Is a Blackstar ht-5 giggable?

domrush

On the advice of some posters in this forum I bought a Blackstar ht-5 practise amp a while ago. I'm looking at joining a band now and I'm just wondering would the Blackstar be loud enough? It's only 5 watts?
I'd be using it in pubs,clubs and maybe a few weddings ?

darrenw5094

domrush wrote: »

On the advice of some posters in this forum I bought a Blackstar ht-5 practise amp a while ago. I'm looking at joining a band now and I'm just wondering would the Blackstar be loud enough? It's only 5 watts?
I'd be using it in pubs,clubs and maybe a few weddings ?

Clean channel not loud enough even to be mic'ed up on a PA. Versatility would be a non-starter.

And only one overdrive channel. You obviously would need to mic it through the PA and have your own on stage monitor.

So, it's a NO from me. Suitable for the bedroom only.

The HT20 is a 20w combo, which is ok for small gigs where a PA is used.

Sandvich

Part of the issue with low wattage amps is that they also tend to be one channel that breaks up quickly, so you can get dirty sounds at low volumes. The HT-5 has a dedicated clean channel so will probably have a bit more headroom than something like a Vox AC4.

You actually won't need a PA with the 20 Watter for small gigs, it'll be plenty loud, unless you have a guitarist who insists on cranking his 100 Watt Marshall full stack, then you're a bit boned. Though I hear the speaker in the 20 Watter is a bit inefficient.

darrenw5094

Sandvich wrote: »

Part of the issue with low wattage amps is that they also tend to be one channel that breaks up quickly, so you can get dirty sounds at low volumes. The HT-5 has a dedicated clean channel so will probably have a bit more headroom than something like a Vox AC4.

You actually won't need a PA with the 20 Watter for small gigs, it'll be plenty loud, unless you have a guitarist who insists on cranking his 100 Watt Marshall full stack, then you're a bit boned. Though I hear the speaker in the 20 Watter is a bit inefficient.

If you play a HT-5, you can hear that the clean channel is not anywhere as loud as the overdrive channel. It is a non starter for live use. The overdrive channel might be usable, but better off with the HT-20 or something around that size.

brendansmith

Tough to know whether it would be a starter or a non starter tbh.

Anyone know?:)

Portlawslim

I've used my HT-5 in practise with an acoustic kit and it managed well enough, it was a small room though so maybe in a bigger space it might get lost. Great sounding amp:)

ledzepkickass

Its not suitable for gigs really, you might get away with it mmiced up on the dirty channel, but the clean channel breaks up too early to be usable for a gig. Ive tried it in a band situation, and it doesnt quite have the power to cut through. I ended up buyin a ht-40 myself, its excellent

Sandvich

Keep in mind the higher wattage amps don't sound like the HT-5, though the extra switches on the 40 may help a bit.

With the 20 it felt like comparing a Peavey 6505 to a JMP, tone wise.

briany

I played about 20 gigs with an ht-5 and it worked fine for me. Now of course I was miked up through the PA and no, pristine clean will not be accessible with a loud drummer but I gigged it with a more restrained drummer with great results. So if you got a drummer with discipline and good monitoring too (could try placing the amp in front of you and have it firing back at you) then go for it.

Sergio

Just go out and buy the 200 series head like i did and put it through a 4x12 cab and it will blow the roof off any venue.
Never mind messing around with small 5 watts amps which are for practice use in your bedroom only! LOL!