Blackstar S1-1046L6 Guitar Amplifier Head (100 Watts)

With 4 channels -- including clean, crunch, and two high-gain overdrive channels -- this 6L6-powered Blackstar head produces monstrous American-voiced sound.

Overall User Ratings (based on 2 ratings)
  • Overall:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(2) (see rating details)
Submitted December 14, 2014 by Josua Castro in Philadelphia, PA

"Amazing"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Best amp in the market.
Sound
The sound if this unit is amazing. From crunchy vintage sounds, to high gain metal distortion. This amp does it all, specially with the ISF that.can give you tue sound of a marshall to a 5150 to an Orange to even fender crunch. Its the most versatile amp I've ever used and will not change it at all for anything. The only thing I'd criticize is the clean channel. Its not bad per se but after getting such a powerful distortion sound I was expecting to have the brightness of a Vox/Roland mix just like its sister amp the HT60. Needless to say the break up of its OD channels definitely makes up for it. Also I highly recommend to get a Noise Suppressor in order to tame this monster.
Features
The emulated output is what sold me to this amp as well as the DPK which changes the power from 100w to 10w. Works great changing the power and wattage. Honestly I never have it past 60watts and I'm quite content with the tone it gives, its nice to know I can move from full stacks or 2x12 in one amp. The emulated output also works phenomenal specially for live settings in which I can connect to the mixing board straight through. However my only issue is that compared to its other models the ISF doesn't respond and isn't sensitive like the HT series, its still great and works as it should but unlike the HT sometimes you have to significantly have to crank up the knob to get the desire British or American sound.
Ease of Use
Pretty straight forward knobs. The master section can get a little tricky with its resonance controls but after 5 minutes of dialing things in I had no problem.
Quality
I was lucky you find one of the first models that were handwired in Korea. Its pretty sturdy and seems like the main body can take a beating. However the foot switch is by far the worst. The input section from it broke after three shows and finding a replacement foe them seems to be a pain, highly recommended getting an after market one. Also the rubber feet from underneath the amp came off right away, probably will invest in a flght case later on.
Value
By far the most bang for your buck for that boutique dist sound. Definitely worth the money despite its minor flaws.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't really contacted Korg (they run Blackstar in America) yet but their forum is often regulated and seen by their techs so even the simplest questions can be answered online right away.
The Wow Factor
The sound, the features and how light it is relatively to its counterparts (Marshall, Peavey etc)
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Submitted May 12, 2012 by Charles W in Tampa, FL

"Blackstar Series One 100 watt 6L6"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Awesome Amp. This is a top notch tube amp.Overall - 5/5Features - 4.5/5: Only because it would be even better if it had reverb, or other effects built in.Quality - very well built, definitely as sturdy and road worthy as RectifiersManufacturer's Support - haven't had to yet.Sound - so much freedom, 4 different channels, anything from Bruce Springsteen to Van Halen to ABR and Haste the Day. You can basically dial in whatever you want. I have mine paired with a Mesa 412 and mostly play my Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 through it, and I could do country, metalcore, even church worship music. And the DPR is cool. It gives you more sound tweaking options. Though truly with the master volume you can still run the amp at the full 100 watts at bedroom volume. The difference in gain is subtle. Needless to say it is a cool feature. And I was skeptical at first about the ISF, but it really does give the nuances between more american or more british flavored sound, or inbetween.Ease of Use - very straight forward. One input, a simple footswitch with a LONG cord to change between channels. There is also midi input capability, but I haven't tried that out as I don't have a midi effects processor.Value - I bought a blemish one at a discount, and it sounds a amazing and its as solid as if it were brand new. It had only one small nick in the tolex that was easily hidden and I didn't even notice it until after a few days.The Wow Factor - Ridiculous! I'm still impressed with this amp every time I crank it. I'm so glad I went for this instead of a Rectifier. It has something different to offer and it's definitely on an equal quality level. The Blackstar has gain to spare compared to the Rectifier. As to zZounds, great buying experience. I called and placed the order and they were helpful and answered all my questioned. And they definitely had the best deal on a blemished item of everywhere I checked and I spent much time researching amps, as well as merchants.

Musical Background:

10 years - intermediate experience - Guitar and Bass, play in a church worship band, and jam at home.

Musical Style:

Mostly Christian Metalcore and Worship, though I do enjoy some hip hop flavored stuff.
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