The Blackstar 1R Combo is a Blackstar amplifier. Close alternatives include the Magnatone Starlite 1x8 Combo and the Carr Mercury V. It pairs well with the Marshall Guv'nor and the Carl Martin PlexiTone.
Blackstar 1R Combo
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar HT-1R is a 1-watt all-tube guitar combo amplifier featuring an ECC83 preamp tube and an ECC82 power tube in a 1x8-inch combo with spring reverb. Designed for bedroom and studio use, it delivers clean, crunch, and overdrive tones at household-safe volumes with tube character that surprises most players given its size. Blackstar's proprietary ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) tone control spans the stack between American and British voicings from a single knob. Built-in reverb softens higher-gain textures and adds studio-quality depth to the clean channel. It sounds like a big amp being pushed, not a small amp being strained.
- tube
- spring reverb
- bedroom
- crunch
- british
- american
- natural
- convincing pushed amp character
Good for
- Practice
- Studio
Genres the Blackstar 1R Combo is commonly used in
- Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Country
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar 1R Combo
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
26% matchRun Marshall Guv'nor into that transparent platform and it finally gets some mid-forward
Carl Martin PlexiTone
Carl Martin
23% matchInto a transparent tone, Carl Martin PlexiTone brings the high gain it's missing
Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp
Beetronics
21% matchStack Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward clean boost
Dunlop MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini
Dunlop
12% matchInto Blackstar 1R Combo, Dunlop MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Maestro Orbit
Maestro
11% matchKeep Maestro Orbit after Blackstar 1R Combo in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar 1R Combo's own gain stage
Xotic SP Compressor
Xotic
9% matchXotic SP Compressor leans toward mid-forward, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
6% matchPut MXR Analog Delay in Blackstar 1R Combo's effects loop, clear of Blackstar 1R Combo's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
NuX SSD-10
Nux
tonal matchBlackstar 1R Combo leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform NuX SSD-10 wants
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Magnatone Starlite 1x8 Combo
Magnatone
60% similarityShared character: single_tone_knob, room, reverb
Carr Mercury V
Carr
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Cornell Romany 12 Reverb
Cornell
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar ST. James 100 Head
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
3rd Power Lyra
3rd Power
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Carr Skylark
Carr
94% similaritysimilar tone character
3rd Power Lyra 20 1x12" Combo
3rd Power
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar HT 5RH Head
Blackstar
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar HT20R MkII
Blackstar
93% similaritysimilar tone character
PRS Dallas 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
93% similaritysimilar tone character
Fender H.O.T. Combo Amplifier
amplifier
93% similaritysimilar tone character
2002 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe II Combo
amplifier
93% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Blackstar 1R Combo (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar 1R Combo?+
The closest matches in character are the Magnatone Starlite 1x8 Combo, the Carr Mercury V, the Cornell Romany 12 Reverb.
What pairs well with the Blackstar 1R Combo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Guv'nor, Carl Martin PlexiTone, Beetronics Buzzter Boost Preamp — Run Marshall Guv'nor into that transparent platform and it finally gets some mid-forward.