BLACKSTAR DEBUT 50R
Blackstar takes a break from floorboard amps and effects and expands its affordable practice amp range for gigging guitarists
Over the past few months we’ve seen some truly revolutionary products from Blackstar, including the ultra-lightweight all-valve St James range and the Amped 1 and 2 compact pedalboard amplifiers. The Northamptonbased amp builder’s constantly evolving product catalogue caters for all guitarists, from beginner to touring professional, and while recent releases have focused on more experienced players, Blackstar pays just as much attention to players at the beginning of their journeys with the superb Debut 10 and Debut 15 amplifiers.
For those ready to move up from a home practice amp to their first gig-worthy amp that won’t break the bank, there’s an exciting new addition to the range that we’re taking a look at here: the Debut 50R 1x12 combo. Like all Blackstar products, the new amp benefits from smart, modern styling that wouldn’t look out of place in any stage or studio environment. Two different colours extend the Debut 50’s appeal, with a choice of black vinyl and basket-weave grille, or this very cool cream and oxblood version, which has plenty of lounge ‐friendly vintage appeal.
The Debut 50’s custom-design 12-inch loudspeaker sits on a ported baffle, which helps project bass and low midrange, while the electronics sit inside a steel tray chassis, which also forms the top and rear control panels. Neatly laid out circuit boards and minimal wiring give off an impression of solid reliability, typical of all Blackstar products we’ve seen, and this amp benefits from a universal mains input, so it can’t be accidentally plugged into the wrong voltage.
There are two footswitchable channels for clean and overdrive, with a single volume control for the Clean channel aided by a push-button Bright switch. The Overdrive channel controls include gain, volume and a shared three-band EQ enhanced by Blackstar’s patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature), which continuously varies the tone network between classic USA and classic British for a wide variety of subtle tone effects. The preamp uses discrete MOSFET (metal oxide semiconducting field effect) transistors arranged in a similar way to classic valve amp designs, for authentic valve-like distortion sounds, while the Class D power amplifier adds the benefit of easy portability. This carries over to the loudspeaker, which borrows technology from Blackstar’s exclusive Celestion Zephyr design for light weight yet plenty of power handling.
Blackstar has elevated the humble practice amp into a seriously
