Blackstar Artisan 30H Head vs Blackstar ST. James 100 Head
The Blackstar Artisan 30H Head and the Blackstar ST. James 100 Head are both amplifiers sharing glassy, bright, dynamic. The Blackstar Artisan 30H Head leans harmonically rich and full. The Blackstar ST. James 100 Head leans crunchy and tight. Current prices: $1722.65 vs $1744.78.
cited
Blended from circuit-archetype lineage, dynamic feel, tone-signal overlap and tone-vector distance — the tone vector itself is derived from editorial description text, not a measured acoustic signal, so this reflects how similarly the catalog copy describes the two, not a lab measurement. Shown only within a gear class, and only where there's enough evidence to be meaningful.74% — moderately similar
cited
Genres both listings are associated with.- Classic Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Jazz
- Rock
- Blues
cited
Derived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.- glassy
- bright
- dynamic
- transparent
Blackstar Artisan 30H Head
Blackstar · amplifier
Blackstar ST. James 100 Head
Blackstar · amplifier
cited
Citation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.$1722.65via Reverb
$1744.78via Reverb
The Blackstar Artisan 30H is a 30-watt handwired all-tube guitar amplifier head built on the same point-to-point construction platform as the Artisan 15H, featuring two independent channels: an EF86 pentode-based channel for dynamic, harmonically rich voicing and an ECC83 triode-based channel for traditional British clarity. A 5-way Bass Shape switch and Voice control expand tonal flexibility beyond what the two-channel layout suggests. The EL84 power section is switchable between 30-watt pentode mode for full stage dynamics and 10-watt triode mode for compressed, saturated studio tones at lower volumes. Reviewers describe its sonic character as occupying the space between a Vox AC30 and a Marshall Plexi, delivering bell-like harmonics and ringing treble in pentode mode.
The Blackstar St. James 100 is a two-channel EL34-powered tube guitar amplifier head combining American-voiced clean tones with British-voiced overdrive, designed as a lightweight handcrafted valve head with features including a sag control, effects loop, and reverb. Channel 1 delivers big, open clean tone with clear black-panel-influenced headroom; Channel 2 produces British crunch that leans toward Vox chime and articulation rather than Marshall darkness, making it unsuitable for saturated high gain but excellent for chimey, cutting rock and blues. Reviewers describe the EL34 version as combining world-class British crunch with US-sounding clean tones in a design notably lighter than comparable valve heads.
cited
Genres this gear is documented as being used in.- Funk
- harmonically rich
- full
- crunchy
- tight
- saturated
cited
Occasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.- Live
- Studio
- Worship
- Live