The clincher here is surely the Debut 50R’s asking price. For under $250, all this can be yours, making Blackstar’s new runner practically a dead cert in the race to become this year’s best-selling small combo.
Pros
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Very affordable first amp for budding band members.
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Quality clean and overdrive channels.
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Brilliant pedal platform.
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Excellent reverbs.
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Impressive price.
Cons
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Hard to fault at this price.
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But... high-gain metal sounds lose some dynamic range.
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And the reverb tails could do with being a little longer.
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The Northampton-based guitar 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.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
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.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
Reverb comes courtesy of another custom Blackstar design, with a choice of Hall or Plate models, and there’s an output level button, which lowers the Debut’s output power from 50 watts down to a more manageable five watts for home use.
Other rear-panel features include a series effects loop, a speaker-emulated line out for recording, which also doubles as a headphones socket, and a line-in for backing tracks. There’s also a slot for a Kensington security lock, which makes the Debut 50R ideal for public areas such as unmanaged rehearsal studios. Overall, this combo is typical Blackstar: good-looking, compact and easy to carry.
Feel & Sounds
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
Based on Blackstar’s HT-20 MkII, the Clean channel has plenty of headroom, making it an ideal partner for pedals. The Bright switch subtly lifts high frequencies, adding sparkle to single coils and a little extra snap to warm humbuckers. With the ISF control, you can change this channel’s tonal centre to approximate classic American and British cleans for added authenticity when you’re emulating a particular sound.
Add a Strat and some delay and you can go from Hank Marvin to The Edge, while humbuckers can be coaxed into a jazz-approved growly warmth at moderate volume, as well as getting that classic butter-sweet funk rhythm tone from the neck and bridge together.
The Overdrive channel is based on the award-winning St James 6L6 amp and is equally rewarding to play, with dynamic Tweed-influenced blues and classic rock tones that respond naturally to how hard you hit the strings. All these sounds live in the first quarter of the Gain knob’s travel, from which you can deduce there’s tons of drive and distortion available to handle any genre up to modern metal.
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
Careful preamp design that mimics valve circuit behaviour and the powerful ISF-enhanced EQ make it easy to dial in practically any overdrive tone you want, while the reverb sweetens the decay for stadium-like sounds at bedroom volume levels. There’s a choice of Hall or Plate models and it’s just down to personal taste which you prefer: the Hall is slightly warmer and darker, while the Plate has more high-frequency emphasis.
Another less obvious benefit is the headphones/line out socket, which is stereo and speaker-emulated, so you not only hear a great sound for practice but you can plug into a console and record it as well. Prod the output level switch and the Debut 50R’s full 50 watts of Class D power is unleashed, with plenty of volume from the custom 12-inch loudspeaker to handle most smaller gigs without using the line out.
Verdict
In the real world where most of us live, it’s not always practical – or possible – to justify spending huge sums of money on high-end guitar amplification, but that shouldn’t mean losing out on great tone and the enjoyment of playing guitar. With its new Debut 50R, Blackstar has elevated the humble practice amp into a seriously good and very giggable combo.
We love its plug-in-and-go simplicity; with no presets to tweak or patches to save, what you see is essentially what you get and it only takes a few seconds to dial in. Add the reliability and consistency of the solid-state format, plus the sub-10kg payload and you should already be interested.
Specs
(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)
PRICE: $249/£209
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Analogue solid-state preamp/Class D power amp
OUTPUT: 50W RMS into 4ohms, switchable to 5W
DIMENSIONS: 460mm (w) x 205mm (d) x 375mm (h)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 8.9/19.5
CABINET: Particle board
LOUDSPEAKER: 1x12 Blackstar custom design
CHANNELS: 2, with footswitchable overdrive and reverb
Nick Guppy was Guitarist magazine's amp guru for over 20 years. He built his first valve amplifier at the age of 12 and bought, sold and restored many more, with a particular interest in Vox, Selmer, Orange and tweed-era Fenders, alongside Riveras and Mark Series Boogies. When wielding a guitar instead of soldering iron, he enjoyed a diverse musical career playing all over the UK, including occasional stints with theatre groups, orchestras and big bands as well as power trios and tributes. He passed away suddenly in April 2024, leaving a legacy of amplifier wisdom behind him.
