Blackheart Engineering BH15H Handsome Devil

Blackheart Engineering, owned by Crate/ Loud Technologies, has been producing quality, value-priced tube amps for several years now, with an emphasis on lower-powered, lunchbox amps that have become all the rage among guitarists.

The Blackheart Handsome Devil, also called the BH15H, delivers 15 or 7 watts (switchable) via two EL84 power tubes. Two 12AX7A's sit in the preamp section, waiting to take your guitar signal and mold it into classic-inspired valve goodness.
The Handsome Devil has all the essential controls of a good single-channel, master volume amp, including: Drive, Level, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Presence. The rear panel sports numerous speaker jacks for a variety of cab-driving options.

UTILIZATION

The Handsome Devil is remarkably simple, and as a result, getting a great sound is a brisk endeavor. It's a very well built amplifier, with a nice, solid aluminum chassis, an actual wood headshell, quality tolex covering, and wiring and circuitry that is well done and free of soldering flaws.

What's more is the Handsome Devil is mod-friendly, offering an extra low voltage tap on the power transformer for things such as tube rectification, or in this case, a Belden digital reverb module.

SOUNDS

The Handsome devil is designed to take advantage of the EL84's extremely low drive requirements, and that it does, but with careful tweaking, a great clean tone can be had, bolstered by the warmth and harmonic richness of the EL84's doing their thing. EQ Controls are reasonably responsive, though an overabundance of treble is easy to achieve on this amp. An over-abundance of volume can also be achieved with this amp. The Handsome Devil can get LOUD-loud enough to keep up with most drummers. But therein lies the beauty of it, as you have enough juice to play with a band, but not so much juice that you can't get some sweet inspiring power tube overdrive at a reasonable volume. That's the ultimate allure of these smaller tube amps.
Upping the gain brings about a pleasant, natural-sounding overdrive that is a joy to play with and it evokes thoughts of the opening riff to Queen's "Tie Your Mother Down". Hitting it with an overdrive pedal increases the overdrive into distortion territory reminiscent of great 70's rock like The James Gang or Thin Lizzy.

The power switch takes the Handsome Devil from 15 watts to 7 watts, which to my ears was simple a much quieter version of the 15 watt tone, minus some bass response. That being said, the Handsome Devil does have plenty of low-end punch, given that it's mated with a cab that handles low-end well.

OVERALL OPINION

Blackheart has a good thing on their hands with their line of lunchbox amps, and the Handsome Devil is a prime example of that. Rediculously simple, built like a tank, great sounding, and great-looking (hey, it IS Handsome!) makes the Handsome Devil an ideal alternative to expensive boutique lunchbox amps. With a street price of $399, The Blackheart Handsome Devil very hard to beat.

The only things the Handsome Devil lacks are Reverb and an FX Loop, both of which are easily modded into the amp. MMM... I love the smell of solder fumes in the morning.

A small all-tube, 15 watts (two 12AX7 and two EL84). CONTRL standard single channel. Outputs for 4, 8 and 16 ohms. Not easy to make simple, yet they are in Blackheart amps even easier. So a small 10 because there is not too blame, but when the amp is even ultra-basic. I personally agree.

The plus is the switch 15 / 7 watts, or the sound trs little changed from the 5 watts that changes a lot of grain when you switch from one another.

UTILIZATION

Uh you actually kidding, right?

It has a total of 8 buttons, including the switch ... enlve if the switch of power, it is only 6, so normally the pain to find its sound should not last too long. There's twelve o'clock dj short while sound and good. While vintage. The gain level does not rise above trs, pattern JCM800 very most, and even if you put the volume tab to saturate the power tubes, if not, it's even more vintage, with a beautiful grain trs . The intro to Little Wing or the sound of Gary Moore in the 70s, has you trying? It is in ... Santana? No problem. Stevie Ray ... The hair ... AC / DC: c'tait like it. If you DSIR more gain, you will need an overdrive or distortion pedals of. If you crack on Messhugah is not forcment your amp, but with a good distortion before it can do everything, so no reason.

SOUNDS

Commenons the sensitive subject ... Power. Is 15 watts is enough to have a nice clean dynamic group situation.

Oh yes.

Honntement, I do not know what they lvent, but damn that was sent to a 15 watt ... In fact the gain level as in CONTRL and dynamics trs good, clean sound was between 4 and 5 of gain and volume between 8 and 10, and it is very, very hard, even the 1x12. I tested on my 4x12 tomorrow ...

Deuxio, it sends the brutally severe. And prsence too, which seems to me more useful addition than subtraction. The Submitted mdiums are, in fact it sounds like the 5 watts but more ... in addition to "all" in fact. Bigger, stronger, pais, more dynamic. Honors for the 7 watt mode does not change hardly the stamp-General for the amp.

As I imagined, this amp is a register IDAL trs direct, with a few pedals to get the big sound blues, classic rock and rock volume CONTRL but powerful enough for all common uses .

Edit: testing the 4x12. 30 seconds, and hop ... a small prolapse ... Even bigger (Obviously), fatter and deeper. In short, good.

OVERALL OPINION

I love the range that is cohrente trs, and really reminds me of the spirit of the Marshall beginners, lots of grain, a lot of personality and gouache spare. The report is at the top qualitprix. The construction is solid and seems clean trs. And it's ... Without bleeding ears, which is even better ...

Amp head lamp of 15 Watts while enn class A, 7-watt switchable.

TERMINALS:
1 between guitar, DIFFERENT outputs for speakers, a power outlet (yes I swear, the socket is provided).

SETTING:
EQ 3 band + presence + Volume + Overdrive, and the switch 7 / 15 watts.

I put 9 because it lacks a reverb and an effects loop, but for the price, it's trssrieux.

UTILIZATION

Configuration is a breeze! The manual is not intrt except for the wiring of the speakers if there are several.

The I put 10, not the problem above. Super

SOUNDS

dynamic, well-balanced. Runny or snapping sound, as we want ... Plutt rock Obviously, do not expect to have a metal distortion overdrive pushing the bottom. It is in overdrive here, not in the distortion. But boosting it all with a pedal, has passed without problem.

Hard to believe that the amp is only 15 watts ...

OVERALL OPINION

I use now for a year without me tired. I had a lot of amp. A JCM900 of which I am sorry but sparer c'tait too powerful, then a Fender Champion 110 that I did not like at all, a Valvestate 2000 qu'tait not bad, then that's what I Blackheart ideal.

Lger, powerful sound really typical of his lamp, I found a bit of my JCM900 in miniature format. Lacks only bloucle effect ...