Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

J

J.LaGrassa

New member
Glad I gave this amp another shot really starting to dig this amp, I bought it this past Sunday and got to use it with my band and no problem at all cutting through a band mix. When I initially got it the speaker was a bit stiff sounding and a tad harsh with my Les Paul but after cranking it for 3 days the Celestion 70/80 is starting to come to life the low end is starting to get much bolder and the top end is not so harsh I just back off a bit on the tone knob of my LP and get a very musical tone happening.

I'm going to play this amp stock for a while and right now I like it stock I know the 70/80 speaker is probably not every ones choice for a speaker but it actually does sound good to my ears, I like the voicing switch out on the OD channel it still has plenty of gain if needed and its very dynamic I think the amp cleans up incredibly well.

Well all I can say is the amp rocks I have a gig this Friday and Saturday night so it will be a good test for it i will get to try out the emulated output as well and see how it sounds through the P.A. i also like the digital reverb sounds convining to my ears!

Will report back later!
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Cool, glad you like it so much. I'm really interested in Blackstar stuff. I'm currently looking at this, although I can't afford it right now.

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Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Jeff_H said:
Cool, glad you like it so much. I'm really interested in Blackstar stuff. I'm currently looking at this, although I can't afford it right now.

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The head looks cool, they only had the combo's where i bought my amp have not seen the 20W head yet in person!
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Blackstars sound very good.
I really wish they had a 50 watt head with all the features of the 100 watter
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Heres a pretty good demo of the HT-40. Alot of amp for the money.

 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Well I had my first gig with the amp last night and I felt very comfortable using it we had to keep our volume under control so I could not really push the amp but that did not effect the tone or dynamics of the amp I love the master volume on this amp.

The amp had no problem cutting through a band mix both channels sound great, for cleans I used the Blackstar Boutique mode it was set around 12:00 for a little bit of dirt and on the OD channel I use it with the voice switch out and the gain set to around 2:00 I got a real nice crunch tone and was still enough for a good solo tone as well. The only pedals I use now is a Boss DD-3 delay and a Barber Launch Pad for a solo boost I place these in the fx loop which worked nicely.

I will get to use it again tonight hopefully I can push the amp a little more plus I will get to try out the Emulated line out into the PA so far I think this amp is great for doing gigs the 40 watts are perfect for my needs.
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

2nd gig went great as well the HT-40 performed flawlessly, a big plus for me is the emulated line out sounds great into the P.A. it is just as good as the Palmer PDI-09 I have used.
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

I have an HT-40 too, great amp, and it sounds really good with the stock speaker IMHO, I also have a 1-12 cab that I use with it some too. I went in to try out the 20, and playing the 20 and the 40 side by side, it was worth the extra $100 for the 40. The voicing switched are really nice, and the 40 had better tone. I'm not sure if it is because of the bigger box (I tried combos), or because both the 20 and the 40 are running EL34s, but the 40 has to be running them hotter to get double the power out of them, although 40W still isn't pushing EL34s to their limits. They are doing some SS magic them too, they only use 2 12AX7s, but in the end, they sound great at a great price, both important criteria to me. And the great sounding DI recording in standby mode is a big bonus.

My <$0.02...
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

How clean is the clean channel on the 20W?

I am seriously considering one of these amps just because of the silent recording/line out feature. Without something like that I am forced to use a digital processor in one venue where I play. They won't allow amps (read - stage volume).

The 40W is only available as a combo ... right?
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Well I put my HT-40 to a good test the other night I played in a 300+ room and the amp sounded so good on stage only had the master about 10-11:00 and it was plenty loud on stage, I used the line out to the board to help fill the room.

My amp is still totally stock I like every thing about the amp the TAD EL34 power tubes the Sovtek 12AX7WA and the Celestion 70/80 they all work great in this amp. It feels so good not to be going nuts changing every little thing, I have even stopped using drive pedals i plug straight in and just use delay and a clean boost in the fx loop.

This is an amazing amp for the money I'm glad I bought it!
 
Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

If I needed a new amp this is what I'd be looking at. They're pretty cheap in the UK. I enjoyed that demo because the guy really gives you a chance to hear what the amp does with single coils, hums, neck, bridge etc instead of the customary hyper widdling that doesn't give you a chance to hear what a single note or a strummed chord sounds like. Congratulations, nice amp.
 
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Re: Just Got a Blackstar HT-40

Blackstar has really made some nice affordable amps for guitar players. I played the lil HT-5 and thought it was nice sounding, i would like to try a 20 or 40 watter myself soon!
check this out: play guitar
 
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