Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

[Lux84]

So i just repaired the BH15 combo after a long time of not working and now it sings again. the problem was in V2, the tube wasn't working. i was impressed on beautiful vintage crunch from it. the thing is awesome for clean and bluesy tones, but for anything else you must poot a boost pedal infront on it. it works pretty well with OD pedals, the character is still from the amp but with an OD it start crunches and the sound is beautiful. i run it through G12H30 70 Anniversary speaker. for practising you might want to use 7 watt mode and put the volume at 3 or 4 to 10. the only thing i would like about the amp is a bit more gain. but that can be fixed with OD pedal. i am boosting it with Boss SD-1 with Monte Allumns mod. if you want to play metal on it, just crank it to full and put an OD pedal infront of it. on really high volume levels you would need noise pedal gate for that. i must say i am impressed with nice vintage tone from it, and it doesn't sound that bad even on really low volumes.

[Diego]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

I'd forgotten about them Blackhearts!
They used to be all over ever single forum and Facebook page not that many years ago and POOF! They just evaporated and the collective guitar community forgot about them as well, I think.

I remember trying their 5 watt combo and thinking it wasn't bad at all.

[Lux84]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

I practiced some blues on it today.. i played through stratocaster and with drive on full, without any pedal infront there was enough gain for that vintage blues leads sound. for anything higher OD pedal is a must need and it works very well with that amp. the sound is sweet.

[Surgeon]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

Those blackhearts were amongst the first low-wattage amps to come out when the new wave (following the Tiny Terror) hit the market. The 5Watter was really popular around here. When all the bigger/better known companies started coming out with their models, the Blackhearts faded quickly. Still, I'll always sing the praises for my 1W killer-ant for appartment dwellers...great little amp!

[BloodRose]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

Wow... flashback... YEah, those were the rage and then poof.... gone...They fold??

[Lux84]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

They were discontinued..

[Diego]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

I clearly remember almost buying the 5 watt combo now. I remember I tried it at a store and loved it for some old school vintage tones.
To be honest, as good as the Blackheart was, I'm glad I went with my Tweaker instead. Way more headroom and more versatile as well.

[kherman]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

Didn't Blackheart rise out of the ashes of Crate?

[Lux84]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

Yes, there's a Crate sign on the amp. however, this amp need an OD pedal infront for my needs.. or you can play blues without it. for everything else you would need an OD pedal. it works very well with my SD-1. the sound compared to Blackstar HT-5 is a lot better on Handsome Devil.

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

I read recently that Crate hired the guy who designed the Epiphone Valve Junior to do the Blackheart line and had the amps built in the same factory. If you look at the 5w Blackheart beside a Valve Junior you'll see lots of similarities. Now that guy and the same factory are responsible for the Jet City line. For mass-produced Chinese circuit board amps, they're the best you can get.

[Lux84]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

It's not chinese, it's made in korea.

[FuseG4]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

i had the 5w, i had both the combo and the ministack (why did i have both? dunno this was like 10 years ago!). A bit harsh and kinda muddy when dimed, and it had a sort of boutique amp flavor that wasn't really marshally or fendery, maybe slightly voxy. Anyways it was my first tube amp, and back then I had a lot less experience with pulling great sounds from amps, I have no doubt I'd probably like it now more than I did back then. I think I traded it for the Super Champ XD which had more options but wasn't quite as harmonically rich.
I've always wanted to try the 15W blackheart.

[Rob M.]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

I'd like to revive this thread about my fave amps -- BlackHearts!!

It's not chinese, it's made in korea.

Handsome Devils were made in Korea - Little Giants made in China. Both made very well. Compared side by side the spec looks like they were made in the same facility (but not) components and quality of assembly looks first rate. Wide, thick traces on a double or triple thick PCB and other parts look so similar - pots, caps, etc.

I own a handful of these amps and love the tone they deliver. Little Giant my current fave for it's response and clarity of tone both clean and dirty. Most good amps have a 'sweet spot' where they really shine. The Blackheart amp have a 'sweet zone' typical of great Class A amps from about 1/2 to 2/3 up the volume dial to just past 3/4 (depending on the strength of guitar signal (H-B's // S-C's).

[Rob M.]

Re: Blackheart Handsome Devil ressurection

i had the 5w, i had both the combo and the ministack (why did i have both? dunno this was like 10 years ago!). A bit harsh and kinda muddy when dimed, and it had a sort of boutique amp flavor that wasn't really marshally or fendery, maybe slightly voxy. Anyways it was my first tube amp, and back then I had a lot less experience with pulling great sounds from amps, I have no doubt I'd probably like it now more than I did back then. I think I traded it for the Super Champ XD which had more options but wasn't quite as harmonically rich.
I've always wanted to try the 15W blackheart.

Just a comment on your post -- The 15 watt Handsome Devil is an incredible amp - pretty much a do - it - all amp in the 'Class A' realm. Yeah, you do need to put some kind of pedal in front to get full distortion out of it. _ I like to use tube driven O/D's (TC Electronic -Tube Pilot with a JJ replacement of stock tube). Great tone!

You guys with a Little Giant might want to try that tube pedal trick and/or use a Weber Micro Mass attenuator. That 3 way combo is my 'go-to' rig (along with a WGS Vet 30 cab). I use a minimalist approach now with all 3 of the BH Class A amps - KA, LG, HD. Small pedalboard with just a handful of stomps. Verb, Delay, Graph EQ, Tube O/D, Comp, Covers everything I want to play. For metal - it's Killer Ant driven with tube pedal - I slave an HD with the KA acting as the pre-amp. Tube pedal(s) with tone controls. Turn the Blackhearts into pre-amps /slave scene. The KA is the best pre-amp when loaded with a AT-7 tube

IMO - when a Blackheart amp costs what a typical quality pedal costs $150 - $200, it makes more sense to buy the engine of tone rather than the more pedals. Tubes!! - costs the same bread. Pony up for a couple of Webers (that will last a lifetime) and have all the options available. A few amps, a couple of attenuators, a handful of effect pedals and your done.

BlackHeart = incredible tone IMO.