Blackstar St James 50 EL34 212 Combo Valve Amp

What we say:

At A Glance:

The Blackstar St James EL34 212 gives players a truly lightweight combo with heavyweight tone. Blackstar have designed this to be one of the lightest amps on the market using both vale preamp and poweramp stages. Don't be fooled by its weight though this 2x12 combo is still packed full of features along side its glorious valve tone. With 2 channels and a boost switch on this amp it's already off to a versatile start but along side other features such as the cab rig software, built-in reactive load, power reduction switching, and USB/XLR output you'll find this amp can do it all. When not using these new direct outputs you can simply run all the valve tone through the exclusive Celestion Zephyr speaker for a huge sound.

Features We Love:

Lightweight

Blackstar had a goal when creating this amp to make it lightweight, portable, and perfect for the gigging musician. Taking your amp to the stage or the studio no longer has to feel like a mission with the St James. No sacrifice on tone or road-worthiness either. Packed with valves, Celestion speakers and built with tough Candlenut Plywood this amp will hold its own on the road.

Classic Tones

Although this amp may be packed full of modern features it doesn't neglect the core aspect, great tone! Still provided by a quartet of valves (2 x ECC83 and 2 x EL34), you can be sure when you crank this amp, it delivers on that warm saturation we love from valves. Channel 1 is a classic American inspired sound clean, bright, controlled mids, and a solid low end. Channel 2 is based on classic 60's british amps and features a low to medium gain preamp. A great choice as a pedal platform to add your own colour too. The power amp on Channels 2 has a looser feel with a resonant low end and energetic highs. Add to this the boost swithc which pushes the preamp hrd with a 10dB clean boost and you have versatile classic sound.

Modern Tech

Carefully blended with the old-school valve tech is a host of modern features which make this amp incredibly versatile. First up a universal power supply which can be used anywhere in the world from 90V to 264V 50/60Hz. Additionally this amp features a built-in reactive load which means in conjunction with the USB/XLR outputs you can still drive your tubes but send your signal direct to a mixer/interface for silent recording or stages. These additional USB/XLR outputs also offer you access to Blackstar's CabRig software which gives you a whole world of Impulse responses using state of the art digital processing. CabRig allows you to craft the perfect tone for whenever you want to play direct.

Exclusive Celestion Speaker

The sign of a great cabinet/combo is usually the inclusion of a Celestion speaker. This Celestion Zephyr just goes to show the passion Blackstar have for this design. Working closely with Celestion, Blackstar based this speaker on the classic Vintage 30 speaker blueprints and voicing but with lightweight materials. The result speaks for itself! Huge tone, but a light weight.

Who Is It For?

If you're after classic valve tones without breaking your back every gig the St James gives a lightweight option to performing musicians. It performs equally well in the studio or at home with its variety of power modes and direct outputs.

Highlights:

• Extremely lightweight
• Great valve tone
• Designed for the modern player
• Access to Blackstar Cab Rig
• 50 Watts switchable down to 2 Watts