NBSD

Ball&Chain

Ball&Chain

New member
So the Blackstar HT20 came in today. Not bad for just winning the auction on Monday. As you can see, it came in nicely packed in the original packing and complete with footswitch and owners manual.

This thing looks brand new. I couldnt find a scratch on it and barely any dust though inevitably it shows up in high res pics. Ill have to contact the seller about that.:joke: Not even a crease in the manual.

I opened the cab to take a look inside. The 12ax7s are tucked inside, so I couldnt tell what make they were. I didnt feel like pulling one to find out just yet. Would be interesting to see though. I'm assuming replacing those would benefit. I've heard the Tung sols are good in those.

I took it for a test drive for about a good hour and a half, testing the EQ all over. The EQ set up a bit different than I thought I would like it at. I ended up on the USA side with the ISF and cutting mids slightly. I started at the opposite thinking thats where I would want it. Everything works nicely, including the effects loop and speaker emulated out.

First impression is I'm thinking the speaker isnt all that great. The magnet is so tiny. Reminds me of the burger king commercial and the guy with the tiny hands who had an inferiority complex eating the larger burgers. It says celestion on it so it has to be great right? Heh, marketing for you. Might try to sneak a used Eminence Governor or a Veteran 30 at some point.

Overall looks to be a good 300 bucks spent. Nice features with the effects loop and speaker options. 2 channels, footswitch. I also like to see combos where you can easily unplug the speaker like this one.


Original Box.
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Owners manual even.
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Celestion Rocket 50. Meh.
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Tubes!
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Re: NBSD

I hate rocket 50s and seventy/80s, no note definition, fizzy no balls. I'd love to have a Blackstar tho. So congrats!
 
Re: NBSD

Great score. I've heard really good things about the Blackstars, though I've never played one myself. I can't believe you got it so quickly.

You'll notice a gigantic improvement in tone with a new spkr. The Rocket 50 is the lowest of the Celestion line and IMO not even worthy to wear the Celestion name. I'll bet a Swamp Thang will work wonders.

Give us a report after you've had some time to get used to it and dial it in.
 
Re: NBSD

Digital reverb,.Ben.


Another non fan of the Rocket 50 and 70/80. Lame speakers IME. I think the rocket 50s sell for less than 50 bucks each. Change it out BnC, and it will nake a huge diff. I played the head version through a mesa BS90 cab and it sounded pretty darned nice. Congrats on the new amp.
 
Re: NBSD

Sweet man! If they are the stock tubes, they are most likely TAD tubes, I think thats what they put in all of the Blackstars. The only knocks that I can find on the amp are that they put awful speakers in all of them. My HT-40 had a Celestion 70/80 in it, so I swapped it out for a WGS Retro 30... Major improvement! I'm also going to be putting some Tung Sols in mine pretty soon.
 
Re: NBSD

I have had good experience with TAD tubes. I foresee some ripping power chords in your future!
Eminence Celestions are now better than Celestions. Strange world. Weber speakers have some great speakers if you feel the need.
That speaker may not be too bad. Anxious to hear your plans.
 
Re: NBSD

An intersting thing thats unique to this amp in the line is the standby. There is no switch. Its built into the guitar input jack. To engage the standby, you unplug the guitar cable or just pop it out slightly. Makes it interesting if you want to run direct into the effects return. You basically have to stick a 1/4" adapter into the input jack to turn the standby off.

My initial thought on a speaker were the Eminance Governor and the WGS Veteran 30 like I mentioned. I'm looking for the basic metal tone with tight lows, but I want crunchy mids as well. So far their lacking a bit. Ive got the Hardwire OD on the way, so that will be interesting to try out, though this amp really does have enough gain on its own.
 
Re: NBSD

Eminence kinda has its celestion counterpart. I believe the Governor is somewhat comparable to a vintage 30 for example.
 
Re: NBSD

HNAD!

You might also want to consdier a WGS Retro 30, as it's closer to a Vintage 30 than the Veteran 30 is. The Retro 30 has tight lows, very crunchy midrange and slightly chimey highs. really nice speaker. Great for metal.
 
Re: NBSD

Cool, man. Hope you love it! I have nothing good to say about the Seventy 80, but I have no experience with the Rocket 50. But my Blackstar loves the Governor, and it loves the combination of Governor and Wizard even more. If you get into swapping tubes, definitely get a Tung-Sol. But if you're suffering from a little more curiosity, buy a Mullard RI 12AX7. It's a really, really cool sound for those Blackstars.
 
Re: NBSD

Awesome. I'd definitely swap that speaker. I'd recommend a Celestion Classic Lead 80 because it's kind of between a V30 and a 70/80 and a little smoother. I wonder how much louder a better speaker would be in that amp.
 
Re: NBSD

A friend of mine has a Laney Cub12 with matching 2x12 cab with two Rocket 50s.
I agree with everyone else. Sounds very bland. Not very strong.
My 1x12 cab sounds way better with that amp.
 
Re: NBSD

Lol.

Im sure after break in it will sound better, but no doubt they are bottom of the barrel. The less expensive blackstars lack complexity in the midrange as stock, so yeah d go with speakers that have some, like the v30, 65, gold, or H30. A single GB25 may gt a bit too ratty in a 20w open back combo.
 
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