Blackstar Amplification is a British company founded in 2007 by four guys who previously worked for Marshall. The brand quickly made a mark in the guitar industry with its outstanding tube amplifiers featuring signature topology and controls.
In 2011, Blackstar ventured into the world of digital modelling with its ID:Series amplifiers. Since then, Blackstar has released more amp/cab simulators, the newest of which is the tiny Beam Solo – a guitar headphone amp.
It’s ridiculous how small these plug-in guitar gadgets are becoming. Beam Solo has roughly the dimensions of a credit card and is probably thinner and lighter than your wallet. The fold-out 3.5mm TS connector plugs directly into your electric guitar. Note: the single-hinged design of the TS jack means Beam Solo sits ergonomically in a Strat (where the angle socket on the body allows the controls to face you while playing) but less so on a Les Paul-style guitar where the socket is on the bottom.
SOLO ACT
While Beam Solo’s full potential is unlocked with the Blackstar BEAM app, I am impressed by how much control the physical unit offers. The side buttons and detented ‘SpeedDial’ (which cleverly resembles a speaker cone) scroll through patches, adjust gain, EQ, effects, and volume. A tuner can be accessed by pressing and holding the Volume button, the FX button doubles as a Tap Tempo, and a long press of the Patch button will save a patch. A white ‘Light Beam’ that runs the length of the unit offers a visual display of parameter adjustments. Beam Solo supports wired headphones only with its 3.5mm output, which in my experience had enough power to drive low impedance cans to a decent level. Unfortunately, Bluetooth functionality is limited to audio input and app control.
The full gamut of low to high gain tones are locked and loaded in Beam Solo. I found the stock Super Clean preset to have a lovely balance of warm tube-like lows and glistening highs. Dialling up the Gain introduces a gentle break-up with much the same character I’d expect from my Blackstar HT-1R tube amp. Higher gain tones are equally pleasing. There’s something about Blackstar’s distortion sound that scratches an itch for me – it’s both gritty and smooth, harmonically complex yet tight and punchy.
Setting up the Blackstar BEAM app is a piece of cake. Simply install the app from Google Play or the App Store, fire it up, switch on Beam Solo, and the two will discover each other. The app prompted a firmware update upon first launch which took around three minutes.
GOT YOU BEAMING
Visually, the BEAM app is a delight – both easy to navigate and easy on the eye. Signal chain segments appear along the bottom as Pre-FX, Amp, Post-FX, and CabRig. Pre-FX and Post-FX segments are broken down into pedal types, eg. Gates, Filter/Comps and Drive/Fuzz for Pre-FX; Mod, Delay and Reverb for Post-FX.
NEED TO KNOW
Blackstar Beam Solo
Guitar Headphone Amplifier
For the most part, the DSP offering is fantastic. ‘In The Room’ is a special feature in the CabRig section that creates a more immersive, real-life playing experience through headphones that’s actually quite convincing and takes the edge off a direct closed-mic’d sound.
Pre-FX processors are all well-designed and sound fantastic. The Compressor is beautiful on clean tones, and there’s a long list of Drive/Fuzz options to play with. Effects world is fun too. The Chorus and Opto Trem were highlights for me, along with the Analogue Delay. I would’ve loved to see a modulated ambient reverb option but the five included models (Chamber, Hall, Plate, Spring, Cathedral) take care of most bases.
The app is a gift that keeps on giving. In addition to a metronome, I was pleased to discover the Music section which offers a range of backing tracks to jam along to. Set the Bluetooth audio output of your phone to the Beam Solo to hear a mix of the backing tracks and guitar patch through your headphones. What’s more, you can record your musical sketches into the app itself when your phone is connected to Beam Solo with a USB-C cable.
With Beam Solo, Blackstar has embraced and built upon the concept of a mini guitar headphone amplifier where it’s all about breaking down barriers for guitarists to access and enjoy their instrument anywhere, anytime. Some will dismiss a product like Beam Solo as gimmicky and toy-ish. Having spent a number of hours with Beam Solo, I can assure you it deserves consideration. From your sofa to a green room to the backseat of a car, Beam Solo beckons you into your own little bubble where you can practise, experiment, jam to backing tracks, and even record, all without undermining tone or playability.
Beam Solo beckons you into your own little bubble where you can practise, experiment, jam to backing tracks, and even record
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