I purchased the Blackstar Sonnet 60 to use with a vintage acoustic archtop. The pick-up on this guitar is a "Pick-up The World" which is a thin piece of cloth like fiber that sits on the guitar top under the wooden bridge. Totally passive system, no preamp, no EQ.
The Blackstar did exactly what I had hoped for, just make the guitar louder without changing its natural sound. I play old time swing/jazz music with a violin player, and this amp allows me to keep that great swing tone going that I only could get before by using a microphone.
Simple, well laid out controls for both channels. The best, most natural sounding acoustic amp I've ever used!

Seriously. This is the closet to a preamp to PA setup that I have ever heard. Very natural sound. More natural sounding, to me, then Fishman or Fender for what I play. Fingerstyle Samba, pop, classic rock, jazz, country.

Old Gibson Dreadnought
Cordoba GK Flamenco/limited
Giannini Custom C7

I almost bought the 120w. Probably wouldn't need it for where I perform. The 60 is great for practice, small/mid size rooms or direct to PA for control and stage monitor!!!

Thanks Blackstar and Sweetwater!!!

I was impressed by the many generous reviews of this amp and took a chance (not being able to try out locally). The noisy DI was unacceptable and the reason I returned. It's marketing boasts a natural response with strong bass. It's got loads of muddy bass which makes the response not very natural. I could clean this up with the high pass filter up around 80%. Then the guitar sound is pretty good. The "shape" button seems to add compression and takes the life out of the tone. It sounds much better in the off position. The "phase" is useful in scooping out feedback prone frequency that may happen at high volume. The reverb is just ok. With a vocal mic the vocals are boxy, bass heavy and just not great. In the end, I was able to get some good guitar tones from it, but the noisy DI was a fatal flaw that I could not overlook.

I took a chance on this amp because of the ported cab and the extra eq flexibility. For my needs, it is the perfect little amp so far. I will say I have owned and used a variety of high end "acoustic" amps and this one so far is my favorite. There is a lot of low end available, but it can be tamed with the filter controls. Both channels are very transparent if you want them to be (which is a good thing in my case), but you can also shape the tone to fit your instrument. I have used it with my steel string acoustic, 7 string nylon, jazz archtop, as a platform to run an amp simulator for electrics through, and with an SM57 in the mic channel… it handles every application with ease. Also did I mention it's LOUD. I have used it in full band and in an orchestra and it was plenty loud. The reverbs aren't bad and are very useable. The di out is very useful as well. Lastly I'll mention the weight is very lightweight, the noise floor is very low, and the built in tilt screw is a nice feature. You get a very good representation of what you put into it back out. I may buy another one soon… I just wish it came with a bag or a cover, but I can't complain at this price point.

I recently purchased a Blackstar Sonnet 60-60 combo amp. I love it. What an amazing amp. The price, performance, size, and dual capabilities provided exactly what I was looking for. This covers both voice and guitar amplification. This is a keeper. You will not be disappointed with this amp.

Buy this amp if you're looking for a coffee-house, busking, stage-ready pre-mixer to house PA. It rules. I've tried all the Fishman, and Acoustics that they had at Guitar Center, this one wins it. It doesn't "pop" from the pic up in my guitar, it really sounds like it's mic'd. The trim effects are unreal. Sounds great with my voice too. The Shape button seems so innocuous but it's equivalent to a $ compressor pedal. Built in tilt-stand is icing on the cake.

I'm a baritone singer who plays mostly country music on a Martin D16E.

I have a 1998 Taylor Koa with Spruce top. Brings out all of the harmonics, overtones, highs and in particular the low strings. I tune down a lot. So you probably know the usual suspects (Fishman, Fender etc.) but watch the you tube reviews and especially those with Jon Gomm. It is ALL that. Why a 1/2 star cut…could maybe use just a bit more power. May be the combination of piezo bridge pickup. Not a deal breaker and I certainly don't need the 100 for my home. So, I really like this little amp a lot. It sounds great. Very nice reverb. Good modern touches like Bluetooth and input/output selection.

As usual always great service from Alden Debee at Sweetwater! This little practice amp Blackstar Sonnet 60 is a great amp. The clarity is excellent and has a lot of power for a smaller amp. It can be used for smaller venues easily. It's a great choice.

My new amp arrived yesterday. I have used a Marshall AS50R for many years and wanted to update to the USB in particular. I was also very interested in the Sonnet 120 and it was tough to choose between them. For the advantage of less weight to carry, I went this way. My first reaction: this is smaller than the specs listed, which for me is fantastic. I first streamed a blues song though it, and I was favorably impressed with the volume and frequency response. I had wondered why a guitar amp would have a high pass filter and now I know, there is a lot of available bass response. After downloading Recroute from Blackstar I learned the USB default is minimum volume. Setting it to max is enough to get a recording on an ipad, but I would like more volume. The sound of the guitar and voice is excellent and should be enough for anyplace like a coffeeshop or pub. If it has to compete with a PA then join the PA through the direct out. The tilt adjustment on the bottom is enough to let this be a nice floor monitor too, another application for the high pass filter.

I liked this amp so much I actually bought a second one. I think that even for the regular price on this amp is really a steal. The clarity and volume of this amp is really good. Their is another brand amp that makes a mini amp that I have also owned and this things makes it sound pretty weak. I wont mention the name. I really cant say enough good things about this amp. Its the best 300 bucks I have ever spent on an amp. If you are looking for a small great sounding amp with some good volume to it, look no further. This is a great little amp.

All the reviews before mine are spot on. This amp sounds really clear and natural and has a pretty high volume to it for only being 60 watts. If you are looking for a small great sounding amp, you should put this one on your list. this thing is a steal.

I borrowed a fishman loudbox mini from a buddy of mine to test drive at one of my solo gigs. It sounded great, but I had to push the amp a little to keep up with the crowd because of the low wattage. The reverb sounded nice, but I had no use for the other effects so I decided to look into other options. Enter the Blackstar Sonnet 120, it fits my need for a higher wattage amp, has 4 solid reverbs, a high pass filter to tame the lows on my K&K pure mini pickup, a generous output section for routing, and best of all, it sounds amazing with my electric guitar. I have a Reverend with p90's and I find myself playing it through the amp just as much as my acoustic. I even ran some dirt pedals in the front and delay through the effect loop to great success. If you're looking for a versatile acoustic amp for live shows, practice, or even recording (the usb out works great!), this may the one for you.

Don't let the size full you, it's got plenty of oomph. Very natural sound and easy to dial in. Main thing I love is no feedback. I love this amp so much I gave my Fishman loudbox mini to a friend.

Works exactly how I hoped it would. I can finally here myself in the mix without a whole lot of feedback issues.

I have a sonnet 60 and I have a Marshall AS50D. I prefer the tone of the Marshall (it has a bigger warmer sound) but the dang thing weighs 35lb! It has 1 top handle but for that weight it should have two side handles. Anyway the sonnet is closer to 20lb and it's smaller so it's easier for me to tote to band sessions. It's very loud and sounds good. Decent reverb. The electronics produce almost no hiss at loud volumes. Also it has a nice Bluetooth feature.

As you can see in the title... this was my first acoustic amp that I bought. Up until recently I never really thought about buying one. I figured it was time, so I did what any other person would do; I looked at a bunch of amps (though this one was always on the back of my mind after hearing that Jon Gomm helped make this). Right now it's really hard to go into a guitar store where I am... so I figured I would try my luck with my good ear and weeks of research. I'm a guitarist who mainly plays acoustic guitar and I like to play in lower tuningd... I do occasionally go high though. Point is... I knew going in that I wanted something that sounded natural, and didn't suffer no matter the tuning I would be in. I saw that Jon Gomm helped develop this amp and I couldn't have been happier because I love him and he has a much better ear than most acoustic musicians do... so I trust him to give brutally honest feedback because I know of his struggles over the years with amps. But yeah.I didn't want to just buy a random amp. I wanted to be confident that it was the one I wanted before I hit "purchase". After the research and reviews... this and the fisherman loudbox mini were my top two. But I always kind of leaned towards the sonnet. Anyways I got it and got was it worth the extra money that I paid. I hooked up my Ibanez sporadic to it and it just instantly sounded awesome. Like I thought it wasn't working at first but it turns out it was coming out. It's just my acoustic but louder... which is what I wanted from the get go. I immediately feel in love with the sound. I wish I could relive those few moments because I never have been that excited in years and have never had that much of a smile on my face in a long time. Whenever I am hooked up to that amp... new music just flows out of me like never before. It helped spark my creativity. I don't see how people found this amp to be boxy... its not. I have it sitting on top of my electric amp. Also I haven't really touched the knobs at all besides for reverb because the factory settings are awesome. This all is badass and I recommend this amp to anyone who wants an acoustic amp . Great work Jon. You truly were the useful guinea pig in helping theirs amp become one of the best

I've been playing guitar and performing for a very long time. I started with acoustic guitar, performed and recorded with a lot of electric guitar for years and now find myself back performing acoustic in pubs, bistros, and smaller outdoor settings. Having run the gambit of gear, miking, and amps, I have both a broad tolerance for what is available to play through on a given gig but a deep appreciation for really good gear. Let me just say this amp is really good gear. However, I respect that we all have different opinions of what we like to hear and play so your experience may vary. I was so impressed with the amp I bought a second one and run them in stereo. I can use the set up for practice and recording in my home studio or play an outdoor patio gig setting without a PA. It's easy to go direct to FOH PA systems in larger settings with great results.

I use a variety of acoustics and electrics through a TC Subnup, Keeley DoubleTracker, TC Hall of Fame 2 and a TC VoiceLive 3 Extreme to process vocals only. The amp's overall frequency response, warmth and full bass are exceptional comparable to nothing in its class at even twice the price IMHO and I have played just about everything. One can dial in nearly anything with this amp: I am always inspired when I play through this system. Bravo to Blackstar and Jon Gomm for producing an excellent easy to pack in system!

For the first 30 minutes of playing my acoustic guitar through this amp, I could not get the tone dialed in. I even tried tilting the amp back to reduce the resonant bass and an ever-present boxy sound.

Then I realized the boomy low end could be improved by putting the amp on a chair or amp stand. Elevating the amp seems to reduce the resonance.

To my ears, the amp seems to have a warmer sound with less high frequency response than Fishman and Fender acoustic amps. And the amp seems to be sensitive to location placement and room types. I'm still working with this amp to get the best sonic characteristics. Fishman, Fender, and the column array systems seem to provide more room filling treble and mid-range transient response, at least to my ears. I'm not a fan of the small push buttons and small knobs for tweaking the brilliance and tone shape. The standard gain, volume, and tone knobs seem durable and easy to use. However the small knobs aren't convenient or easy to use use when I need to make a quick tone adjustment. This amp seems to be sensitive to different guitars, so when I have the sound dialed in, I take a photo of the settings with a note referencing the guitar used.

I want to be able to easily set up this acoustic amp and just start playing. That only happens when the sound is so transparent that I don't notice any sound coloration from the amp and become immersed in playing acoustic guitar. I'm still working with the amp to get the transparent sound I need at low practice volumes and higher performance volumes.

Absolutely love this amp. Tested the sonnet in store against the Fishman mini, Marshall As50 and Boss Singer and I walked out with a black s 60. This amp is fantastic... the low end is unbelievable for its size and tonal quality is crystal clear across the spectrum. My 310 Taylor sounds great through it.