Bought it.. love it.. it's my main amp now and haven't regretted it yet! whether i use a les paul, my daijon mark XX power or my favourite Charvel so-cal.. (or any of the others), this little buddy always makes the sounds i want it to make.. these amps are going to be worth a lot in the future. Blackheart stole my Blackheart.. period!
Sounded like the bass and mids did nothing. The highs seemed to do the most along with the presence. Not real impressed by that but I suppose that can be modded out.
I haven't checked back here in a while. I'm the guitar player in this video. The guitar is a '93 PRS CE 24 with a Seymour-Duncan Pearly Gates pickup in the bridge position. The cabinet is a homemade cabinet by Anthony, who is doing the review. He is an engineer at Eminence Speaker, and this is loaded with two Tonkerlites, I believe.
I haven't checked back here in a while. I'm the guitar player in this video. The guitar is a '93 PRS CE 24 with a Seymour-Duncan Pearly Gates pickup in the bridge position. The cabinet is a homemade cabinet by Anthony, who is doing the review. He is an engineer at Eminence Speaker, and this is loaded with two Tonkelites, I believe.
The bitmo mod is ok,, but to really get this head to sing, you need to do some more important things first,,, one, replace the output transformer with mercury magnetics or hammond. Then replace all the tone and circuit coupling capacitors with sozos or orange drops. This will make the amp come alive.
A true class A amp never works in push pull and costs a lot more because of the technology ! That amp as many others sounds really good but it only features a cathode bias power section.
The sell copy for these amps says it has SS rectifier with "tap for future mods" i assume that mean modded to tube recto. or maybe some other...has anyone seen those mods yet??
yes you can, I have a 2x12 cab with one green back, and one vintage 30watt speaker which gives it bottum punch and the head allows you to choose the oms you need like 8ohm, 16ohm and two 4 ohms. Great amp to purchase...
Awesome demo; I'm thinking about getting one of these and this was very helpful!
Quick question, if you have the time: is it loud enough for gigging? I wouldn't use it live for clean tones---just crunch. I have an amp that can't quite get loud enough to sit in the mix, and I don't want to make the same mistake of getting another one like that.
As I said, it's decent. It is NOT boutique tone. It sounds good, especially for the price, but to even compare it to boutique amps is not only unfair, but grossly inaccurate. Camera sound aside, I have played these, they are decent, but once again NOT COMPARABLE IN TONE OR RESPONSE TO A BOUTIQUE AMP.
Dude define boutique tone?!?! I've owned boutique and factory made amps. A couple of mods and a tube swap and these sound fantastic. Let's not snob it up
@tele4tone The mods you are talking about are not cheap mods are they? Do they involve things like a new OPT? To get a 15 watt OPT with a frequency range that covers the WHOLE range of an electric guitar, that bumps the price up anothe 150 bucks, give or take. If you have owned boutique amps, you don't need me to define boutique tone. That is BH engineering's words, not mine. I disagreed with it. They are marketing lots of "budget boutique" amps today, but really, they are affordable tube amps.
Hehe, everything this guy said about this amp came straight from the ad for it in musician's friend. I don't hear boutique quality. It sounds good, and for the price it's killer, but the tone is nowhere near boutique quality. I don't know, I am just not that impressed. The egnater 20 watt head sounds better than this, but for twice the price. But the new vox night-train sounds way better, and for about 100 bucks more. Remember...Crate makes blackheart, so don't expect too much...it is decent.
these amps aren't made by crate, they're made by a company called loud technologies inc. which also makes ampeg, alvarez and crate. and IMO (except for crate) those are good brands so don't label these amps because of one of their affiliate companies when the other two are well-respected makes.
@bluesyrockman The blackheart amps say "CRATE" right on the front. That means little to me, because I owned and loved my V18, with JJ power tubes and NOS Bugle boy in V1, RCA 12AX7-As in V2 & V3, and the internal speaker disconnected to run the taps to a solid pine 2x12 with G12-70s, it was vintage marshall all the way. The Crate logo didn't make a difference on my recordings, and at small gigs where 18 watts was adequate, I turned some heads when people saw "CRATE", but yes, BH is Crate subdiv.
but then again if you look they dont have any type of setting really dialed in...most of the time all the controls is at 12 o clock, not only that but they are using a camera and your ears arent hearing the true tone of the amp.
@punkeratheart To follow up on this highly misinterpreted comment, I want to say that Crate, while they do mostly make cheesy lates 80s solid state MG-series knockoffs, their tube amps are actually worthwhile, especially (for some mystical reason) the "palomino" models. The blackheart amps are ok, and like tele4tone said, they are easily modded in to something studio/stage worthy. I personally didn't like the devil much, but the little giant has the tone only SE circuits can get. I LIKE BH!!!!
the vox chime comes from the ef86 tube and the blackheart uses the 12ax7.Still,you could try a celestion blue speaker and maybe a treble boost effect .
This thing is capable of decent cleans, maybe not as "voxy" but definitely clean. Regarding the gig size this can handle everything as long as it's mic'd. If it's not mic'd however you will have to turn it up and it will start to break up(that's when it sounds the best!).
I bought one of these too and then ordered the BOTMO mod,,these amps were great stock but wait till you hear them modded... why pay $3000 for a botique name that doesnt sound any better.
It's definitely debatable. Good tone is pretty subjective. The subtle differences and, IMO, the not so subtle differences between the blackheart and amps like Dr. Z make it worth the extra money. Not that I have the money for one. If I could pay 3000$ for one, I would though. Some boutique amps may sound generic, but they have the subtle tonal differences from nicer parts and build which make them tonally richer than a lower amp. Not to say a Blackheart and Bitmo isn't an amazing deal.
could you gig with this head?
Craigharrismusic 1 month ago
I just picked one up, can't wait to dig into it and see what she's got!
schwoogie1 7 months ago
Bought it.. love it.. it's my main amp now and haven't regretted it yet! whether i use a les paul, my daijon mark XX power or my favourite Charvel so-cal.. (or any of the others), this little buddy always makes the sounds i want it to make.. these amps are going to be worth a lot in the future. Blackheart stole my Blackheart.. period!
jvnktube 8 months ago
Comment removed
ChineseR0ck 9 months ago
all I heard for the first two minutes was mumble mumble something
1952Telecaster 10 months ago
Less Talking more playing.
rybones1311 11 months ago 5
Sounded like the bass and mids did nothing. The highs seemed to do the most along with the presence. Not real impressed by that but I suppose that can be modded out.
bresan79 1 year ago
@bresan79 the EQ section on both amps (hot head and handsome devil) are very responsive!
troeteimarsch 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I haven't checked back here in a while. I'm the guitar player in this video. The guitar is a '93 PRS CE 24 with a Seymour-Duncan Pearly Gates pickup in the bridge position. The cabinet is a homemade cabinet by Anthony, who is doing the review. He is an engineer at Eminence Speaker, and this is loaded with two Tonkerlites, I believe.
pdrowdy 1 year ago
I haven't checked back here in a while. I'm the guitar player in this video. The guitar is a '93 PRS CE 24 with a Seymour-Duncan Pearly Gates pickup in the bridge position. The cabinet is a homemade cabinet by Anthony, who is doing the review. He is an engineer at Eminence Speaker, and this is loaded with two Tonkelites, I believe.
pdrowdy 1 year ago
The bitmo mod is ok,, but to really get this head to sing, you need to do some more important things first,,, one, replace the output transformer with mercury magnetics or hammond. Then replace all the tone and circuit coupling capacitors with sozos or orange drops. This will make the amp come alive.
Ricco86 1 year ago
this amps is too loud eonugh?
MrUndergrunge 1 year ago
this amp is too loud with one cab 2x12?
MrUndergrunge 1 year ago
this amp is enough loud when cranked up?
MrUndergrunge 1 year ago
this amp is enough loud whe cranked up?
MrUndergrunge 1 year ago
A true class A amp never works in push pull and costs a lot more because of the technology ! That amp as many others sounds really good but it only features a cathode bias power section.
jp6l6 1 year ago
Awesome demo dude, how does the amp take pedals?
Daine117 1 year ago
excellent review...best one I've seen on youtube
DBAmichael 1 year ago
Do you need to bias it when you change power valves?? thanks.
angryfudo 1 year ago
Could this amp do Van Halen tones?
TehLemonhead 1 year ago
The sell copy for these amps says it has SS rectifier with "tap for future mods" i assume that mean modded to tube recto. or maybe some other...has anyone seen those mods yet??
solerso68 1 year ago
great amps there putting out ...i got the little giant..put up a little demo of it.
BaddPenneyMusic 1 year ago
Hey how would you compare this head to a Laney VC15? As regards sound at low volume, clean, quality?
eaman11 1 year ago
this was the best video i have seen of this amp. thanks
klv400 2 years ago 13
What are some recommended cabinets for this head? I'm thinking of an Avatar 4x12 or an Ampeg V4. Are these decent choices?
modestvermin995 2 years ago
could you use this amp to power 2 2x12 cabs?
alohastewie 2 years ago 8
yes you can, I have a 2x12 cab with one green back, and one vintage 30watt speaker which gives it bottum punch and the head allows you to choose the oms you need like 8ohm, 16ohm and two 4 ohms. Great amp to purchase...
ogarcia82 2 years ago
@alohastewie I've used the 1W version to poser dual 4x12 cabs. It was awesome. So yes.
taypuc31 1 year ago
@alohastewie yep
RO80T 1 year ago
@alohastewie sure! ^^
tinozza 1 year ago
@alohastewie oh yeah!
Acronso 11 months ago
It sounds awesome! I'm getting one of these, thanks for the review! :)
MihailTronix 2 years ago
Hey, Would this be loud enough to keep up at rehearsals?
m0ckingbirda 2 years ago
yes if you have 2 12's or more it will be plenty loud. you could even gig with it
pdifrancisco 2 years ago
Awesome demo; I'm thinking about getting one of these and this was very helpful!
Quick question, if you have the time: is it loud enough for gigging? I wouldn't use it live for clean tones---just crunch. I have an amp that can't quite get loud enough to sit in the mix, and I don't want to make the same mistake of getting another one like that.
cmartinrel 2 years ago
As I said, it's decent. It is NOT boutique tone. It sounds good, especially for the price, but to even compare it to boutique amps is not only unfair, but grossly inaccurate. Camera sound aside, I have played these, they are decent, but once again NOT COMPARABLE IN TONE OR RESPONSE TO A BOUTIQUE AMP.
punkeratheart 2 years ago
@punkeratheart
Dude define boutique tone?!?! I've owned boutique and factory made amps. A couple of mods and a tube swap and these sound fantastic. Let's not snob it up
tele4tone 1 year ago
@tele4tone The mods you are talking about are not cheap mods are they? Do they involve things like a new OPT? To get a 15 watt OPT with a frequency range that covers the WHOLE range of an electric guitar, that bumps the price up anothe 150 bucks, give or take. If you have owned boutique amps, you don't need me to define boutique tone. That is BH engineering's words, not mine. I disagreed with it. They are marketing lots of "budget boutique" amps today, but really, they are affordable tube amps.
punkeratheart 1 year ago
Hehe, everything this guy said about this amp came straight from the ad for it in musician's friend. I don't hear boutique quality. It sounds good, and for the price it's killer, but the tone is nowhere near boutique quality. I don't know, I am just not that impressed. The egnater 20 watt head sounds better than this, but for twice the price. But the new vox night-train sounds way better, and for about 100 bucks more. Remember...Crate makes blackheart, so don't expect too much...it is decent.
punkeratheart 2 years ago
these amps aren't made by crate, they're made by a company called loud technologies inc. which also makes ampeg, alvarez and crate. and IMO (except for crate) those are good brands so don't label these amps because of one of their affiliate companies when the other two are well-respected makes.
bluesyrockman 2 years ago
@bluesyrockman The blackheart amps say "CRATE" right on the front. That means little to me, because I owned and loved my V18, with JJ power tubes and NOS Bugle boy in V1, RCA 12AX7-As in V2 & V3, and the internal speaker disconnected to run the taps to a solid pine 2x12 with G12-70s, it was vintage marshall all the way. The Crate logo didn't make a difference on my recordings, and at small gigs where 18 watts was adequate, I turned some heads when people saw "CRATE", but yes, BH is Crate subdiv.
punkeratheart 1 year ago
but then again if you look they dont have any type of setting really dialed in...most of the time all the controls is at 12 o clock, not only that but they are using a camera and your ears arent hearing the true tone of the amp.
GuitarFreak39 2 years ago
@punkeratheart To follow up on this highly misinterpreted comment, I want to say that Crate, while they do mostly make cheesy lates 80s solid state MG-series knockoffs, their tube amps are actually worthwhile, especially (for some mystical reason) the "palomino" models. The blackheart amps are ok, and like tele4tone said, they are easily modded in to something studio/stage worthy. I personally didn't like the devil much, but the little giant has the tone only SE circuits can get. I LIKE BH!!!!
punkeratheart 1 year ago
it's not made for metal isn't it? XD
TheComingCurse666 2 years ago
Would I be able to hook up 2 1x12 speaker cabs to this?
funyguy1357 2 years ago
I'm sure it would. Its got 2-4 ohm outlets, and 2-8 ohm outlets. So the eight ohm would be best for a 2x12 cab.
cgb1050 2 years ago
yes if there is two paralell ports :P
jakeparshall 2 years ago
It is about 300 € ( saw it for 266 € on ebay .. )
SinergyCOB 2 years ago
Does anyone know if the 100 watt head has been discontinued or something because I can't find it anywhere...
apguitarguy401 2 years ago
Musicians friend has them.
RitusG 2 years ago
that tone is hench for rock and blues, adding one of these to my ever growing stack of amps soon hopefully.
gothdude94 2 years ago
were can u get this head ? is it expensive ?
Kristianeb 2 years ago
hey guys are the cleans on this amp loud enough for small gigs?
ihavenoname93 2 years ago
yeah it has a gain control so you could keep it clean but i dont know if it has the headroom
budbud619 2 years ago
It's so beautiful...
Tom123collins 2 years ago
I have to get me one of these!!
mattchurchill2 2 years ago
Sounds hench! I want one.
AidyDamage 2 years ago
Me too! lol
RoarytheGuit88 2 years ago
Me too!!
angelicdevilz1004 2 years ago
Nice. I've a blackheart 5 head and am thinking of upgrading. If you have a moment, what are the H x W x D dimensions on the head? They're not listed.
MaxRadin 2 years ago
243 x 460 x 228 mm
reita210 2 years ago
Comment removed
MaxRadin 2 years ago
the vox chime comes from the ef86 tube and the blackheart uses the 12ax7.Still,you could try a celestion blue speaker and maybe a treble boost effect .
rw5791 2 years ago
Comment removed
PunkBoy755 3 years ago
Lopoline. There all over eBay.
dbenc 2 years ago
ok, misunderstood ya, thanks for lettin me know though
PunkBoy755 2 years ago
hey can this thing do a sorta voxy chiemy tone and about how big a gig can this thing be brought to?
alohastewie 3 years ago
This thing is capable of decent cleans, maybe not as "voxy" but definitely clean. Regarding the gig size this can handle everything as long as it's mic'd. If it's not mic'd however you will have to turn it up and it will start to break up(that's when it sounds the best!).
aznedvin 3 years ago
Ok prs XD
Voice is quite quiet
paultube 3 years ago
Hey what cab and guitar are you using?
Great review.
paultube 3 years ago
thanks for the very thorough review. it was extremely helpful.
kdc300z 3 years ago 2
great video, best review of this amp out there
andygleeson 3 years ago
totally agree
mrovantes 3 years ago
yeh... what kind of cab is that? is it the blackheart one?
dragonmas 3 years ago
Comment removed
PunkBoy755 3 years ago
nope. No 2x12 from Blackheart ATM.
shredchris 2 years ago
what guitar are you playing?
Arttuonline 3 years ago
what kind of cab is that
maxwllSmrt 3 years ago
does this thing keep up with a drummer ? i've had trouble with 15watters not making it. can it get loud enough even semi clean ? sounds good tho!
jaikwillis 3 years ago
i think with a 4-12 it will be loud enough
jamahl 3 years ago
I bought one of these too and then ordered the BOTMO mod,,these amps were great stock but wait till you hear them modded... why pay $3000 for a botique name that doesnt sound any better.
rkller900123 3 years ago
because a $3000 amp does sound better. But the bitmo modded blackhearts are very nice. Nothing beats them in that price range with the mod.
Fichtezxc 3 years ago
thats debatable...many of those boutique amps have some pretty generic tones. Only ones ive been into so far are Fuchs, Carr, and Dr.Z
RNRDOLL 3 years ago
It's definitely debatable. Good tone is pretty subjective. The subtle differences and, IMO, the not so subtle differences between the blackheart and amps like Dr. Z make it worth the extra money. Not that I have the money for one. If I could pay 3000$ for one, I would though. Some boutique amps may sound generic, but they have the subtle tonal differences from nicer parts and build which make them tonally richer than a lower amp. Not to say a Blackheart and Bitmo isn't an amazing deal.
Fichtezxc 3 years ago
@rkller900123 what and who does theBOTMO mod? Can you get the circuit diagram?
EntertainerCentral 1 year ago
what kind of cab is that?
samurainite 3 years ago
Too bad the camera mic compresses the tone so much, but as Zakk Wylde would put it "evidently you can see the greatness of all of this"
Sounds great... Can't wait until they finally freaking ship them in Europe...
shredchris 3 years ago
yeah i played that amp it's pretty nice. i played the guitar with the Pearly Gates too
feldykamp 3 years ago
Nice demo.These are decent,well built,great sounding amps.Like your cab.
Tedzomplin 3 years ago