The Blackstar Distx is a Blackstar distortion pedal. Close alternatives include the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive and the MXR Super Badass Distortion. It pairs well with the Mesa Boogie Mark I and the Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp.
Blackstar Distx
Blackstar · pedal
The Blackstar HT DistX is a high-voltage valve distortion pedal using dual cascaded ECC83 triode stages to deliver ultra-high-gain distortion tones. The patented ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control shifts the entire tonal character from tight, scooped American voicing to mid-rich, smooth British voicing in a single sweep. Includes Gain, Level, Bass, Middle, Treble controls plus an emulated speaker output for direct recording. Reviewed by Premier Guitar. Suited to hard rock, metal, and doom genres.
- direct recording
- valve
- high gain
- hard rock
- metal
- sag
- american
- british
Genres the Blackstar Distx is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Rock
- Metal
- Heavy Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Amps that pair well with the Blackstar Distx
Mesa Boogie Mark I
Mesa Boogie
26% matchMesa Boogie Mark I pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp
Laney
25% matchFeed a high gain signal into Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchFeed a high gain signal into Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Ceriatone HRM 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchFeed a high gain signal into Ceriatone HRM 50 and it comes out closer to mid-forward
Phil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo
Phil Jones
tonal matchPhil Jones BG-400 Suitcase Compact Bass Combo pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Gallien-Krueger Fusion 210
Gallien Krueger
tonal matchGallien-Krueger Fusion 210 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50
Ceriatone
tonal matchStack Ceriatone Overtone Special HRM Bluesmaster 50 on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward
Peavey 112-6 1x12
Peavey
tonal matchPeavey 112-6 1x12 takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar Distx
Browne Amplification Gritador
Browne Amplification
24% matchBrowne Amplification Gritador takes that high gain character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Suhr Shiba Drive
Suhr
24% matchStack Suhr Shiba Drive on top and a high gain tone tightens toward mid-forward
Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress
Electro-Harmonix
20% matchPut Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress after Blackstar Distx in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Distx's own gain stage
Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor
Seymour Duncan
15% matchSeymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor's own transparent character is the real reason this is worth trying
Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2
Hungry Robot
14% matchRun Hungry Robot Moby Dick V2 after Blackstar Distx in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Distx's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Walrus Audio Fathom
Walrus Audio
14% matchRun Walrus Audio Fathom after Blackstar Distx in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Distx's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchMXR CAE Wah pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Cry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Junior
Cry Baby
tonal matchCry Baby Dunlop Cry Baby Junior pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive
Boss
71% similarityShared character: wide_range, single_tone_knob, controls
MXR Super Badass Distortion
MXR
70% similarityShared character: treble, middle, high_gain_settings
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
70% similarityShared character: treble, hard_rock, warm
Maxon OD808
Maxon
70% similarityShared character: hard_rock, pedal, middle
Wampler Dracarys
Wampler
70% similarityShared character: wide_range, high_gain_settings, distortion
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman
70% similarityShared character: premier_guitar, hard_rock, middle
Suhr Riot Mini Black Edition
Suhr
70% similarityShared character: hard_rock, high_gain_settings, distortion
Colorsound Power Boost
Colorsound
69% similarityShared character: treble, middle, high_gain_settings
Catalinbread SFT
Catalinbread
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Distortion
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Catalinbread SFT Ampeg Flip-Top Style Overdrive
Catalinbread
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar HT-Metal
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Blackstar Distx (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar Distx?+
The closest matches in character are the Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive, the MXR Super Badass Distortion, the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster.
What pairs well with the Blackstar Distx?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Mesa Boogie Mark I, Laney RB3 Richter Bass Amp, Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212 — Mesa Boogie Mark I pushes a high gain tone toward mid-forward.
Compare
- vs Catalinbread SFT
- vs Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Distortion
- vs Catalinbread SFT Ampeg Flip-Top Style Overdrive