Blackstar Studio 10 KT88 1×12 inch 10 watt Valve Combo Amp

Flexing a muscular KT-88 in the engine room and an ECC83/12AX7 duo in its preamp stage, the Blackstar Studio 10 KT-88 is the emerald crown jewel in Blackstar’s trio of Studio 10 guitar combo amps — each one based on a different classic output tube but all fitted with a 12-inch Celestion 70/80 speaker. In many ways, the Studio 10 KT-88 is the standout of the series. This single-ended valve design is built around the vaunted KT-88 output tube, and the only one to feature Blackstar’s acclaimed ISF circuit instead of a traditional single tone control. This makes for an amazingly versatile little recording amp. Delightfully refreshing cosmetics, featuring heavily textured teal vinyl cladding and a charcoal grillecloth with gold piping, have charmed guitarists and engineers at City Music almost as much as the Studio 10 KT-88’s sonic prowess in the studio.

Blackstar’s ISF circuit

Superstar tone chasers like Clapton and Page famously exploited easily overdriven small amps for recording; and of course, these mighty mites are increasingly popular today. Blackstar takes the concept to the extreme with the Studio 10 KT-88, adding their patented ISF circuit for a mind-bending array of tonal choices. ISF, which is featured on many of the company’s most popular models, lets you morph between a classic “American” 6L6-type midrange response with the control fully counter-clockwise, and a throaty, upper-mid-focused EL34-inspired “British” character when dimed, and progressively blends between them throughout the pot’s throw. Whether you’re rocking hot humbuckers or vintage-voiced single-coils, the tonal dexterity of the ISF circuit — especially when used in conjunction with the amp’s Gain knob, Overdrive switch, and Master Volume pot — delivers a bounteous smorgasbord of tone from clean to mean, and everything in between.

Versatile gain settings

The hallmarks of the big-bottle KT-88 sound make themselves heard the moment you plug in your guitar and crank up this amp. Extended frequency range with focused low end and full midrange, along with robust headroom make the Studio 10 KT-88 ideal for crisp, dynamic, modern cleans and a range of crunchy grind, depending on where you have the gain set. The Gain pot controls how hard the preamp tubes are driven. Next to it is an Overdrive button that adds even more boost, driving the front hard for tight, super-saturated high-gain leads. The OD is footswitchable, and a 1-button footswitch is supplied. Using these controls in combination with ISF yields an impressively flexible range of clean-to-distorted tones that will accommodate most any electric guitar track you’re likely to lay down.

Digital Reverb, FX loop, and more

The Studio 10 KT-88’s onboard digital reverb sounds great and the partially open-back cabinet, with its 12-inch Celestion 70/80 speaker, delivers a big, expansive sound; but to maximize the amp’s ten watts and flesh out the low end, Blackstar has provided options for connecting alternative cabs. You also have a speaker-emulated headphone/recording output that comes in handy when late-night inspiration strikes. Of course, Blackstar included a series effects loop, complete with a +4/-10dB switch. As mentioned earlier, the amp ships with Blackstar’s FS-4S single-button footswitch, but if you want toe-tap control over both Overdrive and Reverb, we’d recommend going for the optional FS-8 two-button unit.

Blackstar Studio 10 KT-88 1×12″ 10-watt Tube Combo Amp Features:

• 1-channel all-tube 1×12″ guitar combo amplifier with ISA circuit and digital reverb
• 12-inch Celestion 70/80 speaker
• Preamp tubes: 1 x ECC83/12AX7; Output tube: 1 x KT-88
• Top-panel features: Input jack, Gain, OD, ISF, Reverb, Master, Standby, Power switch
• Speaker-emulated Output (post power amp)
• Series FX loop with +4/-10dB effects level switch
• 3 Speaker Outputs: 1 x 16 ohm, 1 x 8 ohm and 2 x 16 ohm
• Blackstar FS-4S 1-button footswitch included for activating OD
• Optional FS-8 2-button FS available