Blackstar LT Drive

ROUND-UP
BLACKSTAR LT PEDALS
BLACKSTAR
LT DRIVE £49
Dirt that handles like a dream
THE LT Drive is the lowest-gain
stompbox of the quartet on test, with
a range of tones that covers a touch of
hair to pushed drive. It feels dynamic ,
whatever the level of dirt, and always
remains faithful to the sound of your
guitar. As with its HT series counterpart,
the Drive doesn’t include the Infinite
Shape Feature, but the tone control
is incredibly well judged and usable
across its entire sweep. With a valve-like
response and huge amount of volume on
tap, the Drive is insanely good value for
money, especially if you don’t need the
extra gain provided by its siblings.
BLACKSTAR
LT DIST £69
Distortion that’s not to be Dist
THIS pedal has the honour of being
the lowest priced product to feature
Blackstar’s patented ISF control, which
the company reckons will let you find “the
sound in your head”. Certainly, there are
bountiful tones to be uncovered here,
from mid-heavy British crunch to smooth
American distortion, with plenty of sweet
spots in between. All this control can
make the Dist a little tricky to dial in: we
found that each tweak of the ISF control
required another adjustment of the tone
control, which means your ideal tone can
take a little time to find. It’s worth it for the
huge distortion sounds on offer, though.
BACK
in 2007, a fresh-faced British
amp company unveiled a
series of valve-loaded overdrive pedals that
rocked the stompbox world. That plucky
company was Blackstar, and those pedals
came from the HT series. The line sold like
hot-rodded dirt cakes, but ever dedicated,
Blackstar set out to deliver a new range of
pedals that did away with the HT series’ bulky
enclosures and finicky power requirements:
enter the LT Pedals.
While they don’t have valves, the LT Pedals
boast a similar dynamic response to the HT
series, thanks to a patent-applied-for clipping
circuit, plus Blackstar’s exclusive Infinite
Shape Feature (ISF), which allows you to get
both British and American tones at the turn of
a dial. Elsewhere, the pedals feature compact
yet sturdy metal enclosures, high-integrity
buffered bypass and operation via nine-volt
battery or power supply. All that, and the LTs
are available at dirt-cheap prices, too – but do
they still have ’star quality?
BLACKSTAR LT PEDALS £49-£99
ROUND-UP
Rugged compact enclosures and valve-like response without valves –
the Brit amp gurus revolutionise dirt pedals all over again
Words: Michael Brown
104 DECEMBER 2013
TGR247.gear_peds_js.indd 104 10/10/13 12:55 PM