Blackstar Series One 45 vs Suhr SL68 MkII 100-Watt

The Blackstar Series One 45 and the Suhr SL68 MkII 100-Watt are both amplifiers sharing transparent. The Blackstar Series One 45 leans crunchy and warm.

Similarity
citedBlended 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.

45% — somewhat different

Shared tone character
citedDerived from overlapping tonal signals across both listings.
  • transparent
Citation fame
citedCitation/mention fame — how often this gear is cited across artist rigs and gear discussion.
0%
17%
Price

$830.20via Reverb

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Description

The Blackstar Series One 45 is a 45-watt all-tube guitar amplifier available as both a head and a 2x12 combo. Multiple channels span clean warmth through crunch and high-gain saturation, all shaped by Blackstar's ISF tone control for American-to-British character adjustment. The DPR (Dynamic Power Reduction) system scales the output continuously from full 45 watts down to approximately 4.5 watts, allowing power amp distortion characteristics at manageable stage and studio volumes. The clean channel delivers wide EQ range suited to humbuckers and single-coils alike, with warm bass and generous midrange. Reviewers found it one of the most tonally complete all-in-one tube solutions in its power class.

The Suhr SL68 MKII is a 100-watt, hand-wired amp head sharing the same 3x12AX7 preamp tube complement, control layout (Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, dual Volume, FAT/BST/BRT switches), and OFF/HI/LOW power select switch as the SL67 MKII, but doubling the power tube count to 4xEL34 for twice the output. It's built for players wanting the same plexi-inspired British voicing at higher stage volume and headroom, suited to larger venues where the SL67's 50 watts would run out of clean headroom sooner.

Genres
citedGenres this gear is documented as being used in.
  • rock
  • alternative
  • metal
  • Hard Rock
Tonal lean
  • crunchy
  • warm
  • high gain
  • saturated
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Good for
citedOccasions this gear suits — judged per model, or derived from its wattage, connectivity and category.
  • Live
  • Studio
  • Live
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Blackstar Series One 45 vs Suhr SL68 MkII 100-Watt — Shared Character & Differences — NodeTone