The Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor is an Effect Pedalboard for Electric Guitar which packs a 200W top together with the switching and control options of the FSM-432 MkIII MIDI board into a practical format and extends the range of functions with a number of innovative details for comfortable live use. Thanks to the "Bionic Tone Generator", the Black Spirit 200 Floor delivers particularly natural Guitar sounds that are indistinguishable from a Tube Amp in terms of response, dynamics and harmony. The 4-channel concept covers the most popular sounds of the past decades, from an absolutely transparent Clean sound to juicy Crunch and Overdrive to aggressive High-Gain Metal Distortion. An extensive Effects section is also provided for sonic variety, while the integrated "Dual Breakpoint" noise gate tames unwanted background noise. 2x pre-loops with True Bypass and a serial effects path are also available for incorporating your own Effect Pedals. With 200W in regular operation, the power amp of the Black Spirit 200 Floor provides sufficient volume reserves for large stages, but thanks to the 2-stage power reduction, the Amp can also be used at home without any problems. The Black Spirit 200 Floor features extensive connectivity and offers the integrated Redbox AE+ optimal conditions for direct Guitar sound pick-up, while the effects path, MIDI, Bluetooth, Aux-In and Headphone Jack are also present.
"Bionic Tone Generator"
The heart of the Black Spirit 200 Floor is without doubt the innovative "Bionic Tone Generator". The sophisticated circuitry (which is strictly Analogue) reproduces the complex interactions of a Tube Circuit in detail, giving the Guitar Amp the feel of a real Tube Amp. In addition, the "Sagging" control allows the tonal aspects of a fully loaded or even overloaded Power Amplifier to be simulated for the first time without deafening volumes.
4-Channels
With 4x channels ("Clean", "Crunch", "Lead" and "Ultra") the Black Spirit 200 Floor covers the entire spectrum of the most popular Guitar sounds of the past six decades. The compact top delivers a wide range of first-class sounds from crystal-clear vintage Cleans, harmonic Crunch and singing Leads to burning High-Gain Distortion for modern Metal, supporting expressive Electric Guitar playing. A classic 3-band tone control is also available for adjusting the sound image, while the "Dual Breakpoint" Noise Gate suppresses unwanted background noise.
Effects Section & Loops
The Black Spirit 200 Floor offers an extensive Effects section that can be used to round off the desired sound. This not only provides an extremely spatial Reverb, but also a Delay with up to 1400ms time. Chorus, Phaser and Flanger are the most popular modulation Effects on-board, and a classic Tremolo is also included. The Black Spirit 200 Floor offers a serial and switchable loop-in path that allows external Effect devices to be integrated into the sound shaping between pre-amp and power amp. 2x pre-loops with True Bypass circuitry allow the integration of your own Overdrive stomp boxes in front of the Amp.
200W Power Amplifier
With its 200W Power Amplifier, the Black Spirit Floor also offers sufficient volume reserves for use on the big stage. Thanks to the 2-stage power reduction, which throttles the power amp down to 20W or 2W, the Amplifier can also be used without any problems at smaller gigs or with neighbour-friendly volume in the home. Another special feature is the possibility to connect full-range Loudspeakers to the Guitar Amplifier in addition to Guitar Cabinets, whereby a Loudspeaker simulation provides the accustomed playing feeling.
Redbox AE+
For direct recording of the Guitar sound, the Black Spirit 200 Floor also offers the integrated Redbox AE+ with balanced XLR output and the simulations of 8x different Speaker types, which guarantee a natural and character-rich sound image. In addition, the Guitar Amp can be controlled via MIDI, while the Bluetooth interface allows both streaming of backing tracks and control via the free Hughes & Kettner App. Last but not least, an AUX-in and a headphone jack are available.
Direct Control
7x footswitches in pre-set mode allow you to recall stored sounds, with the 128x memory locations divided into 32x banks of 4x pre-sets each. Direct 7 mode, on the other hand, allows direct access to 7x pre-set sounds without having to go through the memory banks. The stomp mode of the Black Spirit manages the 4x channels and effects directly.
The main features of the Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 Floor include:
Just got my brand new unit from Music Store Professional a week ago. I'm still in the process of getting familiar with all its features, but so far so good. Very compact, and the sounds are incredible! Using it with the free App on my iPad Pro which connects to the unit via Bluetooth flawlessly makes it super easy to visually manage all the presets and customize them. After watching all the demo videos online, I decided to take the plunge and I'm happy I did! :-)
Great sounds across all 4 channels and really easy to dial in your own tones using the intuitive controls- unlike some of the overly complex modellers out there. Red Box DI is fantastic. App is very convenient as well although hoping they will release a MacOS version which would make it easier to use than on a phone.