Blackstar HT Venue Series Stage 100 MkII 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head Black
A 100-watt all-tube EL34-powered head that earned a 90 from MusicRadar but only a 10/100 from Musician's Friend community. The critic-community score split (90 vs 10) is one of the widest we've seen, demanding closer inspection.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Four EL34 power tubes deliver outstanding clean, overdrive, and distortion tones that rival amps costing four times as much according to Guitar World
- +Impressive built-in reverb section that's particularly stellar with clean tones
- +Massive gain on tap with natural sustain and more versatility than most valve amps
- +Professional features and tone-shaping controls including ISP Decimator-compatible noise gate compatibility
- +zZounds users report finding every tone they need from jazz and blues to Slayer, Metallica, and Pantera
Cons
- −Produces noticeable harmonic noise between playing periods, requiring an external noise gate like ISP Decimator
- −Musician's Friend gave it a shockingly low 10/100 score with zero user reviews to explain why
- −EQ controls have wide sweeps that behave differently across voices, creating a learning curve
- −No user reviews on multiple major retailers despite being on market, suggesting limited real-world adoption
The Verdict
That 42 EJ Score tells the story: critics love it (90), but the single community data point is catastrophically low (10). Guitar World called it “one of today’s best amp values” with tones rivaling amps costing $5,000+, and actual zZounds users who own it are spreading the gospel. The Musician’s Friend score appears to be an outlier or data error given the lack of supporting reviews. If you can test one in person, this could be a killer value, but the score discrepancy means proceed with caution and trust your ears, not the numbers.
