The Blackstar St. James 50 6L6H is a 50-watt, two-channel tube amplifier head that weighs 6.7 kg (14.8 lbs), made for guitarists who play on stage, record at home and sometimes need to practice in silence. Its 6L6 power tubes and cascaded overdrive channel suit heavier rock and high-gain tones, and an internal reactive load with Blackstar's Cab Rig speaker simulation sends a miked-cabinet sound to the XLR, headphone and USB outputs, with or without a speaker connected.

Two Channels

Channel I takes its cue from mid-'60s American amps. It is very clean and bright, with a solid low end and controlled mids, and its tight, linear power stage makes it a good base for pedals. Channel II on the 6L6 models combines Blackstar's cascaded tube overdrive circuits with a British-style passive tone stack for rock tones. With Voice off, the power amp stays tight and fairly linear. Switching Voice on adds more saturation and sets the power amp to open loop, for the looser feel and heavy low end of a modern high-gain amp. The Bass, Middle and Treble knobs use dual-gang pots, so each channel gets its own EQ circuit tuned for its voicing.

Power Settings, Silent Recording and Cab Rig

A three-way switch runs the output stage at the full 50 W for stage use, at 2 W for practice, recording and small gigs, or in Sag mode, which adds power supply sag for a softer, more vintage response on hard attacks. Setting the Standby switch to 0 disconnects the speaker outputs and loads the power tubes with the internal reactive load, so the whole amp stays in the signal path while you record or play through headphones in silence. Cab Rig is Blackstar's DSP speaker, microphone and room simulator. A rear switch recalls three stored settings, and Blackstar's Architect software opens 23 cabinets plus a DI setting, six microphone models, room types and EQ for deeper editing.

Features

• 50 W tube amplifier with 2 x ECC83 and 2 x 6L6 tubes
• Two footswitchable channels, with a footswitchable Voice on Channel II
• Bass, Middle and Treble with a separate EQ circuit for each channel
• Digital reverb with level control
• 50 W, 2 W and Sag power settings
• Master volume for all outputs
• Internal reactive load for silent recording and practice with the Standby switch at 0
• Cab Rig DSP speaker simulation on the XLR D.I., stereo line out / headphone and USB outputs
• USB audio output that needs no drivers, also used to edit Cab Rig in Blackstar's Architect software
• Effects loop with a +4 dBu / -10 dBV level switch
• Universal power supply, 100 to 240 V, 50/60 Hz
• Illuminated Blackstar logo
• FS-20 2-way footswitch included

Specifications

• Power: 50 W RMS, switchable to 2 W, with Sag mode
• Tubes: 2 x ECC83, 2 x 6L6
• Channels: Channel I, Channel II with Voice
• Front panel: Input, Volume I, CH. II switch, Gain II, Voice switch, Volume II, Bass, Middle, Treble, Reverb, Power switch (50W / Sag / 2W), Master, Standby, Power
• Rear panel: Mains input, 1 x 16 ohm speaker output, 1 x 8 ohm or 2 x 16 ohm speaker outputs, XLR D.I. output, 1/4" TRS line out / phones, Cab Rig switch, effects loop send and return, effects loop level switch, footswitch, USB-B
• Effects loop level: +4 dBu or -10 dBV
• USB: USB-B audio output, no drivers required (cable not supplied)
• Mains input: 100 to 240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
• Finish: Black
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 402 x 222 x 214 mm (15.8 x 8.7 x 8.4 in)
• Weight: 6.7 kg (14.8 lbs)

In the Box

• Blackstar St. James 50 6L6H amplifier head
• FS-20 2-way footswitch
• Detachable mains power cord