Blackstar just launched some of the most versatile mid-priced tube amps on the market

Blackstar Amplification has unveiled the third generation of its HT Venue tube amp series, with MKIII now boasting the CabRig tech of its siblings in the St. James and Amped lineup.

This comprehensive MKIII refresh is offered across the full range, which comprises the 50-watt HT Club ($849) and 100-watt HT Stage ($999) heads, the 1x12 ($1,099) and 2x12 60-watt HT Stage ($1,199) combo amps, and the the 40-watt HT Club combo ($999). 

These new MKIII guitar amps arrive with a range of matching guitar speaker cabinet options, from open-back 1x12 and 2x12 cabs, to slanted and straight-backed 4x12 models, all outfitted with 12” Celestion drivers.

MKIII models all ship with EL34 power tubes but have been designed so you can swap them out in favor of 6L6s if you prefer. A pair of ECC83s are in the preamp. 

As with the previous editions of the HT Venue series, the front panel offers a comprehensive range of controls and EQ options, with these amplifiers catering to all kinds of different playing styles.

Besides a host of improvements under the hood, and a newly designed digital reverb – with Dark and Light switches to alternate between room and plate-style ‘verbs respectively – the great evolutionary leap with the MKIII models is the CabRig technology, which makes these such a useful tool for the studio as well as the stage, offering an intuitive platform for dialing in your speaker, cabinet, mic and room simulation.

Blackstar allows players to run the CabRig outputs – XLR, Stereo Line Out and USB – in standby mode, so you can send your tube tone straight to the desk or DAW.

It would also be remiss not to note that these have been given a fresh new look. That said, anyone familiar with this Blackstar series will be at home navigating the controls. 

The brand’s ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) offers a global EQ voicing for the overdrive that alternates between a distinctly USA accent at one extreme and UK at the other. Each of the channels have two footswitchable modes to choose from. 

On the smaller 40-watt and 50-watt models, where there are two-channels apiece, the Clean Channel’s Voice 1 offering a black panel Fender amp-style sound, with Voice 2 more of a Class A British chime – think diamond grille cloth and mop-top haircuts.

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There is a similar duality at play on the Overdrive Channel, with Voice 1 taking you from break-up to crunch, and Voice 2 adding some muscle to the mids for a boosted high-gain drive sound – in other words, this is the one that chugs.

The three-channel platform of the 60-watt and 100-watt models offers even more choice, taking you from the crystal-clean US-style spank through British chime, break-up to crunch, medium gain overdrive to the aforementioned high-gain overdrive voicing.

Think of these complementary channel voicings as effectively taking players on the scenic route through the gain stages with the final destination being one capable of breathing fire for contemporary rock and metal guitar.

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But again, the HT Venue’s USP has been in its versatility. It can handle all styles, and it can handle all environments, with each of the amps in the series featuring a power reduction switch that knocks its output down to 10 per cent of its maximum. So, on the 60-watt HT Stage combos, for example, you can select between 60 watts or six watts.

Elsewhere, the HT Venue MKIII series amps have effects loops with a +4dBv/-10dBv switch. You can hook them up to the proprietary Architect software to perform deep edits to your sound, including to reverb decay times, while XLR and headphones outputs have also been improved.

The HT Venue MKIII series is available to preorder now. See Blackstar Amps for more details.