The Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo is a Blackstar amplifier. Close alternatives include the Friedman Dirty Shirley and the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Head. It pairs well with the Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31 and the Catalinbread Formula 5F6.
Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo is a 50-watt all-tube guitar combo amplifier powered by 6L6 output tubes, weighing only 28 pounds — unusually light for an all-tube 50-watt design. Two channels cover a high-headroom American-voiced clean with warm, breathy low-end and a high-gain overdrive channel featuring Blackstar's most aggressive gain circuit at time of release. A voice switch on the overdrive channel reshapes midrange from full-throated vocal lead tone to a scooped rhythm voice with extra high-end extension. Power scaling switches between 50W, 2W, and a SAG mode that changes compression characteristics to respond more like a vintage amp. The St. James targets gigging players who need real tube tone without sacrificing portability.
- american
- compression
- scooped
- clean
- rhythm
- sag
- bass
- mid
Good for
- Live
- Studio
Genres the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo is commonly used in
- Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Country
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo
Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31
Tone City
26% matchStack Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31 on top and a scooped tone tightens toward mid-forward
Catalinbread Formula 5F6
Catalinbread
23% matchCatalinbread Formula 5F6 pushes a scooped tone toward mid-forward
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
23% matchBrowne Amplification Gritador pushes a scooped tone toward mid-forward
Maestro Orbit
Maestro
15% matchKeep Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo's compressed voice out front: Maestro Orbit goes after Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo in the signal chain so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro
Pigtronix
12% matchWhat Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro brings here leans toward sustaining — that's worth building a pairing around
Boss RE-202 Space Echo
Boss
8% matchKeep Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo's compressed voice out front: Boss RE-202 Space Echo goes in Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo's effects loop so its pristine voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
7% matchKeep Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo's compressed voice out front: MXR Analog Delay goes in Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo's effects loop so its ambient voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Mad Professor Mad-Eou
Mad Professor
tonal matchBlackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo leans into Fender-style amps, precisely the platform Mad Professor Mad-Eou wants
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Friedman Dirty Shirley
Friedman
62% similarityShared character: response, warm, vintage_charm
Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Head
Blackstar
99% similaritysimilar tone character
3rd Power DRGN-100
3rd Power
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar ST. James 100 Head
Blackstar
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar CV30
Blackstar
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Orange TH30
Orange
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Orange OR30 Head
Orange
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Marshall Bluesbreaker
Marshall
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar Artisan 30 212 Combo 30W/2x12Zoll Class A
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Ceriatone Chupacabra 50
Ceriatone
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar TV-10
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
3rd Power Dragon 45 112 Combo
3rd Power
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo?+
The closest matches in character are the Friedman Dirty Shirley, the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Head, the 3rd Power DRGN-100.
What pairs well with the Blackstar St. James 50 6L6 Combo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31, Catalinbread Formula 5F6, Browne Amplification Gritador — Stack Tone City Model B Distortion TC-T31 on top and a scooped tone tightens toward mid-forward.