The Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3 is a 100-watt, three-channel guitar amplifier in a floor pedal, aimed at players who want a high-gain amp that fits in a gig bag. Clean, Crunch and Overdrive channels each have two voices, with a built-in boost, reverb and footswitchable patches stored on the unit. It powers an 8 or 16 ohm cabinet, drives the front of another amp from its Out jack, or goes direct with CabRig cabinet simulation, and a power switch drops it to 20 W or 1 W.

Channels, Voices and Patches

The six voices are Clean Warm and Clean Bright, Crunch and Super Crunch, and OD 1 and OD 2, from a classic clean sound to tight, aggressive high gain. Blackstar's patented ISF control moves the EQ between an American and a British character, and the Response control sets an EL84, EL34 or 6L6 power stage feel. In Patch mode each channel footswitch recalls a saved sound, and in Manual mode the amp follows the knobs. The boost sits before the preamp for up to 12 dB more drive, or after it for a 6 dB solo lift.

Live and Studio Connectivity

CabRig cabinet simulation feeds a balanced XLR, a stereo line/headphone output and USB-C, which records four channels at once. An effects loop switchable between +4 dBu and -10 dBV, MIDI In and Thru, and two isolated 9V outputs for other pedals make it the hub of a pedalboard.

Features

• 100 W into 8 or 16 ohms, switchable to 20 W or 1 W
• Clean, Crunch and Overdrive channels with two voices each
• Patch mode with footswitch recall, or Manual mode
• Patented ISF tone control
• Built-in boost, pre (up to 12 dB) or post (up to 6 dB)
• Reverb with Dark and Light types and hold-to-freeze
• EL84, EL34 and 6L6 power valve responses with Presence control
• CabRig speaker simulation with 3 onboard patches, editable in Architect
• USB-C audio interface with 4 recording channels
• Effects loop with +4 dBu / -10 dBV level switch, series or parallel
• MIDI In and Thru, two isolated 9V DC pedal outputs, Kensington lock slot

Specifications

• Power: 100 W RMS, switchable to 20 W or 1 W
• Speaker outputs: 2 x 1/4" (8 ohm, 16 ohm), use one at a time
• Controls: Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, ISF, Boost, Reverb, Presence, Master
• Input: 1 x 1/4"
• Outputs: 1/4" Out, balanced XLR (CabRig), 1/4" TRS stereo line/headphone
• Effects loop: 2 x 1/4" (send, return), +4 dBu / -10 dBV
• MIDI: In and Thru, TRS (5-pin DIN adapter supplied)
• USB: Type-C, 4-channel recording
• Pedal power: 2 x isolated 9V DC outputs, center negative, 500 mA combined
• Mains: 100 to 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
• Housing: Aluminum
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 285 x 80 x 150 mm (11.2 x 3.1 x 5.9 in)
• Weight: 1.98 kg (4.37 lbs)

In the Box

• Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3
• Detachable IEC mains cable
• USB-C cable
• TRS MIDI to 5-pin MIDI adapter