The Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII is a Blackstar amplifier, currently around $849.99. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Egnater Tweaker 88 Head. It pairs well with the Friedman BE-OD and the Browne Amplification Carbon.
Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar HT Stage 100 MkII is a 100-watt EL34 tube guitar amplifier head from Blackstar's HT Stage series, offering two channels with four voices spanning warm, dynamic clean tones through authoritative high-gain saturation. The tonal range encompasses clean tones rivaling David Gilmour-style clarity through overdrive and distortion characters comparable to a Mesa Rectifier. Blackstar's ISF control adjusts the tone stack from American to British character. The MkII revision refines the preamp voicing and adds improved speaker-emulated output. At 100 watts it delivers the stage authority of a full-power EL34 head with the tonal versatility to cover clean, crunch, lead, and metal applications.
What stands out
“ISF spans a musically wide range from American clarity to British warmth”
— from the reviews
“the blackstar ht stage 100 mkii is a 100-watt el34 tube guitar amplifier head from blackstar”
— from the listing
“The ISF control is one of Blackstar's most effective implementations on the Stage 100, covering a wide sweep between American and British character”
— from the community notes
“Clean tones are warm, clear, and highly touch-sensitive — the MkII clean channel covers pristine studio quality through naturally breaking-up crunch via the guitar volume knob”
— from the reviews
“The tonal range encompasses clean tones rivaling David Gilmour-style clarity through overdrive and distortion characters comparable to a Mesa Rectifier”
— from the listing
Trade-offs
“s somewhat compressed character into greater clarity and note separation”
— from the reviews
- clarity
- american
- stage
- british
- crunch
- distortion
- clean
- high gain
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
Price updated Oct 23, 2026
Genres the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII is commonly used in
- Hard Rock
- Blues
- Metal
- 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.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII
Friedman BE-OD
Friedman
26% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, Friedman BE-OD answers back bright
Goes in front of the amp
Browne Amplification Carbon
Browne Amplification
26% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (warm → bright)
Where this leans warm, Browne Amplification Carbon answers back bright
Goes in front of the amp
Analog Man King of Tone
Analog Man
26% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
The King of Tone's transparent boost stacks with the HT Stage 100 MkII's own clear crunch for a fuller push.
Goes in front of the amp
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
Origin Effects
13% 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 → modulated)
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII gives it exactly that
Goes in front of the amp
Wampler Ego Compressor
pedal
11% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII leans toward transparent, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
Catalinbread
10% matchBlackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe wants — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Boss DD-200 Digital Delay
Boss
9% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Put Boss DD-200 Digital Delay in Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII's effects loop, clear of Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Browne Amplification Ethane
Browne Amplification
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Browne Amplification Ethane's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII delivers it
Cheaper alternatives
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D 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
Blackstar St. James 100h,
Blackstar
55% similarityShared character: high gain settings, clean, full
DV Mark Raw Dawg EG
Dv Mark
48% similarityShared character: tonal possibilities, crunch, warm
Blackstar HT 5RH Head
Blackstar
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Engl E656 Steve Morse
Engl
56% similarityShared character: tonal possibilities, hard rock, crunch
Friedman Steve Stevens SS-100 V2 Head
Friedman
55% similarityShared character: two channels, clarity, high gain settings
Friedman BE-50 Deluxe
Friedman
54% similarityShared character: clarity, high gain settings, full
Bogner Ecstasy 3534
Bogner
52% similarityShared character: two channels, crunch, warm
Suhr SL68 MkII 100-Watt
Suhr
48% similarityShared character: wide tonal range, stage
Bad Cat Ocelot 20 Watt Tube
Bad Cat
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Egnater Tweaker 88 Head
Egnater
54% similarityShared character: high gain settings, wide tonal range, clean
Diezel Herbert MkIII
Diezel
54% similarityShared character: two channels, hard rock, crunch
Marshall JVM Series JVM205H
Marshall
51% similarityShared character: wide tonal range, crunch, warm
Bogner Ecstasy 101B
Bogner
50% similarityShared character: tonal possibilities, crunch, clarity
PRS Dallas 50W Tube Guitar Amp Head
amplifier
49% similarityShared character: two channels, warm, distortion
See all alternatives to the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Egnater Tweaker 88 Head, the Diezel Herbert MkIII. Budget picks: Friedman IR-D, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, Soldano SLO. Boutique upgrades: Engl E656 Steve Morse, Friedman Steve Stevens SS-100 V2 Head, Friedman BE-50 Deluxe.
What pairs well with the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Friedman BE-OD, Browne Amplification Carbon, Analog Man King of Tone — Where this leans warm, Friedman BE-OD answers back bright.
How much does the Blackstar HT Stage 100 Head MkII cost?+
Around $849.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 23, 2026).