The Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo is a Blackstar amplifier. Close alternatives include the Friedman IR-D and the Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box. It pairs well with the Analog Man King of Tone and the Greer Tomahawk.
Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar HT20 Mk II is a 20-watt tube guitar combo amplifier with two channels and four voices — two per channel — offering sparkling clean headroom through jaw-dropping high-gain saturation from a compact 1x12 format. The clean channel spans a wide-band American-style voice and a looser, more aggressive voice with reduced power-amp damping. The overdrive channel covers Classic-voiced vintage tweed and Plexi tones through High Gain modern saturation. Power scales from 20 watts to 2 watts for studio and home use. Blackstar's ISF control, series effects loop, speaker-emulated output, and headphone jack make it a fully featured practice and recording solution.
What stands out
“The overdrive channel covers Classic-voiced vintage tweed and Plexi tones through High Gain modern saturation”
— from the listing
“Used for home practice, studio recording, small venue performance, and bedroom playing”
— from the community notes
“Blackstar's ISF control, series effects loop, speaker-emulated output, and headphone jack make it a fully featured practice and recording solution”
— from the listing
“more aggressive voice with”
— from the listing
“The Blackstar HT20 Mk II is a 20-watt tube guitar combo amplifier with two channels and four voices — two per channel — offering sparkling clean headroom through jaw-dropping high-gain saturation from a compact 1x12 format”
— from the listing
- high gain
- studio
- saturation
- practice
- aggressive
- modern
- clean
- clean headroom
Good for
- Practice
- Studio
- Worship
- Silent Recording
Genres the Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo is commonly used in
- Metal
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
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. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo
Analog Man King of Tone
Analog Man
21% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
The King of Tone's transparent boost stacks with the HT20 MkII's own modern, high-gain clean for a fuller push.
Goes in front of the amp
Greer Tomahawk
Greer
20% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → tight)
Stack Greer Tomahawk on top and a high gain tone tightens toward tight
Goes in front of the amp
Xotic BB Preamp
Xotic
18% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Stack Xotic BB Preamp on top and a high gain tone tightens toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
JHS 3 Series Harmonic Tremolo
JHS Pedals
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → lush)
JHS 3 Series Harmonic Tremolo's own voicing points at Fender-style amps, and Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo delivers it
Goes in front of the amp
Keeley Bassist
Keeley
9% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Keeley Bassist's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → slapback)
MXR Analog Delay's warm voice goes in Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo's effects loop — it's not there to compete with Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo's own high gain character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Mooer A7 Ambience
Mooer
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor. (high gain → ambient)
Keep Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo's high gain voice out front: Mooer A7 Ambience goes in Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo's effects loop so its pristine voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Laney TI-Boost
Laney
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo leans into a clean amp's front end, precisely the platform Laney TI-Boost wants
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box
Catalinbread
72% similarityCatalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box 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
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
EVH Iconic 15W
Evh
60% similarityShared character: two channels, home use, wide tonal range
Blackstar HT-5R Series HT-5R 5W 1x12
Blackstar
54% similarityShared character: room, two channels, practice
Blackstar HT-1R MkIII
Blackstar
52% similarityShared character: room, volume, practice
1958 Fender Twin 5F8-4
amplifier
49% similarityShared character: room, recording, clean
EVH 5150 Iconic Series 60W 2x12 Combo
Evh
48% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, aggressive playing
3rd Power Dragon 45 112 Combo
3rd Power
48% similarityShared character: volume, room, practice
Laney Ironheart Irt-SLS 3-Channel 300W Head
Laney
47% similarityShared character: metal, crunch, high gain settings
Orange Crush 12
Orange
47% similarityShared character: room, practice
See all alternatives to the Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo?+
The closest matches in character are the Friedman IR-D, the Catalinbread Dreamcoat Skewer Special Edition Box, the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp.
What pairs well with the Blackstar HT20 Mk. II 20 Watt Combo?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Analog Man King of Tone, Greer Tomahawk, Xotic BB Preamp — The King of Tone's transparent boost stacks with the HT20 MkII's own modern, high-gain clean for a fuller push..