super star - Blackstar Amplification

SOUNDCHECK* THE GEAR IN REVIEW
SUPER
STAR
Blackstar Series One 200
PERFORMANCE
INCREDIBLE VOLUME AND sound pres-
FEATURES
BLACKSTAR’S SERIES ONE 200 is one
heavy amp, weighing in at roughly 60
pounds. Most of this sciatic-stressing
heft is from the massive transformers
that support the 200-watt power
section. A quartet of bulbous KT88
bottles create all of that power,
while imparting their special brand
of smooth and complex midrange,
round highs and deep bass extension.
Essentially, the Series One 200
is a four-channel amp with a twochannel preamp. The channels are
Clean, Crunch, OD1 and OD2. The
Clean and Crunch share one preamp,
while the OD1 and OD2 share the
other. The Clean and Crunch each
have two switchable modes: Bright/
144
GU I TA R WOR L D
D PLATIN
RL
AWARD
UM
B
LACKSTAR Amplification
was launched in 2007 by a
handful of former Marshall
engineers and employees that shared
a vision of amp performance and design. In just three years, the company’s
amps have earned approval from
James Hetfield, Opeth’s Fredrik Åkesson, Billy Gibbons, Gus G. and many
other artists for their ability to generate unique Brit- and American-style
sounds. Blackstar’s latest amp is the
Series One 200, an all-tube tone monster with a herculean 200-watt power
plant. Aside from its mega power, the
amp’s custom-designed tone-shaping
circuitry and variable output power
make it one of the most malleable,
sensitive and useable superheads.
ITAR WO
GU
BY ERIC KIRKLAND
QUALITY & DESIGN
SPECS
LIST PRICE $2,749.99
MANUFACTURER
Blackstar Amplification,
blackstaramps.co.uk
POWER OUTPUT 200
watts, all-tube, variable
from 20 to 200 watts
CHANNELS Four, with
two modes on Clean
and Crunch channels
OD1 and OD2
TUBE COMPLEMENT
Four KT88s, four
ECC83s, one ECC82
CONTROLS Frontpanel mode activation
buttons; Clean mode
Bright/Warm switch,
Crunch mode Super
Crunch switch;
separate gain and
volume for each mode;
two modes in each
channel share bass,
middle, treble and
ISF controls; master
resonance, presence,
DPR (Dynamic Power
Reduction) and volume;
effect loop level switch
for +4dBV or -10dBV
operation
I/OS Input; effect
loop with level switch;
direct emulated
speaker output with
balanced and standard
jacks; footswitch jack;
MIDI In and Thru jacks;
dual speaker jacks
with four-, eight- and
16-ohm options
FOOTSWITCH
(included) Four-button
channel selector
Warm (Clean) and Crunch/Super
Crunch (Crunch). Each channel has
a dedicated gain and volume control,
but Clean and Crunch share one set
of bass, middle, treble and ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) controls, and
OD1 and OD2 share another identical
set of controls. This proprietary ISF
dial alters the character of the tone
stack from a warm, thumping
American-style response to a
wooly, lush and softer British
personality.
Master controls include
resonance, presence, volume and the ingenious DPR
(Dynamic Power Reduction) circuit.
Through a single, continuously variable knob, the DPR allows players to
dial the amp’s output from a diminutive 20 watts up to the full, chest-caving 200 watts. More than just a basic
wattage adjustment, the DPR’s setting
largely determines the amp’s headroom ceiling, the feel of the amp and
what volume levels will be necessary
to overdrive the power section.
The supplied four-button footswitch connects to the Blackstar’s
back panel and allows users to individually select each channel. The
amp’s backside has five-pin MIDI In
and Thru jacks; two speaker outputs
with a four-, eight- and 16-ohm selector; and an effect loop with a dBV
level switch. If you want to record
directly from the amp or run into a
P.A. system, you can tap the Blackstar’s speaker-emulating direct output
via a quarter-inch jack or the balanced
XLR jack.
sure levels are easily achieved by the
Series One 200, thanks to its 200watt engine. However, that power
also reveals subtle tonal and texture
details that you can’t detect as well
with lower-wattage amps. These
abilities were pleasantly conspicuous in the Clean channel, which was
punchy and surprisingly multidimensional for a circuit-laden amplifier.
The Crunch channel is very capable of producing classic British
and American overdriven tones,
although the KT88 power tubes
maintain a wide midrange response
and linear highs. Engaging the Super
Crunch switch boosts the gain and
also overrides some of the KT88s
natural tone with more aggressive
mids and punchier treble spikes.
OD2 has somewhat more preamp
gain available than OD1. Otherwise,
these two lead channels are quite similar in their snappy and harmonically
rich vintage-modern tonality. Reasonably high levels of saturation and
sustain are available in either channel,
but the gobs of clean power maintain
distinct note definition.
The amp’s DPR was useful
for adding more body to the
overall sound, even at low
volume levels. It’s like having
a built-in Variac, allowing you
to keep a rock-solid tone at
all levels, no matter where you set the
individual channel volume controls
and master volume.
THE BOTTOM LINE
BLACKSTAR’S SERIES ONE 200
qualifies as a true mega-amp, not
just for its whopping 200 watts of
potential output power but also
for its ability to deliver that power
with as much finesse as brawn. Four
footswitchable channels provide
instant access to a range of sounds
and gain levels, while the ISF
and DPR circuits allow players to
infinitely shape the tone, power level
and saturation permutations. SC
+PRO
SIX MODES WITH
SEPARATE GAIN AND
VOLUME CONTROLS
VARIABLE POWER
REVEALING SOUND
-CON
NO REVERB EFFECT
LOOP IS NOT
FOOTSWITCHABLE