Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3 100-watt Guitar Amplifier Pedal

The Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3 is a gig-worthy 100-watt guitar amp head that fits easily on your pedalboard. This floorboard amplifier faithfully re-creates the tone and feel of a traditional tube amp, with three distinct channels — with two selectable voices per channel — that range from high-headroom clean to uber-saturated distortion. There’s plenty of sound shaping onboard, including a 3-band EQ, Presence, and Blackstar’s trademark ISF control. Three distinctively different power amp responses ensure an authentic amp-like feel to match the AMPED 3’s killer tone. You also get a footswitchable Boost and Reverb, plus a high-quality effects loop, MIDI control, and 9V pedal power outputs. To top it off, this guitar amplifier pedal includes Blackstar’s next-gen Cab Rig DSP speaker simulation. Best of all, when you find a sound and setup you like, you can store your settings as an easily recallable patch. You can connect Dept. 10 AMPED 3 to an 8- or 16-ohm speaker cabinet, or route a studio-quality mic’d-cab tone straight to your DAW via USB-C.

Sonically flexible 100-watt guitar amplifier

At its heart, Dept. 10 AMPED 3 is a great-sounding 100-watt, 3-channel guitar amplifier jam-packed with sonic flexibility. The Clean channel’s two voices include Warm, which is a dynamic, high-headroom clean sound, and Bright, which is a boutique-style clean tone that breaks up when you push it. The Crunch channel’s two voices include Crunch, which is a medium-gain overdrive, and Super Crunch, which boasts more gain and punchiness than the Crunch option. The Overdrive channel’s two voices include OD 1, a hot-rodded Master Volume overdrive, and OD 2, a tight, aggressive overdrive tailor-made for modern metal. AMPED 3 also includes a bevy of Power Amp controls. The 3-way Response switch enables you to tailor the amp’s feel with EL84, EL34, and 6L6 characteristics. You also get a 3-way Power switch that selects between 100W, 20W, and 1W, allowing you to use AMPED 3 for large-scale gigs, at-home practice, and everything in between.

Loaded with gig-worthy features

You can do a lot with the Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3. Its variable, footswitchable Boost can be placed before or after the unit’s preamp, enabling you to use it for either more saturation (Pre) or more volume (Post). Its onboard Reverb adds dimension to your playing, while its Dark/Light switch allows you to dial in the character of the effect. Two 9V DC outputs make powering external pedals a cinch, plus you get a high-quality effects loop for integrating your pedalboard and rackmount gear. AMPED 3’s 8- and 16-ohm speaker outputs accommodate a wide range of cabinets. You also get MIDI I/O for sending and receiving MIDI CC messages — a must have for complex high-end rigs. And no matter what setup you create, you can store your settings as an easily recallable patch. The guitarists here at City Music are duly impressed by the AMPED 3’s robust feature set — it’s a terrific streamlined solution for lightweight fly gigs.

Next-generation Cab Rig speaker simulation

Rather than force you to lug an unwieldy cabinet around, Blackstar loaded the Dept. 10 AMPED 3 with top-notch speaker simulation. Dubbed Cab Rig, AMPED 3’s cab sim technology replicates the sound and feel of a mic’d guitar cab with exacting detail. While IR-based speaker simulations provide a realistic snapshot of a raging cab, they often possess inherent latency, as well as phase issues, when you mix more than one together. Cab Rig’s advanced speaker simulation algorithm re-creates a speaker, cabinet, mic, and room with zero latency or phase mismatches. You get your choice of cabs and microphones, both on- and off-axis, along with room characteristics, and absolute control over how much or little of this you blend in. And everything can be accessed using Blackstar’s powerful Architect software. To top it off, AMPED 3 enables you to route your mic’d-cab sound through a balanced mono XLR output, a stereo TRS headphones output, or through the unit’s built-in 4-in/2-out USB-C audio interface. A 3-way selector switch and Level knob offer even more flexibility.

Blackstar Dept. 10 AMPED 3 Guitar Amplifier Pedal Features:

• Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, ISF, and Master knobs give you ample sound-shaping options
• 3 channels (Clean, Crunch, and Overdrive) range from high-headroom clean to uber-saturated distortion
• 3-way Response switch tailors the feel of the power amp with EL84, EL34, and 6L6 characteristics
• 3-way Power switch selects between 100W, 20W, and 1W
• Footswitchable Boost can be positioned before or after the preamp
• Reverb with 2-way Dark/Light character switch
• Cab Rig speaker simulation re-creates a speaker, cabinet, mic, and room with zero latency or phase mismatches
• Architect software allows you to deep dive into Cab Rig’s features
• Balanced mono XLR output, stereo TRS headphones output, and built-in 4-in/2-out USB-C audio interface
• 3-way Cab Rig selector switch and Level knob offer even more flexibility
• 2 x 9V DC outputs allow powering external pedals up to a combined 500mA
• 8- and 16-ohm speaker cabinet outputs
• Effects loop for integrating your pedalboard and rackmount gear
• MIDI I/O for sending and receiving MIDI CC messages
• Settings can be stored as an easily recallable patch