The Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 is a Blackstar amplifier, currently around $223.01. Close alternatives include the Boss Katana Air and the Yamaha THR30II Wireless. It pairs well with the Fjord Fuzz Fjaer Spring Reverb and the Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII.
Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 is a 40-watt solid-state digital modeling combo amplifier with stereo SuperWide output through dual speakers. Part of Blackstar fourth-generation ID:Core practice amp series, it provides six amp voices spanning clean through high gain, a comprehensive built-in effects suite, and a USB recording interface. The SuperWide stereo circuit creates a broad, immersive soundfield from a single compact chassis, distinguishing the ID:Core series from conventional mono practice amps.
What stands out
“Part of Blackstar fourth-generation ID:Core practice amp series, it provides six amp voices spanning clean through high gain, a comprehensive built-in effects suite, and a USB recording interface”
— from the listing
“The SuperWide stereo effect is its most distinctive feature — it creates an ambient width that makes home practice feel”
— from the reviews
“The most cited criticism is that the digital character becomes audible at high gain settings, producing a compressed, processed quality compared to tube-driven saturation”
— from the community notes
“The ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 offers impressive feature breadth for a practice amp: six amp voices, an extensive effects suite, stereo SuperWide output, and USB recording in a lightweight package”
— from the reviews
“core stereo 40 v4 is a 40-watt solid-state digital modeling combo amplifier with stereo superwide output through dual speakers”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“core series from conventional mono practice amps”
— from the listing
- high gain
- practice
- digital
- usb
- stereo
- recording
- saturation
- solid state
Good for
- Practice
- Silent Recording
- Live
- Studio
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 is commonly used in
- Ambient
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4
Fjord Fuzz Fjaer Spring Reverb
Fjord Fuzz
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Feed a high gain signal into Fjord Fuzz Fjaer Spring Reverb and it comes out closer to lush
Goes in front of the amp
Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII
Sola Sound
16% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (low gain → fuzzy)
The low gain tone has headroom to spare — Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII leans it toward fuzzy to fill it in
Goes in front of the amp
Greer Tomahawk
Greer
16% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)
Greer Tomahawk takes that high gain character and pushes it toward tight
Goes in front of the amp
JHS Emperor
JHS Pedals
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. (high gain → modulated)
Keep Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4's high gain voice out front: JHS Emperor goes after Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Goes in front of the amp
Mooer EchoVerb
Mooer
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → ambient)
Keep Mooer EchoVerb in Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4's effects loop, clear of Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Meris Mercury7 Reverb
Meris
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
Keep Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4's high gain voice out front: Meris Mercury7 Reverb goes in Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4's effects loop so its ambient voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Warm Audio Pedal 76 Compressor
Warm Audio
9% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
What Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 brings here leans toward high gain — that's worth building a pairing around
Goes in front of the amp
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
MXR CAE Wah belongs in front of Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4, since a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar character
See all alternatives to the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4?+
The closest matches in character are the Boss Katana Air, the Yamaha THR30II Wireless, the Vox MVO Adio-Air-GT. Budget picks: Vox MVO Adio-Air-GT. Boutique upgrades: Boss Katana 100 MkIII.
What pairs well with the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Fjord Fuzz Fjaer Spring Reverb, Sola Sound Tone Bender MkII, Greer Tomahawk — Feed a high gain signal into Fjord Fuzz Fjaer Spring Reverb and it comes out closer to lush.
How much does the Blackstar ID:Core Stereo 40 V4 cost?+
Around $223.01 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).