Blackstar Amplification Series One 104 EL34

Blackstar has made a huge splash on the amp world in recent years. They have made great sounding fantastically priced amps for the masses. The price is what is so amazing to me. The amp sounds so very good and to keep their prices for a multi-channel combo like this under $1000 is remarkable. Blackstar has effectively used a great design as well as superb marketing which has enabled them to produce a great quality and sounding amplifiers. Many touring and professional artists all over the globe are now turning towards Blackstar for their guitar amplifier needs. The have successfully taking a huge niche in the market over the last few years. To add to their prestige they have included a whole line of distortion pedals as well.

This amp is a versatility dream come true. This amp has four channels and within those four channels eight different modes. You also have the famous and exclusive ISF control knob which give you even more control over the channels and top it all off with a speaker emulated output. I almost forgo that it has midi built in for switching all the channels with your rack effects.

UTILIZATION


* 100W Watt head with built-in DPR power reduction
* 4 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82, 4 x EL34 valves
* 4 switchable channels
* Clean channel with Warm (Plexi) and Bright (Class A) type modes
* Crunch channel with Crunch and Super Crunch modes
* Two overdrive channels with high and low output damping

* Two ISF equipped tone control sections
* Presence and resonance controls
* Master Volume
* Series effects loop
* MIDI switching
* Speaker emulated output





SOUNDS

This amp has so much to do that you think it wold get tire before you would. It has four channels and within each channel two different modes. So the clean channel is nice and chimey but also cab get dark and bulky. You get a plexi clean tone which not one I would like to emulate, but they have it. They also have a class A type mods for the clean channel. This is more of a Vox style clean which is much better. Next you have the crunch channel with two different modes. You get a regular crunch and then a super crunch mode for new modern music. The third and fourth channels are similar in their modes. Tye both have high an low high and low out put damping. You can get this amp all the way down to 10 watts. That is a huge drop in power and allows you to play quieter at home or the office.

OVERALL OPINION

You can score one of these amps new for right at around $1750. Not a bad price for an amp that has this much versatility and functions. Some amps that have similar features would fetch well over $3000+.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who needs and ultimate switching amp that can have more versatile features and tones than you would know what to do with. It is an excellent buy for the money.

100w all-tube head, 4 separated with a common EQ for two channels (clean, crunch, OD1 and OD2), and equipped with lamps Tube Amp Doctor (EL34 and ECC83) channels. Include a volume control and gain per channel, as well as settings bass, middle and treble and ISF (clean Blackstar, which can change the voicing of the amp in a rather typical british tonal response or U.S. ). Then there is a master section with knobs presence and resonance which respectively vary high frequencies and serious global and the DPR (can vary the response of the amplifier in a staggered 10 to 100w power.
On clean and crunch channels are available whenever a switch that lets you change the voicing spectrum for the clean channel (gives a bright clear sound drier, with greater treble response. Gives Warm a rounder sound with more bass), and a different setting for the crunch channel gain (the gain range is more consistent, it tends towards the free saturation).
To the rear, there is a serial effect loop with a switch output level to adapt to the effects rack or pedals, an emulated output, the footswitch jack, two connectors for the speakers with a selector 4 , 8 or 16 ohms, and finally the MIDI connectivity to control the amp via a controller.

UTILIZATION

The amp has been very simple to use. The manual has served me well understand what constituted the ISF and DPR, otherwise it is easy terrain. MIDI programming seemed to me a little more complicated for those who have not used.
Configuration is very simple, one to four channels, a clean, crunch (each with two voicing), and two distortions. No unnecessary or useless modes, I've always found an interest in each sound obtained with this amp (well certainly this is a more involved review)

SOUNDS

Ahhhh for her, there's plenty to do ...
The clean channel is certainly not as a crystal fender know them, but it is a good clean, it will grow accordingly (or microphones with a large output level, I think by example a seymour SH-6) before cruncher. The voicing switch allows you to fit your guitar, or your preferences. The crunch channel is extraordinary, with an average grain superb musicality. We do a lot of little things, for my part, it was to play ptits Plans blues with a bit of reverb, varying the attack: the FOOT! (Super crunch mode is less interesting to me, because damn overtaken by OD1 and OD2)
Precisely saturated channels are great too! The OD1 offers a saturation in the British spirit (although it may vary a little with the FSI), with a rather open grain, thick, fat, great in my opinion, and race knob perfectly usable gain . The resumes can OD2 OD1, but with a more compressed saturation and finer grain and tight, perfect for well lead solos, or multi-metal style. In short, this is a very off-road amp that can do many different things, and do them well. I also support the fact that this is a very malleable amp (there is almost what one wants), and a different response after the guitar that he branch. For my part, I played it plugged into an orange PPC412 cabinet with an ESP Eclipse II equipped with a set of bare knuckle the Mule, a fender 60's classic player, and Wild Custom wildone III, and the answer is really on every guitar, even if at the blackstar grain identifiable.

OVERALL OPINION

I have owned this amp from September 2013 to February 2014. I ended the exchange with 45w combo version of the series, because that-100w for use as room Amp work, do you ... (I got fooled by the number of social pressure watt ^ ^) and also because it is a super heavy head! (At the same time, they put good transformers, then it is necessarily weight)
1500 euros on average for new, is very correct, if the report is made with the Korean manufacturing under license. Before have I had several amp (orange TH30 and Thunderverb 50 Marshall JVM 205, blackstar HT20), and I could never find the same satisfaction as when I use my Blackstar HT20. There was always something in the sound that eventually annoy me, so I stopped beating around the bush, and I took the blackstar (with more power for the stage), and I'm perfectly content .