Blackstar Amp Club

Ok, I'll start...

I just picked up an HT-5 mini full stack a week ago and really love this amp. Sounds huge at bedroom levels. I am still finding favorite settings every time I fire it up.

Yep, the HT-5 Mini Stack sure is a good thing!

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/BlackstarHT5MiniStack_3.jpg

love my new HT20 studio combo,great clean's and terrific marshall gain,all round it's a killer amp:smile:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/jewells2006/blackstarHTSTUDIO20.jpg

I'll soon be a HT-5 combo owner when that UPS truck pulls up.

My setup..

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii83/fly_135/BSHT-5Stack.jpg

I have owned a Blackstar HT5 head for about nine months and it really hits the spot .I run mine through an Eminence 105 10" installed in an old Peavey SS amp at home .In Studios or jam sessions I use a supplied 4x12 which is beyond awesome.They really are that good .

I like my Blackstar HT-5. But I get all my tones from a pedalboard using the HT-5 clean channel. I've found that just using the clean channel the Epi Vjr head is really just as good at 1/3 the price.

I like my Blackstar HT-5. But I get all my tones from a pedalboard using the HT-5 clean channel. I've found that just using the clean channel the Epi Vjr head is really just as good at 1/3 the price.

the clean Channel on the HT-5 doesn't push out as much as the Gain one, so you could be missing out some sounds. I have both the HT-5 and an Epi Valve Junior combo. The Epi, whilst good, does not really sound as good as the HT-5.

I guess I will find out later today, but does this amp handle bluesy sounds well?

I had a Classic 30 but for home use only, I just felt it was too much amp. I never could get the volume knob over 1.5 and it was very ice picky on the clean for my tastes. May have been the stock tubes. Anyway, I see a sale on the HT-5, read how it has USA-Brit variability, head phone jack and some good reviews so I jumped on it and returned the Classic 30.

But now after most reviews sayings its geared towards metal type distortion (which I don't play), I'm starting to regret my decision even before opening the box.

I guess I will find out later today, but does this amp handle bluesy sounds well?

I had a Classic 30 but for home use only, I just felt it was too much amp. I never could get the volume knob over 1.5 and it was very ice picky on the clean for my tastes. May have been the stock tubes. Anyway, I see a sale on the HT-5, read how it has USA-Brit variability, head phone jack and some good reviews so I jumped on it and returned the Classic 30.

But now after most reviews sayings its geared towards metal type distortion (which I don't play), I'm starting to regret my decision even before opening the box.

I play blues as well along with most other music types, on it with no issues. I just plug straight into the amp with no pedals and it's great.

I also have a Marshall Class 5, which is a great amp as well, however, the HT-5 is more flexible for quieter gigs. If only the Marshall had a Master Volume

the clean Channel on the HT-5 doesn't push out as much as the Gain one, so you could be missing out some sounds. I have both the HT-5 and an Epi Valve Junior combo. The Epi, whilst good, does not really sound as good as the HT-5.All true, except if you are using the clean channel and pedals, which is the point I was making. I prefer my Big Muff, J&H, and English Muff'n to the gain channel on the HT-5. IMO if you get all your dirt from pedals then the Vjr will do just as good a job. That's no diss on the HT-5. A lot of people will like the gain channel,

All true, except if you are using the clean channel and pedals, which is the point I was making. I prefer my Big Muff, J&H, and English Muff'n to the gain channel on the HT-5. IMO if you get all your dirt from pedals then the Vjr will do just as good a job. That's no diss on the HT-5. A lot of people will like the gain channel,

I suppose it also makes a difference what speaker you are using with the Vjr. I just have the combo and despite putting a jensen speaker in, I found the 8 inch speaker to be too raspy. Perhaps the head version driving a 12 inch is better

I'm using the cab pictured above for both. I used to have a Vjr Combo and I did not like it running through the 8" speaker. It's probably not just the speaker, but also the cabinet and speaker size.

The gain channel on the HT-5 is nice. But I find myself liking the variety you get with pedals, which makes having a gain channel a moot point.

But now after most reviews sayings its geared towards metal type distortion (which I don't play), I'm starting to regret my decision even before opening the box.
I don't play metal either. I think a lot of the reviews and ads for the HT5 are about metal just because that seems to be popular right now. The drive channel has a very warm growl that is easy to play with dynamics, IMO perfect for blues and rock, but with the flexible eq controls it will cover about anything, including metal.

Let us know your impressions after you break it in.

All true, except if you are using the clean channel and pedals, which is the point I was making. I prefer my Big Muff, J&H, and English Muff'n to the gain channel on the HT-5. IMO if you get all your dirt from pedals then the Vjr will do just as good a job. That's no diss on the HT-5. A lot of people will like the gain channel,
I bought an HT5 for the opposite reason, I was tired of having to use pedals into a clean amp to get dirt. If you are just running pedals into a clean amp, I agree there would be cheaper options.

I've spent some time with my new ht-5 combo today and I must say I'm very impressed. I'm not sure why everyone bags on the clean channel. I think it sounds pretty good. But yeah the dirt channel on this thing is amazing. And its plenty loud for home usage.

I wish I had some money laying around to get the larger one for playing out. :cool:

love my new HT20 studio combo,great clean's and terrific marshall gain,all round it's a killer amp:smile:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j305/jewells2006/blackstarhtstudio.jpg

lost other image i had up,but here it is,i love this amp,one of the best i have owned,they have lovely clean's and the gain channel is fantastic,i gig with this in a 5 piece band and if i line out to pa can do bigger gigs! and is fantastic for recording,what i find weird on this amp is it don't have a standby switch,what you do is unplug the guitar input and it put's it into standby!:!::razz:

Bought a Blackstar HT-5 miked it up and used it in church today.
Played a Boss ME-70 through it, and sounded great.:grin:

Got me a ht20 head a few weeks back and i really really like it,

Clean channel is so much better than i expected, i plug in and i get instant great tone..; love it

Od channel is very usefull too, i really like the low gain settings,

I think you get very much amp for very small price...

I've purchased the HT-40 Club 1x12 combo and WOW this thing kicks.
Volume aside the big difference with the 40 over the 20 are the voice modes for the clean and overdrive channels.
On clean you get an Classic or Boutique IE Fender with more head room or classic break up as you crank the volume.
The Overdrive does a Marshall in one position and heads in a more Mesa Rectifier uber metal tone in the other. However turn the gain down and the Modern (Mesa) channel has a great modern blues tone with a fat dirt on it. Hitting this with my OCD clone gives the best saturated lead tone I've ever had.
Plugging my Tele in and hitting the overdrive channel again gives a great fat tone.

The Emulated output sounds huge and is superb for late night use through a power amp/Hi-Fi and headphones.

Very versatile and a rocking good amp!

Went to a local Blackstar amp demonstration night, where you could get a 25% discount if you bought an amp following the demo. I had my eyes on the HT-40, but the Demo also happened to include the Series One 45. It only took a few minutes of hearing the Series One 45 to realise that it is a truly awesome amp - it's best attribute being a fantastic clean which can be either crystal clear or dirtied up (with natural valve overdrive) via a gain knob.

Needless the say I bought the Series One 45...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/BlackstarSeriesOne45_4.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1052255/BlackstarSeriesOne45Controls_3.jpg

Now the Series One 45s do cost more than the HT series, but they rate extremely well against either a high spec AC-30 or Marshall Bluesbreaker, being able to be tweaked to sound like either. Cool amp.

I am comin' to join you boys! I should have a screaming new HT Club 40 in my possession come tomorrow.

I have not been this excited about a piece of gear in a long, long time! It seems like one of those type amps that was conceived with all my personal expectations addressed.

I will update after I molest it for a few hours.

I've got a HT5 on way and should be in my possession in a couple of days. I'm a little excited because for the most part I like what I'm reading here about it. I'm looking to NOT use pedals to get some dirt out of an amp so I'm hoping this one does it for me.

I've got a HT5 on way and should be in my possession in a couple of days. I'm a little excited because for the most part I like what I'm reading here about it. I'm looking to NOT use pedals to get some dirt out of an amp so I'm hoping this one does it for me.

Exactly why I bought one. You'll love it.

Exactly why I bought one. You'll love it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll let ya know in a day or so.

My amp arrived the other day and WOW, I'm impressed. This is by far the greatest little 5watter out there. I didn't care much for the clean channel but decided I'd change the pre amp tube. I had one of the new JJ 12AX7s with the gold pins here and thought I'd give it a try. This amp had the Sovtek 12AX7WA installed and it was on the noisy side. The gold pin JJ for one quiets the amp down but to my surprise the clean channel is cleaner and the dirt channel has more clarity. I haven't been a fan of the JJ tubes for the preamp as they always made the amps they were in too dark for my liking, but this tube with the gold pins sounds great.

I ordered different knobs from Mojotone as I decided to change the silver dome knobs to black. :roll:

Picked up a Blackstar Artisan 30 combo, best amp ever owned, but It ain't for bedroom levels that's for sure lol

I have an HT5 head .I run through an Eminence 105 10" in an old Peavey cab.great amp and I also run a Zoom G2 /1nu sometimes into the FX loop.All sounds really good .For loud cleans I put a CTO-1 in front as its a bit quiet clean .I have been fooling around with valves and have a 12 ay7 in at present to raise the cleans a bit .Its still fantastic in OD channel .I love cranking it up through a 4x12 ,not in my bedroom though,it would blow the windows and the neighbors false teeth out LOL.

I use a Blackstar HT40 mainly now. It's simple to use, easy to get really good tones and sounds equally as good with a strat or something with high output humbuckers. Plus, it has reverb....digital, but ok to my ears.

Here's a shot of the HT5 with the black knobs I installed. I play it through a 1x12 Lopoline cab with 16 ohm Red Fang.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b267/xStonr/BlackStarBlackKnob01.jpg

Well, having auditioned it at my favourite local emporium, I made the choice and bought it 2 hours ago, after comparisons with other popular low-wattage amps.

That clean channel really shines, especially when the Infinite Shape Feature is shifted towards U.S. response. Lush, shimmery, punchy.

Of course, a lot of people will buy this just for the dirty channel and again, it doesn't disappoint, especially if you're used to Marshall which this does admirably, with the I.S.F. feature turned towards Brit. response.

I actually bought the head version which I linked up to my circa 1973 Marshall 1x12" original greenback-loaded, ported cab. Now I have a rig which is a perfect compromise for home/ studio use and the occasional pub gig.

Perfect!

I'm thinking of getting a HT-5 (combo or stack). Can anyone tell me how the HT-5 is voiced? Does it sit somewhere between Marshall and Fender? Does the ISF knob effectively give you both?

Context for the question:

My set-up is: a Roadhouse Strat - southern and classic rock, blues and indie - hobbyist only - and I like to experiment with a Digitech RP355 and a Jamman Solo looper.

From the amp, I like sparkling cleans and warm 'tubey' distortion.

I've had a SCXD that I really liked (why oh why did I sell it???) and I now have a MG30FX (until someone buys it off me) that I find lacks the clean sparkle of the Fender.

I could happily go back to the SCXD, but was wondering about satisfying my curiosity for the Blackstar first.

Thanks guys.

I'm thinking of getting a HT-5 (combo or stack). Can anyone tell me how the HT-5 is voiced? Does it sit somewhere between Marshall and Fender? Does the ISF knob effectively give you both?

Context for the question:

My set-up is: a Roadhouse Strat - southern and classic rock, blues and indie - hobbyist only - and I like to experiment with a Digitech RP355 and a Jamman Solo looper.

From the amp, I like sparkling cleans and warm 'tubey' distortion.

I've had a SCXD that I really liked (why oh why did I sell it???) and I now have a MG30FX (until someone buys it off me) that I find lacks the clean sparkle of the Fender.

I could happily go back to the SCXD, but was wondering about satisfying my curiosity for the Blackstar first.

Thanks guys.
The ISF knob works by shifting the frequency of the mid control, similar to what a parametric eq does. It is really effective IMO, even though I seem to always adjust it back to half way. The distortion of the HT5 is really great and reacts like a tube amp should, something that the SCXD cannot do because of its digital, solid state preamp, which is where all of its distortion comes from.

On its own, the HT's clean channel can't get quite as bright or quite as scooped as the SCXD does, but otherwise sounds great. I put a simple homemade EQ pedal and a reverb pedal in the FX loop and it really pulls off a Fender blackface tone that I like much more than the clean on my SCXD. I never play my SCXD anymore.

This looks interesting: http://www.musicradar.com/totalguitar/video-exclusive-blackstar-ht-1rh-first-look-275091

http://cdn.mos.musicradar.com/images/Product%20News/Guitar/aug10/blackstar-ht1-200-80.jpg

Thanks tjk - perfect answer mate.

I think I'll get the head - any recommendations for the perfect cab/speaker to complement the HT-5 and a Strat?

There's also a Studio 20 for sale locally - that might be a nice option.

The distortion of the HT5 is really great and reacts like a tube amp should, something that the SCXD cannot do because of its digital, solid state preamp, which is where all of its distortion comes from.The HT-5 gets it's distortion from clipping diodes in a op amp feedback circuit. I prefer the SCXD over the HT-5. Had both, kept the SCXD, and sold the HT-5 to get a Tweaker. The HT-5 is a nice amp though.

Just bought a new amp, ht-5, it is amazing.

Have an HT-5 sitting at the post office waiting for me to pick it up today. Will see how I like it this evening.

I have been gigging an HT-40 for a few weeks. It is a bit of a feat to dial in, but this amp sings.

the cleans are Fender-ish and can get very loud with little break up.

the dirt channel is just plain cool. very Marshall sounding with plenty of drive available.

the amp takes pedals well, and the effects loop is nice as well.

i dig it. i use it for a modern/classic country gig.

Hey Guys!

So im considering the New Studio 20 Combo and i was wondering if any of you have any input on it...

i gig a little small clubs and i just wanna know should i consider the 40 watt? i feel like this will be too much for home and i would really like to just get the 20...

will i get drown out by the drums with the 20 watt?

and for those of you with the 20, can you push a 2x12 extension with this baby?

I just picked this up a couple weeks ago on Clearance from the local GC, Artisan 15. Got to open it up and the notes were jumping off the speaker with a crispness and clarity that you get from good tube amps. The tolex is a little dinged from sitting in the store for a while (GC relicing) but it's still a brand new amp!

http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u204/meyekel/P1000317.jpg

Bought a Blackstar HT-1... pictures to follow shortly.... :mrgreen:

BDOCK- I considered the HT-20 as well. I think it would have been adequet in a club mic'd. I went with the HT-40 because of the dual voicing option on each channel. They are so unique and it gives you unlimited options. I am elated with it so far I've gigged it once and i'm very pleased with how it handled the gig. (large stage) I've played it at home quite a bit and i can turn it down to a decent home volume. You can also use the simulated speaker output and run it to a board w/ headphones for complete silence. HT-40 IS AMAZING!!!

I joined the club on Black Friday! Tried the HT5 stack before that but it didn't excite me, so after lot's of research I ordered an HT40.
It's like magic pixie dust shooting off the speaker....

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_wmrP5rGp_tY/TQnGvwtIu5I/AAAAAAAAByg/lFFpWBoR4GQ/s512/5721.jpg


:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

Just got an HT-5 Combo. I think it's unbelievable; pure rock and roll machine.

Alright fellas, I've been checking these out-in particular the HT5 head. Can any of you tell me what you think of the headphone out on these? This amp has all the features I've been looking for but when I was at GC testing one they gave me some really crap headphones so I'm not sure if I got a true measure of how it sounds that way.

Bought a Blackstar HT-1... pictures to follow shortly.... :mrgreen:

Ajay Tele, very interested in hearing a review on the HT-1! What's your impression.

I have a Blackstar HT-1R.

Awesome little amp (little only in size, not volume), the tone is fantastic - ISF knob at 9 o'clock, gain at 3 o'clock on the clean channel just sounds about as good as anything I've ever heard. :mrgreen:

The OD channel is also very good, loads of gain to play with. It manages to make a Strat bridge pickup sound raunchy.

I can't believe how loud it is, 1 watt through an 8" speaker and it's easily louder than my old Vox AD30VT which had a 10" speaker.

Picked up an HT-5 Combo yesterday.

Love the idea of a 5 watt tube amp w/a Celestion 10" speaker for practice and direct-out recording w/speaker simulation. Only played with it for an hour+ last night so no strong opinions yet. First observation, the little bugger is heavy for it's size, feels substantial. Tried it out w/four guitars, Tele w/BL Pups, stock 62 AVRI Strat, 69 LP w/original P90s and Heritage 535 w/Schaller Humbuckers, amp responded very differently with each guitar, which I liked very much. The OD channel - with very little OD/gain added nice tones very dynamic and with a lot of OD it sings, also very responsive to guitar vol. Reserving my opinion on the clean channel especially with respect to the e.q. range and responsiveness. Did like the little bit of break-up I got with vol at 1:00 and it was still within practice/recording vol (but barely). Looking forward to the weekend and more playing and testing, I think I'm going to be pleased once I accept the fact that its not going to sound like a traditional Fender amp.

New HT-5, Great Amp!

Played, Tweaked, Recorded (w/Mic and used Direct-Out, 1x12, 4x12) all weekend, wonderful tones clean and dirty.

If, like me, your gig four nights a week is appearing in the "Spare Bedroom", this is an outstanding amp!

I played a Blacktop strat through the HT40 and it was really great,I bought the strat .I just loved both .I have an HT5H so am already a convert to Blackstar from the beginning .Covers all bases with a tonal superbalarity:grin:

I'm interested in the HT-1 once it starts selling here in the states. Last I heard was sometime in March. Anyone know how much these might retail for?

I'm interested in the HT-1 once it starts selling here in the states. Last I heard was sometime in March. Anyone know how much these might retail for?

No idea about US prices but in the UK the HT-1 is £169 and the HT-1R is £199.

I'm interested in the HT-1 once it starts selling here in the states. Last I heard was sometime in March. Anyone know how much these might retail for?
Based on the selling price in the UK, I'd estimate $260 - $290.

Based on the selling price in the UK, I'd estimate $260 - $290.

Yeah, that sounds about right. Figure the AC4TV is at $250. This has a couple more bells and whistles, but smaller speaker. I'll put my bets on $279.99.

I have been giging with my HT-20 set up as a full stack and love it.... The low watts allow me to turn it up too make them tubes happy....

I got the ht 60 the other day.I love my amp.my HR deluxe will always be my gretsch rockabilly amp but my blackstar does everything else, without pedals.

Here we go, proud owner of two ht-1r in a nice stereo-setup, running through a ht-modulation, which gives a wonderful livingroom-sound. And no, the fulldrive and anything else is not in the chain, cause the clean channel at 9 is the perfect overdrive for me, which is easy to be tuned with the volume of the guitar. In addition, the built-in reverb is superb!

Interesting set-up MOSESVE.

I picked up an HT-5 two weeks ago, fantastic little amp. I agree about the sweet sound one can get out of the clean channel cranked. At 7 it's just starting to break up, full sound with a little natural OD. I've had it to 8-9 when recording with the direct-out, great results.

Sam Ash has the HT-1 listed at $249.99. Very interested in this little bugger!!

Sam Ash has the HT-1 listed at $249.99. Very interested in this little bugger!!

Then let me tell a little bit more about it, since i own them now for about two months.

The HT-1R alone is very compact, not only in his measurements, but also in his sound.
The built in 8" Celestion Whatsoever-Speaker isn't made for big vibrations, but I'm using it only at bedroom-level and that is ok.
If you like it to be cranked up, use a 12" extension cabinet with 8ohm, then the little one goes "boom". In addition, this thing is made for overdrive, crunch, distortion, big distortion, heavy distortion, but not for clean at a "hearable" level...
I´m playing it only with singlecoils at a moderate output, and a setting on the "clean" channel with both gain and mastervolume at 6/10 will produce the first light overdrive when hitting hard.
That´s ok for me, but when you want to play a chimey clean passage, you will have to look for another, because there is absolutely no pressure at that level. But(!) if you want to have an amp, which is a standalone-overdrive-wonder, then read along.
The clean channel has a ton of options. Cranking up gain and leaving mastervolume down will have a nice crunch, a little bit compressed (speaker...) but with a lot of definition. Otherwise, you can turn the gain down and crank the mastervolume and you will get a more compressed but wonderful overdrive, great for playing a blues solos or riffs.
And with the ISF, which isn't a marketing-joke but a really useful knob, you can go from very americano to very british, my personal favorite is the 7/10.
Then there comes the overdrive-channel. I usually don't use it often, just because there is too much gain for my styles but it is really really great.
You can do whatever you want, crunch with a more distortion-like type than the clean channel, 80's rock, satriani-like solosounds, and all kinds of heavy-riffing thanks to ISF.
That is only the half of the features this little amp is capable of. The "recording/headphones out" is great!
Practicing with a saturated valve-amp over your headphones is pure fun. Dynamic, a very very good cabinet-simulation, all at not-ear-distroying levels, and the reverb comes in stereo!
And recording...
Plug it in your soundcard, press record, adjust the input volume to your amp-setting and you are ready to go. Better than every guitar-rig, amplitube, ampfarm-thing i ever heard, and I tried them all...
So, one last disadvantage, you can sell your lovely stompboxes.
Not because the amp has it all, but because it is not really compatible to boost, overdrive and distortion-pedals. You don't really need it, but I like my fulldrive mosfet and my blues boy deluxe, but both make the sound ... hm ... muddy the blues boy and too crispy the fulldrive. They are made for bigger amps, but that´s ok, I use them at gigs with a whole lotta love... :lol:

Hope this helps, go get one!

- mo -

(Sorry if there is something written a little bit strange, but I´m from germany, trying to give my best :grin: )

Then let me tell a little bit more about it, since i own them now for about two months.

The HT-1R alone is very compact, not only in his measurements, but also in his sound.
The built in 8" Celestion Whatsoever-Speaker isn't made for big vibrations, but I'm using it only at bedroom-level and that is ok.
If you like it to be cranked up, use a 12" extension cabinet with 8ohm, then the little one goes "boom". In addition, this thing is made for overdrive, crunch, distortion, big distortion, heavy distortion, but not for clean at a "hearable" level...
I´m playing it only with singlecoils at a moderate output, and a setting on the "clean" channel with both gain and mastervolume at 6/10 will produce the first light overdrive when hitting hard.
That´s ok for me, but when you want to play a chimey clean passage, you will have to look for another, because there is absolutely no pressure at that level. But(!) if you want to have an amp, which is a standalone-overdrive-wonder, then read along.
The clean channel has a ton of options. Cranking up gain and leaving mastervolume down will have a nice crunch, a little bit compressed (speaker...) but with a lot of definition. Otherwise, you can turn the gain down and crank the mastervolume and you will get a more compressed but wonderful overdrive, great for playing a blues solos or riffs.
And with the ISF, which isn't a marketing-joke but a really useful knob, you can go from very americano to very british, my personal favorite is the 7/10.
Then there comes the overdrive-channel. I usually don't use it often, just because there is too much gain for my styles but it is really really great.
You can do whatever you want, crunch with a more distortion-like type than the clean channel, 80's rock, satriani-like solosounds, and all kinds of heavy-riffing thanks to ISF.
That is only the half of the features this little amp is capable of. The "recording/headphones out" is great!
Practicing with a saturated valve-amp over your headphones is pure fun. Dynamic, a very very good cabinet-simulation, all at not-ear-distroying levels, and the reverb comes in stereo!
And recording...
Plug it in your soundcard, press record, adjust the input volume to your amp-setting and you are ready to go. Better than every guitar-rig, amplitube, ampfarm-thing i ever heard, and I tried them all...
So, one last disadvantage, you can sell your lovely stompboxes.
Not because the amp has it all, but because it is not really compatible to boost, overdrive and distortion-pedals. You don't really need it, but I like my fulldrive mosfet and my blues boy deluxe, but both make the sound ... hm ... muddy the blues boy and too crispy the fulldrive. They are made for bigger amps, but that´s ok, I use them at gigs with a whole lotta love... :lol:

Hope this helps, go get one!

- mo -

(Sorry if there is something written a little bit strange, but I´m from germany, trying to give my best :grin: )

Great review! Thanks! I'll just be using it as a bedroom amp, so no need to hook it up to any other speaker for me. My main type of music is blues, so this will work perfect.

The HT-5 is my first low wattage tube amp, what a blast. I have to say, from one who's gigging days are over and is content to play/practice/record in a spare room, it is very satisfying to have an amp that I can turn up to 3/4 to full and get that sweet tube tone that ringsssss, while still being at a practice level. Last night, using the clean channel, volume on 7, bass 6, mid 2, treble 5, ISF 3 (American Voicing), delay pedal and a Tele, had excellent tone and sustain with either pick-up - it was hard to stop. I also find that I use the ISF more than I thought I would.

Had an Artisan 30 for a few months now. I can't imagine owning anything else. It sounds better than anything I've played, including many sought after vintage amps. The only thing I wish it was was lighter. But hey, if I need something portable, I can always buy or build a 5 watter.

Just ordered the HT-1r.

Here's mine... you're gonna love it!

HT-1R

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/RastaForI/DSC_39380001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v609/RastaForI/DSC_39290001.jpg

.

The more I play the HT-5 the more enamored I become with its different (diverse) tones created by the ISF. By leaving the Mid very low 0-3, and adjusting the ISF, (tweak treb and bass as desired), the sound varies tremendously. Does an excellent job of capturing the different tonalities of a humbucker vs single coil.

The HT-5 is my first low wattage tube amp, what a blast. I have to say, from one who's gigging days are over and is content to play/practice/record in a spare room, it is very satisfying to have an amp that I can turn up to 3/4 to full and get that sweet tube tone that ringsssss, while still being at a practice level. Last night, using the clean channel, volume on 7, bass 6, mid 2, treble 5, ISF 3 (American Voicing), delay pedal and a Tele, had excellent tone and sustain with either pick-up - it was hard to stop. I also find that I use the ISF more than I thought I would.

Ok, I did gig my HT5 this week.It did really well and I did mic it.If this amp was 10 watts it would be perfect .I am using a Nau 2x10 cab right now with it but i might convert that cab to a 1x12.This is a really great little amp.At practice this week i had the vol knob dimed and really liked the cleans on this little firecracker.It really works great with the vol knob on your guitar.I think an EQ pedal would help this amp out a bit adding some more bottom end.So for anyone wanting to gig this little beast? Put it on an amp stand mic it,crank it all the way up and go to town.You will love it!

The more I play the HT-5 the more enamored I become with its different (diverse) tones created by the ISF. By leaving the Mid very low 0-3, and adjusting the ISF, (tweak treb and bass as desired), the sound varies tremendously. Does an excellent job of capturing the different tonalities of a humbucker vs single coil.
FYI...

Here's a link to the patent application for the ISF control (http://gb.espacenet.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi.exe?action=View&VdkVgwKey=GB2446188A&DocOffset=2&DocsFound=2&QueryZip=%28blackstar%29+%3CIN%3E+pa&Collection=dips&SearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fgb%2Eespacenet%2Ecom%2Fsear ch97cgi%2Fs97_cgi%2Eexe%3Faction%3DFilterSearch%26 QueryZip%3D%2528blackstar%2529%2B%253CIN%253E%2Bpa %26Filter%3Dgb%252Fen%252Fespacefilt%252Ehts%26Res ultTemplate%3Dgb%252Fen%252Fresults%252Ehts%26Coll ection%3Ddips%26ResultStart%3D1%26ResultCount%3D10&ViewTemplate=gb/en/textdraw.hts&ViewErrorTemplate=gb/en/incerror.hts&DocsFound1=2&BeginHighlight=%3Cspan%3E&EndHighlight=%3C/span%3E&HLNavigate=). It's a clever passive EQ circuit that uses the ISF knob to shift the middle frequency of the tone stack. Fender has a middle frequency lower than Marshall or Vox.

Ok, I did gig my HT5 this week.It did really well and I did mic it.If this amp was 10 watts it would be perfect .I am using a Nau 2x10 cab right now . . . So for anyone wanting to gig this little beast? Put it on an amp stand mic it,crank it all the way up and go to town.You will love it!

I wouldn't of thunk it, gigging with a 5 watt amp . Was there a drummer?

I wouldn't of thunk it, gigging with a 5 watt amp . Was there a drummer?

Yeah there was a drummer,I did mic the amp and the sound guy ran it through my monitor...No problem with stage volume after micing it and we have a heavy handed drummer.I used this amp for practice now and its borderline being loud enough.I am considering going for the ht20 . It did work great miced though.

I just picked up the HT-60 for preforming (never know what the sound situation may be till you get there haha) and Im diggin this thing

still........ seems like its lacking something in the character dept on cleans ......

but at the price i got it ... theres no turning back :twisted:

Ill let ya know how I feel after my first gig with it this weekend .....

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx347/bunn4funn/For%20Sale/FxCam_1305723277049.jpg

I've had my HT5h for close to a year now and am still loving it. Highly recommended. I've changed the setup a little bit. Along with the 1x12 Red Fang, I've connected a cab with one 10" THD speaker and one 12" vintage alnico Jensen with it. Both cabs are 16 ohms so they are connected to the 8 ohm input. This little amp sounds BIG now.

I have the HT5 - love it - at home I flick between the Blackstar and my Mustang2 - tthe Blackstar has less tricks - but does what it does so well.

Bit of a shoddy pic - but there she is on top of my 70's H&H Frankenstein -

I really dig my HT-20 Studio head.I had Lopo build me a custom large slant front 1-12 cab in which I installed a 16 ohm Celestion G12H-30 speaker.Really cool amp with punchy cleans and a sweet hot-rodded Marshall voiced overdrive mode.



Ed

Lately I've been leaning more towards traditional jazz and the HT-5 clean channel (with a Hermida reverb) sounds great. Alternating between flat-wounds on a Tele and half round-wounds on an ES175, the ISF has been great for tone tweaking. The amp's tones (IMO) are unique and in the continual search for "my tone" I believe I've found it with this amp. Would love to try the HT-20 or 40.

The HT5 does need a little help in the clean dept. I have a Holy Grail that I use with it and if I want some more sparkle, I have a Boss eq on the pedal board for that. Still an excellent amp.

Can I submit an early admission application to this club?

Very possibly doing a craigslist swap tomorrow for an HT-40. I've played this amp and the HT-20 at my local store and was really impressed with both. Was debating on which to get because I liked the smaller size and weight of the 20 ... however if this deal goes through, I'll be swapping an amp I rarely use and only have $350 in for a 6mo. old Blackstar that retails for $699 ...

Pretty excited! I've been surfing the net and have yet to find a bad review of this amp ...

Can I submit an early admission application to this club?

Very possibly doing a craigslist swap tomorrow for an HT-40. I've played this amp and the HT-20 at my local store and was really impressed with both. Was debating on which to get because I liked the smaller size and weight of the 20 ... however if this deal goes through, I'll be swapping an amp I rarely use and only have $350 in for a 6mo. old Blackstar that retails for $699 ...

Pretty excited! I've been surfing the net and have yet to find a bad review of this amp ...

Once the swap is made please give us a review of the HT-40. Particularly interested in the two clean channel settings on the 40.

Once the swap is made please give us a review of the HT-40. Particularly interested in the two clean channel settings on the 40.

Well, I'll be happy to but I gotta wait another week. Guy had "food poisoning" and had to reschedule. Says I definitely have the trade if I want it though. Freakin' craigslist!

Not part of the club yet, but most likely within the next 3 weeks. Right now playing thru a Blues Jr. NOS - but my band is going more hard rock - so looking at adding the Stage 60 (2x12). Between these two amps, I figure I should have most tones covered. Any thoughts (i.e. am I crazy or correct)?

Correct, not crazy - it definitely does not do the Fender sound, so you will have a wide range of tones covered.

well craigslist fell through again. "Food poisoning" one week and "car trouble" the next ... you're not even gonna get a chance at a third strike, buddy ...

Dang! I was hoping to hear about the HT40. I have two potential Craigslist trades pending, one for the 20 head and another for the 40 combo. I think I would rather have the extra clean head room and clean options of the 40, but the ht20 trade is more likely to happen. Good luck finding another Blackstar!

What up, I'm looking into getting the series one 45 combo and wanted to some of your input on it.
I currently own an Artisan 30 which i love, now i'm looking into a high gain tube amp. No one in town has one to try out so what i was wondering (and this might sound weird) but what "don't" you like about this amp?
I mean is the emulated output anygood?
does the dpr kill the tone any?

hope to hear from you soon
guitar-dog

Yee-Haw! My Stage 60 arrived today - was not prepared for how loud it gets - have a weekend to play around with it and then band rehearsing on Tuesday. So far, so killer! :twisted:

Just swapped the preamp tubes to jj's and you should hear her sing!!!:grin:90260

My HT-40 is sitting in the hallway ready to be posted out to its new owner. So I'll join the club at least for a few hours :)

I bought an Orange Rockerverb 50 MKII 2x12 to replace it.

The HT-40 is amazing for the money and I actually miss the digital reverb !

Happy Blackstar HT-1R basement player signing in. :)

Had it for about 6 months now. Just serviced for a crap tube. Now I have ordered some alternative tubes for it. I am also on the verge of buying/making a high sensitivity cab, probably based on 12" Eminence the Wizard, for the occational friend jam.

Anyone else have experience with hooking up a high sensitivity 112 cab on this tiny baby?

Hi need a bit of advice, looking to buy a blackstar ht amp but which one? I play in a church band every sunday at the moment i use a vox vt15 mic up through the main pa system, the vox is never used at 15 watts and probly screwed back too half the power and the master volume at 12, more or less just enough to hear myself on stage, im not very clued up on amps but trying to figure if a ht5 head would be enough for me or am i better to get the ht20 comb?? , cant see me needing the ht40 as wont get a chance to crank it up to get the most out of it...any advice greatly accepted!!

I'd suggest the HT20. Better a little too much than not quite enough.

If you're keeping the Vox, and the Blackstar would be mic'd, I'd go with the HT-5 to give you an alternative.

Morning! I'm a recent owner of a Blackstar Ht-1 head with reverb and the Blackstar 4x8 cab (which is aweeeeeeeesomeee!!!). Like many folks, I'm a middle aged home player. Over the years I've enjoyed my blues jr, my peavey classic amps. At home, as we all know, these awesome amps can be underutilized due to volume constraints. And by volume constraints I mean my wife yelling to turn it down :). Blackstar has really designed a nice product for the home player. Small. ISF works. 4x8 half stack sounds fantastic with a great low end. Takes mp3 in and headphones out. I tried the Vox lil nighttrain and the Blackstar smokes that amp. Now for those of you who don't suffer size related insecurity syndromes, 1 watt is plenty loud enough for home use. The key is a good cab so you get a full sound, not boxy or tinny sounds that some small cabs suffer. I have converted to small amps, sold everything and now have the blackstar and a 5w Swart atom. And an attenuator for the atom, lol. Rob

Thanks for the info, im just a bit worryed if i go for the ht20 and end up losing out on the tone because im not getting to push it hard enough. In a perfect world id just buy a 100 watts but supose its better to buy whats suited to youre set up, more reserch and guidence needed!

If you play clean (no OD) in such a big room as a church, I personally think both the Blackstar HT1 and HT5 breaks up too early. HT20 has a nice clean channel that go a long way, though.

If you play clean (no OD) in such a big room as a church, I personally think both the Blackstar HT1 and HT5 breaks up too early. HT20 has a nice clean channel that go a long way, though.

Thanks, something i will keep in mind

I play in a small church and use a HT-5 and find that I don't have
too many problems with it. The volume is usually set to around
the twelve o clock position (half volume)

lookinf at the ht1:
is it worth the money and versatile enough from classic rock to blues and the odd mess with jazz??

I play in a small church and use a HT-5 and find that I don't have
too many problems with it. The volume is usually set to around
the twelve o clock position (half volume)

Thanks for the advice steven,

lookinf at the ht1:
is it worth the money and versatile enough from classic rock to blues and the odd mess with jazz??
For bedroom practice the HT-1R is surprisingly versatile. What it does best is Hi Gain OD and classic rock. It is also easy to find the sweet spots for that crunchy blues. It works well with a tubescreamer pedal too for changing between light crunch and screaming solos with lots of sustain.

Now, if you are talking about clean, soft jazz totally without breakup, I find that the HT-1R breaks up a bit too early. There is very little headroom before you are in the bluesy OD area, even for bedroom practice. But if you don't require much volume, the clean channel works for jazz too.

I'm also considering buying a ht 20 combo. I was going to get the ht5r but im worried it will break up to early. i need a nice clean.... whats the clean like on the ht 20? I'll be using a single coil tele.

Thanks

I'm also considering buying a ht 20 combo. I was going to get the ht5r but im worried it will break up to early. i need a nice clean.... whats the clean like on the ht 20? I'll be using a single coil tele.

Thanks
Sorry, only tested it in a shop with a borrowed Epiphone SG (buckers).

But I recall there was a huge difference in the clean channel breakup between HT-5 and HT-20. While HT-5R started to break up around 12 o'clock (half way), the HT-20 behaved like a clean channel (no breakup) much farther and I got much more of a Fender clean feeling on that (didn't do an A/B comparison with Fender, though, so don't take my word as absolute truth here).
Add to this that HT-20 is a lot louder, you get a really fun headroom to play with on the clean channel.

The lack of clean headroom on HT-1 has caused me to chase for another amp. This was the reason I tested HT-5 vs HT-20. I hoped HT-5 was good enough on the clean channel, but to me it wasn't. In Norway the HT-20 is a bit pricey. :sad: I am starting to look at other brands now.

BUT: I might actually keep my HT-1R, though, since it is so good for almost everything else than clean, is portable beyond anything else, records well, is nice to have as backup and is a fine rehearsal amp since it doesn't need to be loud for great OD. :smile:

That's most helpful. Thank you!!

At a gig last night I realized that I dont really use that much clean anymore so I opted for the ht-5r in the end. Its ordered now so I'll join the club soon!!

I'm in! Just ordered my HT-5R combo. I was hoping to see more reviews on this new version of the HT-5 but it doesn't seem to many people have them. I'll try to post some thoughts once it arrives.

Got a HT Club 40 the other day. Delicious, almost blackface clean tone with the voice button pushed in. The "boutique" clean tone is ok, I haven't experimented with it much yet.

LOTS of gain on the drive channel. I keep the gain at about 9 o'clock and that's plenty for AC/DC or Zeppelin type sounds. It cleans up really nice with the guitar's volume controls. Delay in the effects loop and a touch of reverb works a treat for Gilmourish leads.

I love this amp! It is plenty loud for clubs and the master volume works great for home use.

Everyone is loving their Blackstars, and I'm no exception.

I have the S1-45 and the cleans are in heaven territory. With gain at max & a clean boost pedal, the resulting crunch is to die for. As is every other setting on this amp (all my old distortion pedals are collecting dust). Somewhat different to the HT series with glassier cleans, but that's why they cost more.

With the DPR control, this amp doubles as a bedroom beauty and handles 1000+ crowds without raising a sweat. Awesome tone at ANY volume.

The other guitarist in my band just ditched his Mesa MK111 in favour of the new Blackstar 50 watt head, essentially the same amp as mine. I'm yet to hear it but I expect much better tone from his side of the room.

At gigs I always get a few muso's from the audience who freak over my tone, I love it!

Since having this amp I have not lusted for another.

been gigging my ht-60 for a few months KILLER amp, especially after a retube ..... now to swap the speakers

One Week in with my Blackstar HT-40, really loving this amp! Learning the sweet spots. Just a few hours to figure out all the knobs, buttons, and levels. Giving up the Line6 amps that I wished would have worked out but a little hard for me to use onstage and all the tweaking time and learning curves took away from actual playing time.
Cant put my guitar down now, and I can really hear the guitar. Not colored or over processed. Nice pure responsive tone.

I've got a Vox AC30TB that I love but I play mostly in small clubs/bars and Moose Lodge types of places and I am not able to crank it enough to get a nice crunch sound and it just doesn't have the bite I am looking for at low volumes. By low volume I mean I am only turning the Vox up to 2 or maybe 3. I've got a Weber MASS attenuator but when attenuating by more than half I find that I it dulls the tone.

I play classic rock mostly. I don't need a super clean tone. I use a Nobels OD-1 and a Boss DS-1 and one or the other is almost always on. I don't want a metal distortion, just good dirty rock tone with some bite and crunch. I've been looking into the low-watt heads like Vox Night Train, Orange Tiny Terror, etc. and listening to a lot of Youtube demos. I'm really liking the Blackstar HT-5RH (haven't actually played through one, but based on the demos I've heard). I am wondering if that will be loud enough for a small bar setting, or should I consider the HT-20? I'm just afraid to get into another situation where I can't crank the amp enough to hit its sweet spot.

Another thing to consider is that GC right now has a $100 off coupon of purchases of $499 or more, so I could get the HT-20 for $399 or the HT-5 for $359 ($20 off of purchases of $99 or more).

Do any of you with the HT-5R use the MP3 input? IF so, how is the sound? I'm in the same boat as CraigL.

Another thing to consider is that GC right now has a $100 off coupon of purchases of $499 or more, so I could get the HT-20 for $399 or the HT-5 for $359 ($20 off of purchases of $99 or more).
If the difference is only $40, it is a no-brainer, IMHO. The HT-20 has a lot more clean headroom. The gain is also adjustable over a wider range, more independent from the volume setting. HT-20 is simply more versatile.

Do any of you with the HT-5R use the MP3 input? IF so, how is the sound? I'm in the same boat as CraigL.

I use it with my HT-1R and the sound is pretty good. I use 1/4 TRS "stereo" to mini jack.

I just double check the volume on my iPhone before hit play... it always seems to some how be on max.

It's great for the backyard hangout for a "boom box" amp combo thingy ! - Portable man cave.

I have an HT-100 head that I run through a Marshall 1936 2x12. I love it. So much.

I played a 6505+ for years while I was in a metal band. Now that I've gotten out of metal I needed a clean tone. I looked at Marshalls pretty hard, but couldn't get into the drive tone. Not quite tight enough for me. I got the HT-100 for $700 during one of GC's sales.

Now I'm looking at the lower wattage combos for low level playing.

Recorded our last gig. QMT-HSS Strat through a Blackstar S1-45 and a Musicman Silhouette through a Blackstar S1-50.
Both guitars recorded using the amps speaker emulated outs. Recorded at The Irish Village, in Emerald, Qld, Australia.
www.reverbnation.com/jonnythecoleshots

I have a Blackstar HT-60. I replaced the speakers with a WGS Veteran 30 and a WGS ET65. I also replaced the tubes with 2 JJ 3L34 power tubes and 2 JJ 12AT7 to tame the gain a bit. Sounds great with the mods, and also it turns out when I got the amp, one of the power tubes were bad.

Hey guys, quick question... do you think the HT-5 combo would be too loud for an apartment in an apartment in an urban environment? Would an HT-1 be better suited? I'd prefer a bit more headroom for some cleans, but I've heard that the HT-5 is surprisingly loud.

I also might want to use it to jam with. I've been using the ZT Lunchbox for a while, which is cool and all, but I'm missing tube tone. I don't think the HT-1 would be good enough. But really, I just need my tube tone fix, and these amps are two I'm interested in. So if the HT-1 is something I'd get to play more in my apartment, then I'm okay with that.

I haven't tried an HT1, but IMHO, the HT5's tone even at below talking level is pretty great. No need for pedals, just turn the gain up and volume down. That's what made me buy one.

I am happy with my Blackstar HT-1(R)
Nice little Amp 1 Watt great Clean Sound.

Greatingzz
Clavan

I am happy with my Blackstar HT-1(R)
Nice little Amp 1 Watt great Clean Sound.

Greatingzz
Clavan
I have a HT-1R myself, and I love how it works on OD to high gain stuff.

But I simply find it has too little dynamic headroom for pure clean, even at bedroom levels. I have to add that my room is not really a bedroom, but a tiny home cinema, where walls are covered with acoustic dampening panels, which lowers the room response and also the general sound level.

I think the HT-5 would be too loud for an apartment. I just moved from a house to a condo and am in the process of selling a 5W Tweed Champ because I found it too loud. I have an HT-1R and even that could be loud enough to get you in trouble with the neighbors, especially when you are in high gain mode. My new guideline for myself is 1Watt MAX on a tube amp. I love the fact that those new marshall anniversary amps are 1Watt or 0.1Watt. I really want to try one but will probably have to pass because of the price.

As others have said, there is not a lot of clean headroom on the HT-1R combo, but it does depend on the guitar. IMO this amp shines for high gain over clean tones. I would bring my guitar in and try one with your guitar if you can.

I haven't been playing my Blackstar much since I moved to the condo as my Yamaha THR10 has become my new practice amp, but reading this makes me want to break it out again.

If your neighbours trumphs every other concern, then I guess HT-1R is OK on clean too. But to me it should at least have the power and headroom to drown out the unamplified sound from the guitar without distorting.

But to me it should at least have the power and headroom to drown out the unamplified sound from the guitar without distorting.

Lol. I know what you mean. I have had different results with different guitars though, guess it depends on how hot the pickups are, and how big of a room you are in. Our spare room, where my guitars are, is on the small size and has hard wood floors. The amp can sound surprisingly loud in there, even the clean sound.

I actually like the Celestion stock speakers in the Stage 60 - they definitely open up after logging a few dozen hours on it - so content with them in fact that the 2x12 extension cabinet is on the way. First gig with the Blackstar 60 "half stack" will be at the end of the month - should be fun!

Picked up the Club 50, and 412 cab. I am blown away.

Ive got the Artisan 15 its a wonderful amp

I haven't played one yet but...

I am a marketing student. I sent out many requests to Amp builders to fill out a questionaire regarding their marketing implementations. Only two have responded, Mr Mackrill himself from Mack amps and Blackstar.

This speaks volumes to me and I hope to others as well.


.

Ht 100 to a randall jaguar cab! I love it!

Count me in. I have a cute little HT1R for home use. Plenty loud enough on the clean and distorted channels. With the amps controls at noon on the distortion channel and my Hamer Studio's or Les Paul's volumes below half, I get a slightly broken up sound......cleanish' on the neck and jump to the bridge for some grit....really nice. I like it even better now that the stock speaker is almost broken in.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has tried the head or combo through the 4x8" small cab that Blackstar has for this amp. I'm wondering if I can keep my volume low enough with it so that no one gets annoyed at home, but yet get that small"stack" effect.

Classicplayer

After two years of buying/selling/trading amps, I finally have Blackstar HT 40. The clean channel was surprisingly good and there's more gain available than I will ever use. I transporting the thing home, one of the power tubes went microphonic, so I am looking forward to getting it back from the shop and seeing what the new tubes do to the tone. I think I am done shopping around for amps for a long time!

I own a HT-1R, but have tried HT-5R, HT-20 and HT-40 in shops, and to me the two latter amps are really good at clean tones.
The two smaller amps break up a bit too early to give the proper dynamics for great clean, IMHO, but for low volume solo rehearsal I find them capable on clean as well. It may be difficult to get the clean "spank", though.

Precisely, the smaller HT1R does break up quickly. For really clean stuff, it has to be kept down low on the volume and gain, but that's O.K. with me as I got it for around the home where volume can be a problem.

Classicplayer

I've been playing through a new HT-1R for a couple of weeks now. Huge fun and an EQ pedal has added some nice variety.

I'd also be interested to hear how they sound through the new 4x8 cab.

NankerPhelge,

What brand of EQ Pedal do you use? I'm also interested in the that Blackstar 408 cab. I wrote to Blackstar and it measures 21" X 21" X 13". That's about
53cm x 53cm x 33cm (I think).

It moves much more "air", so I'm not so sure that the big sound it probably gets will keep the peace around my house.


Classicplayer

I'm using an MXR M-108 10 band eq. The interaction with the Blackstar tone control and the extra volume slider are pretty useful.
This may be because I've been mostly using it in a glass conservatory :grin:

I'm interested in getting the HT-1RH and 4x8 cab. Interesting to read some comments on here about the HT-1R breaking up early, are you guys using the combo and the speaker is breaking up or distorting? I'm just wondering if the 4x8 cab used with the head would give it a little more clean headroom?

I'm interested in getting the HT-1RH and 4x8 cab. Interesting to read some comments on here about the HT-1R breaking up early, are you guys using the combo and the speaker is breaking up or distorting? I'm just wondering if the 4x8 cab used with the head would give it a little more clean headroom?

The speaker breaking up within 1watt? Nope.

The only way to more clean headroom would be a more efficient speaker, but as far as I know, the internal 8 inch gives about 97dB at 1w/1m. So it is already pretty efficient.

I would rather recommend a more powerful amp if you want more clean headroom.

+1 to the comments on clean headroom. There isn't any or I'd have bought one by now. It is surprisingly quiet when clean. Better with a little Pathfinder and the (still fab) HT-1R for rocking out.

Count me in. I have a cute little HT1R for home use. Plenty loud enough on the clean and distorted channels. With the amps controls at noon on the distortion channel and my Hamer Studio's or Les Paul's volumes below half, I get a slightly broken up sound......cleanish' on the neck and jump to the bridge for some grit....really nice. I like it even better now that the stock speaker is almost broken in.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has tried the head or combo through the 4x8" small cab that Blackstar has for this amp. I'm wondering if I can keep my volume low enough with it so that no one gets annoyed at home, but yet get that small"stack" effect.

Classicplayer

I have the 408 cabinet. The volume is greater but the 4 speakers bring the amp to life. It has 4 of the ht1 speakers in it so the tone stays the same. A bit less treble and no boxy sound. Don't know the u.s. cost but in UK it sells for about $240 equivalent.

Interesting facts on the 408 cab. There are three online retailers here in the U.S that are selling for just what you stated. I guess I will put the purchase off right now, as I don't need the dispersion that the 4 x 8" cab would give me.

Classicplayer

Picked up the Club 50, and 412 cab. I am blown away.

I've got the same setup on the way.. The club 50 is overkill for me in my apartment but it just sounded awesome into the 412 & I got an amazing deal. Currently using a blues junior, was just going to get a 2x12 cab and run the blues junior through that but I have issues passing up a good deal.

+1 on the HT5 R Head. Sounds great with my Baja Tele but my Strat sounds
weak and tinny. Its got Tonerider Vintage pickups in it. Tried different pup heights etc but still cant seem to make it sound good.

New member here Series one 45 combo. Went to buy a ht-5TH and came out with this, too good of a deal to pass up and the built in attenuator makes it possible to use at home, and then crank up at a gig.

I've owned the HT stage 100 for about a year with the matching 2X12 cab. The head is outstanding. Very Versitile. There are basically 2 modes for each channel. I set mine up Clean (american voicing,) OD-1 gain up about halfway (voicing not engaged, run my boss sd-1 when I need more bite over it,) and OD-2 at about 2 O'clock for modern rock tones. It complements my fenders well. My one complain is the 70/80 celestians in the cab. I played the head through a mesa 2X12 with V30's and it made a very noticible upgrade in my opinion. Will probably load V30's in my 2X12 when I get the chance, but overall i'm very happy with the HTstage 100.

Question re: the Blackstar 20 watt head or combo... I played one in a store and it sounded really nice on both channels. I don't like to play loud in that situation, and the clean channel was very clean since the volume was so low, no breakup at all. About how much to you have to crank it to get that 'little bit' of distortion going? I don't usually like squeaky clean tone, I like it when there's almost always at least a little bit of breakup going on. If you're in a band situation, is it breaking up on the clean side?

thanks!

I'm in!
Just got a HT-5R combo... Got it on Gumtree for (I think) a good price: still boxed. First impressions- exactly what I was looking for eg usable sounds/volume for home use... just need time to bond with it now.

I'm in!
Just got a HT-5R combo... Got it on Gumtree for (I think) a good price: still boxed. First impressions- exactly what I was looking for eg usable sounds/volume for home use... just need time to bond with it now.

Congratulations!

The unique ISF feature makes it easy to dial in some pretty great overdriven sounds.

I just picked up a HT1-HR. So far so good through headphones for which I purchased it for. I do have a 1x12 cab that I need to get a speaker for. Any suggestions?

Any tips ,tricks warnings etc.? So far I think it's great. 168190

I've only tried HT20 in shops, but I love the clean on that. I think I always missed the headroom on HT1 and even on HT5. All of them have real versatility on the overdrive sound, but HT20 is better on clean and also has greater potential with pedals.

I'm sad to say I am no longer a member. I sold the little HT-1R.

I still love Blackstar, though. But I found myself using my Fender Super Champ XD more, especially because it has a great clean that also takes pedals well. I still kept the HT around for a while for the overdrive and recording amp capabilities, but as I play more bass than guitar these days, I realized I had to let it go, as it was neglected.

If I was not turning to bass, I guess I would have kept it or upgraded to a HT20 or 40.

so after a month or so...we have this ...good tone:mrgreen:

I have a 20w... Love the amp but it is a bit darker than I want. What preamp tubes have you found brightened yours up?

Alright Blackstar owners, I need some advice on the HT-1R and the HT-5R. I am looking for my first tube amp that will allow me to practice in my apartment. I am intrigued by the range of gain you can get from both of these amps. My main concern is that the clean headroom is too limited in the HT-1R to allow me to get a nice clean sound at higher volumes. My concern with the HT-5R is the opposite, that I won't be able to get the nice tube saturated gain and lower volumes. Is there anyone out there that can speak to this? I have heard great things about both of these amps. I am leaning towards the HT-1R because I hear that the volume is PLENTY loud for home use. Any other thoughts would be very helpful! I use a strat and play everything from country/blues to grunge/light metal. Thanks in advance!

Go for HT-5R. HT-1R has, as you fear, too little clean headroom.

Blackstar does preamp overdrive so well that I wouldn't worry about not getting enough gain on the HT-5R.

Go for HT-5R. HT-1R has, as you fear, too little clean headroom.

Blackstar does preamp overdrive so well that I wouldn't worry about not getting enough gain on the HT-5R.

With that said, do you like the clean sound of the HT-5R? How would you describe it?

I gig with a HT-5R. I like the clean channel. At gigs I don't use the dirty channel at all. It is too noisy, it is true to its Marshall roots. :lol:

My situation may be different than many. I want a low wattage amp to keep stage levels down. The amp sits on stage right on a stand and points inward at my head. I am the only one that hears it. It is mic's and goes out through the FOH and monitor sends.

It is super lightweight and does what I need and cost less the half the price of a Mesa Boogie Express Plus.

With that said, do you like the clean sound of the HT-5R? How would you describe it?

At the time, the HT-5R (with reverb) didn't exist, and I owned the HT-1R. I later tried the HT-5 and HT-20. Now I have a Fender Super Champ XD, and I feel that even HT-5 only barely cuts it when it comes to the clean sound. I felt that HT-20 came a lot closer to the snappy dynamics that I want in my clean sound.

Blackstar makes great amps, but I think they excel at overdrive and high gain. If you mainly use clean sound, you have to try the amp (at least if it is a Blackstar) to verify that the clean is the way you want.

At the time, the HT-5R (with reverb) didn't exist, and I owned the HT-1R. I later tried the HT-5 and HT-20. Now I have a Fender Super Champ XD, and I feel that even HT-5 only barely cuts it when it comes to the clean sound. I felt that HT-20 came a lot closer to the snappy dynamics that I want in my clean sound.

Blackstar makes great amps, but I think they excel at overdrive and high gain. If you mainly use clean sound, you have to try the amp (at least if it is a Blackstar) to verify that the clean is the way you want.

Thanks for the info. This is exactly what I suspected. As much as I want to join this Blackstar amp club (I love that gain), I'm gonna have to find a different tube amp that has great cleans and the ability to be boosted into some great overdrive/gain.