The Blackstar HT-Drive is an overdrive pedal made for driving a tube amp. Premier Guitar's review describes it as having "the kind of character that puts the twinkle in a roots rocker's" playing, suiting roots rock, blues and country players1. It sits in the HT series alongside the HT-BOOST and the HT-DIST, which is aimed at higher-gain sounds1.
What it does
The gain control is the pedal's defining feature. Premier Guitar found it "much more dynamic than the DUAL, DIST, or DISTX, going from fairly clean with a little dirt to full-" on tube overdrive gain, so one control covers everything from a touch of grit to full overdrive1.
The tone circuit is Blackstar's A-Class design. According to Blackstar, it "cuts the fizz without making your backed-off tone sound dull," which means rolling the tone back keeps the sound usable rather than lifeless1.
Through a tube amp, Premier Guitar's reviewer was "immediately rewarded with fat tube grit and warm, smooth compression," noting the pedal cleaned up quickly when rolling off the guitar's volume and stayed transparent enough not to mask the original tone1.
Recording and silent use
The HT-Drive also offers what Guitar World called "a no-compromise speaker-emulated output and silent output," letting the pedal feed a recording interface or headphones without a mic'd cab2.
Where it sits in Blackstar's range
The HT-Drive is the lower-gain option among the HT drive pedals: the HT-DIST and its variants cover distortion territory, while the HT-BOOST is a clean boost1. Players who want a later-generation Blackstar valve pedal can look at the Blackstar Dept 10 Dual Drive, and the Blackstar LT Drive is the company's compact, affordable take on the same idea. For a broader picture of the category, see Overdrive Pedals.
Videos
ProGuitarShopDemos
N Stuff Music
The Tone King
Sources (2)
- Blackstar HT Series Pedals Review: DIST, BOOST, DRIVE, Premier Guitar, 2008-09-11
- Stomping Ground: 30 of the Coolest New Stomp Boxes and Tried-and-True Favorites, Guitar World, 2013-07-23
