference in the tone!!!! I also have the ID Core TVP 60, & The FLY 3 with ext. Speaker. Love my Blackstars, I have a 1993 Randall RG 100 head & 4x12 cab, Laney half stack, soldono combo, Line 6 spider 4 combo, etc... These other amps haven't been played with since I got my Blackstar
i never has any good experience with blackstar amps @ high gain, i had the big series one 200 and the 104 6l6 amps and they both had some kind of earmelting high end fizz that i was never able to dial out and massive feedback and noise at higher gain setting. even after sending the 200 head to tonehunters back then didn`t help with that so i sold both and never looked back..but maybe the HT series will perform better for that kind of music i was always interested to find that out, cheers! 👌🎸
I had a Blackstar HT Club 40 as my first amp that wasn't a crappy little practice amp. I never ever found "my sound" with it. Saved up for an Orange Rockerverb and never looked back. Edit: actually I love Laney as well. I've got an old AOR and an Ironheart 120 that are fun
Having owned/gigged the series 104 6L6 for the past decade, I can safely say that it is a very fickle amp. There is waaaay too much ugly top end that needs to be dialled out and it can be very difficult to get rid of the ever present 'fizz' once it gets up to show volumes. Seems like I'm having to constantly fight with the presence, treble, preamp and power stage to try and mitigate. I think the thin/cold sounding description was actually quite generous... plus it weighs an absolute frikkin ton at nearly 29kg!
That's not to say the thing isn't a beast - it definitely is - the clean/dirty-clean channels sound lush and channel 3 crushes (with the right settings and an overdrive). But it feels like it wants to be more of a heavy rock/heavy metal amp rather than a - dare i say it - modern metal sounding thing
The high gain topology of Blackstar Series One amps is kinda flawed, their amps are based on a heavily modified JMP Master Volume amp circuit. There's a reason why no amp makers base their high gain topologies on those early JMP Master Volume amps. Those JMP Master Volume amps were a lot brighter than the JCM800 and they had a fizziness to their highs. The fizziness of JMP Master Volume amps gets worse when they are pushed to higher gain levels. That's why other amp manufacturers who make hot rodded Marshall based amps always stick to the JCM800 circuit and stay away from the JMP Master Volume circuit.
I would have liked to hear the 100 or 200 with a boost. A bit more gain would have been awesome for them I think. None of them were really voiced in a way I liked for my style. But I'm sure others can make them speak/sing
I play the Amped 1 + Dual Distortion live and in the studio these days. Really nice combination that I can actually carry. Also: there is almost no noise when not-playing so you dont need a noise gate when tracking.
Think I preferred either the Artisan or the 100 6L6. But really I would need to play the types of riffs I would play to know for sure which one is right for me. 😁
Thought that I was an "EL34 or die" kinda guy. Ever since I started dabbling in external preamps, the 6L6 has surprised me as my favorite platform for different preamps.
Ironically In went for the EL34 version 15 years ago when I bought my Series One. And I had it side by side with the 6L6 in the studio back then. I just don’t remember why I preferred it. 🫣😜
@@KohleAudioKult actually, I have you to thank for it, Kohle! Your awesome video on Synergy preamps got me into that ecosystem recently. I took the plunge and since then, I've been running it thru my humble stable of amps and again, surprised it was the 6v6 that I liked best. Will have a tough decision to make if I ever win the lottery - "Uberschall mk2 in EL34 or 6V6??" lol. Kind regards from Canada.
I would love to see Alex Scholpp (Tarja, Farmer Boys, Tieflader) on the channel. The tone he gets from his Series One 100 is sooo good. And he's a bloody funny guy too.
@@KohleAudioKult Die Boys haben 2018 ein großartiges neues Album rausgebracht und waren anschließend auf Tour. Reinhören ist da Pflicht würde ich sagen! 😊
Always wanted to like Blackstar but hated the sound of the HT amps (has the same high end thing that I dont like in H&Ks) and have never really had a chance to play their more boutique stuff (artisan and series one), Nice to hear these amps because they do sound great dialled in right. Still want to try the Artisan 30R as a fan of matchless and vox, not for metal metal but for clean and indie rock tones.
I have a blackstar 100 tvp (solid state) head and I think it sounds very close to the tube versions. No one ever talks about Blackstars solid state models. I would like to know why.
captor doesn’t have a proper impeda curve, don’t ever use it for anything serious. you had cabinets there, why don’t use them as a load? just a dibox between amp/cab and you get a proper amp direct
Ich besitze bereits seit Jahren, einen S1-200. Bin durch Zufall darauf gekommen und habe mich leider SOFORT in den verliebt. Ein Monster, der bläst einem das Dumme aus der Mütze, so brutal laut.
They sound alright.... But just do not sound inspiring to me at all, To the point where it's hard to find reason to buy/reccomend/use one, A lot of better boutique metal amps are more expensive granted and that puts theese withing peoples price ranges... but then when you look at amps like BOSS katana amps thats cheaper and wayy better sounding/usable or even venture into Axe Fx cheaper units It makes these amps a hard buy. I've never heard a Blackstar and thought wow that sounds amazing.
I owned series one 45 and for some rock tones it sounded decent. For more overdriven tones it was bad. Shallow bass, harsh treble and dead middle. There is something wrong about this amps. It's like they have not a lot od tone in the tone.
The 200 sounded the best.(decent tone, not really my flavour exactly but better than the rest for sure) The 100 and the Dept 10 sounded EXACTLY the same (decent sounding but pretty boring sounding to my ears) I really did not like the St James, it sounded thin and weak to me. Blackstar really not my style. I own the really old Tube pedals (HT Dist and HT Dist X) and they are fine and all that, but I never use them because they are just not my thing (I prefer to use the Two Notes Le Lead for a tube pre if needed, much better modern metal tone IMO) the 100 and dept10 were decent but a bit "Meh" to me the St James sounded a bit shit if I am honest and the 200 , might actually be the first Blackstar Amp tone I thought was good. Never thought they were bad...just "Meh" in general, but the 200 sounded good, just like I said earlier not really my thing (My thing is 5150/Soldano style amps)
too bad that Blackstar doesn't make the Series One amps anymore, that or they just sell them to friends and family, because no one online has them for sale outside of sellers on reverb and Guitar Center's used inventory. Your Sweetwater links are completely useless and are their for reference information only.
Blackstar never really excited me. And it doesn't after this video. Not that they sound bad. But to my ears they just lack character. There is nothing recognizable in their sound. Nothing that stands out. It's "good" in some way but so boring to my ears. My bandmate has played a Blackstar for years and it never made my head turn. It was just...a sound. If anyone gets what I want to say :D
Useless sound samples. I'm a huge fan of the brand, have their HT distortion pedals as my main sound, but unfortunately cannot find any good sound here... Next time ask a cab with a mic.
I’ve always found Blackstar just kinda bland and uninteresting. I’ve had a couple of their amps over the years because on paper, they offered everything I was after for a decent price. But each time, I spent hours turning knobs only to be disappointed. There isn’t anything that they do very well in my opinion. The midrange is sorta honky and twangy at the same time on most of their amps, not very flattering or musical to my ears. Considering how many Marshall, Mesa, and Fender clones there are out there, Blackstar is just low on the list of considerations. I keep hoping they’ll change their approach and really find their niche, but so far I’ve been disappointed. Seeing them on your channel had me hopeful, but the demos kinda highlight the characteristics I personally don’t like about them. All this is strictly opinion, totally aware of that and don’t want to take anything away from people who are enjoying their stuff. This could be my jaded perspective, but it seems to me especially lately that Blackstar is more focused on sponsorships with artists and getting people talking about them than they are with addressing any of the feedback that comes their way. Just my sour perspective 😆
the series one 100 head i tried was just too fizzy and noisy for me to keep it but the features, options and build quality have been ahead of its time imo 🦾
However , their circuit boards are meant to be an absolute nightmare to repair for Amp Repair. I have heard many techs state this. I must admit that puts me off BIG time. A tube am will need a tech at some point, its just part of their natire
Which one is your favorite and why? Shoot!
That 200 Watt 🔥🔥🤘🤘 What a BEAST!!! 💀💀
200W 🤘 but all of them sound great. All depends on the song and the flavor you want. And I'm sure you can combine them in a 4track session to get a brutal Blackstar wall of guitars.. You should try'em all at your studio 😈
@@niko.pacheco I'd love to!
In my opinion Artisan was the best, St. James was the second. Artisan has this midrage growl, kind of boosted Marshall. St. James seems to be very flexible, I guess one could get a lot of tones out of it, not necessary metal. I believe you should also try Blackstar HT mkii series, to make it complete ;)
Definitely the St. James 6L6
Gotta admit, Blackstar is starting to seriously get my attention, in terms of being a possible go to brand for multiple applications for me in the future.
Oh yeah. They’re serious! 😜
I own blackstar silver line and it is an amazing amp
They sounded great for recording. Dynamic, lots of clarity and nice tone overall. People who are most used to chug on their home all by themselves adding extra gain and bass on their settings might find this a bit underwhelming. Those tones in a mix would be crushing, no doubt.
I heard Katatonia and Swallow The Sun playing the same backline of Series One 100 amps on their 2010 tour and they sounded great.
Thanks, I like the 6L6 St. James 50. love the sound on clean and dirty, and weight especially since I have back issues ( have 3 of these amps now and simply love them). I have never tried the other amps / heads you reviewed, but they seem great as well in a traditional fashion. I have had Mesa, Krank, Marshall and Peavey in the past. Anyways happy for the St. James Series - really enjoy. Nice review and best of luck :)
As a dutchman I am childishly amused by that KAK acronym
As an italian, same 😊
Another great one. Thanks a bunch for the content mr Kohle. Cheers from 🇧🇷🤘🏻
Of these I liked the 200 the best, it was fuller sounding. Where do you have the gain set? I have a HT40 and a HT60, and they both can sound a little buzzy.
I have the HT stage 60 El-34 tubes, switched out the 70/80 Celestians & installed WGS ET-65 & RETRO 30 speakers. It was night and day difference in the tone!!!! I also have the ID Core TVP 60, & The FLY 3 with ext. Speaker. Love my Blackstars, I have a 1993 Randall RG 100 head & 4x12 cab, Laney half stack, soldono combo, Line 6 spider 4 combo, etc... These other amps haven't been played with since I got my Blackstar
i never has any good experience with blackstar amps @ high gain, i had the big series one 200 and the 104 6l6 amps and they both had some kind of earmelting high end fizz that i was never able to dial out and massive feedback and noise at higher gain setting. even after sending the 200 head to tonehunters back then didn`t help with that so i sold both and never looked back..but maybe the HT series will perform better for that kind of music i was always interested to find that out, cheers! 👌🎸
I had a Blackstar HT Club 40 as my first amp that wasn't a crappy little practice amp. I never ever found "my sound" with it. Saved up for an Orange Rockerverb and never looked back.
Edit: actually I love Laney as well. I've got an old AOR and an Ironheart 120 that are fun
I also got a Blackstar HT Club 40... except I got the Ltd Edition with the Vintage 30 inside and that sounds fantastic!
I really, really liked the Artisan with the OD. VERY surprised!
All of these amps sound fine, Blackstar amps never got me excited. But I really want to know where you got this cool Sunn guitar from!
From Mr. Adam Steel! Go search on TH-cam
I would love to hear you attempt modern metal tones with the St. James
Having owned/gigged the series 104 6L6 for the past decade, I can safely say that it is a very fickle amp. There is waaaay too much ugly top end that needs to be dialled out and it can be very difficult to get rid of the ever present 'fizz' once it gets up to show volumes. Seems like I'm having to constantly fight with the presence, treble, preamp and power stage to try and mitigate. I think the thin/cold sounding description was actually quite generous... plus it weighs an absolute frikkin ton at nearly 29kg!
same experience here, the high end fizz is still a dealbreaker for me
That's not to say the thing isn't a beast - it definitely is - the clean/dirty-clean channels sound lush and channel 3 crushes (with the right settings and an overdrive). But it feels like it wants to be more of a heavy rock/heavy metal amp rather than a - dare i say it - modern metal sounding thing
The high gain topology of Blackstar Series One amps is kinda flawed, their amps are based on a heavily modified JMP Master Volume amp circuit. There's a reason why no amp makers base their high gain topologies on those early JMP Master Volume amps. Those JMP Master Volume amps were a lot brighter than the JCM800 and they had a fizziness to their highs. The fizziness of JMP Master Volume amps gets worse when they are pushed to higher gain levels. That's why other amp manufacturers who make hot rodded Marshall based amps always stick to the JCM800 circuit and stay away from the JMP Master Volume circuit.
@@TheNocturnalEvil thanks! 👍
st james has the best mids & articulation here. Maybe less harsh mid spikes and added presence will be good in mix with clean vocal.
I would have liked to hear the 100 or 200 with a boost. A bit more gain would have been awesome for them I think. None of them were really voiced in a way I liked for my style. But I'm sure others can make them speak/sing
I love my HT METAL 100 with matching cab. But i would like to try new speakers in the cab one day
You should have tested these amps with very low tuned Guitars. I find out that Blackstar Amps managed low tunings very well.
They do. This was all very spontaneous. I had to go with what I found over there so the tuning was higher than usual 🤪
I have the series-1 100-6L6 and love it still....
why no close up on your settings Kohle, i can never get my series one dialed in like that.
I play the Amped 1 + Dual Distortion live and in the studio these days. Really nice combination that I can actually carry. Also: there is almost no noise when not-playing so you dont need a noise gate when tracking.
Good combo for sure!
Well done!!!!!!!
Would love an episode about the HT dual on bass!!
Noted!
Think I preferred either the Artisan or the 100 6L6. But really I would need to play the types of riffs I would play to know for sure which one is right for me. 😁
I like Blackstar they make fresh stuff, for the modern guitar player and good prices too.
Love the 6l6 tube. It adds a raw sound to any amp.
Thought that I was an "EL34 or die" kinda guy. Ever since I started dabbling in external preamps, the 6L6 has surprised me as my favorite platform for different preamps.
Ironically In went for the EL34 version 15 years ago when I bought my Series One. And I had it side by side with the 6L6 in the studio back then.
I just don’t remember why I preferred it. 🫣😜
@@KohleAudioKult actually, I have you to thank for it, Kohle! Your awesome video on Synergy preamps got me into that ecosystem recently. I took the plunge and since then, I've been running it thru my humble stable of amps and again, surprised it was the 6v6 that I liked best. Will have a tough decision to make if I ever win the lottery - "Uberschall mk2 in EL34 or 6V6??" lol.
Kind regards from Canada.
The original Marshalls had 5881 and KT66 tubes before they used El34s They also used 6505 tubes as well.
The ISF knob does most of the tone shaping with Blackstar imho
I would love to see Alex Scholpp (Tarja, Farmer Boys, Tieflader) on the channel. The tone he gets from his Series One 100 is sooo good. And he's a bloody funny guy too.
I actually played a few shows with them something like 25 years ago. Didn’t even know they were still around.
@@KohleAudioKult Die Boys haben 2018 ein großartiges neues Album rausgebracht und waren anschließend auf Tour. Reinhören ist da Pflicht würde ich sagen! 😊
Always wanted to like Blackstar but hated the sound of the HT amps (has the same high end thing that I dont like in H&Ks) and have never really had a chance to play their more boutique stuff (artisan and series one), Nice to hear these amps because they do sound great dialled in right. Still want to try the Artisan 30R as a fan of matchless and vox, not for metal metal but for clean and indie rock tones.
why they are so thin? :-(
Series One 200 and the Blackfire 200 are behemoths!
Have s1-200, it costs arm and a leg to change those kt88
I have a blackstar 100 tvp (solid state) head and I think it sounds very close to the tube versions. No one ever talks about Blackstars solid state models. I would like to know why.
I have used their Amped 1 in my Soldano video which is a great sounding solid state amp.
i don't like a lot blackstar amps, i find them a little polite sounding and cold, but i like a lot your little sunn mustang :)
It’s actually a pretty good match if you ask me! 💪🤘
@@KohleAudioKult it's a korean one? or indian
The St. James sounded less fizzy to me. I was surprised how it sounded. It did sound slower.
Exactly! It’s even stronger through a real cab.
My choice would be 104 EL34😎💪
Don´t know why, but the 6l6 is nothing for me.
Blackstar is very cool!!!
Jimmy Page used KT88s in his super leads from the mid 70s up to the end of Zep .
captor doesn’t have a proper impeda curve, don’t ever use it for anything serious. you had cabinets there, why don’t use them as a load? just a dibox between amp/cab and you get a proper amp direct
Ich besitze bereits seit Jahren, einen S1-200. Bin durch Zufall darauf gekommen und habe mich leider SOFORT in den verliebt. Ein Monster, der bläst einem das Dumme aus der Mütze, so brutal laut.
They sound alright.... But just do not sound inspiring to me at all, To the point where it's hard to find reason to buy/reccomend/use one, A lot of better boutique metal amps are more expensive granted and that puts theese withing peoples price ranges... but then when you look at amps like BOSS katana amps thats cheaper and wayy better sounding/usable or even venture into Axe Fx cheaper units It makes these amps a hard buy. I've never heard a Blackstar and thought wow that sounds amazing.
first? 🎉
Mr. Bull!! My favorite 5150!
Welcome buddy! Ever checked out the Blackstar stuff?
Series one 100 6l6 👍
I owned series one 45 and for some rock tones it sounded decent. For more overdriven tones it was bad. Shallow bass, harsh treble and dead middle. There is something wrong about this amps. It's like they have not a lot od tone in the tone.
Ah its steve!i know steve!
The 200 sounded the best.(decent tone, not really my flavour exactly but better than the rest for sure)
The 100 and the Dept 10 sounded EXACTLY the same (decent sounding but pretty boring sounding to my ears)
I really did not like the St James, it sounded thin and weak to me.
Blackstar really not my style. I own the really old Tube pedals (HT Dist and HT Dist X) and they are fine and all that, but I never use them because they are just not my thing (I prefer to use the Two Notes Le Lead for a tube pre if needed, much better modern metal tone IMO)
the 100 and dept10 were decent but a bit "Meh" to me
the St James sounded a bit shit if I am honest
and the 200 , might actually be the first Blackstar Amp tone I thought was good. Never thought they were bad...just "Meh" in general, but the 200 sounded good, just like I said earlier not really my thing (My thing is 5150/Soldano style amps)
too bad that Blackstar doesn't make the Series One amps anymore, that or they just sell them to friends and family, because no one online has them for sale outside of sellers on reverb and Guitar Center's used inventory. Your Sweetwater links are completely useless and are their for reference information only.
also, your dual distortion link is a link to the Peavey 6505 Synergy module.
Oh damn! Thanks!
Blackstar never really excited me. And it doesn't after this video. Not that they sound bad. But to my ears they just lack character. There is nothing recognizable in their sound. Nothing that stands out. It's "good" in some way but so boring to my ears. My bandmate has played a Blackstar for years and it never made my head turn. It was just...a sound. If anyone gets what I want to say :D
same
All of them are kind of... soft sounding, I guess? A bit too much "give".
BlackStar = Sonic GNAR
200
GLEEEEEEEEEN is going to be pissed
Useless sound samples. I'm a huge fan of the brand, have their HT distortion pedals as my main sound, but unfortunately cannot find any good sound here... Next time ask a cab with a mic.
Everything is metal when you boost the 500hz section, Kohle 😅😂
🙀💩👎🏿
Sound generic, Just ok. Really not great. This is why they are not loved. With Splawn, Friedman and Fractal just never be
As good as the player.
I’ve always found Blackstar just kinda bland and uninteresting. I’ve had a couple of their amps over the years because on paper, they offered everything I was after for a decent price. But each time, I spent hours turning knobs only to be disappointed.
There isn’t anything that they do very well in my opinion. The midrange is sorta honky and twangy at the same time on most of their amps, not very flattering or musical to my ears.
Considering how many Marshall, Mesa, and Fender clones there are out there, Blackstar is just low on the list of considerations. I keep hoping they’ll change their approach and really find their niche, but so far I’ve been disappointed. Seeing them on your channel had me hopeful, but the demos kinda highlight the characteristics I personally don’t like about them.
All this is strictly opinion, totally aware of that and don’t want to take anything away from people who are enjoying their stuff.
This could be my jaded perspective, but it seems to me especially lately that Blackstar is more focused on sponsorships with artists and getting people talking about them than they are with addressing any of the feedback that comes their way. Just my sour perspective 😆
the series one 100 head i tried was just too fizzy and noisy for me to keep it but the features, options and build quality have been ahead of its time imo 🦾
However , their circuit boards are meant to be an absolute nightmare to repair for Amp Repair. I have heard many techs state this. I must admit that puts me off BIG time. A tube am will need a tech at some point, its just part of their natire
@@jacksmith4460 for sure i have not looked inside