BLACKSTAR ST. JAMES EL34 COMBO AND 6L6 HEAD

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TOTAL GUITAR SUMMER 2022

E G

BLACKSTAR ST. JAMES EL34

COMBO AND 6L6 HEAD

TG checks out a pair of lightweight valve amps from Blackstar...

alve guitar ampliﬁ ers are portable if you

only need a few watts for home practice,

however if you want an amp to take

around the world and play on any size

of stage, it needs to be bigger and that

means heavier – often a lot heavier.

We’ve grown used to this over the years,

however, let’s be honest, bulky 4x12

cabinets and 30kg-plus combos are only fun to use if

someone else carries them around for you. Does it have

to be that way today? Blackstar think not and they’ve just

announced a new range claimed to be the world’s lightest

50-watt all-valve ampliﬁ ers. Meet the St. James. Named

for the district that’s the heart of Northampton, Blackstar

Ampliﬁ cation’s home town, the St. James amps are

available in two distinctly diﬀ erent ﬂ avours: a medium

gain preamp with an EL34-based output stage that’s

inspired by classic British designs from the early 1960s,

and a more contemporary high gain preamp combined

with a 6L6 output stage.

Words Nick Guppy Photography Phil Barker

TGR361.gear_test.indd 86TGR361.gear_test.indd 86 14/07/2022 16:3014/07/2022 16:30

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
T H E GA S STATION Words Nick Guppy Photography Phil Barker BLACKSTAR ST. JAMES EL34 COMBO AND 6L6 HEAD TG checks out a pair of lightweight valve amps from Blackstar... V alve guitar ampliﬁers are portable if you only need a few watts for home practice, however if you want an amp to take around the world and play on any size of stage, it needs to be bigger and that means heavier – often a lot heavier.
PAGE 2
THE TG TEST 87 SUMMER 2022 TOTAL GUITAR TGR361.gear_test.
PAGE 3
T H E GA S STATION T 88 he St. James’s retromodern cabinets have plenty of ‘I want’ appeal, with fawn vinyl and a dark speaker grille for the EL34 amp and black vinyl with a light grey grille for the 6L6 version. As we’ve come to expect from Blackstar, the standard of ﬁnish is very high, with cool piping details and an illuminated logo, which doubles as a ‘power on’ indicator.
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THE TG TEST £1099 BLACKSTAR ST. JAMES EL34 50 WATT 1X12 COMBO £999 BLACKSTAR ST. JAMES 6L6 50 WATT 1X12 HEAD AT A GLANCE TYPE: All valve, 50-watt 1x12” combo amp. VALVES: 2 x12AX7, 2 x EL34 CHANNELS: Two OUTPUT: 50 watts RMS, switchable to two watts RMS CONTROLS: Volume 1, Gain 2, Volume 2, bass, middle (active cut/ boost), treble, reverb level, master volume, channel switch, channel 2 boost switch, 50-watt/Sag/2-watt power switch. Cab Rig pre-set select switch, effect loop level switch.
PAGE 5
T H E GA S STATION FINAL VERDICT Which of these signatures is a must-have? B lackstar claim the St. James’s are ‘the lightest 50-watt valve amps in the world’ and the weight of the new amps – or lack of it – is an almost shocking revelation. Beside this, there’s plenty of innovative design, pro-standard low noise performance and seriously brilliant tone. In fact, both ﬂavours of the St. James sound so good, you might have a tricky time deciding which is right for you.