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Blackstar HT-Dist DX-1 £99
Valve-driven distortion offering Metallica-style crunch
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct 2007, 12:11 pm UTC
Blackstar is a relatively new British company, launching in 2007, that boasts an R&D and engineering team that cut its teeth with perhaps the biggest amp name of all time: Marshall. Breaking out on their own in this new venture, Blackstar has its own range of range of amps as well as various valve-driven pedals. They're all devoted to that most satisfying of pursuits: distortion and drive.
The pedals share various features. Each is loaded with a single Russian-made ECC83 dual-triode preamp valve, backlit to glow red. More interestingly, that valve runs off a full 300-volt circuit, (hence HT in the name: HT for 'high-tension' meaning high voltage). This is thought by many to offer better tone, gain and overload characteristics than low-voltage valve pedals. After that, all except the HT-Boost offer a speaker-emulated out alongside the regular output for a direct-to-desk recording option, and finally, three of the quintet are loaded with what's called an ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control. Unlike more familiar contour circuits, this enables you to move the entire EQ section voicing between what you'd expect of two classic amplifier tone circuits: Fender at one end and Marshall at the other.
"The ISF came about because we were looking for a way to voice testbed amplifiers for artists," explains Blackstar's technical director, Bruce Keir. "We needed a way to continuously vary the tone beyond what was available from existing amplifiers. This would enable the player to create their signature sound before we 'locked it off' in their preferred setting. The method we came up with gave the ability to not only get the standard reference tones, but also the 'in-between' never-before-attainable voicings as well. It worked so effectively and so simply that we decided to make it a feature available for all guitarists to use." Indeed, the ISF control broadly apes the tonal response of classic 6L6- or EL34-powered amps, plus many points in between. You'll find the other pedals reviewed on MusicRadar, but here we have the HT-DistX DX-1
The legend 'pure valve filth' leaves you in no doubt as to which styles are best suited to this pedal. Although bearing exactly the same layout as the HT-Dist, this unit is designed to be hotter than the slopes of hell on a July afternoon...
Sounds
Even with the gain set to just past one there's plenty of the stuff on offer. Wind the wick further and the tone squashes and cascades, yet maintains dynamics and a notably big, amp-type feel for a pedal.
The most metal-esque scooped tones are with the ISF all the way clockwise, due to the more apparent bottom end. Reduce the middle, add as much bass as you can without 'woofing' and set the gain to just over half: that's where that lovely James Hetfield crunch is to be found. The more the ISF turns anticlockwise, the more focused and cutting the tone becomes. In fact for all modern styles, including tuning our guitar all the way down to C, the HI-DistX remains clear, musical and earth-shatteringly heavy.
Verdict
Great for in-your-face metal tones, the HT-Dist adds a 'big amp' feel to your set-up.
MusicRadar rating:
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User comments (4)
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I have this pedal. I love it.
it is very very high gain distortion for me.
if you want satisfaction of high gain distortion
i had metal muff and digitech Grung BUT DISTX i s better than them.
i have ESM MII CTM STD with ROLAND CUBE 80 XL that with pedal are very nice match for me
nice for solo nice for rhytm nice for metal and hard rock
BLACKSTAR DISTX IS PERFECT. becuase blackstar is best brand -
This pedal is big, it's heavy, and it's big, and it's heavy! The controls are pretty much laid out like a channel on an amplifier. You have all the controls to (try) tweak the sound and also the ISF knob which... kind of varies the tone. It doesn't really do the Mesa on one side and Marshall on the other, but I'd suggest just using it to taste. It also has a tube running at high voltage so it DOES use the tube properly, unlike most tube pedals on the market. The knobs are all chrome, so your settings won't be visible AT ALL on stage. It's built like a tank, just like what it's trying to be. All the knobs are solid, and mounted well. With the tube, though, it's definitely not worth using it at a gig without a backup since tubes die and what not. I should point out that the grille also has this plastic sheet under it, which kind of defeats the point of it being a grille. Because of this, the unit gets quite warm when in use. Another drawback is the unconventional power supply rating.
I was very much looking forward to the sounds out of this pedal from all the raving reviews and demos I had read and heard about it. When I plugged it in, all knobs pointing straight up, the first thing I noticed was mud. Lots and lots of mud. I reach down to try to dial it out. I play with all the settings, and move the ISF knob from one side to the other, but I cannot get rid of it. I was playing my Jackson Kelly tuned to C standard so I tried switching to my Dinky which is in regular standard tuning. The mush is still there, and it seems this pedal's circuit is voiced specifically to sound mushy. It definitely has that tube warmth and feel but at the same time it sounds very processed and as if there's a 'blanket over the tone' or it's being fed through a low-pass filter. I tried sending it straight into the effects return on my amp (to bypass the preamp), but the pedal still sounds like it does. The emulated output also has the same character, but with some added fizz and even more compression. The gain knob also reached its max when it's half way. Turning it up further just adds compression and some noise. In summation to its sound, this pedal will do stoner rock, grunge, and core. No, it won't do prog, death metal, or heavy metal, and it definitely won't do djent.
I play lots of different music. Classical, flamenco, funk, 80s rock, and of course heavy metal. I bought this pedal to cater for my metal needs, and it hasn't fulfilled them in the slightest. As such, this pedal will be going back into the box and back to the shop that it came from. -
I have used one of these for a while now. This unit is the best thing I have ever heard. I went into many shops over a month and tried every pedal I could and bought some of them. This stood out so much.
Sound out of this thing is valve, pure and simple. There is a bit of tech as well but it is a valve amp that covers all sounds in a stomp box. It has to be tried and played with to get the sound you want but trust me its in there.
There is a hum from it so to perfect your sound I would add the NS-2 and to really top everything off add the Seymore Duncan Pickup Booster. With that combination I have a sound that sounds raw and natural but undercontrol with all the sustain I need.
Spoken to the guys and Joel is cool and will answer your questions.
BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT
Hammy -
I have used one of these for a while now. This unit is the best thing I have ever heard. I went into many shops over a month and tried every pedal I could and bought some of them. This stood out so much.
Sound out of this thing is valve, pure and simple. There is a bit of tech as well but it is a valve amp that covers all sounds in a stomp box. It has to be tried and played with to get the sound you want but trust me its in there.
There is a hum from it so to perfect your sound I would add the NS-2 and to really top everything off add the Seymore Duncan Pickup Booster. With that combination I have a sound that sounds raw and natural but undercontrol with all the sustain I need.
Spoken to the guys and Joel is cool and will answer your questions.
BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT
Hammy
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
The ISF control really shines here. Does what it does very well.
Cons
Not so versatile.
Verdict
Great for in-your-face metal tones, the HT-Dist adds a 'big amp' feel to your set-up.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
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Specification
HT-Dist DX-1
- Price:
- £99
- Available Controls:
- Bass, Gain, Level, Mid, Treble
- Available Inputs:
- In
- Available Outputs:
- Out
- Features:
- Dual concentric gain 1 and gain 2, dual concentric level 1 and level 2, gain/clean button
- Foot Pedals:
- Foot Switches
- No of Channels:
- 2
- Valve/Tube Details:
- Single ECC83 preamp tube
darklife666
20 weeks ago.
User rating 5 of 5