Blackstar LT Metal review

None more black distortion pedal

  • £79
  • €89
  • $99.99
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No prizes for guessing what Blackstar's latest LT pedal does…

MusicRadar Verdict

If it's skyscraper-demolishing metal tones you're after, the LT Metal has to be top of your list.

Pros

  • +

    Aggressive, but well-defined gain sounds. Excellent value.

Cons

  • -

    Not much.

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Riding in on the back of the remarkable success of its HT tube pedal range, Blackstar's LT series don't have valves but boast a similar dynamic response to the HT series, thanks to a patent-applied-for clipping circuit. Here we look at the LT Metal…

"You already know what this pedal is going to deliver: all-out aggressive gain, and loads of it"

You already know what this pedal is going to deliver: all-out aggressive gain, and loads of it. What you might not expect is just how good it sounds - every tone is well defined, with a huge bottom end, making it ideal for seven- and eight-string players.

Those ISF (Blackstar's exclusive Infinite Shape Feature (ISF), which allows you to get both British and American tones at the turn of a dial) and tone controls prove indispensable, aping big metal amps from both sides of the Atlantic, and sculpting the high-end without ever sounding fizzy.

Michael Brown
Michael Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.