Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This little fireball delivers more substance at 1w than my 5w amps. The dirty channel has a raw edge which makes for some crunchy and thick tones. The clean is also full of character. It's a very responsive amp which exposes your weaknesses but that just comes with the territory as you just can't make an amp come alive otherwise. And I can take it anywhere in my house, crank it and no problems with neighbors/family. There are some downsides... it's a little noisy at high gain which I can live with but could probably be reduced with higher end tubes. Also, it's a bit boxy - it should have been left open back IMO. This amp handles all my styles (mostly metal and classic rock). My real score is a 4.5 because there is some room for improvement but I'm happy to add this one to my collection.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I bought a restock model and it's in great condition. This amp is perfect for use in the living room. It's not super loud, but it's as loud as you'll ever need it in the house.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I've been using this amp for the better part of a year now, and I'm very pleased with it. I had always used a ~15 watt amp for practice at a very low volume with all manner of pedals (Fulltone, Lovepedal, Visual Sound, others) to give a little "grit" to the sound. But from a tone perspective, using a pedal just isn't the same as pushing a tube amp, and you can't push a 15 watt, or even a 5 watt, tube amp to overdrive at a volume that is reasonable for bedroom practice.

So, enter the Blackstar, which as far as I can tell is one of the only 1-watt options out there that also has reverb (plus other useful options like the direct line out), and is by far the most reasonably priced. So I took a chance, and I'm glad I did. Using the "clean" channel, I can push the gain to get a bit of grit when I dig in, but it doesn't saturate like an overdrive pedal tends to. Perfect. I can then use my EP Booster or my Open Road Pedal, or both, to add additional drive when needed. I use a 57 Strat reissue and one of the 1961 Epiphone Casino reissues, and both sound fantastic with this setting, and I can play along with a sequence or recording and sound good without being at an ear-splitting volume level.

Were I to suggest improvements, I'd say the reverb is only OK. It works and is sufficient, but I miss a real spring reverb (this one is digital). I'd also prefer a 10" speaker and an open back (or the option to have an open back) as the sound is a little "boxy." Also, 1 watt is still surprisingly loud, maybe 1/10th to 1/2 watt would be sufficient, or an attenuator to select this output if desired?

But realistically, all these changes would increase the price, and while they might be nice to have, they don't diminish the quality or functionality of this amp as is. I'm honestly surprised there aren't more options in this area as guitarists spend a huge amount of time playing at home and this really sounds better than any practice rig I've ever had. So kudos to Blackstar on the HT-1R. I definitely recommend it to any guitarist interested in having a great home/practice tone.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

This amp is exactly what it says it is. Excellent tube tones at manageable volumes. You can achieve any hard rock or metal tone you desire. The clean channel is useful, but let's face it, that's not what this thing is designed for.

The amp accepts pedals very well allowing for a lot of experimentation.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

What surprised me most about this amp was its crystal clean sound. While most demo videos focus on this amp's ability to generate good crunch and metal sounds, I found that the clean sounds were in fact better than those found in Fender tube amps. This is very surprising and an incredible plus. This feature is only realized, however, when the amp is connected to an external cabinet preferably with a 12" speaker. The internal 8" speaker sounds best when playing only crunch or metal sounds. The amp has surprising power when hooked to an exteranl cabinet. The Blackstar is a must for home recording musicians.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

The designers of this Amp show pure genius and "get it". I'm amazed at the power of this amp. Try plugging it into a 12" speaker-wow. You can get a lot of different sounds from this amp. It sounds warmer than some of my other tube amps that have more tubes than this little baby!! All in all, one of the best purchases I've ever made and Musicians Friend made it super easy and affordable. I know, it sounds like I work for Musicians Friend but I don't. If you want cool tube sounds and headphone jack/recording speaker emulation, reverb, great clean and gain tones buy it!

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I needed a small tube amp that I could put in my small 1 room home studio. I have a Blues Junior and while it's a sweet amp I don't have the luxury of putting it in a separate room for mic recording. It's just too noisy to record with otherwise. The first thing I did with this little guy when I got it was put it through it's paces cranked up with my Strat plugged directly into it. It sounded very good at the clean EQ setting, warm and clear at the neck and middle pickup positions and sparkling at the bridge. The other settings however (American Crunch, British Crunch and Overdrive) were just OK. Next I plugged in through my extensive pedal board setup. The results were much better at the crunch and overdrive settings, Blues Junior flavors to Marshall heaviness. My favorite setting is definitely the British crunch spot. Yum! Next, I tried micing for recording. Too noisy even with just the 1 watt. Now the true test, direct recording from the speaker emulation output. It works! Fabulous clean and driven tones. Devastating crunch. And all of it quiet for recording. Just what I was after. Let me emphasize however that without an effects setup before it the overdrive and crunch tones on this amp are rather ordinary.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

It's about time that someone finally makes a truly low-wattage tube amp with a master volume. The HT-1R allows me to play in an apartment setting without disturbing the neighbors, and without paying for more amp than I really and using an attenuator.

The HT-1R is very versatile, yet it is easy to quickly dial in many highly usable tones.

Great little amp.

Kudos Blackstar!

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

this amp, a guitar and a bedroom. the answer to 'what is the best time you can have at home alone?".

you don't even need a pedal. this thing has enough built in drive to get to a good hard crunch without any help. the reverb is fantastic and goes from "hey, I'm in my bathroom" to "holy cathedral!". it's fantastic. just turn everything to 10 and play. no hearing loss. no neighbors freaking out, just pure, unadulterated tone.

this really is a GREAT amp. it sounds just the smae in headphones as it does trhough the speaker. you can play your ipod through it, it's perfect. it looks and feels like quality. it's exactly what you want a practice amp to be. no phasers or flangers or (and maybe unfortunately) tuner, just pure tube tone. glorious, wonderful tube tone.

go play one.

Comments about Blackstar HT Series HT-1R 1W 1x8 Tube Guitar Combo Amp:

I waited a long time to get a practice amp. Money is tight, and I wanted an amp with high build quality and tube tone. I was not looking for a bunch of bells and whistles. This amp fits the bill perfectly! I have 2 small children and a small house...not a good combination for practice, but I can use this without headphones, get the gain I want at a volume low enough to keep the kids asleep. It is loud when needed, I was surprised at how loud 1 watt can be. The headphone jack works great and uses a 1/4" plug. The EQ knob really does allow me to get a whole array of different tones as advertised. The most impressive aspect to me is the quality. The fit and finish and the hardware used are fantastic. Overall my HT-1R is a small, simple, great sounding amp.
Just the basics and a reverb. For a small practice amp, it was all I wanted/needed. The headphone jack and mp3 input work great. No effects loop, but the sound is awesome as is.
Fantastic build quality. Really nice knobs and toggle switch hardware. The front grille has real nice piping. The mp3 and headphone jacks are 1/4", so I needed an adapter for my mp3. Just overall great build quality.
I shopped around and looked at other amps, tube and solid state. The only other serious contender was the Marshall Class 5 for me. I decided to save the $ and go for the smaller Blackstar. The reverb is also an added plus compared to the Marshall. If I was going to play out with this amp, the Marshall would probably be a better choice, but that is not what I was looking for. I just wish it was made in the UK or USA!