Redesigning The 'Star

What goes into building a new world-beating amp range? Blackstar designer Paul Stevens provides a rare insight

What prompted the HT Venue MkII project and why a MkII instead of a new amp?

“The original HT Venue series became a world leader by delivering boutique-quality valve cleans and overdrives at affordable prices. The format is still just as relevant today but we wanted to bring it bang up-to-date and push the boundaries. The challenge was to take a product we thought was pretty much perfect and then take it to the next level, especially in terms of tone.”

What’s been the most satisfying part of the new design?

“I would say the two new voices in the Clean channel. This specific section has changed a lot. I’m really pleased this produces the desired sparkly clean and crunch sounds with minimal controls. On the inside it’s quite sophisticated; however on the outside it’s very easy for the user.”

Is there any part of the original HT Venue that’s stayed unchanged?

“The Overdrive channels were refined however, they’re more or less the same. This obviously includes Blackstar’s patented ISF control, which has been a natural evolution since the Series One. However, the only actual ‘part’ that’s the same is the Celestion Seventy 80 speaker.”