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Blackstar St. James 50-watt Tube Head with EL34 Tubes - Fawn Demo

2-channel, 50-watt Tube Amplifier Head with EL34 Power Tubes, Cab Rig Output, and Power Reduction Switch - Fawn

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Blackstar St. James 50-watt Tube Head with EL34 Tubes - Fawn
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One Holy Head to Serve Them All

Everyone from jazz box architects to 8-string sweepers will find a lot to love in the Blackstar St. James 50-watt Tube Head. As Blackstar's lightest and most innovative head available, the St. James is tailor-made for studio and stage musicians seeking an all-in-one amp to handle everything from DI recording to live performance and beyond. St. James heads are constructed from candlenut plywood, reducing the weight significantly while maintaining the look and feel of a boutique amplifier. Its two channels are perfect for guitarists seeking crystal cleans and overdriven tones, with onboard toggles and an included external footswitch to meet your switching preferences. Best of all, the St. James comes stock with onboard cabinet simulation and power reduction — adding features like this to your rig often comes with a substantial price tag, but that's not the case here! Incredible sound for any situation is yours for the taking with Blackstar's St. James 50-watt Tube Head.

Two channels of wide-ranging tone

When Blackstar set out to make the St. James series their most versatile and portable amps to date, they didn't cut any corners with regard to delectable tone. Two channels take you from glassy cleans to vintage crunch and even gut-punching grind, with channel and voicing selector switches around the front for easy toggling and a footswitch input around the back to swap channels with the included external pedal. The EL34-equipped model is fantastic for low- to medium-gain settings, with a vintage-tinged voice that sounds great in classic rock and heavy metal settings.

Cab sim and power reduction switch lets you leave the extra gear at home

Rather than force you to spend potentially thousands more on an accompanying cab and an attenuator, Blackstar loaded their St. James heads with top-notch cabinet simulation and power reduction. Dubbed their Cab Rig Output, the St. James' cab sim technology arms you with three different cab sim options and your choice of balanced XLR or line out/phones output to run your tone straight to an interface or mixer as well as USB for running to a computer — no cab required! Sweetwater guitarists always appreciate built-in power reduction, with options for 50-watt, 2-watt, and Sag (softer, more vintage sound) operation delivering plenty of volume for the stage while keeping the roommates happy at home.

Blackstar St. James 50-watt Tube Head Features:

  • 2-channel all-tube head constructed from lightweight candlenut plywood for easy transportation
  • Go from chimey cleans to gain-drenched grind in the same head
  • Built-in Cab Rig Output with cabinet simulation runs studio-quality sound to a PA or mixer via balanced XLR or line out/phones outputs
  • USB with cabinet simulation lets you record directly to a computer
  • Power reduction switch with 50-watt, 2-watt, and Sag operation for stage- and bedroom-appropriate volume levels
  • Channel select and voicing switches on the front with an external footswitch input around back (footswitch included)
  • EL34 model delivers vintage-leaning voicing that's great for rock and heavy metal

What is Demo Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call a "demo" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

What demo means to us is that we've had it out of the box, or maybe it was in a customer's hands for a few days and isn't "factory fresh" as a result. Every demo item we sell has Sweetwater's 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty, and has been tested and verified up to "new" specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it's in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Tube
  • Number of Channels: 2
  • Total Power: 50W (2W/sag settings)
  • Preamp Tubes: 2 x ECC83
  • Power Tubes: 2 x EL34
  • Reverb: Yes
  • EQ: 3-band EQ
  • Amp Modeling: Yes
  • Number of Models: 3
  • Inputs: 1 x 1/4"
  • Outputs: 2 x 1/4" (16 ohm), 1 x 1/4" (8 ohm), 1 x 1/4" (cab rig out/phones), 1 x XLR (cab rig out)
  • Effects Loop: Yes
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • Footswitch I/O: 1 x 1/4" (channel, voicing)
  • Footswitch Included: Yes, 2-button footswitch
  • Computer Connectivity: USB
  • Bias Type: Adjustable Fixed
  • Construction Material: Candlenut Plywood with Fawn Tolex
  • Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable
  • Height: 8.74"
  • Width: 15.82"
  • Depth: 8.42"
  • Weight: 13.2 lbs.
  • Manufacturer Part Number: STJ50EL34H

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

SO MUCH IN SUCH A LITTLE HEAD WOW!

I have had Marshall,Friedman ,Dr Z and many other top notch amps ,but never have I had so much in one head ,all very useable,clean channel with the most headroom I have ever had ( great pedal platform) the over drive channel can be maxed out and very quite gain is medium add a overdrive or the onboard boost and you can get heavier, the 50 watts is loud and clear and the SAG is awesome then you hit the 2 watt and still has the great sound at bedroom level to very loud. Fx loop is great then the headphones or XLR out just put the amp on standby and 3 different combinations 1x12 2x12 4x12 cab simulation that sound great and then usb to computer the sky's the limit all this with el34 tube greatness and only weighs 24lbs special thanks to CRAIG MILLS for all his help ext 3274 for everything great job great amp ….
Rated 5/5

Killer amp! Killer tones!

While waiting for my Friedman Dirty Shirley to be serviced I let my curiosity get the best of me and ended up buying the St.James el34 head and matching cab. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be nearly as good as it actually is. I'm rather picky and so far, I am very impressed! It's incredibly lightweight and the clean channel is an amazing pedal platform. The matching cab pairs perfectly and sounds very good. Besides all of that, it looks awesome in person. The fit and finish is stellar. Blackstar really hit it out of the park with the St. James. I'll likely buy the 6l6 version as well, just to have full versatility. 5 Stars all the way around!
Rated 5/5

Love this Amp Head

Was a bit unsure of this purchase. My amazing Sales rep helped me choose this. Once I plugged into it I was smiles from ear to ear! The tones are fantastic. Very very vibrant and rich. This is my 1st Blackstar amp. I am very happy with my purchase. Also has enough volume for anyone from a bedroom artist to a gigging musician. The built in atenuator is great and it is pc ready with no need for a USB device to convert your signals. Thanks Sweetwater!
Music background: Terrible Guitar Player
Rated 5/5

Blackstar just proved they can hang with the Big Boys (Morgan/Matchless)

Im fortunate enough to have a variety of Boutique amps and modelers in my studio, and This amp is able to fit into my setup seamlessly. The Software for a DI out made it quick and easy to get it into my Logic Session. I purchased the 2x12 Cabinet with it, and the quality of both pieces is immaculate. I love it so much, I captured it with my quad cortex, and am now using a profile of this amplifier as my main amp on the QC. Channel one is literally ALL Headroom. No matter how hard you crank the volume, it stays clean, and takes pedals like an absolute champion. I was able to get the 2nd Channel to a Vox- esque edge of breakup spot, and it sings. This amp is a master in everything it tries to do. I would definitely opt for the 6L6 version for anything past hard rock (hardcore, Metal, Deathcore, Djent, etc.) But for a heavy pedalboard and modeler user like myself, its perfect.
Music background: Studio Engineer/Session Guitarist
Rated 5/5

Blow away by the tones!

I was totally on the fence before purchasing. I have spent a few days with this amp now. Right out of the box, the cleans are so warm and pronounced! The Overdrive channel brings a certain vibe and crunch to the game. The added features of the power settings, and the right out of the box captor built in makes this a no brainer. I won't even mention the weight issue. So happy I went with this over the Origin 50. My sales rep made sure to steer me in the right direction. Also I cannot thank my sales rep enough. Any questions I had, were answered! Sweetwater and it's staff are top notch! 5 Stars! Unless in the Tokyo Dome.. then 6 Stars all day!
Music background: Terrible Guitar Player
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