The Blackstar Stage 602 MKII is a Blackstar amplifier, currently around $849.99. Close alternatives include the Blackstar HT Stage 60 112 MkII and the Blackstar HT Club 40 MKII. It pairs well with the Cusack Music Screamer and the Suhr Shiba Drive.
Blackstar Stage 602 MKII
Blackstar · amplifier
The Blackstar HT Stage 60 212 MkII is a 60-watt all-tube guitar combo amplifier housing two Celestion 12-inch speakers. The 60-watt EL34 power section drives three footswitchable channels — Clean, OD1, and OD2 — with a voice switch on each channel that effectively doubles the available tonal options to six distinct settings ranging from boutique clean through classic crunch to intense modern high-gain saturation. Blackstar's ISF tone control shapes American-to-British tonal character. A series effects loop, CabRig speaker emulation on the DI output, and a footswitchable reverb complete the feature set. The MkII revision revoiced all three channels for greater clarity and character compared to the original HT Stage 60.
What stands out
“The MkII revision revoiced all three channels for greater clarity and character compared to the original HT Stage 60”
— from the listing
“The 60-watt EL34 power section drives three footswitchable channels — Clean, OD1, and OD2 — with a voice switch on each channel that effectively doubles the available tonal options to six distinct settings ranging from boutique clean throug…”
— from the listing
“s isf tone control shapes american-to-british tonal character”
— from the listing
“At 60 watts through two Celestion 12-inch speakers it delivers stage volume with convincing tube dynamics”
— from the reviews
“Widely praised as one of the best-value all-tube 60-watt combos in its price range — the three-channel design with voice switching gives exceptional tonal variety for a combo amp, covering boutique-clean sparkle through crunch and into high…”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“the el34 power section delivers warm midrange body and compression typical of british tube designs”
— from the community notes
- clarity
- clean
- british
- stage
- tube
- crunch
- boutique
- definition
Good for
- Live
- Silent Recording
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII is commonly used in
- Metal
- Alternative Rock
- Hard Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Acoustic
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII
Cusack Music Screamer
Cusack Music
16% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Cusack Music Screamer takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Suhr Shiba Drive
Suhr
16% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Stack Suhr Shiba Drive on top and a crunchy tone tightens toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Boss
16% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → clean boost)
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver pushes a crunchy tone toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Dyna Comp Mini
MXR
11% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run MXR Dyna Comp Mini after Blackstar Stage 602 MKII in the signal chain, clear of Blackstar Stage 602 MKII's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Analog Delay
MXR
10% 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 → slapback)
MXR Analog Delay's warm voice goes in Blackstar Stage 602 MKII's effects loop — it's not there to compete with Blackstar Stage 602 MKII's own transparent character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Maxon CP-9Pro+
Maxon
10% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Maxon CP-9Pro+ leans toward compressed, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath
EarthQuaker Devices
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. (high gain → ambient)
EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath's ambient voice goes in Blackstar Stage 602 MKII's effects loop — it's not there to compete with Blackstar Stage 602 MKII's own transparent character — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
MXR CAE Wah
MXR
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Put MXR CAE Wah in front of Blackstar Stage 602 MKII: a wah tracks picking dynamics best on the raw signal
Cheaper alternatives
Laney Ironheart Irt-SLS 3-Channel 300W Head
Laney
43% similarityShared character: metal, crunch, clarity
Blackstar CV10 Carmen Vandenberg Signature 10-Watt 1x12"
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Blackstar TV-10
Blackstar
94% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Blackstar HT Stage 60 112 MkII
Blackstar
58% similarityShared character: two channels, effects loop, original
Blackstar HT Club 40 MKII
Blackstar
55% similarityShared character: two channels, gold sparkle, effects loop
Victory V40 Deluxe
Victory
48% similarityShared character: gold sparkle, treble, reverb
Marshall JVM205C Combo
Marshall
44% similarityShared character: two channels, effects loop, metal
Carr Bloke Combo Black 1x12
Carr
44% similarityShared character: gig, compression, crunch
Fender Deluxe Reverb
Fender
43% similarityShared character: gold sparkle, reverb, clean
See all alternatives to the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII?+
The closest matches in character are the Blackstar HT Stage 60 112 MkII, the Blackstar HT Club 40 MKII, the Victory V40 Deluxe. Budget picks: Laney Ironheart Irt-SLS 3-Channel 300W Head, Blackstar CV10 Carmen Vandenberg Signature 10-Watt 1x12", Blackstar TV-10.
What pairs well with the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Cusack Music Screamer, Suhr Shiba Drive, Boss BD-2 Blues Driver — Cusack Music Screamer takes that crunchy character and pushes it toward mid-forward.
How much does the Blackstar Stage 602 MKII cost?+
Around $849.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).