The Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII is a Blackstar amplifier. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Soldano SLO. It pairs well with the Analog Man King of Tone and the Catalinbread RAH.
Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII is the head version of the HT-20R at the MkIII revision level. Twenty watts of all-tube power through EL34 valves in a separate head chassis allows cabinet pairing flexibility. Two channels — Clean and Overdrive — are controlled by the ISF tone shaping system. The MkIII revision added USB audio output and a refined CabRig speaker simulation system for direct recording without a microphone or cabinet. Target players are those who prefer building their own speaker cabinet combinations rather than using a fixed combo speaker.
What stands out
“The CabRig speaker simulation on the USB out is considered usable for practice and demo recording”
— from the community notes
“Two channels — Clean and Overdrive — are controlled by the ISF tone shaping system”
— from the listing
“As with the combo version, the clean channel breaks up earlier than American-voiced alternatives”
— from the community notes
“The MkIII revision added USB audio output and a refined CabRig speaker simulation system for direct recording”
— from the listing
“enabling american or british eq character through a single knob”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“The CabRig simulations are a useful practice and home-recording tool; professional sessions typically benefit from a real cabinet and microphone”
— from the reviews
- usb
- overdrive
- clean
- practice
- american
- direct recording
- modern
- recording
Good for
- Practice
- Studio
- Worship
- Silent Recording
Genres the Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII is commonly used in
- Alternative Rock
- Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Acoustic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII
Analog Man King of Tone
Analog Man
22% matchpushes an amp at the edge of breakupPushes an amp already sitting at the edge of breakup over the line. (edge of breakup → clean boost)
Into Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII, Analog Man King of Tone is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread RAH
Catalinbread
21% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (transparent → mid-forward)
The transparent tone has headroom to spare — Catalinbread RAH leans it toward mid-forward to fill it in
Goes in front of the amp
JHS Angry Charlie
JHS Pedals
20% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → high gain)
JHS Angry Charlie's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII delivers it
Goes in front of the amp
EarthQuaker Devices Grand Orbiter
EarthQuaker Devices
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep EarthQuaker Devices Grand Orbiter after Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
JHS Pedals JHS Whitey Tighty
JHS Pedals
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
JHS Pedals JHS Whitey Tighty leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
FoxGear EchoSex
Foxgear
6% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep FoxGear EchoSex in Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII's effects loop, clear of Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Strymon Brigadier dBucket Delay
pedal
6% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Strymon Brigadier dBucket Delay in Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII's effects loop, clear of Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Browne Amplification Ethane
Browne Amplification
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Browne Amplification Ethane's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII delivers it
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Blackstar HT Stage 100 MK III Head
Blackstar
53% similarityShared character: cabinet, two channels, recording
Blackstar HT Stage 100H MK III Snakeskin
Blackstar
53% similarityShared character: two channels, clean, stage
Blackstar 1RH MK III 2-Channel 1-Watt
Blackstar
52% similarityShared character: single tone knob, two channels, practice
Blackstar 1RH MK 3
Blackstar
49% similarityShared character: recording, two channels, practice
Peavey 6505 MH 20W Mini Head
Peavey
42% similarityShared character: recording, crunch, gain
Fender 'Black Panel' Vibro Champ Amp (1964-1967)
Fender
41% similarityShared character: recording, gain, vintage charm
Blackstar HT Club 50 Head Mk III
Blackstar
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar HT Stage 100H MKIII
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
See all alternatives to the Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Soldano SLO, the Friedman IR-D.
What pairs well with the Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Analog Man King of Tone, Catalinbread RAH, JHS Angry Charlie — Into Blackstar HT-20RH MkIII, Analog Man King of Tone is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps.