Before I get into the details about this amp, here’s a quick background on Blackstar, in case you’re new to the name.

Blackstar was founded by Ian Robinson and Bruce Keir around 4 years ago. They were both part of Marshall’s R&D department, and when they left to start the company, they took several other Marshall employees with them. Blackstar still remains strongly independent, and that attitude is reflected in all of the amps and pedals they create.  They believe that their products will allow musicians to find the ‘sound in their head’ because they possess a level of tonal flexibility that other equipment cannot match.

Now, onto the amp…

The Blackstar HT-60 produces 60 watts of all tube power using 2 EL34s, and pushes it through 2 12 inch Celestion speakers. If you’re wondering if this amp is loud, the answer is a definite ‘Yes’.

The clean channel on this amp is really versatile. It has 2 available modes which are ‘boutique’ and ‘modern’, and its own dedicated Tone controls which provide an even wider range of available clean sounds. The Voice switch on this channel is a feature that really makes it stand out. It reconfigures the preamp voicing, gain structure and the power amp’s damping to produce either ringing Class A tones, or clean and tight Class AB tones.

Like most guitarists, my favorite channel on an amp is the Overdrive channel, and this one does not disappoint. It has its own dedicated EQ section and Voice switch that provides similar tonal flexibility as the clean channel. The tone is high in gain, and will sound just as good if you’re playing it on 2, or cranking the volume to 11. The amp’s standout pre amp and shaping techniques allow for your tone to always remain natural sounding, no matter what extreme you are playing at.

The ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) is one of the biggest things that set Blackstar amps apart from the others out there. This control actually shifts the tone from a US-Style response on one end, to a UK-Type at the other. Combined with the 2 existing Overdrive channels, this feature provides a near infinite amount of tone variations unavailable in most, if not all amps.

The only thing digital on this amp is the Reverb. Even though it is digital, it still sounds completely natural and beautiful on both the clean and overdrive channels. To give this amp even more tone options, even the reverb has a Bright/Dark switch so a player can select one that best fits their different playing styles.

The last thing, and probably one of the characteristics impossible to overlook, is just how cool this amp looks:

Words are great and all, but what is really important is sound. Below is a video that showcases just how great this amp really is:

SPECS

Model: HT Stage 60

Power (RMS): 60 watts

Tubes: 2 x EL34, 2 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82

Weight: 67lb.

Dimensions: 28-1/4″H x 23″W x 11″D

Footswitch: FS-7 included, optional FS-4 for Overdrive 2 Voice

Price: $800-900

Find Blackstar Amps available on sale at EBay.com

If you love the sound of an overdriven guitar, then this is the perfect pedal for you. It’s genuine tube design offers tones ranging from a warm boost, to a really nice rocking crunch sound.

The HT-Drive’s A-Class tone control ensures that your playing never appears dull, or diminished by the pedal.

Tube Power: The HT-Drive boasts pure tube overdrive power. It’s high voltage design allows for true playing dynamics and feel. The pedal has two cascaded triode stages that allow it to achieve its wide range of overdrive tones.

Emulated Speaker Output: The HT-Drive is one of the best overdrive pedals around to use if you’re looking to get real life tube tone recorded onto disk or tape.

Sounds Like: The HT-Drive produces sounds reminiscent of classic rock. (Led Zeppelin, Cream, AC/DC etc.)

Conclusion: This pedal is great if you’re looking for a way to achieve true overdriven tube sounds through a solid state amplifier. It will really warm up your sound while also adding a considerable about of boost to your signal. The true tube power teamed up with the high quality speaker output make this pedal a great addition to anyone guitarist’s setup.

Demo of the Blackstar HT-DRIVE Guitar Effects Pedal

Find Blackstar HT-Drive Guitar Effects Pedals on sale at: