Blackstar Series One 45
Contents |
Introduction
Made in 2009 this 45W 2x12 combo is designed and engineered by Blackstar Amplification UK. It's built in Korea to ensure a "fair" retail price.
The prices range from ~1200-1600€ in Europe.
Features
- 3x ECC83, 1x ECC82, 2x EL34 valves
- 2x Celestion custom designed Neo 12" speakers
- 2 channels (Clean/Overdrive), 4 modes (Bright Clean/Warm Clean, Crunch/Super Crunch)
- Dual Patent Design:
- ISF, Infinite Shape Feature - DPR, Dynamic Power Reduction (We will get back to these later)
- Emulated Line-Out (both jack and XLR)
- FX Loop
- MIDI switching
Comes with a 4-way footswitch for changing between the 4 modes.
Equipped with two side handles for easy carrying.
I can't find anything missing. For the price you don't get this many features anywhere else.
Some people might have liked a reverb, but that's really not needed.
// 9/10
Sound
Reliability
Even though it's made in Asia this doesn't show in build quality. It's built like you would expect any great amp to be. So I do believe proper products can come from cheap labour, it's all about the company's control on the manufactoring.
Can't tell about live or long term use (as I've only owned it for a few days, no gigs), but so far it screams quality.
Also I brought it for band practice, it took two to easily carry it to the car in spite of the weight of 30kg. On the way home we hit a tree (the amp lying in the trunk of the car) and it's still functioning just fine! Ah well, it's not like the collision did any real damage to the car either, but I thought it was worth to mention.
// 9/10
