All user reviews of 4/5 for the Blackstar Amplification HT Stage 60

Blackstar amplification is the latest company to come out of the UK and mass produce a simple 60 watt 2x12 guitar combo.

I got this amp to use onstage as a backline with my rock band. I normally will request a Fender Twin or a Vox AC30, but I thought 'Hey we'll try something new!' Brand new these amps go for $899 At the end of the day I had about 5 hours of use on it.

The amp has much more features than I expected. There is one clean channel with its own separate EQ and two overdrive channels that share their own independent EQ channel. The end of the amp has it's own master volume with a master reverb, presence and resonance knob.

The only negative features is in this price range you are at the bottom end of buying a Fender Twin or Mesa Boogie. In my experience this amp could compete with the others you are just going to have to do some tweaking.

The amps is tube and has 2 ECC83 1 ECC82 and 2 EL34s. The footswitch allows you to switch between; clean OD 1 and OD 2. The amp comes with a handle and casters to offset the weight of this amp's 67 pounds. There is an effects loop and 4 outputs on this amp to cater to any external speaker setup you could ask for.

Give this new comer a shot. British tubes and 2 Celestion 12' speakers. Think of it as sort of a hybrid between a screaming dirty Marshall and a sparkly clean Twin.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Blackstar has made a huge splash on the amp world in recent years. They have made great sounding fantastically priced amps for the masses. The price is what is so amazing to me. The amp sounds so very good and to keep their prices for a multi channle combo like this under $1000 is remarkable.

This amp is so versatile that is makes me wonder how they keep their prices so low. I have a theory but either way the most important thing is how does it sound. The tone from the cleans all the way through the crunch and up to the high gain sounds very usable for gigging and recording.

UTILIZATION


Blackstar HT Stage 60 Combo Guitar Amplifier Features:

60W all-valve combo
2 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82, and 2 x EL34 tubes
3 x footswitchable channels
2 x 12" Celestion speakers
Enhanced tone controls
Patent-applied-for Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) allows for variable voicing controls
Clean voice switch
Overdrive 1 voice switch
Overdrive 2 voice switch
Presence, Resonance, and Master volume controls
Digital reverb with dark/bright switch
Speaker emulated output with 1x12/4x12 voicing
Effects loop with effects level switch
4-way footswitch included
Cool vintage styling

SOUNDS

The first channel is amazing on its own and then to have another channel for high gain tones just blows my mind. Then to top it off with a speaker simulated output for recording, just makes this amp so versatile that I wanna buy stock into Blackstar. All seriousness though the amps high gain tone is just so fun to listen too.

I like this amp with any guitar you throw at it. However, my personal favorite is the tone you get from a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster. Something with the body and pickups of the single coil just jump out at me. Humbucking pickup guitars sound great as well but there is something magical that I hear with those particular guitars.

OVERALL OPINION

For the money it really doesn't get any better than this. At new these amps come in at around $900, which is a steal in my opinion. Having a two channel amp with s many voicing options and outputs makes this amp a must own for anyone needing a serious gigging or recording machine.

I would recommend this amp to anyone needing a good British voicing mutli channle amp who might be on a budget. These are great for recording and even practicing in your home or office.

Combo Power (RMS) 60W Lamps 2 x EL34, 2 x ECC83, 1 x ECC82 HP (s) 2 x Celestion Seventy 80 12 "Number of channels 3 with 2 modes per channel Front panel guitar input - Clean: volume, voice switches, bass, treble - Overdrive 1: gain, volume, voice switches - Overdrive 2: gain, volume, voice switches - Overdrive EQ: bass, middle, treble, ISF - Master reverb, resonance, presence, volume Rear Effects Loop : send, return, switch level - jack output with speaker simulation, switch 1x12 / 4x12 - 2 HP - footswitch jack - reverb switch (dark / bright) Pedals included FS-7, FS-4 optional (voice Overdrive 2) Weight (kg) 3.30 Dimensions (mm) 715 x 586 x 278

UTILIZATION

This is a first review after 1 week of use (2 repeats + homework). The settings are not very complicated to who ever used a tube amp.
No effect is obtained very quickly a good sound on each one of the three channels. The hardest part is knowing what you want between the ability to change the voicing, the ISF, the resonance and the presence multiply the sound palette!
It is complicated (a little) when you have effects (nova system BB + preamp). Live with the effects we lose much and gain the grain of the amp. I tried a lot of connections and for now is with the effects loop it sounds best. I had previously never used the effects loop of an amp and it is essential here.
I have not opened the manual so I do not know if it is done well ...
There are plenty of other outlets for HP, it is also an output with speaker simulation that I have not tested yet.
For the price (only correct) I am surprised that the finish is very good.
30kilos was not his strong point but they still planned two side handles for friends ...

SOUNDS

When buying this amp I was looking first and foremost a clear sound that remains even at high volume because I have indeed behind for everything crunch and saturation. Basically one channel would have sufficed.
I tried the Vox AC30 that I loved ... but difficult to keep clean always clean. I am currently recoveries rock blues funk (from light to full) and the wonderful crunch but ubiquitous high volume VOX worried me a bit. But then this crunch!
I also own a Marshall DSL-401: I struggled a lot with (changing lamp, HP, revision, ..) In the end it was not bad but:
- Lack of reserve power
- Bass who drool at high volume
So I tried the HT60 and I found it downright defend themselves well clear sound.
Even if I do not use them yet, OD1 and OD2 channels are also really nice. It sounds more than my marshall Marshall ... OD2 in the voicing and EQ that goes we get a distorted sound super powerful and accurate.
The Blackstar is very versatile. It is an advantage for some and a disadvantage for the other ...
I use it with an Ibanez S320 with Dimarzio Paf mounted Pro (neck) and D-Sonic. On clean channel overdrive + very light from the Nova and Paf Pro splité side Ibanez I obtain even a clicking sound "Fendérient first choice! What happiness!
By attention to the power cons. To play at home if you do nothing for the "crippled" this is particularly complicated and it is useless! Me I lower the volume of Nova in the loop for him calmed down a little minds ... and there it is playable. After repeating with a drummer who sent wood and bassist that goes with it well ... I can cover them all and hands down! Sound does not decays a bit. The bass is present and very clean.

OVERALL OPINION

For how long have you been using it?
I therefore used for a week. Between the setting of my amp and effects I put a little time to find what I want but it's starting to come and I think it will improve.

What thing do you like most/least about it?
+ + + His versatility, his bright, saturated ...
- Too powerful for the home

Did you try many other models before getting this one?
Marshall DSL-401, Vox AC30 and AC15

What is your opinion about the value for the price?
I was looking for any lamp combo 2x12 "and in this price (800 € max) was not much.
Other combos are often much more expensive (except in OCCAZ). So value for money excellent.

Knowing what you know now, would you make the same choice?
With 800 € max yes, with 2500 € no ... and I would take a Mesa Boogie probably ... sniff.

I am fully satisfied with this purchase, but obviously I would advise trying to make his own opinion.

Although musically.

The 60W lamp equipped HP Celestions 80. For the rest see the previous opinion. (I put 8 instead of 9 or 10 because of Celestion 80 precisely.

UTILIZATION

So I'm posting this review after a test in the store (rather long), so I have not seen the manual but still read the manuals for an amp like that? I had already tested the HT-20 (because they had it in stock) Blackstar to home, but I did not particularly taken slap.

Besides, I have not tried millions of amps, but I played for years on a 5150 and I always hated playing live on most other amps ... Anyway.

So I think it must be said, the HT 60 is plug and play. You plug it sounds. However, for settings like that really, he'll have Bignou fiddling, and this is great ... nay ... the HUGE highlight of this amp. The sonic palette is absolutely incredible. I do not think you can too get lost in the settings, but it will have to make choices for her scene, allowing only the footswitch to control all 3 channels + reverb, not the button "voice" (an idea for Mr blackstar for new releases ...)

Precisely, while we're at, pimples "voice" (available on all 3 channels, if they are) was the surprise. Indeed, a PRS CE 24 in the machine, clear sound, sounds, of course, but it sounds ultra british: very easy and pleasant crunch. But this is forgetting that famous button "voice". Do not believe as I believe it is a kind of "bright" as found on full-amp. Although in fact it sounds more bright with (or without, I do not know), the texture of the sound changes a lot, it's a lot straighter, with a little potato ... like the amps came from billionaire the U.S., but it still always crunch in the neck position.

The effect of voice was more or less the same function as effective channels of OD 1 and OD 2, ie the texture of the sound changes when it is really not bad triggers.

The presence and resonance knobs are not there for decoration and shape the sound (I have not exceeded 12 in each, because beyond that, it is the too-much ... the sound loses its transparency and potato ... more than enough but not too).

The ISF is also effective, but I have not tested in half-measures: either the middle or any side Rican or any side british (But especially these last 2 actually).

SOUNDS

So this amp can suit any style of music ... almost ...

For the same volume with the other channels, the clean sound is warm, creamy, but still not ultra-ultra versatile I think. To have a sound jazzy, I had to play with the knobs of my PRS (volume and tone), because it is not particularly "crystalline", even if very clear but it has a dynamic of hell: For the funk The rock genre is really ALL EXTRA!
(Well That said, I did not have fun playing with the master and volume, I put everything at noon, it would surely have resulted in a clear lowering the cleanest voume from clean and amount the master ... or vice versa).

I read somewhere on the net that the channel is quite versatile OD 1. Well ... It is quite true in my opinion, it goes from crunch ledzeppien, through the overdrive hairy to AC / DC heavy metal to leather, without going into the ultra hi-gain .. . ... and anything approaching it closely, and you can literally have a big distortion on this channel (maybe even cleaner than the OD 2 ... see ...).

And then there's OD2, this one is good is a misnomer, because it is millions of light years from the overdrive (OD Overdrive that does mean I think ...). It's Hi-gain, no more, no less (especially no less). It seems to me that Knob gain was about 4 / 10 to avoid the bees. The sound is punchy, hard dynamnique and ears at a volume low enough: 9 hours. We can make Metal smoothly with hairy, though, and it's a shame, this amp is not the most suitable in the field ...

Indeed, although the "overdrive 2" is hitting there something that bothers me the popping sound. This is a draft in the lower poilou of palm mute, not like a 5150 where they are neat and well rounded. And I think I can safely say that it comes from those pesky Celestion 80 ... I exaggerate, they are not cursed, nor bad, but I think that would sound really stupid excellently mounted V30, especially for countries metallesques.

OVERALL OPINION

I used it for 45 minutes today. It's good to have a few final stance, it can however be an idea. I was amazed by the craft. It has true versatility and a dynamic-really really nice. Moreover, it does not limit itself to imitate it and do not let metallers completely outdone. The power is there, it is undeniable, and as best seen in weight. It is sometimes a bit messy especially in the big popping sound and it's a shame, what else, it would have been the perfect amp.

I think this amp is worth its price, the V30 would be able to overcome its weaknesses in large distortions (I know I repeat myself) and a gain on the clean channel was not a luxury!

I still hesitate between the 60 Watt (HP and change later) or take the lead to put an HT 100 with 2x12 in v30, so I'm still making my choice ...