Blackstar ht metal arrived

ThePrettyDamned

There isn't a huge number of reviews of this online so here are my first impressions.

It's the best of the ht distortion range. By miles.

It's also probably one of the best, if not, the single best distortion pedal I've used.

I'm using it as a pedal, not preamp - I'll give a more in depth review with clips in the coming weeks though.

It sits before my df-2 in the chain.

Okay! First things first, it has soft switches which are nice.

Secondly, the eq is really good. It sounds like a Blackstar, but it does seem to have a great deal of clarity on tap for the two distortion sounds.

Od 1 is a classic distortion - think iron Maiden. However, it can get right up to all out filth and has a nice "krang" sound going on. I really like it, but...

I prefer the clean sound. This is accessible by a button, and I use it as a valvey sounding overdrive. It's fairly responsive to pick attack and very responsive to volume changes, cleaning up very very well.

However, this channel definitely suffers from the dark blackstar sound - and when you do get good, spanky fender brightness, it loses that valvey, warm overdrive sound. It's kinda like a fender blackface but darker - sort of the worst of both worlds, harsh overdrive and no real clarity.

However! It's lovely sounding for a warm rhythm overdrive, for strumming chords or arpeggiated stuff. It's a great one trick pony, and it's how I'll use that half. As a bonus, it works great as a boost into the df-2 and gets me the frusciante lead tone. Excellent!

I'm looking forward to testing with proper single coils, to see how versatile it is. As it is, it's pretty much the perfect low gain rock and heavy rock overdrive.

Channel two is modern metal. Tight, punchy, but with a wonderful quality to the bass. You can palm mute and, just like an amp, the initial hit is tight but is followed by a big swell in the bass end. It's excellent for kilkswitch engage heavy with the gain at 2/3rd. Wind it down to below half way and it's a great techy sound - complex chords stay clear sounding with a heap of distortion on top.

It likes being boosted, too, so a high gain rhythm can be turned into a super saturated liquid lead tone. Very cool.

The isf is a heap of shit. It doesn't go USA to UK, it goes from horribly top end mids to horribly thick low mids. The sweet spot is somewhere near half way, I went a touch over half. Put it there and never touch it again.

So, it works great as a two channel new distortion, with one as a high gain classic metal sound and channel two for lead, or channel one as a warm valvey overdrive that cleans up great and channel two as either a modern heavy distortion.

Early days, but I'm very, very impressed.

I wonder if the emulated out works as a headphone socket for silent practice?

For 100 quid, it's excellent. For the 50 I paid, it's insane.

Dave_Mc

Nice

samzadgan

wait...that pedal has emulated output for headphones?? please report back

ThePrettyDamned

samzadgan;431603" said:

wait...that pedal has emulated output for headphones?? please report back

It has emulated output... I don't know if it's headphones safe or not. I can't find anything on it.

Perhaps I should read the instructions.

I'm just about to record a few riffs with the direct out straight into pod farm with a mic preamp and into reaper. Hopefully it'll sound good.

ecc83

"It has emulated output... I don't know if it's headphones safe or not. I can't find anything on it"

Totally short circuit and therefore headphone proof. It is NOT however capable of H/P currents! Yes you will get a squeak (handy for go-nogo tests) but not useful.

Re ISF, not everyone knows that it is intensively interactive with the middle control.

Dave.

ThePrettyDamned

ecc83;431771" said:

"It has emulated output... I don't know if it's headphones safe or not. I can't find anything on it" Totally short circuit and therefore headphone proof. It is NOT however capable of H/P currents! Yes you will get a squeak (handy for go-nogo tests) but not useful. Re ISF, not everyone knows that it is intensively interactive with the middle control.

Dave.

Well, it actually works with headphones! But only in the left ear so... I'm assuming the total short circuit isn't quite total in mine

To conclude, however, I've not done any recording today. I tried, and because of the time of day, my guitar just picks up a fuck ton of noise. I can reduce it by facing certain directions but it's pretty much everywhere.

Maybe Wednesday you'll hear it. I'll do a demo with both emulated only (with a bit of reverb) heavy, clean and bypassed then a bit with the non emulated output going into a pod farm cab, mic pre and eq.

samzadgan

ThePrettyDamned said:

...I tried, and because of the time of day, my guitar just picks up a fuck ton of noise. I can reduce it by facing certain directions but it's pretty much everywhere. 

what?? does your guitar turn into a transistor radio at some time in the day??

ThePrettyDamned

samzadgan;431822" said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

...I tried, and because of the time of day, my guitar just picks up a fuck ton of noise. I can reduce it by facing certain directions but it's pretty much everywhere. 

what?? does your guitar turn into a transistor radio at some time in the day??

I'm assuming it's when stuff in my house and next door gets switched on! It's a fecking nightmare. I thought my amp was broken at first, but it's actually the pickups picking up the noise.

As a pickup does.

samzadgan

you need one of these outfits for you and your guitar

ThePrettyDamned

samzadgan;431837" said:

you need one of these outfits for you and your guitar

Where did you find this picture of me?

samzadgan

page 3

ThePrettyDamned

samzadgan said:

wait...that pedal has emulated output for headphones?? please report back

Okay, don't use it for headphones, it shouldn't work apparently.  But it does, just in one ear

Now, here is a quick demo.  Day off today as I spent the morning vomiting.  Wonderful.  

Usual disclaimer - I'm not much of a player! But it's generally okay, bit of crappy bum notage in for good luck

This is all Blackstar HT emulated out into POD Farm 2 channels, each with a USA style mic preamp on, just to add a touch of warmth to the sound. I've tried to basically retain the same sound as the direct out while making it a wee bit nicer.  With effort, I can probably make it pretty good, but this is really rough and ready. 

First couple of riff repeats are channel one OD, sounds better through an amp. After that, every sound you hear is the Red channel at the same EQ settings and gain settings.  I've not tweaked EQ or gain for the lead lines, just boosted the level a touch in reaper.  

It's quiet for some reason.  My bad. 

I've tinkered more since recording this and can get a nicer lead tone with emulated, and a far better rhythm sound using POD Farm cabs from the normal output, so that's what I'll do next time. Hopefully, it'll give you some idea of the sounds though. 

Dave_Mc

Nice playing there

dchwhite

Sounds very good - both the playing and the tones.

Very nice

ThePrettyDamned

Dave_Mc;433924" said:

Nice playing there

The first solo was a bit of a fail, I was trying for a zakk Wylde thing with the big vibrato and bends and that, but I'm not a huge, hence biker legend.

Nor does it have copious amounts of wah. Maybe next time.

Cheers though, lads.

Dave_Mc

I heard the ZW thing

Someone said in a shop one time that I sounded like zakk wylde

I took it as a compliment!

ThePrettyDamned

Yes, it's a huge compliment.

Bum notes aside, if you have any other tips for me, please pass them on. I've given up on picking two note per string pentatonics at his speed though...

Dave_Mc

Thanks I dunno. I think it was just because I use way too many pinch harmonics )

I just do pentatonics/blues scale type stuff with a really wide vibrato (for the lead I mean). That seems to get me close enough. For rhythm I just do pinches a bit like you were doing in your clip.

Also I generally mean earlier ZW stuff, like with the earlier ozzy stuff he did. I've never really followed his own stuff much (even though he's one of my favourite players).

TTony

Now I'm wishing that I'd grabbed one of those - presume you got one of the £50 deals??

Sounds bloody good to me.

ThePrettyDamned

TTony;434649" said:

Now I'm wishing that I'd grabbed one of those - presume you got one of the £50 deals??

Sounds bloody good to me.

Yeah, 50 quid. Impulse purchase, too!

It sounds a bit dry without the mic pre models, but I'm splitting hairs. I doubt you'd hear the difference in the mix.

However, the clean sound emulated out is absolutely shite. Muddy as hell, regardless of what I do to the eq and isf. Shame. But through an amp, it's a nice warm clean. It won't be much good for most of my funk and stuff, but for rock cleans with a bit of hair it's just the ticket.

ThePrettyDamned

I'd go as far as to say, I'd probably be very, very happy if I paid full rrp, which is about 180 quid. It sounds really huge through an amp, and doesn't sound much like a pedal.

Which means my next amp just needs to be a nice, clean funk amp with an effects return for the ht metal when I fancy it.