Blackstar St James JJN 50 Jared James Nichols Signature Guitar Amplifier 50w Head Amp

Product Information

Introducing the JJN 50.

Jared James Nichols has built a reputation as one of the most talented players in the world today; a true player’s player. Jared has been a Blackstar Artist for 14 years and we’ve been honoured to work with him on his second signature model with us, the JJN 50. As Jared’s career has grown, so has the size of the stages he plays and it has come to a time where his amplifier is also in need of growth. We worked closely with Jared to develop his new signature model and we’re extremely proud to reveal the JJN 50. This amp has been road-tested on tour around the UK and Europe and tweaked to perfection, to deliver Jared’s awesome BLUES POWER tones.

The 60 Second Story

• Based on the St. James 50 EL34 with an extended topend frequency range
• Low-to-mid gain pedal platform with a Blues Power boost circuit to unleash Jared’s signature growl.
• Includes CabRig, our next-gen IR based cabinet simulator which comes pre-loaded with 3x of Jared’s personal patches.
• Built in reactive load.
• Power reduction switch with 50 Watt, SAG and 2 Watt options.
  
• Pro connectivity and integration into your setup using low latency USB audio as a valve interface for recording, and XLR D.I. for live use.
• Covered in Jared’s iconic Racing Green livery and biscuit fret.

Why?

Jared has been playing a St. James 50 EL34H livesince its launch (alongside his JJN 20) and his new signature amp is based on that platform. Working closely with him we’ve opened up more of the top end of the amp to allow a wider spectrum of frequencies through. This is perfect for his fingerstyle playing, as it allows the notes to pop and snap off his fingers more percussively. We’ve also added a unique BLUES POWER circuit which really kicks the amp into overdrive with rich harmonics and overtones. 

Top 3 Call-outs

• Based on the St. James 50 EL34H, we’ve opened up more of the top end of the amp to allow a wider spectrum of frequencies through, to compliment Jared’s playing style.
• Unique BLUES POWER circuit which really kicks the amp into overdrive with rich harmonics and overtones.
• Lightest 50 Watt valve amps in the world.

A Message from Jared…

“I first plugged in to a Blackstar amp in 2010. I remember the feeling it gave me, I LOVED IT. When I first chased my dream of forming my band and making original music, it started with a Les Paul and a Blackstar. Now 14 years later, that combination remains the same. Simply put, I have developed and found my entire sonic sound with Blackstar. In 2019, I was blessed to release my first signature model, the JJN 20. I couldn’t have been more happy. But as time went on and my career continued to grow, so did my needs in an amplifier. So here we are… the JJN 50H, an absolute beast of an amp. Packing all of the power, tone, versatility, and inspiration I could ever ask for, this one can genuinely do it all. I proudly worked closely with the engineers on every single facet of this amp; we put our heart and soul into it. I am absolutely blown away by the final product and I think you will be too. I hope you harness the musical freedom and passion in this amplifier. Although it is a signature model, rest assured, it was designed with the intention to speak to you, empower you, and inspire YOU on your musical journey. Much love & BLUES POWER!”

Inside Information:

• Our universal power supply, is lightweight and can be used anywhere in the world from 100-240VAC 50/60Hz.
• The built-in reactive load and pro connections makes the JJN 50 perfect for silent stages.
• Completely separate EQ circuits are used for each channel. This is achieved by switching dual-ganged potentiometers, which means there is no compromise in tone between the two channels even with the shared EQ controls.
• The Sag setting generates more power supply ‘sag’ to accentuate the all-important amp compression, the ‘feel’ is softer and more ‘vintage’.
• CabRig overcomes the shortcomings of IR ‘snapshots’ and uses state of the art digital processing to reproduce the sound and feel of a mic’d up guitar cab in incredible detail. Over 250 mic and cab combinations can be saved into one of the three onboard slots. Each cab has a choice of mic type and axis, alongside room mics and master EQ. Connect to the free Architect software for more deep-dive options.
• Candlenut plywood is used for strength and lightness. Its beneficial acoustic properties, create a roadworthy cabinet that sounds great and won’t let you down.
• The St. James illuminated logo is inspired by our original Artisan amps.

CabRig IR-based speaker simulator technology

The JJN 50 comes pre-loaded with 3 custom CabRig patches that we have developed with Jared. These are ‘JJN Classic Muscle’, ‘JJN Modern Grit’ and ‘JJN Nashville Basement’. CabRig is our next-generation IR based DSP speaker simulator that reproduces the sound and feel of a mic’d up guitar cab in incredible detail. CabRig’s advanced algorithm can simulate a speaker cabinet and room with effectively zero latency, no phase mismatch and much more flexibility than an IR snapshot. Deepdive using the accompanying software to capture the incredible tones via USB / XLR out or headphones. software to capture the incredible tones via USB / XLR out or headphones.

Pro connectivity

With more musicians recording at home St. James is perfect for the way we play today with USB audio connectivity for pro-recording and an XLR D.I. for professional live use, both using the built-in inductive load and CabRig speaker simulation.