The Blackjack series guitar speaker cabs from Redstar Audio answers the question "can you really make a classic better?"  Yup, you sure can, especially when it comes to guitar cabs.  Of course, it helps that most "classic" guitar speaker designs haven't changed in over 40 years and were built by guys like your gramps.  But hey, they're not called "classics" for nothing, right?

Seriously though, there are some great cabs out there, for sure.  We're not denying that.  We just thought it was time that someone (like us, for instance) made a modern cabinet with all the tour-ready, pro hardware and features you want yet gave it awesome tone fit for the dirtiest of rock-and-roll shredders.  Hence, the Blackjack series!

We start with a computer-designed, fully CNC cut, shell that actually uses many of the build techniques of our bass cabinets.  Why is that good?  Because bass cabinets are usually over-engineered when compared to guitar cabs, that's why.  So we use the same perimeter bracing system inside our Blackjack guitar cabs as we do our bass cabinets, not a cheaper version like most manufacturers use.  Ever look inside one of those high-priced, "they all look alike" speaker cabinets from the big names?  If you do you'll wonder why they charge so much.  Our interlocking bracing is cut to within 0.02" tolerances and creates a cabinet shell that is incredibly rigid and vibration resistant.  That bracing, plus our double-layered front baffle, means the cabinet is rock solid and transfers a minimal amount of coloration and distortion (the bad kind) back into the sound coming from the drivers.  The result is a tone which is very open, lively and nuanced.  Can you say that about a rock cab?  You can now!

The Blackjack series uses a more expensive approach of mixing two types of drivers for a complementary tone.  Most manufacturers shy away from this because it lowers their volume price breaks on drivers.  But by using two different model drivers (in our case, a mix of Wizard and Texas Heat drivers from Eminence), the designer gets much more flexibility in shaping the tone to match the cabinet resonance and response.  It took a lot of sound testing and A-B sessions, but when we finally found this mix we knew we had a winner.

The Blackjack series is a great guitar cab for players who are looking for a high-volume speaker with controlled break-up and wonderfully balanced overdrive tone.  The harmonics of both the 4x12 and 2x12 cabs are rich and thick but not at all muddy or loose.  Volume will NOT be a problem - this cabinet has balls!  The sound seems to leap out in front of the cab with real three-dimensional feel, not murky like cheaper built cabs.  Leads cut through like you won't believe.

Blackjack cabs love tube amps, plain and simple, even those with a solid-state power section.  Will they make that shagged-out amp you found in the basement of your frat house sound good?  Uhh... no, they won't.   These are pro-grade cabinets and we recommend a high-quality amplifier and signal chain to match.  But don't think you have to have some freaky boutique amp using parts salvaged from a UFO crash site to drive this puppy.  Just give it a good 50 watts or more (and you will LOVE what happens when you give it more) and you'll be happy.

The Blackjack series, like all the cabs from Redstar Audio, is about real tone and world-class features.  If you are secretly turned-on by speaker cabs with giant logos that scream "look at me, I know I paid too much, but aren't I loud?"  then this is probably not the cab for you.  But if you want to serve up some seriously tasty tone, with just the right amount of gritty goodness, then you will find all you need in our Blackjack series.  It's a lay-it-down, straight-up rock cab that can take months on the road and still get up early for more.  Sounds like a classic if you ask us!