Blackstar HT Club 50 blowout - $499

[napalmdeath]

Tell me why i shouldn't!

 

[jsp]

Is that basically a 50W HT5? I had an HT5 a while back and liked it a lot.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Dude, it may not be a boutique amp, but I guarantee you it's a durable and incredible sounding amplifier. Blackstar does it right, and their stuff is very reliable. I still have a little battery-powered Fly that I bought a few years ago when they first came out, and it's great. I think I paid $30 for it, so that's a heck of an investment. The battery lasts forever, so I can carry it around everywhere. None of those little battery-powered Marshalls, Fenders, or whatever sound remotely as good. You can literally mic that little thing up and record some *relatively* damned good stuff.

I had a Club 50 prior to getting a Series One 50. The Series One stuff is underappreciated because it's awesome. The Club is nearly as good, but the ISF in my opinion sounds better on the Club series than the Series One. For some reason, I can't ever settle on where I want the ISF set on the Series One stuff, and probably the ONLY reason I don't own one anymore.

All this being said, I'd suggest checking to see if the HT-20 is on sale too because that's probably their best sounding amp for the money. It's pretty damned loud as it's loaded with dual EL34's, so don't let the 20 watts fool you. In fact, I was recently torn between getting it and an HT-5, but I opted for the HT-20 so its on the way soon. Highly recommended man. If there are no killer deals on those, or you want more volume, you'll totally do good snagging a Club 50.

 

[Speeddemon]

On paper, the HT Club 50 head sounded like a very viable gigging candidate for me. I tested it on two occasions, one in Europe, once in GC in Hollywood.

It lacks the bass punch that I expect from a 50W big-glass head; you'd almost think it's an EL84 amp instead of EL34. And mind you, I tested it on a 2x12 and 4x12 cabs!
Clean is reasonably nice, although kinda flat sounding. And it goes from low-gain to over-the-top really quickly.

I wouldn't be surprised if a Jet City 50W head sounds better. Less versatile? Sure, but tone is #1.

 

[8len8]

...because the JCA50H is much cheaper this weekend!

http://www.ampfactory.com/50h/

 

[SavageRiffer]

On paper, the HT Club 50 head sounded like a very viable gigging candidate for me. I tested it on two occasions, one in Europe, once in GC in Hollywood.

It lacks the bass punch that I expect from a 50W big-glass head; you'd almost think it's an EL84 amp instead of EL34. And mind you, I tested it on a 2x12 and 4x12 cabs!
Clean is reasonably nice, although kinda flat sounding. And it goes from low-gain to over-the-top really quickly.

I wouldn't be surprised if a Jet City 50W head sounds better. Less versatile? Sure, but tone is #1.

Na, this is not a good description. I'm almost certain it was the speakers or something wrong with the amp. Listen to any video and it won't match your description. Nothing like an EL84 head, and it's pretty damned punchy. Flat sounding? Na, unless you're at really low volume, it's not flat sounding. The gain taper is quite good. Sorry, I gotta call you on this one.

 

[Speeddemon]

2 different amps and 2 different cabs...on 2 different continents.... pretty sure it was the amp.

I will say that for $499, it's a really good deal in terms of what you get feature-wise...

 

[Pat6969]

Yep, killer amps for sure. I think they get a bad rap because they're not loaded with seven 12AX7 preamp tubes, and maybe because they use diode clipping. In any case, I have an HT40 that has tons of punch along with great OD and great clean channel. Everybody has their own opinion, the only one that really matters is yours OP, you'll be playing it.

 

[napalmdeath]

Yep, killer amps for sure. I think they get a bad rap because they're not loaded with seven 12AX7 preamp tubes, and maybe because they use diode clipping. In any case, I have an HT40 that has tons of punch along with great OD and great clean channel. Everybody has their own opinion, the only one that really matters is yours OP, you'll be playing it.

I ordered it.

 

[Pat6969]

Yep, killer amps for sure. I think they get a bad rap because they're not loaded with seven 12AX7 preamp tubes, and maybe because they use diode clipping. In any case, I have an HT40 that has tons of punch along with great OD and great clean channel. Everybody has their own opinion, the only one that really matters is yours OP, you'll be playing it.

I ordered it.

Another bonus is the great MV along with preamp gain and preamp volume control. I can crank the gain and master while keeping the preamp volume low and get great bedroom tone. At $499 I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[napalmdeath]

Yep, killer amps for sure. I think they get a bad rap because they're not loaded with seven 12AX7 preamp tubes, and maybe because they use diode clipping. In any case, I have an HT40 that has tons of punch along with great OD and great clean channel. Everybody has their own opinion, the only one that really matters is yours OP, you'll be playing it.

I ordered it.

Another bonus is the great MV along with preamp gain and preamp volume control. I can crank the gain and master while keeping the preamp volume low and get great bedroom tone. At $499 I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I loved the HT-5 I had, i should have never gotten rid of it!

I'll retube it when it arrives, bias it properly and ditch the shitty TADs they always come with.