Blackstar HT Stage 100 Guitar Amplifier Head (100 Watts)
Powered by EL34 tubes, this 100-watt head has 3 footswitchable channels, Blackstar's Infinity Shape control, and even a line output with speaker emulation!
Overall User Ratings (based on 18 ratings)
Submitted November 7, 2010 by a customer from roadrunner.com
"Metal/Rock machine!"
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Sound
Sounds great! Cutting tone- very loud and made to play live. You can still get some good tones with this amp on low volume using the master volume but really shines when cranked. I have recently used a Mesa Triple Rec, Peavey XXX, Mesa Nomad, Marshall TSL and a Line 6 Spider Valve and I would take this amp over all of them. I am playing in a pro level Metal/Hard Rock cover band and this amp gets me from AC/DC to old school Metallica no problem. I am using this head with a Mesa oversized 4x12 and it moves a lot of air!
Features
3 channels (really 3 and a half) I use clean for cleans, OD1 for AC/DC or Cult type tones- OD2 is my main hi gain channel and you should really look at getting an additional latching footswitch to activate the boost on OD2 which I use as my lead channel. The reverb is awesome, I like the dark/bright switch feature.....mostly use the dark setting. This would be a ten rating if I didn't have to buy the extra switch- this really should be on the provided footswitch.
Ease of Use
About as straight forward as you can get. Take your time to get your tone. This amp is kind of between a Marshall and and 5150 to my ears...
Quality
Very early but initial impressions are that this thing is built very well. As with all tube amps, know your maintenance and care.
Value
I think the price is fantastic- I got this from ZZ as a blem but even their current price is great. This head rivals ones costing twice as much.
Manufacturer Support
Not sure yet.
Musical Background:
Pro
Musical Style:
Metal/Rock
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Submitted February 14, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"epic"
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I would get another blackstar amp...I would get blackstar effects, and blackstar cabs, etc
Sound
"the sound in your head" is their slogan, and it's exactly what I found...every tone I want or need from an amp is in this head. I run it thru a marshall 1960 4x12 cab, and with the 3+ channels in this, all I need for pedals are a wah and delay. I love the OD2 setting, and there isn't anything bad I can say about the head. Fantastic gain and versatility
Features
some other players here wanted the footswitch to include the channel boost, but I just keep mine boosted, so it doesn't matter to me.
Ease of Use
a phenomenal blend of versatility and simplicity...This amp doesn't have a bunch of nobs that seemingly do nothing. Literally five minutes after I pulled it in the front door and set it up, I had the exact tones I could never get out of my other amps. didn't need the manual
Quality
seems like it's very well constructed...I got a warehouse reseal, and it was perfect.
Value
for under $1000, I don't see how I could get something I liked better than "perfect", regardless of how much I spent...If I got a $3500 head, I don't think it would be over $2500 better
The Wow Factor
I think it's hot... simple, sleek, classic but updated. this amp kicks ass in every way
Musical Background:
active musician
Musical Style:
rock, hard rock, metal, metalcore
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Submitted August 3, 2013 by shane johnson in south bend, IN
"If your looking for one amp that does any sound thats just slobbering with tone? This is it!"
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Honestly I was going for broke and did not care. I had sold all my amps tired of looking for that elusive amp that would make me happy finally!! I had ordered the Blackstar series one 1046L6 I had played it I knew it was bad a$$ I am not a patient person it was on backorder for a month and a half. It was going to take another month to maybe come in. I couldn't wait that long and have heard great things about Blackstar. Because I am a gigging musician I panicked ordered this amp with nothing to lose. For this price how can you lose? Just so you know I am a gain junky I LOVE the drenched saturated sound of a hot rodded amp with the gain on ten. Not what I always get to play in the gigs but that's where my heart lies. Ok so I plugged it in and went for overdrive 2 maxed gain and was just disappointed again. However Stupid me forgot tubes sometimes need time to "burn in" fully. I came back to it turned it on played with the most amazing clean sounds I have ever heard the basic foundation is there. The reverb is just as amazing I hate reverb never really cared for it love these 2 quality reverbs!!! moved over to overdrive1 matched the tones of any early kind of record......AC/DC Led Zepplin Dio Skynard within seconds. Maybe even a little better!! the tone the sustain no matter where gain was set. most amps have that one sweet spot this has multiple!! the greatest tones you have heard on album are in this amp! I kept turning gain up on OD1 and was just amazed!!!! Then went for OD to again but this time it was there in all it glory that sound!! every knob does big adjustments the fact that you can get a hot rodded british amp or American with just a turn of one knob BRILLIANT!!!! If your on the fence get it!!! NOBODY provides you with this tone for this cheap!!!! Best decision I have ever made for sure love this amp. By the way I had also wrote to Blackstar basically asking what the hold up was an they answered!! said they was changing manufactors and hoped to have first few in the uk in next cple weeks. They didn't have to but they did! There is your answer if you wonder about support!!! Buy it spread the blackstar gospel may the world have tone available to everyone.
Musical Background:
playing for 25 years cover all rock but love my Slayer Metallica and Pantera
Musical Style:
whatever gets the women dancing
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Submitted April 1, 2015 by Wayne M in San Marcos, TX
"Black star Ht-100 Head"
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This is one of many heads I own including Dumble, Trainwreck. Marshall's Vox etc. I bought it as an experiment and it is without a doubt an amazing tone generator. Sparkling clear Fender Twin like clear channel and two very flexible O.D. Channels. Their isn't much this amp can't cover from Country to Metal. I haven't even began to mine the full sound pallett this amp can provide. I use everything from Gretches, Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, Inanez and they all sound amazing.
Musical Background:
Pro, 46 years
Musical Style:
Blues, Rock, Country, Fusion Jazz etc.
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Submitted April 6, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Sounds so good, I want to punch myself"
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I bought this amp to replace my JCM 2000 DSL. The DSL was very thin to my ears. Even with a Boss GE-7, the low end just got boomy. Again, I'm not a metal guy (don't need chugga chugga low end), just a rock guy, but I really like a full sounding guitar. Somewhere along the line Marshall dropped the ball.
For me, this amp has a very full range. If it blew up the day after the warranty ran out, stolen, or midget clown wrestlers broke in and pulled a full nelson on it, I'd buy another.
Sound
Three channels, all with two different modes.
I'm not much of a clean guy, but the clean is VERY clean. Switching the mode on clean will allow for slight break-up when cranked.
The gain/overdrive 1 channel, when in the second mode, is waaay more gain that you should ever need. Nice dirty ballsy rock tone. Like a JCM 800 on a ton of 'roids.
The gain/overdrive 2 channel just takes off where channel 1 ends. I'm using this as my lead channel. I couldn't imagine using this as my "normal" channel... this channel has so much gain it's nuts.
Although I continue to talk about "gain" I really want to drive home that this amp doesn't fizzle or fart out at high gain or high volume settings. It feels absolutely natural throughout the entire range. Even with the bass and resonance knobs cranked, and using a standard Marshall cab with gt-75's (a farty cab on it's own) it never feels overly "loose."
Rolling off the guitar vol, the amp cleans up nicely, no matter what channel.
I'm not a metal guy, I'm a rock guy. Having said that, this amp will knock it out of the park for metal, rock, punk, and blues. It may do twangy country stuff, but that's not my bag so I can't comment.
Features
The only thing that I could see being a bit more useful is maybe footswitchable modes. I guess you can switch modes on gain/OD channel 2 via a secondary (not included) footswitch. That doesn't do me any good, to be honest, cuz I'm using the channels independently.
I'm doing quite a bit of recording right now. One overlooked feature that is totally awesome is that you can run the amp in "silent" mode. Meaning, you can run out of the head right into your recording gear/DAW. Tracking drums and worrying about guitar bleed over is now a thing of the past.
Ease of Use
Honestly, I've never dialed in an amp as quickly as I did the Stage 100. Within about 30 seconds, I was very close. Within about 2 minutes, I was fine-tuned and melting faces.
Quality
I can't really tell how well it's built. I mean it's covered with Tolex, right? It sure SEEMS well built. Box doesn't seem to be flimsy, front and rear panels appear to be built well. It's solid and heavy as any other head that I've owned.
One knock, and I'm sure it's not Blackstar's fault... one of the silica gel packs opened up during shipping. Unfortunately, some of the little balls ended up inside the amp. I gotta pull the amp out of the enclosure and sweep it out. No big deal, honestly (if you've ever rebiased after tube replacement, then you know what I'm talking about).
Value
You're kidding, right? These are HALF the price of a Marshall and a quarter of the price of the high-end stuff. Cannot be beat.
Manufacturer Support
Can't comment.
The Wow Factor
Smooth black/brown tolex, aged logo, gold piping... hellz yeah it's sexy.
The only thing I'd change is the knobs. They're big and bulky... I'd like them to use the metal knobs they use on the Artisan series.
Musical Background:
active/semi retired municipal rock star
Musical Style:
Rock, punk, loud and fast
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Submitted March 24, 2011 by a customer from schipula.com
"TOTALLY BLOW AWAY"
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Sound
I've been very impatiently waiting for my amp. I just got it a couple of days ago and I haven't stopped playing with it. It is truly my dream amp. It can take me back to the 60's Fender Pro-Reverb amps and the 70s Marshalls. It has very rich tones on the clean channel and you can dial in a crunch, heavy metal and lead in the overdrive channels. No matter what you are trying to do - it does it. It’s very versatile. I am impressed. I paired the HT Stage 100 with the Blackstar 212 cab and it sounds great. I wanted three channels with two 12” speakers with more headroom than the HT Stage 60 offered – and without the weight of the Stage 60. From country, blues, rock...it does it all. The amazing thing is - you can dial-in various sounds without the need of any effect peddles. However I can’t wait to tryout the more extreme sounds with BOSS ME-70.
Features
This amp is great for tweaking your sounds. You can get a variety of sounds with the three channels and supplies footswitch.
Ease of Use
Not that complicated. Blackstar has several simple setting charts that will get you up and playing fast.
Quality
This is a solid built amp. It is designed to be on the road
Value
This is the best value for your money. Hands down.
Musical Background:
Big Dreamin Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Raock Country Blues
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Submitted August 9, 2016 by Sam Ward in Chico, CA
"Blackstar HT 100/ GE preamp tubes winged C power tubes"
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I have to say I played a lot of amps, from customize triple rectifier from Voodoo amps. 2 limited edition 1957 vox, and the Black Star HT 100 is a great bang for the buck I put in the premium package from the tube store with the 1980s Marshall Wings cs and the nineteen-fifties GE preamp tubes, it is amazing and one of my favorite el34 tube amps! Paired with Mesa Boogie triple rec oversized 4 X 12, it sounds great and truthfully the clean Channel is my favorite, putting these tubes in this amp was so worth it I would suggest anybody to look up GE tubes and the old winged c el34s!! Flippin amazing!!!!
Musical Background:
I've been playing for years country to punk rock produce bands locally and make Jingles for bedtime stories
Musical Style:
Almost everything
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Submitted December 19, 2010 by a customer from aol.com
"All that you want and need in an amp!"
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I don't see myself looking for another amp anytime in the near future unless this one would be damaged or stolen. Even then I would probably get another one these.W
Sound
Great sounding amp....Cleans can either be kinda dark and madern sounding or very bright and classic sounding...all done with the push of a button....OD1 Very Marshall...Can go from that classic plexi to the JCM's...OD2 Wow! this is like butta! Can take you all over the place in terms of high gain. You can get that all out metal tone and the leads are insane!
Features
The only reason this doesn't get a 10 out of 10 is that you need to get an aditional footswith if you wanna have a solo boost on OD2.....not a big deal though as a single footswitch is cheap.
Ease of Use
As with any amp, you have to play around with the settings to find the sound you are looking for but it shouldn't take long....
Quality
Only reason for the 9 is that when I first got the amp it blew a fuse but they sent me a new amp right away and it has worked like a champ.
Value
For the money you will not find a better sounding amp for any style of music.
Manufacturer Support
I have not had to use so I am not sure.
The Wow Factor
This amp has the look of a classic marshall amp...very clean cut and ready to ROCK!
Musical Background:
Active musician
Musical Style:
Mostly rock
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Submitted March 21, 2013 by Justin C in South Ogden, UT
"Awesome amp and great service!!"
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I was impressed with the customer service and very fast shipping!!!I have heard great things about this amp and I was not let down. I have been playing on it for a few days now and I can't get enough. The ISF feature is very cool and helps in picking out a sound you want. The amp has a lot of clarity and overall just ballsy.The amp seems to be very solid and well build. Very sleek looking. The footswitch is solid as well and has a good setup. I really like the line out with the simulated speaker cab feature built in. It is nice to not have to use one on my computer. It is also nice that you can use the line out while the amp is in stand by.My only gripe would be that I wish OD1 had a tad more gain. It does sound good...but could use a little more. The clean and OD2 sound great!!
Musical Background:
7 years, in a band.
Musical Style:
Hard rock/Metal
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Submitted April 23, 2013 by Timothy S in Chicago, IL
"Huge Tone for the Price!"
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I was extremely impressed with the tone of this amp, The distortions gives you a very wide range from dark to high and open which is great. The clean on this amp was very impressive, what I liked about the clean tone is how you can get a nice SRV tone with just a little breakup. I was not to sure about the digital reverb but when I got the setting just right it gave the amp a whole new character. I found it to be full and also has a bright setting depending on what you like. I have this amp running through a Mesa Recto cab with Vintage 30's which sound killer and I get alot of tone compliments from soundmen. For the money you are getting alot of bang for your buck and at the end of the day its all about the tone!
Musical Background:
Guitar player of 18 years.
Musical Style:
Hard Rock, Metal, Progressive Metal, Jazz and Blues.
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Submitted May 7, 2012 by Jason P in Wilmington, NC
"Don't waste your time or money on any other amp company!"
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After going through various marshalls and mesas, i was looking into Randal amps until i discovered blackstar. If you are a guitar player that wants the most versetility a valve amp can give, blackstar is your champion. I need no pedals or effects with this amp and have more gain than i could ever even need and the natural sustain is amazing. Only problem is that it does produce a bit of harmonic noise in between playing periods but an ISP Decimator cleans it all up with no sacrifice.
Musical Background:
gigging band
Musical Style:
tech./melodic deathmetal
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Submitted October 6, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Finally happy..."
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Because I'm a tone junkie I can't say this will be the last head I ever buy. I own or have owned Mesa TriAxis,Dual Rec,Marshall JCM2000 and Carvin V3 to name but a few. The HT-100 is as good or better than any of them. I can't give this a ten because it doesn't sound as good as a Bogner Ubershall or an ENGL Special Edition but these amps cost 3x the price so they should.
Sound
OK,when I got it I thought "pretty good amp". I thought that until I changed the preamp tubes. I put a JJ ecc83 in v1,a Tungsol 12ax7 in v2 and a JJ ecc82 in v3. Now it is an unbelievable metal monster with incredible tone. The Tube Amp Doctor power amp tubes are good but the pre's are crap IMHO. I use a G-Major through the loop with a Maxon OD808 and a Crybaby through the front. The clean channel is pristine and sounds great with the digital reverb on the "dark" setting. But overdrive is where this amp really shines. These two channels provide everything from 70s Marshall type tones to a modded JCM 800 gain to even metal and thrash grind. With a good overdrive one could get any distortion for any type of metal there is. The highest gain settings are remarkably quiet as well and I even removed the ISP Decimator from my signal chain. I love this amp! I can't say enough!
Features
A sturdy pedal to switch channels/reverb on & off is included. I gave the features an 8 because it doesn't have midi. Having a shared eq isn't the end of the world but I would have liked tone controls for each od channel. Also the clean channel not having a mid knob is kinda lame.
Ease of Use
The HT-100 is pretty much a plug-and-play amp. However a little tweaking can get any tone that works well with any style.
Quality
This thing seems well made. I haven't looked inside but it appears from the outside to be sturdy & it is quite heavy as well.
Value
This is one of the best amps you can get for under a thousand bucks. It is loud and has a unique tone but does sound very Marshall-like. Great for metal,hard rock,punk or classic rock. SWEET!
Manufacturer Support
I did have to return the first one I got. The company offered to fix the amp or get it replaced,my choice. That's service!
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Metal
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Submitted March 26, 2011 by a customer from windstream.net
"Marshall who???"
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Surpassed my wildest expectations. I needed a new head for more versatility. I looked long and hard... my JMP is an awesome one trick pony, but I needed more. My rack system is just too finicky and cumbersome. A TC G thru the loop on this bad boy, and your unstoppable no matter what you play.
Sound
Incredible... so versatile. Plan on spending a couple of hours exploring the ISF feature and dialing in the sound in your head. It's not just a marketing gimmick, it's possible with this thing! Wow... it's that good... seriously.
Features
Knocked one off for the lack of a boost on the FS. Latching switches are cheap, but how hard would it have been to do? No drama, just curious.
Ease of Use
If you've been playing for longer than a nanosec, you should be able to work your way around this head. I unboxed and was in my own little world for about 2 hrs picking my jaw up off the floor. I expected awesome (from all the clips I've seen) and got unbelievable. My modded JMP is a closet queen now.
Quality
Having just received a day ago, can't comment on longevity, but I opened her up and it appears Marshall quality even though Korean built. Benefit of the doubt here with a 10.
Value
Can we get an 11 here??
Manufacturer Support
Hope to not have to... again, benefit of the doubt.
The Wow Factor
It's even sexier in person. It's a big head too... solid.
Musical Background:
former road warrior turned active local musician
Musical Style:
rock, alt, southern
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Submitted March 5, 2016 by Keith P in Pottstown, PA
"This amp is amazing"
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I'm pretty much the guy who has that really high standard of quality, and mostly end up disappointed with my purchases. That ended the day this amp arrived. While it's not perfect, it's close enough! The clean channel has two modes which between them can go from shimmering to sparkly to deep, and they are CLEAN. Drop the master and jack the volume and you can drive the tubes to deliver amazing natural breakup that isn't choppy or clunky.
The TONE of this amp is simply amazing on every channel- I wanted to say that here so I don't have to repeat it when talking about each channel. Notably, the clean channel is among the best cleans I've ever heard. Also, the pick attack feels more natural on all channels than any amp I've ever played.
OD1 channel - both modes of the channel are amazing. Between the using the gain, EQ, mode, and ISF, there is literally no rock you cannot emulate, everything from air supply to Iron Maiden / Sabbath is easy to dial in on this channel alone!
OD2 channel - Metal it up! I haven't played with this one much on the drop tune metal, but it's capable from what I can tell. I've been using it as the lead channel since there's the limitation to the 'boost' options, but for leads it's pretty amazing.
* as a side note to everyone- I found that using the effects loop with an EQ or boost pedal solves that problem- you can get your volume/gain boost on ANY channel doing it this way. Not only does it solve the problem of not being able to easily switch to the built in boost, but allows you to use the boost channels as additional options when you go into songs that need a little "more" (like everyone else in the band playing louder / harder on some songs). Your solo gain from your boost (like a tube screamer) will always add to whatever channel you are on.
The built in reverb is great... allowed me to free-up a pedal spot on my board.
I brought this to my last two band rehearsals, and everyone is blown away- it's a game changer (we have two guitarists)- we never sounded this good together, and I was never able to cut through the mix so effectively, while at the same time not drowning the other guitar- this amp does it with precision and grace. Well done BlackStar!
Musical Background:
35+ years semi-pro
Musical Style:
Rock, 80's metal, 90's alt rock, modern rock, classic rock, lots of ROCK!.
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Submitted February 25, 2016 by Keith P in Pottstown, PA
"Great Tone!"
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I bought this amp after 10+ years of digital modelers and solid state amps, out of frustrations trying to land great tone. The digital stuff does have it's pros, but when on a stage or at an open jam with highly experienced players, I simply couldn't match the tones using digital means.
So anyways, the purchase decision came down to wanting that classic "Marshall Tone", which I knew their new stuff wasn't pulling it's weight anymore, but also I wanted an amp that could do beautiful cleans, gritty rock, smooth distortions, and right up to some great metal tones. It came down to this amp vs. the single rectifier, which is no longer in production. Here's the quick and dirty:
Pros:
EXCELLENT tone
Easy to dial in
clean channel is easily among the best I've ever heard, ever, and the biggest WOW factor of the amp.
2 OD channels, with Boost on both OD channels*
3-channel and reverb on/off pedal comes with amp
Cons:
Boost pedal doesn't come with amp
Only OD2 can be boosted with the boost pedal- OD1 is set it and forget it.
Musical Background:
35+ year guitarist, have done a couple hundred gigs over my lifetime
Musical Style:
Rock, Hard Rock, Blues, Light Rock, Alternative, New Wave, Metal, Easy Listening, Jazz
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