Blackstar HT STAGE 100H MKIII Doug Aldrich Signature Head - Ruby

Doug Aldrich is widely regarded as one of the most respected guitarists in the world, boasting an impressive career with legendary bands such as Whitesnake, Dio, Burning Rain, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising, and Revolution Saints. Since 2016, Doug has also been a key member of the all-star rock supergroup, The Dead Daisies, all while releasing several solo albums.

While Doug has numerous signature products to his name, he has never before ventured into the world of signature amplifiers, until now. We’re proud to be part of this milestone in his story and welcome him into the Blackstar family.

A Message from Doug…
“It feels like I’ve spent my entire life chasing the perfect tone. Over the years, I’ve owned dozens of amps—from modern to boutique, modded to vintage classics. Most of them were tube amps, and each had something special, but I was always searching for more. I’ve been lucky to build great relationships with many amp companies and received several offers to create a signature amp. Yet, I never fully committed. I just wasn’t 100% sure... until now.

Blackstar and I are pleased to present the DA100 RUBY. A huge shoutout to their R&D team—these guys absolutely nailed every detail I was looking for and then some. Blackstar has always been a trailblazer in the amp world, carving out a reputation for innovation, and this amp is, without a doubt, the most perfect live and recording amp I’ve ever played. It brings all the sounds in my head to life. From the very first playthrough, I was blown away—this amp delivers everything, from lush, warm cleans to the most aggressive, ripping leads I’ve ever felt or heard. And though I’ve found my go-to settings, the tonal possibilities are endless—seriously, this amp goes places I never imagined. What struck me first was the amp’s incredible responsiveness— it immediately reacts to every nuance of my playing. We tweaked the midrange EQ, and it just feels amazing. Whether you’re playing blues or metal, the DA100 RUBY has that perfect “sticky” bark that rips right out of the speakers. It’s a very confident amp with very strong personality. Get ready to soar!”

Overview:

• Custom voiced to Doug’s specification and road tested to ensure these amps sound incredible and perform night after night in the most challenging environments.
• Featuring a foot-switchable effects loop with tail lengths adjustable via Architect software for seamless switching.
• At the heart of this amplifier lies the classic British amplifier setup of 4x EL34s and 2x ECC83s to achieve that iconic rock ’n’ roll growl.
• The DA412B has a significant artist-requested upgrade of Celestion Vintage 30 speakers – an iconic British powerhouse loudspeaker.
• A switchable power reduction circuit is included, giving reliable, transparent reduction down to 10% of the amplifier-rated power, making it easy to switch between the stage, rehearsals, studio or home.
• Pro connectivity and integration into your setup using low latency USB audio as a valve interface for recording and XLR D.I. for live use.
• CabRig IR-based speaker simulator technology is built in and loaded with three custom artist CabRig patches developed with Doug: Doug’s Ruby Reds, Doug’s Classic Cabs and Doug’s L.A. Studio.

Doug Aldrich is widely regarded as one of the most respected guitarists in the world, boasting an impressive career with legendary bands such as Whitesnake, Dio, Burning Rain, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, Bad Moon Rising, and Revolution Saints. Since 2016, he’s also been a key member of the all-star rock supergroup, The Dead Daisies, all while releasing several solo albums.

While Doug has numerous signature products to his name, he has never before ventured into the world of signature amplifiers—until now. We’re proud to be part of this milestone in his story and welcome him into the Blackstar family.

Since February 2023, Doug has been performing with the HT Stage 100 MK III valve amp, paired with a modified HTV-412B MK III cabinet loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s. Doug loves the amp, quoting “it can cover anything from buttery clean tones to the ballsiest sound you have ever heard!” and asked us to make some key tweaks, to make it his dream amplifier.

Over the past 12 months, we’ve worked closely with Doug to develop the DA100. We’ve made a series of functional and sonic adjustments, resulting in an amp that is nothing short of extraordinary.

Innovative 100 Watt valve head designed in collaboration with Doug Aldrich
3 x ECC83 and 4 x EL34 valves
Three footswitchable channels
Six footswitchable voices

Footswitchable Effects loop with adjustable tail lengths
Boutique clean channel with expanded tone controls
Two hot-rodded ‘Plexi’ style overdrive channels
CabRig with 3x Doug Aldrich presets
Patented Infinite Shape Feature (ISF)
Power Reduction down to 10 percent of full Wattage
Presence, Resonance, Master Volume
Digital Reverb with Dark/Light switch
Speaker Emulated output with 1×12/4×12 voicing
USB for recording
5-way Footcontroller included
‘Ruby’ red styling