Blackstar unveils 3 affordable, record-ready ID:Core V2 guitar amps
Enhanced voices, new effects and free PreSonus Studio One software included
Blackstar's ID:Core amps ripped up the budget-amp rulebook, offering great tones and immersive effects - as our reviews attest - but now, with other manufacturers yapping at their heels, the company has revamped the line with enhanced voices, new effects and bundled software.
The V2 line includes the ID:Core 10, 20 and 40, which now boast six enhanced voices from clean to high-gain, making them "the best-sounding guitar amps in their class", according to Blackstar.
Also new are the envelope filter from the ID:Core BEAM, a combined chorus/flange effect and the addition of PreSonus Studio One Prime Blackstar Edition DAW software, which comes free with every amp.
Elsewhere, the combos pack the same Super Wide Stereo tech, USB outputs and preset storage as their forebears.
We're liking the looks and sounds of these. The Blackstar ID:Core V2 combos are available now with the same price tags as the originals:
- ID:Core Stereo 10 V2: £99
- ID:Core Stereo 20 V2: £129
- ID:Core Stereo 40 V2: £159
Will these join the Stereo 20 and BEAM on our rundown of the best budget guitar amps? Our reviews will tell all very soon…
Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.
Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and 15 years' experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. His writing also appears in the The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
