Blackstar HT-5R 1x12" 5 Watt Guitar Combo Amp (Black) Reviews

4.9/5.0 based on 5 customer reviews

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Customer Reviews

Thomas federico
from Willoughby Ohio
August 26, 2012Music Background:
Pro Musician / Recording Engineer

The Best Little Practice Amp That Ive Ever Owned

I,m a professional musician and i own a lot of different amps, Marshalls,
Line 6, and Blackstar,s I own 2 the HT Stage 100 and the HT-5R,. but the HT-5R Has become my favorite goto practice amp.it sounds great
and i like that i can play at low volumes and still have the distortion that i need. and the clean channle is nice and chimey the way i like it. Also
makes a great studio Amp, for recording

Torrin Webb
from United States
January 1, 2012Music Background:
gigging musician

Great for live settings too!

I usually don't review products but this one impressed me so much that I had to. Although advertised as a studio and practice amp, I needed an amp to play live and I didn't have the cash to spend to get a 20 or 40 watt version of this. Rather than go with a higher wattage but lower quality brand, I went with the HT-5r and man am I glad I did. When mic'd up, this amp has more than enough volume to cut through the mix and it sounds wonderful. The cleans don't break up when pushed and the overdrive can get down right nasty. When you combine the portability, the sound, the superb quality, you have a great amp for studio, practice, and even small venues. I'll probably upgrade eventually to the 40 watt version but Blackstar has a fan for life in me.

Paul
from Columbus, Oh
September 12, 2011Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Musician

Fat Bang for My Skinny Buck

I bought this amp for recording in my apartment. I needed something small and this fit the bill. It sounds great mic'd up and the emulated output sounds great as well. I usually record a track of each.
What really impressed me with this amp was the live volume. I jammed with some friends and this is all I had to play through. It was loud enough and I had it cranked to 10 even though this baby goes to 11! So I had a little volume to spare. I did not expect this and am very pleased with it.
The sound is fat and phenomenal. Highly recommended!

Mark M
from Abilene, TX
September 9, 2011Music Background:
Retired gigging musician with over 35 years of practice.

Backstair HT-5R Combo studio amp

If you haven't read the backstory of the four bald guys from Marshall who decided to take a shot at making their own brand of British vibe, start there.
This amp's utilization as a professional tool is evident as soon as you open the packaging; well constructed case, sturdy leather carrying handle, well protected corners, and an overall heft of a quality piece of equipment.
Top panel layout is clean with enough room between controls for accurate adjustment. Switches are sturdy and input jack well mounted.
Back panel has a useful layout schematic for all plug ins, switches and mains. Access to the 12BH7 and ECC83 tubes requires removal of the back panel held in place by 10 screws.
Yeah, but how does it sound?
Well, I began with the diagramed setup on the top cover sheet to try the American clean sound. I was met with rich bass and mid tones. Treble was accurate and didn't sound thin like several other low watt amps of competitors. Gain settings drive well offering a great range from mild break to very pleasing distortion. The Infinate Shape Feature was a pleasant surprise. many times these coloration switches try to be too much with too little. This one has a relatively narrow range that moves you gentle towards Vox on the right and Fender on the left. This amp does not sound like either and I don't believe that was the intent. What you get is a measurable amount of color change like you would get by moving from one preamplifier to another. I like it.
Another welcome feature was the 12 in speaker. I have several low watts with 10 in and one with an 8 in speaker. Again, the overall tone is smoother and driving the amp a little doesn't result in tin or crushed glass sound coming from the box.
This amp was purchased as both a bedside and additional studio amp. It is not in my opinion a gigable amp.Again, I don't believe that was Blackstars intent. They have many other choices for that kind of work.
Overall I was very pleased with the quality, sound, and value. I think one of my Fender Twins may hit eBay to fund a larger hardwired Blackstar. These guys are innovation at its best.

Josh
from
April 6, 2012Music Background:
krautrock/psychedelic musician

Blackstar HT-5R

I had been doing research (FOR MONTHS) trying to find the perfect versatile bedroom amp that could also be used for jamming. One thing i believe should be covered more thoroughly in reviews is what you look for. (got to be able to judge the judge here..)
I, love reverb, use chorus, echo and a looper. I really only use one channel, driven pretty well to get some good break up and feedback. (roll my strats volume for clean.)
Therefor, in a amp I needed an effects loop, low enough wattage to get breakup, and the ability to get the screeching marshall and the fender like verb cleans.

Pros: you can play this in an apartment. you can get good tones at low volumes. beautiful breakup. the ISF tone knob to go from fender to marshall does make a noticeable difference. EQ actually changes your tone a lot. has effects loop and two channels. comes with foot switch for channel switching. It comes with a reverb that would please many blues players. If you like modern gain this amp will blow your mind.

cons: vintage cleans are hard to get out of it. The reverb turned all the way sounds like a fender half way. its gain is very modern, its not messy at all.

The big comedown: It's extremely versatile and isn't missing anything. This amp really gives you the tube tone well. It has weak digital reverb, but would get the job done (well) for your average player. If you play any tool or stoner rock, its great. you can nail the Hey Joe tone perfectly. I would say it is the best apartment/studio/jam/small gig amp you can get below 2000 dollars.