The Blackstar Artisan 100 is a Blackstar amplifier, currently around $2132.49. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Carr Mercury V. It pairs well with the Browne Amplification Gritador and the Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp.
Blackstar Artisan 100
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar Artisan 100 is a 100-watt two-channel hand-wired all-tube guitar amplifier head built to point-to-point turret board standards with a seam-welded steel chassis and finger-jointed birch-ply cabinet, representing Blackstar highest standard of boutique craftsmanship. Channel 1 is voiced as a ready-jumpered Plexi delivering perfectly balanced clean tones that are neither too shrill nor too fat, while Channel 2 provides crunchy British-voiced overdrive. A Voice control simultaneously adjusts preamplifier voicing and power amplifier damping, tracing the evolution of amplifier tone from early American designs through 1960s and 1970s British voicings. Large transformers provide substantial headroom for players who need stage volume.
What stands out
“Channel 1 is voiced as a ready-jumpered Plexi delivering perfectly balanced clean tones that are neither too shrill , while Channel 2 provides crunchy British-voiced overdrive”
— from the listing
“Large transformers provide substantial headroom for players who need stage volume”
— from the listing
“Channel 2 British crunch delivers classic 100-watt British amp character with genuine authority at stage volume”
— from the reviews
“tracing the evolution of amplifier tone from early american designs through 1960s and 1970s british voicings”
— from the listing
“The hand-wired point-to-point construction and large transformers are the most praised quality, contributing dynamic response and detail that PCB-based alternatives cannot match”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“and headphone sockets reflects the purist design philosophy that defines the artisan series”
— from the community notes
- british
- headroom
- balanced
- transformer
- crunch
- stage
- american
- amplifier tone
Good for
- Live
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Blackstar Artisan 100 is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Blues
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar Artisan 100
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
26% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Browne Amplification Gritador takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
25% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread RAH
Catalinbread
24% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Catalinbread RAH pushes a crunchy tone toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
Origin Effects
12% matchInto Blackstar Artisan 100, Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps
Goes in front of the amp
W-LM Compression Fracture
W-LM
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
What W-LM Compression Fracture brings here leans toward compressed — that's worth building a pairing around
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
Catalinbread
10% matchInto Blackstar Artisan 100, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Electro-Harmonix Canyon
Electro-Harmonix
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.
Put Electro-Harmonix Canyon in Blackstar Artisan 100's effects loop, clear of Blackstar Artisan 100's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
J. Rockett The Dude V2
J Rockett
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Into Blackstar Artisan 100, J. Rockett The Dude V2 is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Cheaper alternatives
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Blackstar ST. James 100 Head
Blackstar
50% similarityShared character: channel 2, effects loop, headroom
Bad Cat BC-50 Head
Bad Cat
47% similarityShared character: stage volumes, blues players, internal transformer
Mesa Boogie Lone Star Head
amplifier
44% similarityShared character: crunch, classic rock, clean
Boutique & premium upgrades
PRS HX 100 Head
PRS
45% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, crunch
3rd Power Kitchen Sink 6VEL
3rd Power
44% similarityShared character: crunch, classic rock, clean
Hiwatt Park P50 Handwired 50W
Hiwatt
44% similarityShared character: headroom, stage
3rd Power DRGN-100
3rd Power
92% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar character
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Carr Mercury V
Carr
56% similarityShared character: stage volumes, crunch, classic rock
PRS Dallas 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
55% similarityShared character: headroom, alternative, classic rock
Two-Rock TRCR100HD 100W Classic Reverb Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
53% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, crunch
Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt
Marshall
52% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, crunch
Rivera Bonehead
Rivera
47% similarityShared character: headroom, crunch, classic rock
See all alternatives to the Blackstar Artisan 100 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar Artisan 100?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Carr Mercury V, the PRS Dallas 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head. Budget picks: Friedman IR-D, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, Soldano SLO. Boutique upgrades: PRS HX 100 Head, 3rd Power Kitchen Sink 6VEL, Hiwatt Park P50 Handwired 50W.
What pairs well with the Blackstar Artisan 100?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Browne Amplification Gritador, Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp, Catalinbread RAH — Browne Amplification Gritador takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward.
How much does the Blackstar Artisan 100 cost?+
Around $2132.49 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).