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Was in Marshall's this morning and saw something very interesting.
A BlackStar HT-1R.

A cute 1W valve amp ... that looks like a miniature of the HT-5.
Appears to have that same bullet-proof build and attention to detail ... with those lovely shiny knobs.

Heard it plugged in and demo'd for a few minutes and it sounded just like what I'd remembered my HT-5 to sound like.
And a 1W valve amp is PLENTY loud for practicing in a bedroom.

At a price in the 3k region it seems like it's hitting a previously under-serviced market with something high quality.

I invite the more hardened members to go check it out and give a more thorough review.
@EZ - you're the amp builder and HT-5 owner. You're the type who should have a look and report back
?
    I saw on Facebook that they got the Blackstars in. I was going to get a HT-40 but Marshall took too long so I built the 18 watt. The demos I've seen of the HT1-R is pretty nice. For that money you'd be hard-pressed to build something with those features. I'll obviously go and try the HT1 when I go to Marshall again.
      7 months later
      getting a bit of GAS for the HT1 R --who am i kidding ...i am getting a lot of GAS for it ....

      seems the 1 R is a lil scarece though , the HT1 freely availaible though
        Nice little amps those! Probably going to invest in one next year!
        I don't know whether this is still available, but heres a bargain for anyone who's interested
        http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree.co.za/c-Electronics-audio-music-equipment-Blackstar-HT-1R-Combo-1-Watt-Guitar-Amplifier-with-Reverb-W0QQAdIdZ423295199

        The only question is... Will it be That much better than the Laney Cub 5 watter? Yeah I know its a bit quieter, but it is more expensive for lower wattage
          The only question is... Will it be That much better than the Laney Cub 5 watter? Yeah I know its a bit quieter, but it is more expensive for lower wattage
          I had the Blackstar HT-5 and the Laney Cub 10.
          They had very different tones.

          So usual advice.
          Listen and see what sound you like.
            Here comes a 145klm an hour in swinging ball from Dale Steyn. ?

            The problem with all these 1watt - 5watt little 'tube bedroom practise amps' is, you need a R10,000 pedalboard in front of them otherwise after 1 month they'll bore you to death.

            What's a better playing/practising experience for a guitar player, a 1watt tube amp with an 8" speaker, or a Roland Cube amp, Pod HD300/400/500, Digitech, Boss, Zoom, modeller through cheap studio monitors and or headphones?

            Let's say you're 'practising' with this little 1watt amp, now you want to see how your guitar playing has progressed, best way to do that is to record yourself...how you going to record the amp?
            Even the most experienced pro engineer/guitar players will use some kind of digital modeller to practise/compose with, and do quick recordings in their studios.

              I bought one from them earlier thsi year and am very happy with it for my purpose. They will negotiate a little on that price as well which will make it a great buy ?


              (oops,... didn't see the bouncer from Dale as I was posting... ? All good, valid points Lance.)
                Tokai SA wrote: Here comes a 145klm an hour in swinging ball from Dale Steyn. ?

                The problem with all these 1watt - 5watt little 'tube bedroom practise amps' is, you need a R10,000 pedalboard in front of them otherwise after 1 month they'll bore you to death.

                What's a better playing/practising experience for a guitar player, a 1watt tube amp with an 8" speaker, or a Roland Cube amp, Pod HD300/400/500, Digitech, Boss, Zoom, modeller through cheap studio monitors and or headphones?

                Let's say you're 'practising' with this little 1watt amp, now you want to see how your guitar playing has progressed, best way to do that is to record yourself...how you going to record the amp?
                Even the most experienced pro engineer/guitar players will use some kind of digital modeller to practise/compose with, and do quick recordings in their studios.


                I don't agree here. The Blackstar amps have an emulated output so you can DI or record them straight without the need for cab simulators. It boils down to the sound you want out of your amp. THe HT1 looks like it is slightly less tweakable than the HT5, which is about as tweakable as most other amps with TMB tonestacks (That extra knobs adds another channel of flavour)

                I also don't agree with the R10 000 pedalboard thing, I get bored with the R10 000 pedalboard because (let's face it) pedalboards are boring and they make you want to tweak and tweak and tweak and change things, so basically after a month or 4 months or whatever, you've now learned how to turn the knobs on 5 pedals and you still cannot play any better than you could before the board. I'm willing to bet you get BETTER practice if you only have one drive and one clean sound (in my case they're the same setting on the amp) and you plug a guitar into that and try and change the timbre and tone without turning effects on and off. (This is what classical musicians HAVE to do and they do it just fine).

                I think this is a debate for another thread.
                  getting back to the 1 watt..... seems good reviews all round on these.... yip , 1 watt is a tad "toyish" but for my purposes this may serve briliantly

                  pricing overseas is 249 dollas for the HT1 and 299 Dollas for the HT1R .... local pricing under 3k which is excellent imho ...... fact of the matter is i have these bloody great big noise makers for when i hit the big time and this lil 1 watter for when my wife gonan moer me cos its too loud.

                    IceCreamMan wrote: getting back to the 1 watt..... seems good reviews all round on these.... yip , 1 watt is a tad "toyish" but for my purposes this may serve briliantly

                    pricing overseas is 249 dollas for the HT1 and 299 Dollas for the HT1R .... local pricing under 3k which is excellent imho ...... fact of the matter is i have these bloody great big noise makers for when i hit the big time and this lil 1 watter for when my wife gonan moer me cos its too loud.

                    You did spot the one that just went up on classifieds right? ?
                      yebo ,thanks

                      =

                      that lil video is quite compelling
                        I must say I'm intrigued by the 1w jcm 1

                        As i am with this blackstar

                          guidothepimmp wrote: I must say I'm intrigued by the 1w jcm 1

                          As i am with this blackstar

                          them lil marshalls are going to be very expesnive here i fear.
                            the little marshalls are around $800 a combo! eish!
                            $750 for a head alone..
                              Wizard wrote:
                              The only question is... Will it be That much better than the Laney Cub 5 watter? Yeah I know its a bit quieter, but it is more expensive for lower wattage
                              I had the Blackstar HT-5 and the Laney Cub 10.
                              They had very different tones.

                              So usual advice.
                              Listen and see what sound you like.
                              Played a little cub 8 today in Paul Bothners... It's not really built for gain I see
                                psyx wrote: Played a little cub 8 today in Paul Bothners... It's not really built for gain I see
                                Nope.
                                But the Blackstar is.
                                  pulled the trigger on the HT1R today , oh my greatness this is an awesome sounding lil amp ...jeeepers ...i was expecting it to be good after the research but it surpassed my expectations...

                                  dayum it sounds awesomely good......

                                  tried it thru a 2 x 12 as well....?

                                  i am in love ?
                                    IceCreamMan wrote: pulled the trigger on the HT1R today , oh my greatness this is an awesome sounding lil amp ...jeeepers ...i was expecting it to be good after the research but it surpassed my expectations...

                                    dayum it sounds awesomely good......

                                    tried it thru a 2 x 12 as well....?

                                    i am in love ?
                                    popped in at the icm tonight and heard the amp ....... It's like the man says .... He's in love and it will take weeks to get that grin off his face

                                    lovely amp cosmetically and sonically , ideal for blues / rock , but breaks up too soon even on clean channel for jazz ( i tried ) , but besides that its amazing tone and sounds loud when driven,

                                    excellent buy for blues and rock players as a bedroom amp and it just looks so cool too , nice speaker in it , sounds warm not harsh when driven
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