Members colejustesen Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 So I decided that I am going to get a Blackstar amp. I was originally set on getting the HT20 head but as of late the HT40 Club has caught my eye. I was looking at getting a low wattage setup, but I also wanted a fairly good amount of clean headroom. So for those who own either the HT20 or the HT40 could you chime in....mostly I am looking for a head version, but I am interested in the extra tweakability of the HT40 with the voice switches....also I am not sure about the standby switch in the HT20. So if anyone can comment on the effectiveness of the voice switches on the HT40 and whether or not they are as beneficial as they appear on paper I would greatly appreciate it. I am also concerned about how tight the HT40 can being it is a combo. If I were to get the HT20, I would get it with a closed back 1x12 cab...so any and all comments will be helpful! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jshaffer20 Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 I cant really comment alot on the 20 and 40 cuz I have the Stage 60. But, the voice switches really do make a BIG difference in the tones. Especially on the clean channel. I would guess that the 20 and 40 would be the same. I can seriously get any tone I want from mine just by hitting the voice switch or tweaking the ISF. Really versatile amps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted August 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 I cant really comment alot on the 20 and 40 cuz I have the Stage 60. But, the voice switches really do make a BIG difference in the tones. Especially on the clean channel. I would guess that the 20 and 40 would be the same. I can seriously get any tone I want from mine just by hitting the voice switch or tweaking the ISF. Really versatile amps! How tight does your Stage 60 stay? I used to have a Fender Hot Rod DeVille and it sounded really good, though it was very heavy to pack around. It also had more sag than my Marshall DSL with a closed back cab. I was hoping that the use of a low watt head and a 1x12 cab would be a lot easier to transport. I wish the 40 watt combo came as a head as well. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards the combo. I don't need super tight anyway. Do you have any pictures you could post of the back, tube layout, etc. Stuff that isn't shown on their website? Thanks again! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jshaffer20 Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 How tight does your Stage 60 stay? I used to have a Fender Hot Rod DeVille and it sounded really good, though it was very heavy to pack around. It also had more sag than my Marshall DSL with a closed back cab. I was hoping that the use of a low watt head and a 1x12 cab would be a lot easier to transport. I wish the 40 watt combo came as a head as well. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards the combo. I don't need super tight anyway. Do you have any pictures you could post of the back, tube layout, etc. Stuff that isn't shown on their website? Thanks again! Cole I have posted this vid before, it shows pretty much how tight it can be. I am sure it can be dialed in better for this type of playing but its plently tight for me. [YOUTUBE]_f2JGGD7fFg[/YOUTUBE] The Stage60 is a heavy mofo but its really not that bad after I put casters on it. It also has the side handles so that makes it a whole lot easier as well LOL. Here are some shots of the back, those Seventy 80's didnt stay in there for five minutes:cop:... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted August 30, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 Thank you for the video and the pictures! If you don't mind me asking, what speakers did you put in your amp? I have a WGS Reaper HP that I was intending on using with whatever amp I choose. The video sounded really great, that is pretty good for combo. I also noticed that your amp has 3 preamp valves, probably because it has three channels. What it appears is that your amp has pretty much the same layout as the 100 watt head, except the head uses 4 EL34s. The 60 watt versions have a presence control...do you find that you need to use it with this amp? I imagine I could get an eq and throw it in the loop if I need any extra tweaking for the sound. I really think I will be leaning towards the HT40 now....Thanks again! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jshaffer20 Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 Thank you for the video and the pictures! If you don't mind me asking, what speakers did you put in your amp? I have a WGS Reaper HP that I was intending on using with whatever amp I choose. The video sounded really great, that is pretty good for combo. I also noticed that your amp has 3 preamp valves, probably because it has three channels. What it appears is that your amp has pretty much the same layout as the 100 watt head, except the head uses 4 EL34s.The 60 watt versions have a presence control...do you find that you need to use it with this amp? I imagine I could get an eq and throw it in the loop if I need any extra tweaking for the sound.I really think I will be leaning towards the HT40 now....Thanks again!Cole I am running Celestion K-100's in it. It has the same layout as the HT-100, minus two of the power tubes. One of the preamp tubes is for the phase inverter, one for clean, one for the OD channels. At least i'm pretty sure thats hows it works. I know the phase inverter is an ECC82, the other two are 12ax7's. I usually run my pres. knob around 11 o clock, sometimes higher depending on the space that I am playing. I am sure you could dial in whatever you wanted with an eq pedal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members K-Bizzle Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 The 60/100 use the exact same preamp board FYI.Anyway as far as pres goes I have the knob almost dimed. Which IIRC pres knobs only cut so when its at 10 its like the circuit isn't in there at all right?If so you'll be fine without the pres knob I suppose, I do however find it the second most useful knob on the amp, after the isf. The reaper is an h30 clone right? If so it'll be badass. I love the blackstar sound with h30s.Personally I think the options the 40 gives over the 20 are worth it, if I were you that's what id get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members moonstone Posted August 30, 2010 Members Share Posted August 30, 2010 I love my 40 Voice switches are a real pain ... there are so many great sounds it's difficult to decide! While tight does not come to mind for a description I guess I would use the word solid. One usefull hint I picked up from other threads is: It gets quite dark sounding if you keep the master real low and boost the preamp vol ... problem is solved by keeping the master half way or more and then lowering the pre-amp vol. I don't think you will be dissapointed with the 40 at all! I do wish it were a bit lighter but on the positive side it's only a little over half of the weight of the Fender I was lugging around. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted August 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 31, 2010 The 60/100 use the exact same preamp board FYI.Anyway as far as pres goes I have the knob almost dimed. Which IIRC pres knobs only cut so when its at 10 its like the circuit isn't in there at all right?If so you'll be fine without the pres knob I suppose, I do however find it the second most useful knob on the amp, after the isf.The reaper is an h30 clone right? If so it'll be badass. I love the blackstar sound with h30s.Personally I think the options the 40 gives over the 20 are worth it, if I were you that's what id get. The Reaper is a higher powered G12H30 clone....it is pretty awesome, a little bit darker, but the same vibe. I loved it with my Marshall DSL. I think I am pretty set on getting the HT40. Thanks for the info! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted August 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 31, 2010 I love my 40 Voice switches are a real pain ... there are so many great sounds it's difficult to decide! While tight does not come to mind for a description I guess I would use the word solid. One usefull hint I picked up from other threads is: It gets quite dark sounding if you keep the master real low and boost the preamp vol ... problem is solved by keeping the master half way or more and then lowering the pre-amp vol. I don't think you will be dissapointed with the 40 at all! I do wish it were a bit lighter but on the positive side it's only a little over half of the weight of the Fender I was lugging around. Good luck! This confirms my suspicions. I figured those voicing switches would be what I would want. What Fender did you have? I used to have a Hot Rod DeVille...that sucker was heavy as hell, sounded pretty good after I modified it, but still pretty damn heavy! Thanks for the tip on helping fight the dark sound. Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members colejustesen Posted August 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 31, 2010 I am running Celestion K-100's in it. It has the same layout as the HT-100, minus two of the power tubes. One of the preamp tubes is for the phase inverter, one for clean, one for the OD channels. At least i'm pretty sure thats hows it works. I know the phase inverter is an ECC82, the other two are 12ax7's. I usually run my pres. knob around 11 o clock, sometimes higher depending on the space that I am playing. I am sure you could dial in whatever you wanted with an eq pedal. How would you describe the K100 with the amp? Did you play the amp at all with the original speakers? If I remember correctly, the higher wattage variations use the 70/80 speakers, whereas the lower powered one use something different...I believe the Rocket 50s I know that the Reaper HP should sound killer with a British flavored amp...and I am looking forward to getting my amp setup. Thanks again! Cole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jshaffer20 Posted August 31, 2010 Members Share Posted August 31, 2010 How would you describe the K100 with the amp? Did you play the amp at all with the original speakers? If I remember correctly, the higher wattage variations use the 70/80 speakers, whereas the lower powered one use something different...I believe the Rocket 50s I know that the Reaper HP should sound killer with a British flavored amp...and I am looking forward to getting my amp setup. Thanks again! Cole The k-100's are really full and thick sounding. They dont have a ton of high end and are a little smoother sounding I think. They do the heavy saturated tone really well. I think thats why I like them so much. Mine came with the 70/80's and I only played it for around 15 minutes before swapping them. They didnt sound horrible and would actually be fine for classic rock type stuff. I dont play that type of stuff so I put the K-100's in there. I would like to try a brighter speaker to go with the K-100 but I am not sure what I would try with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dobbo Posted September 24, 2013 Members Share Posted September 24, 2013 On the HT 60 stage, could you please tell me what position the EC82 sits in the preamp tube section? For example, looking at the back of the amp from right to left, does the ec82 go in the right,center or left tube saddle?? I bought the amp 2nd hand and can't find any info on this!! thanks for your help. RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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