Watch: Jared James Nichols shreds on his signature Blackstar amp at NAMM 2020
This two-channel amp head captures Nichols’ signature rock and blues tones.
NAMM 2020: Announced in 2019, the Blackstar Jared James Nichols signature amp, dubbed the JJN-20RH MkII, is a 20-watt head that’s designed to capture the bluesman’s unique drive tones. And we got Nichols himself to demo it for us – check it out above.
These are the amp’s features and specs:
At the heart of the amp’s tone are two EL84 power tubes and a single ECC83 preamp tube. It features two channels – Clean and Overdrive – that each have footswitchable voicings.
The OD channel is of particular interest. It features a Nichols-inspired Bluespower voicing – toggled by a select button – as well as a three-band EQ and Blackstar’s patented ISF component. Elsewhere, the amp comes with a power reduction button – that takes it down to two watts – and an in-built reverb that adds a nice chime to your tone.
The JJN-20RH MkII also offers comprehensive I/O options, including a footswitch input, an effects loop, a USB audio out and an XLR DI out.
To complement this amp head, Blackstar has released the JJN-212VOC MkII, a 2×12 cab that can produce 160 watts of power. This unit is loaded with two Celestion speakers – the V-TYPE and G12T-75 – and features four- and 16-ohm mono speaker inputs.
More information at blackstaramps.com.
