7
6
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this Blackstar Series One amplifier. Like all our
products, this amp is the result of countless hours of painstaking Research and
Development by our world-class design team. Based in Northampton (UK), the
Blackstar team are all experienced musicians themselves and the sole aim of
the development process is to provide guitarists with products which are the
ultimate tools for self-expression.
All Blackstar products are subjected to extensive laboratory and road testing to
ensure that they are truly uncompromising in terms of reliability, quality and above
all TONE.
The S1-100’s highly flexible two channel, 4 mode design features the unique
Patented DPR (Dynamic Power Reduction) and Patented ISF (Infinite Shape
Feature) controls and although it has a comprehensive control set, it is still simple
and intuitive to use. Please read through this handbook carefully to ensure you get
the maximum benefit from your new Blackstar product.
If you like what you hear and want to find out more about the Blackstar range of
products please visit our website at www.blackstaramps.com.
Thanks!
The Blackstar Team
Features
The S1-100 sees the distillation of decades of guitar amplifier design experience
into the ultimate 100W valve head. Every control has been honed for maximum
sonic benefit through hundreds of hours of listening.
The S1-100 Clean Channel sets the precedent for no-compromise design, by
featuring Bright and Warm modes. Each mode actually reconfigures the pre-
amplifier voicing and power amplifier damping to reproduce either ringing Class A
performance in the Bright mode, or crunchy Class AB tones in the Warm setting.
Careful attention was paid to the levels of overdrive available when designing the
S1-100. Crunch mode covers the widest range of crunch gain levels possible from
just on the edge clean break-up, to crushing modern rhythm tones. Super Crunch
mode alters both gain levels and tonal shaping for maximum crunch flexibility.
The overdrive modes are characterised by a tone which is high in gain, but lacks
any of the detached top-end often found in many similar designs. This is a result of
unique preamplifier and power amplifier shaping techniques, which also benefit the
player in the way the overdrives clean up beautifully as the guitar volume is reduced.
Even at the most extreme settings, the overdrive channels remain natural sounding.
The Patented ISF control is unique to Blackstar Amplification and represents a
major step forward in tone shaping flexibility. The ISF control shifts the response of
the three control tone stack between at one end a US response and at the other,
a UK response. Importantly, an infinite number of alternative tone choices lie in
between that would be otherwise unavailable.
Completing the tonal feature set is another unique Patented Blackstar innovation
– the DPR (Dynamic Power Reduction) system. DPR reduces the power of the
output stage from full power (100W) down to 10% (10W) and any power output in
between. This means that the full tonal depth of the EL34 power amplifier can be
enjoyed at any volume, making the S1-100 ideal for recording, smaller gigs and
even home practice use. Working in conjunction with the power amplifier voltages,
this method of power reduction suffers none of the loss in tone of other power
reduction systems.
The tonal flexibility of the S1-100 is augmented by full MIDI implementation of the
main channel and mode switching functions. Used in conjunction with outboard gear
such as multi-effects units, MIDI allows a whole new level of creative performance
to be explored.
English
English
