The Blackstar 700H is a Blackstar amplifier. It pairs well with the Friedman BE-OD and the Catalinbread SFT.
Blackstar 700H
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar Unity Elite 700H is a 700-watt solid-state bass amplifier head designed for professional live performance. Despite its power output it weighs just over 9 pounds, making it highly portable for a high-powered bass head. Three preamp voicings — Classic, Modern, and Flat — cover vintage warmth through clean high-headroom transparency. A Response control selects between Linear, 6L6, and 6550 power amp character simulations to shape the feel and transient response. Onboard footswitchable overdrive, distortion, and fuzz alongside chorus, compressor, and octaver effects make it a self-contained stage bass rig.
What stands out
“The built-in fuzz, distortion, and overdrive circuits are aggressive and usable”
— from the reviews
“The built-in overdrive, distortion, and fuzz options are genuinely useful in live settings,”
— from the community notes
“The Response control — simulating 6L6 versus 6550 power amp characteristics — subtly changes the feel and compression of the low end, a genuinely musical feature beyond pure voicing switches”
— from the reviews
“Three preamp voicings — Classic, Modern, and Flat — cover vintage warmth through clean high-headroom transparency”
— from the listing
“The Blackstar Unity Elite 700H delivers headroom to spare for live bass performance, with the three preamp voicings providing meaningfully different tonal characters”
— from the reviews
- fuzz
- distortion
- response
- bass
- meaningfully different tonal characters
- articulation
- transient response
Good for
- Live
Genres the Blackstar 700H is commonly used in
- Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Acoustic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Gospel
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar 700H
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman
20% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (fuzzy → clean boost)
Friedman BE-OD's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Blackstar 700H delivers it
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
19% matchInto Blackstar 700H, Catalinbread SFT is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Goes in front of the amp
Death By Audio Octave Clang
Death By Audio
19% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Death By Audio Octave Clang stacks octave on top of the fuzzy already here
Goes in front of the amp
Cordovox PH-8
Cordovox
14% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Keep Blackstar 700H's fuzzy voice out front: Cordovox PH-8 goes after Blackstar 700H in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Goes in front of the amp
Pigtronix Echolution
Pigtronix
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Put Pigtronix Echolution in Blackstar 700H's effects loop, clear of Blackstar 700H's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Crazy Tube Circuits Echotopia
Crazy Tube Circuits
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → modulated)
Crazy Tube Circuits Echotopia's analog warmth voice goes in Blackstar 700H's effects loop — it's not there to compete with Blackstar 700H's own fuzzy character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Pigtronix Philosophers Tone Optical Compressor
Pigtronix
6% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (fuzzy → octave)
Blackstar 700H leans toward fuzzy, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Laney TI-Boost
Laney
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Blackstar 700H leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Laney TI-Boost wants
Questions people ask
What pairs well with the Blackstar 700H?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman BE-OD, Catalinbread SFT, Death By Audio Octave Clang — Friedman BE-OD's own voicing points at a clean amp's front end, and Blackstar 700H delivers it.