Blackstar St. James
Named for the 12th-century abbey in Blackstar’s hometown of Northampton, England, the St. James Series of amplifiers was designed with two goals in mind. First, Blackstar wanted to create the lightest possible tube amps on the market, and second, to provide all users with amazingly lifelike sounds when running direct. And since these amps are from Blackstar, they don’t skimp on traditional tube tones or performance. The company’s engineers thoughtfully designed and selected every component to deliver uncompromising sound in a lightweight package that’s easy to transport.
Let There Be Light
For most players, tone and feel are the most important qualities an amplifier can have. Most of those players cite the tube amplifier as the gold standard for feel and tone. The issue is that most great tube amps capable of providing 50 or more watts of power put a massive strain on your back — until now. Introducing the St. James Series: the lightest 50-watt tube guitar amps on planet Earth.
Uncompromising Sound
The engineers at Blackstar spent hundreds of hours listening to the most revered amplifiers to develop a reference point for the St. James amplifier series. In addition to the clear tonal differences between EL34 and 6L6 power tubes, both St. James designs are designed for specific uses. Take the St. James EL34, for example: this version is ideal for classic rock tones and combines world-class British crunch with American-style cleans. Meanwhile, the 6L6 version flaunts the same headroom paired with Blackstar’s highest-gain overdrive circuit ever. By offering two tonal flavors, the St. James Series is yet another instance of Blackstar raising the sonic benchmark.
Studio Ready
St. James amplifiers come loaded with cutting-edge features that deliver best-in-class recording performance. All St. James amps feature 50-watt, 2-watt, and SAG switchable power modes. Plus, a built-in reactive load allows you to route your signal to one of the three direct recording outputs (XLR, stereo line-out, and USB) for an authentic “amp-in-a-room” feel. The direct recording outputs are descended from Blackstar’s state-of-the-art and fully customizable CabRig DSP speaker simulator.
Pro Connectivity
Nowadays, more and more musicians are recording at home and playing on silent stages. St. James amplifiers are designed to fit into the way guitarists play today. They come with USB audio connectivity for professional-level recording and an XLR DI for backline use onstage. Both the USB and DI take advantage of the built-in reactive load and CabRig DSP speaker simulation.
Lightweight with No Compromise
Blackstar collaborated with Celestion to develop the Zephyr lightweight ferrite speaker. Zephyr speakers are an ultra-accurate emulation of Celestion’s iconic Vintage 30 speaker. They reproduce the rich sound and wide-ranging performance of the Vintage 30 at a fraction of the weight! This is achieved by using a traditional ferrite magnet instead of the standard neodymium magnet. The cabinets are constructed from candlenut plywood for strength and lightness, plus its inherent acoustic properties. If you’re rocking a St. James combo or half stack, you’ll get a roadworthy cabinet that sounds great and won’t weigh you down.
Universal Voltage
St. James amplifiers leverage efficient and lightweight power transformers and updated Switched-Mode Power Supply technology. The company spent upwards of three years performing intense R&D, which helped them achieve the lightweight and universal voltage compatibility of a Switched-Mode Power Supply while simultaneously retaining the sound and feel of an old-school, iron-core transformer. Blackstar’s revolutionary transformer technology is patent-pending.
