Ideal for the gigging musician seeking an exceptionally powerful tube amp with the versatility to suit a wide range of playing styles and situations, the HT Stage 100 MK III from Blackstar, sporting a limited-edition snakeskin finish, is a compact 100W tube amplifier head with three footswitchable channels (a boutique clean channel and two high-gain overdrive channels) and six footswitchable voices. The two 12AX7 preamp tubes and two EL34 power tubes deliver classic tube potency, but can also be kicked down to 10W for recording or home practice.

With the patented ISF knob, you can shift through the full gamut of amp tones, from American to British, while you get plenty more control over your tone through the expanded clean tone controls, three-band EQ, onboard digital reverb with a dark/light switch, channel and master volume control, presence, resonance, and emulated speaker outputs via the CabRig analog XLR and 1/4" outputs. The onboard FX loop plays well with external FX, whether pedals or rack gear, and you get a USB-C output for sending multitrack DAW recording or emulated speaker output to a computer. This amp combo includes an FS-15 footswitch and a power cable.

Gigging Tube Amp Head for Large Stages    Selectable 10 or 100W Output    Two 12AX7 Preamp & Two EL34 Power Tubes    3 Channels: Clean, OD1, and OD2    Six Footswitchable Voices    Patented Infinite Shape Feature (ISF)    Digital Reverb and Speaker Emulation    FX Loop and USB Audio Output    Compact Size for Portability    Includes Power Cable & FS-15 Footswitch

HT stands for High Tension and refers to the high voltages used in tube circuits like HT Stage 100 MK III. The HT name goes back to the very beginning of Blackstar and their first products: the HT valve pedals.

The Clean channel, though simple in appearance, offers vast versatility in producing classic clean and crunch tones. Both Voices utilize a 12AX7 tube exclusively for producing any valve compression or crunch.

The Overdrive channels have evolved from the original Series One range. The topology shares the same basic building blocks in the gain structure and tonal shaping and includes the cascaded gain stages of a 12AX7 double triode tube.

Each Voice is far more than a minor tweak to the sound. With HT Stage MK III, each Voice switch introduces comprehensive circuit alterations in both preamp and power amp to recreate authentic reference tones without compromise.

This includes EQ voicing, tone stack position in the circuit, gain, and power amp damping. Achieve diverse tonal options with the flick of a single switch.

CabRig, Blackstar's class-leading DSP speaker simulator, comes as standard, offering hundreds of different cabinet, mic, and room settings. Save your favorites to three presets for easy access directly from the amplifier.

Switch into standby for silent recording or silent stage use. The USB-C port lets you send 4 channels (clean/dry, preamp out, stereo emulated out) to your DAW, ensuring the easiest way to capture authentic tube tone in recordings.

Blackstar's reliable and transparent attenuation switches the power down to 10% of the amp's rated power. This power reduction is achieved not by load resistors, which affect the tone in an undesirable way due to changes in transformer/speaker reactance, but by controlling the internal working voltages of the power stage, including the HT (high voltage) and bias.

This limits power output without affecting the tone shaping of the output stage and feedback loop, preserving your basic tone. Power amp overdrive occurs at much lower volume levels, giving the feel of a small tube amp verging on meltdown.

With more musicians recording at home, HT Stage 100 MKIII is perfect for the way we play today, sporting I/O for pro recording and live use.

• 1/4" input for instruments
• Five 1/4" speaker output choices: 1 x 16 ohms, 1 x 8 ohms or 2 x 16 ohms, and 1 x 4 ohms or 2 x 8 ohms
• Balanced XLR out for CabRig DI usage, as well as a 1/4" line/headphone output CabRig emulation
• FX loop with level control for use with guitar pedals or pro-level gear
• Two 1/4" footswitch inputs, one 5-way and one 2-way
• USB-C port for multitrack audio recording and digital speaker emulation output

All modes are footswitchable, offering a broad range of onstage tube tones with boosts on every channel. The included 2-way footswitch toggles between Clean and Overdrive channels and their two voices. For comprehensive control, the optional FS-14 5-way foot controller gives you access to all Channels, Voices, a global volume boost, and Reverb on/off.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. how strong is the counterbalance?

A: According to ikan the fixed counterbalance helps support payloads of up to 11 pounds.

Q: 2. What adapter to use to make e-image gh06 tripod compatible with tilta's shoulder mount (arch-swiss or manfrotto)? detail please

A: The E-Image GH06 Head with 2-Stage Carbon Fiber Tripod Legs does not use a Arca-Swiss or Manfrotto quick release plate, but you could mount the E-Image GP1 Quick Release Plate to the base of your shoulder mount, which would work with the GH06 fluid head.

Q: 3. is the middle spreader prone to breakage? or is it completely stable even at widest point?

A: We have not heard of any particular issues regarding breakage of the spreader. Stability would be another matter but no issues there that we know of either.

Q: 4. What weight is it? With bag.

A: the estimated weight with the bag is approximately 13lbs

Q: 5. Can I use heads with Half-Bowl mechanism on this tripod?

A: Yes, as long as it is 75mm.

Q: 6. I have purchased this product and only used it 4 times. It is almost an outstanding product except for couple issues which makes it useless for video. In your advertisement it says With variable fluid drag on both pan and tilt, you can adjust the fluid head to suit your shooting style or the needs of the shot. Untrue there is only variable fluid drag adjustment on tilt and not on pan. To make matters worse upon purchasing the tripod in February the fluid drag was notably less than tilt even when tilt is set at the lowest setting. I have not used the tripod in months and I just used it again in the summer heat of about 85 degrees F and there is only a slight amount of pan fluid drag compared to tilt fluid drag a number of times more. The difference is so extreme it is useless for video since it is so easy by error to pan it you I try to tilt it. When I use long lenses such as 400mm and 1250mm I use a rubber band on the pan arm but it is impossible to gently tilt without it panning. Using the pan lock as a brake does not work. I went back to using my 10 year old Velbon leaking PH-368 tripod head and tripod of which results in much better video. I contacted B&H and it was beyond exchange time and they said to email the E-Image company for warranty. I emailed them and never heard back and sending a product to China for warranty I won't do to lack of recourse if I never get it back. So now the question is do you have a drawing break down for the fluid head to see if I can disassemble it to increase the fluid drag? Another issue though more minor is the counter balance spring is not preset to place the sliding plate mount level but rather it measures angled up at about 20 degrees. This can be corrected by sliding the camera plate all they way forward except if the lens and camera combination is too light with the plate all the way forward it still tilts upward. A very minor issue is the spring loaded hook fell off though it does not matter since I never used it anyway.

A: It is most unfortunate that you have had this negative experience. This is of course not what we at B&H wish for our customers.B&H can only offer is return or exchange on items purchased within 30 days. After that, we must suggest that you contact the manufacturer for we do not have repair facilities. You might try contacting ikan for they also handle the E-Image line of tripods.Email: support@a href= http://ikancorp.com target= _blank ikancorp.com/a or call (713)272-8822.

Q: 7. Would this hold a Varizoom Solo Jib carbon fiber (7 pounds) with a 5dmark 111 and a 24-105 f4l lense (both together weight around almost 4 pounds)? I guess even if it hold them I will not be able to use a counterweight balanco ?

A: In answer to the question, its somewhat less what the maximum weight capacity is in this case, and more about stability. Although the tripod kit will probably hold the load (based on the max limit), that is with a load applied at the tripod center (ie. its center of gravity). Using a job, the load will be applie to the extremeties (much like a see-saw) which could lead to an unstable situation. My advise is to use a much heavier-duty tripod for assurance, and be sure to use sand bags, or another stabilization method to make sure you do not loose control of the jib.

Q: 8. what is the material used in the build of this product?

A: Aluminum predominately. Some plastic in handles and locks. Best feature? One handle to size and lock each leg. A time saver.

Q: 9. Can I upgrade to the GA752S sticks and EI-7004B dolly for a reasonable up-charge?

A: This systems already includes the GA752 tripod legs. Here is a link to purchase EI-7004 separately.https://bhpho.to/2MOZcM9

Q: 10. Is this tripod compatible with a Manfrotto 501 QR plate?

A: Yes, it will work with the 501 QR plate. All E-Image heads manufactured after August 2015 are compatible with Manfrotto plates, so anything bought today will be interchangeable between the two brands.