WILL IT CHUG? - Blackstar HT1 

Blackstar makes some cool gear. Quick story: my old band pitched in to buy guitarist a Blackstar tube head. Snuck it into jam room. When he showed up he had no idea it was there. Then he went to plug in, saw it and said" what the hell is that thing". Told him we got it for him. He was basically speechless and tearing up. As I recorded him on my phone he said "ok you can stop filming me now. Dude still has the amp and loves it.

"it has less chug, maybe because of brexit" 😂😂

Chug away!!! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼 my stalking starts to suck ... I’m getting slower... maybe it’s time I should start playing blues now... The US-UK-EQ is cool

I have the first gen HT-1. Maybe it's just my EMGs but it sounds like mine has more gain than the MkII. These amps were never really praised for their 2nd channel which is why I found it to be an odd choice for Will It Chug. These amps are all about channel 1. Crank the volume, max the gain, hit it with an overdrive and / or your pedals of choice and just listen to the thing. It's an unbelievably great sounding amp. Congrats to whoever receives this!

My little brother: „Is it a girl or a boy?“ Me: „He is a guy, he just has long hair“ Him: „..Pirates do also have long hairs..“ Here you have it. Ola must be a Pirate.

I wasn't expecting that kind of response with the addition of the tubescreamer, the tone was improved by miles.

This amp is just screaming for a tubescreamer.

"the british side has less chug, i would say. maybe its because of brexit, i have no idea..."

I really like the ISF knob on my HT5 just because you can dial a solid tone via the 3 band, then get an entirely different tone just by sweeping the ISF. It's a cool way to record and layer two different guitar tracks on the same piece of gear.

I can't understand amps with a one-knob EQ.

That new Solar is absolutely beautiful.

Not tight enough and needs more gain. Tube screamer helped though.

When I owned an HT-5R I kept the ISF knob all the way to the American side at all times. I would call it the "mud knob" instead of ISF, because the more you turn it up to the British side the muddier it gets. I have owned several Marshalls and Oranges over the years, and none of them sounded anything like the muddy mess that is the British side of the ISF knob. I looks like they may have updated the pre-amp design though, because with my older HT-5R, overdrives had little effect, which was why I eventually sold it.

That’s why a TS hasn’t left my board in 20 years.

This is the best guitar series on RU-vid.

I wish Blackstar revised the HT1 Metal

This is EXACTLY the problem I'm always worried about/facing with cheap practice amps. For some reason they always go "well we can just ditch the EQ section and do a single 'tone' or 'EQ' knob", and there's almost always too much bass for someone like me that likes to play a lot of tight chunky metal. Especially if you tune down to C or B. They always get flabby or way too bassy. There needs to be more travel/practice amps aimed at (heavy chuggy) metal players. A lot of these amp companies seem to think "metal" doesn't get heavier or tighter than AC/DC or Black Sabbath lol.

I used to have the HT-5 and yeah… it does chugg. This one looks pretty cool !

That Solar is beautiful! Love that wood finish.

TS9 user here. My all time favorite boost, and I've tried them all! Amp sounds killer with it

That’s funny, my mate who had an HT5 head on the mini stack from black star said exactly the same comment “it sounds like someone put a blanket over it”

Best looking finish on a Solar Sofar, really tasty. Looks classy.

I could be mistaken, but I believe the "voice" switch has more to do with when it's on a clean setting.

I used to have an HT-5 head for some time and for me it was always like there's a limit with the distortion that you just can't go further at certain point anymore, plus that lack of midrange was pretty annoying when it came to recording and context of the whole mix. Great amp for practicing, gives that idea of very high quality amps, but sometimes it was just to close to emulation for me though.

That Brexit line was just 👌

I'm so proud of you for having the amp plugged in on the first try!

Ask Fluff he's all into Blackstar

I'd rather go with the Orange mini head.

"It just need that push over the edge" It needs to go to 11.

I would recommend this the MK1 but also the blackstar HT-Metal version which they did. Bill kelliher IIRC used them albeit briefly. To compare chuggy ness.

the isf actually shifts the response frequency of the mid band. its a stereo pot and caps at the beginning and the end of the tonestack so it doesn't alter in overall loudness. most amplifier designs are partially equal to each other in gainstaging terms but vary tonestack parameters

I thought that Blackstar had discontinued this amp, because when I look for it new (as recommendation for my students) none of the music shops seem to have any for sale :( I actually have a couple of HT1's in my musicroom, where being able to easily dial in a good sound at low volume is a priority. The voicing switch on this updated version is a nice addition, but not really essentail over the mark 1 version of this amp as you could achieve a similar thing with a TS OD pedal or booster pedal. What I do wish these amps had though is an effects loop send and return like this amps larger siblings, as this would allow all kinds of stuff, like being able to use eq/delay/reverb/modulation effects after the amps distortion. It would be awesome if Blackstar would release a version of this amp with an effects loop, but apart from that this is a great amp for practice and home studio use (in my humble opinion). BTW, great playing and demonstration as always Ola.

Hi from Texas.WE share the same passion for metal & Pantera.I love the sound of a well tuned custom fixed aggressive HI gain & LOW end that cracks the cerebral cortex.The sound separates the novice from the pros. I play through a peavey EVH 5150,I got a sweet deal on it.Just 250.00.I put some JJ tubes in it .damn that amp is loud.I Can't turn it on one in my apt. the reason why i'm taking time to reach out to you is for you to take a look at the line 6 amplifi pedal and tell me if you would use it for live show.Please demo pedal board!You inspire me everyday and give me a reason to reach for perfect tone. I just now started to listen to all the bands you play in on spotify while i play Doom I love your riffs.It's awesome how your a world away and you can touch my soul from something you wrote form you heart a long time ago. Maybe i will never understand it ,but it keeps me going proud to have met you in music .Lv you

Every time a new Will It Chug video comes out, I throw on my "Will It Chug" t-shirt, throw some popcorn in the microwave, and get ready for some awesome shit.

I have a Blackstar Fly3 and always boost it with a Boss SD-1 for quiet at home jam sessions. It gets the job done when I don't need mountains of volume with a tube head. And much like this mini amp - when boosted - it will most definitely chug.

That Solar-Model looks absolute amazing with that wooden finish...

Actually sounds pretty good with the TS

It's probably intended to be put through a small 8" closed back cab like the one Orange makes

Holy shit what amp did you use on that chug sample

I run a blackstar and an orange off an a/b/y with voodoo octave; a mid boost fuzz on the blackstar panned left to right with chorus, and a heavy distortion on the orange mono centered. It most closely matches the chug in my head...

You know what definitely chuggs? My new Solar E1.6 that I just got in the mail!!!!! :)

Can someone tell me please what is the song at 06:55 ?

Ola, long time fan here. You’ve inspired my old metal playin ass to experiment more with shit so thanks for that. 👍🏻 I have the HT1R mk1 and a HT5H mk1 and the 5 watt head has a 3 band eq along with the isf which makes it even more versatile then the 1 watt. Demo the 5 watt and you’ll be able to dial in almost any to e you’d need.

Widerstandsspannungsteiler werden üblicherweise verwendet, um Referenzspannungen zu erzeugen oder die Größe einer Spannung zu verringern, damit sie gemessen werden kann, und können auch als Signaldämpfer bei niedrigen Frequenzen verwendet werden. Für Gleichstrom und relativ niedrige Frequenzen kann ein Spannungsteiler ausreichend genau sein, wenn er nur aus Widerständen besteht; Wenn eine Frequenzantwort über einen weiten Bereich erforderlich ist (wie in einer Oszilloskopsonde), kann ein Spannungsteiler kapazitive Elemente aufweisen, die hinzugefügt werden, um die Lastkapazität zu kompensieren. Bei der elektrischen Energieübertragung wird ein kapazitiver Spannungsteiler zur Messung von Hochspannung verwendet.

What f***ing riffing was that when he was testing it with the boost.🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥🔥

I love these things. There weren’t any of these in US outlets to try when I got my Randall RD1H, and I now have a used Peavey 6505MH that I had to swap the tubes around on. I like having these small heads that I drive my Egnater Armageddon 4x12 with in the apartment. ;-)

It seems Ola no longer has the "clap."

I really like these mini amps, I want to start a whole collection lol

"Maybe because of brexit" Ola you're an absolute genius. I can't stop laughing especially because I'm living in the uk

U have the American and Brit isf knob explanation backwards.....the American side is the muddy blanket mode xD

I’m telling you guys!! Buy a used Blackstar HT100 stage and a TS9 and you have a BEAST of metal amp! It’s an all tube amplifier and I have retubed it with all Tung Sol EL34B glass and it’s SLAYS!!!!!

I had an HT5 and it definitely chugged! Did a video on it as proof!

I have the combo version of this amp and, while it is not very versatile, it absolutely rips. I threw a Friedman Buxom Boost in front of it and, for the most part, it solves some of the problems of this amp and its lack of a true EQ. For a tiny tube amp that doesn't cost much, it definitely gets the job done, IMO.

it sounds with so much gain because the low frecuencies use most of the amp effectiveness, even if you use a eq pedal, the low end will reduce the headroom and the response of the mid frecuencies, but som of the high will still be there, if you had more headroom or more power, then there would be enough power to brigh the mids up.

If you push the volume over 12:30, the amp really opens up. I have a 1st gen HT1R combo, and you have to turn the gain and volume past 12 o clock to get good chug.

I don't even know why they made a HT1 head. All The extra Bass is designed for an 8-in speaker it works well with an 8 in speaker.

Usually american means fender. British would mean marshall vox. Fender is usually scooped and fender was focussed on clean sounds like surf music british amps were not as focused on headroom and had a much thicker mid focus

I've felt for a long time now (since 2012 to be exact, when I worked in a couple of music stores) that Blackstar products are aggravatingly close to being super amazing but somehow manage to screw it up just enough for it to be annoying. I especially find it to be the case with these tiny valve amps they put out, like if they just had better EQ options and adding more volume made it to break up just that tiny bit more they'd be more than awesome for playing and recording at home... But then you'd have to compensate for that by buying pedals and shit and it would all quickly add up to a lot of cash, and that would IMO make buying a tiny cheap amp a pointless endeavor. Might as well just go for a bigger one with better options. Or for a THR, since they are ridiculously cheap and sound hilariously good in a mix.

5:30 Sigh of relief. Thats better.

Not too bad for a small practice head, especially with an overdrive, but a traditional 3 band EQ (Bass, Mid, Treble) would really give it a better, more useable tone.

That guitar is very tastefull , I love the brushed and blacked effect on the hardware .

Will it Chug: Joyo Zombie edition!

It's an excellent practice amp for home. Especially the combo is great for bedroom jamming. The EQ is lacking and it needs an OD pedal to really come to life though, so I assume that there may be better alternatives today though. Why they can't just make all amps with internal OD pedal circuit! Would be extremely handy with these kind of practise amps in particular. Less cables and clutter in my bedroom, the better.

Blackstar makes killer little amps. I had an HT5 back in the day that I regret selling.

Boss GE-7 makes this amp shine. If you use the Dime eq setup you showed to us (Boost middle, reduce bass and treble) it starts to sounds really good and chugs better.

Tubescreamer and an eq pedal for ultimate setup!

Love that solar guitar. Once the taxes hit, I’m buying one! Can’t wait

Being British I would definitely blame It being less chuggy on our setting due to Brexit lol

I think the bass is because they assume people will use a smaller cab for it and in a 10" you might want a bass boost. I have a OG HT-5 from when they came out and it's great cause it's got the real EQ and when putting a nice pedal into it, it comes alive!

Love everything about that guitar

Ur right,its got that American 6L6 vrs British EL34 goin on..at about 1 oclock it to me sounds awesome.

I had HT-5 and now I have Studio HT-20. I use it live with a Maxon OD-808 in front, the sound is awesome. \m/ BS ftw!

That little F'r sounds awesome! Thanks Ola!

How about next do a classic non-metal amp like a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or a Vox AC30?

"I had No Doubt!" Thanks for sharing brother! Be Well Ola!

M8 can you please try the dime distortion.?

HEDGE OLA. I watched one of your guitars being played at a CRASHDIET gig the other day. Peace out

This is good thrash amp. Gotta have the tube screamer though. Good call.

In my opinion, could use a little bit of a low-cut, take away anything below 80hz to 125hz, and maybe throw a 10-band EQ or mid boost/EQ in the FX Loop if there's one. That would do alot to define the sound more so it's not as bass'y and un-defined mudd-chugg, unless of course that's what you would like. Based on what I heard here I preferred the "US" side of the EQ a bit more, still could use that low cut and a mid boost.

Tubescreamer did the trick. Add an eq pedal and a delay and your set.

Do a video on the orange or15 it definitely chugs and it looks like a real amp head with the tolex

It's ok but pails in comparison to my crate glx1200 along with my crate flexwave4X12 cab. It did beef it up some with the tube screamer.

Looks like you were having a better time with the Marshall DSL1

TBH I've checked a black star 30TVP amp and then an audio interface plus mac GarageBand app, and I decided to send back amp. At my apartment and neighbors :P it doesn't make a lot of sense having an amp. I love black star sound, but I ended up with an audio interface and a lot of effects that are enough to cover ghost or slipknot songs.

ISF stands for International Space Force, btw. Patent pending.

I've got the 1st gen HT1 - its sound on its own is fairly limited, but I've a few different ODs that I use to give me some fairly different sounds just through their tonal shaping. Great amp for bedroom playing, though I get drowned out by my 10 year old's drumkit when we jam.

that is the most beautiful guitar you've made so far

0:14 the face I make when I click a new Ola video

youre the master of the chug i buy some amps thanks to your reviews, keep it coming

That amp seems like it was made for cleans and an AC/DC cover band and that's about it. If you put the Revv G3 purple pedal in front I bet it would sound decent for a bedroom rig.

That natural finish is badass.

You should do a will it chug of the tiny hotone heartattack, I bought one just for fun but its actually really nice

That solar with a natural finish looks amazing

Hm, better than I expected for 1W.

Hi Ola, sorry but you are wrong on this one, it's a FULL tubes amplifier!! The 12ax7 is for the preamp section and the 12au7 is for the power amp!! You can have beautifull 1w power amp with the 12au7 tubes, and you can switch them for NOS ones for 50 or 60 bucks... It's way more cheap than 6bq5/el84 or el34/6l6gc...ect...

You should Dime it with an EQ pedal put those mids back in.

I have the HT5 Metal and it does sound similar, OD sure helps but I'm never able to get a real sharp chug out of it. I think it's a good amp but not for brutal tuned down rifts.

When I think 'British', I think of crisp highs, Vox, Marshall etc, not whatever that sounded like. The ts9 helped things, but I think a simple boost switch should be standard. It's good that you can use a footswitch, and has a usb out, could you show us what the usb quality is like through an AI, and if any of your footswitches change the channels etc?

I know you're not going to come back to this, but how would a single-coil or lower gain pup sound like?

You got some laughs out of me. Thx again Ola, your content is great.