Blackstar pedals

mike_l

I've tried a few Blackstar amps and like their sounds (generally), but I don't want to buy, and haven't got the room for another amp, are the Blackstar pedals similar (I'm not expecting exact) to the amps?

not_the_dj

I used to have a HT Dual Pedal, and I now use a HT-50 head....but their paths never crossed...however yes I think they do sound similarish. There is a Blackstar sound.

mike_l

Excellent work @not_the_dj and thanks.

I'm giving consideration to getting one.

 

steamabacus

I remember reading that the HT-5 was developed following a request (from a Japanese distributor, if I remember correctly) for 'an HT-Dual with a small valve power amp'.

ICBM

The circuit of the HT-Dual pedals is identical in all major respects to the HT-5 amp preamp overdrive channel.

ThePrettyDamned

The ht metal sounds even better than the ht dual, it's a bit crunchier and has (to my ears) a bit more brightness about it. Still a blackstar sound, though.

hugbot

Very similar, I had a HT40 and HT dual at the same time.

I wasnt really a fan of the Dual though, the extra gain channel never sounded great and added bass, meaning it was difficult to make it sound good while sharing the eq with the much better sounding midgain channel.

Corvus

@mike_l if you're near/in Cambridge you're welcome to pop over and try my HT Dual. (well, even if you aren't..:)  but I see in your sig you might be local)

I'm also not totally keen on the distortion side, it really wants a separate EQ to the drive. Or just a bass cut trimpot or something.
I really like the drive side though, it's dynamic & 'organic' feeling. It's a big chunky thing though.

guitarfishbay

Yes the HT Duals sound very much like the HT amps. I had an HT Dual at the same time as I had an HT60 2x12.

jeztone2

The HT dual is good, to my ears the ISF control is just to tighten or loosen the low end. They sound very like a modern Marshall IMHO. But a bit more flexible.

However I think the build could be better, those controls moved so I had to rubber band them up & the foot switch used to break on mine. So I got it fixed & flogged it on.

Drew_TNBD

I liked the HT-Dual I had. I can imagine if you're the kind of person who likes to go into a clean amp with pedals, it could easily be your main source of gain sounds.

ICBM

The ISF is a variable frequency mid control. The lower you have mid set, the more dramatic the sweep. It doesn't affect the low-end much if at all, even at the lowest-mid setting.

I actually liked the extra bass on the higher-gain channel and found the mid-gain one too middy, but maybe it's just me... (I found the whole thing too middy and not bright enough, in general.)

hugbot

Yeah the ISF affects mids,

The idea is that "british" amps have a slight scoop in the high mids, making them kinda raspy on the top end and accentuating the low mids, making it sound boomy. "american" amps have a scoop in the low mids, which tightens the bass and means a more clangy and aggressive sound in the high mids.

The ISF just dials between them.

mike_l

@Billkat ; yep, I work in Cambridge, and live in St,Ives. Thanks for the offer, I'll take you up on that in the near future.

@Drew_fx ; Since getting reunited with the Marshall Guv'nor Mk1 I've enjoying a pedal - clean amp set-up. Funnily, I'd not really liked it before, prefering to crank an amp, but since finding a good sound that way I'm liking it more.

 

Cheers guys. 

ICBM

hugbot said:

Yeah the ISF affects mids,

The idea is that "british" amps have a slight scoop in the high mids, making them kinda raspy on the top end and accentuating the low mids, making it sound boomy. "american" amps have a scoop in the low mids, which tightens the bass and means a more clangy and aggressive sound in the high mids.

I've always thought it was the other way round...

Marshall - tight bass, low-mid cut, upper mid boost, bright top-end. Mesa - loose bass, low-mid boost, upper-mid cut, dark top-end. At least that's what I get comparing a Marshall to a Rectifier.

I don't really hear "UK" or "US" sounds in the ISF at all, to be honest - I hear a Blackstar sound with a mid sweep EQ. I wish they'd stop the marketing hype and just be straight about what stuff does.

Drew_TNBD

ICBM said:

I don't really hear "UK" or "US" sounds in the ISF at all, to be honest - I hear a Blackstar sound with a mid sweep EQ. I wish they'd stop the marketing hype and just be straight about what stuff does.

Agree!

MattG

i've got a ht-dual for sale if thats of any use?

sounds just like my friends HT-1 through my nano valve

and like one of the bigger blackstars through my orange although that almost certainly because of the 2x12 rather than a 1x8 and the extra power behind it

mike_l

@MattG I did see that you have one for sale. Partly what sparked my interest......

 

Check your PM's

hugbot

ICBM said:

hugbot said:

Yeah the ISF affects mids,

The idea is that "british" amps have a slight scoop in the high mids, making them kinda raspy on the top end and accentuating the low mids, making it sound boomy. "american" amps have a scoop in the low mids, which tightens the bass and means a more clangy and aggressive sound in the high mids.

I've always thought it was the other way round...

Marshall - tight bass, low-mid cut, upper mid boost, bright top-end. Mesa - loose bass, low-mid boost, upper-mid cut, dark top-end. At least that's what I get comparing a Marshall to a Rectifier.

I don't really hear "UK" or "US" sounds in the ISF at all, to be honest - I hear a Blackstar sound with a mid sweep EQ. I wish they'd stop the marketing hype and just be straight about what stuff does.

The older plexi style amps are more high-middy, then as you get to the JCM800/2000 and beyond they're more dark and raspy. 

Theres more to it than that in reality of course, but thats where blackstar is going with the whole ISF thing: http://www.stompboxresource.com/IMAGE/blackstar_isf.jpg

ICBM

hugbot said:

The older plexi style amps are more high-middy, then as you get to the JCM800/2000 and beyond they're more dark and raspy.

I think you mean thin and buzzy .

The 800s/900s/2000s are not in any way dark. There's no Marshall which has a dark sound at all, made later than the old Super Bass.

Anything after the earliest JCM800s just sound quite hollow and a bit lacking in punch, to me. I even hear the Jubilees described as 'dark', and they really aren't.

thecolourbox

So the HTDual clean setting is the same as the sound on the HT5 amp clean channel? I really liked the clean on my HT5 when I had it, only moved it on as I upgraded to a Fender The idea of the HTDual doing the HT5 clean setting straight to PA appeals to me...