HT-DUAL or HT-DISTX?

Discussion - HT Pedals. Heavenly Boxes.
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Kobolt
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:00 am

Tue Nov 23, 2010 12:36 am

Which pedal would be better to get an 80's metal tone? I'm talking about artists like Dio, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head (NWOBHM in general I guess, though Dio wasn't a part of that) to artists like Megadeth, Anthrax, and Annihilator. I'd also like to be able to get some classic hard rock tones. I've read that the HT-DUAL is very versatile, but may not reach some of the metal tones I want. I've also read that the DISTX isn't very versatile at all, and is only good for very high gain metal. If anyone could help me out with this, that would great.

Thanks,
Kobolt

guitarnoize
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2010 12:00 am
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Thu Nov 25, 2010 11:59 am

I've only tried the HT Dual and I think it would cover every band you mentioned although you might want to test the new Gus G pedal too, the Blackfire

Kobolt
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:00 am

Fri Nov 26, 2010 7:01 pm

Alright, thanks for the suggestion. I actually like Firewind and other power metal bands too, so I'll try to test that also.

Beerman
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Nov 27, 2010 1:00 am

Sat Nov 27, 2010 4:17 pm

My reviews of said pedals.

My love of the HT-Drive and dislike of the HT-DistX is at least partially explained by the fact that I've been into Black Sabbath ever since they put an album out and have no regard for 80s Metal. However, if you are into 80s Metal I suspect the DistX is the better of the two for this sort of music, but I think there may be other fuzz boxes out there that will give you a more authentic 80s tone. No pedal will beat a Marshall being overdriven for this though.

HT-Drive / HT-Dual

The Blackstar distortion pedal (Fuzz Box to use the old terminology) is excellent, no kidding. I think it's probably one of the best fuzz boxs for bass guitar around and at £100 it is by far the best value for money. Like most fuzz boxes with bass, the bottom end rolls away and you'll need to compensate for that with a tone control bass boost. I use a good quality parametric equalizer pedal which is ideal. On lead guitar the tone is good, on bass guitarthe tone is simply fantastic. It emulates an overdriven tube amp wonderfully, giving that rich soft tube sound, ideal for when you're playing a transistor amp, or if you want to save your tubes and not crank the tube amp up if you are just practicing.

They also do a dual version of the HT Drive, the HT-Dual, which I won't dwell on. As the title suggests it gives you a 2nd channel you can switch to without having to twiddle a knob. I've never found the need to change fuzz tone mid-song anyway, if I did, I'd probably use a different fuzz box rather than a different setting from the same pedal.



HT-DistX

This is Blackstar's extreme fuzz pedal and I confess to not liking it. It claims to reproduce both the "British Sound" and the "American US Sound" with its tone controls, but for me it sounds mushy both ways. Where the HT Drive can be used for guitar and bass, this is definitely a guitar-only fuzz. You can go extreme fuzz on a bass but it has to be done spot on or it sounds a mess. The notes have to be articulate and defined or the feedback and extreme sustain will just drown out your playing.







guitarnoize
Posts: 35
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Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:56 pm

My demo of the HT Dual should be up on YouTube tomorrow just have to finish editing and upload. I'll post the vid here.

guitarnoize
Posts: 35
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Sun Nov 28, 2010 2:33 am

Here's a demo I recorded of the HT Dual


Kobolt
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Joined: Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:00 am

Sun Nov 28, 2010 5:28 am

Thanks for the input Beerman, and that was a great demo. Sounds good to me.

inchoates
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Jan 23, 2011 1:00 am
Location: Clarksville, TN

Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:45 pm

I have to say I love my new HT-DISTX. I have seen users complain that its too much fuzz or distortion...but I think its just right (and maybe not quite enought). I have to say that I am not playing through an amp but into phones either directly or through my Boss GT-10. I'm sure playing through a good preamp will change my opinion but through phones this thing sounds fantastic.

mascudkoray
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:23 pm

Wed Aug 18, 2021 11:20 am

I think it would cover every band you mentioned although you might want to test the new Gus G pedal too, the Blackfire

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