Blackheart handsome devil

[FiestaRed869]

I've been really liking the demo videos I've seen of this amp on YouTube. I really like a punchy,bright , crunchy overdrive and this seems to be able to deliv exactly that. My only question is from some videos it's sounds alil thin, sometimes bright overdrives tend to sound brittle with no umph. Granted most demos are through a 1x12 cab and I plan on using a 2x12, but can anyone comment on this from experience. I Know it's a 350$ head and only 15 waits so it won't be perfect, but that doesn't mean it can't have a thick tone.

[FiestaRed869]

Anyone have any experience with this amp?

[shakeshakeshake]

I had one, I thought it was an awesome amp for the money-

punchy, bright and crunchy are great adjectives to describe it, it had a good deal of thunk to it as well for being a pretty lightweight 15w amp.

[FiestaRed869]

thanks a lot, it seems no place caries these so it's impossible to play one before I buy it. My other 2 options were the tweaker 15 and the jca20. The tweaker seems to have to muh going on and I've seen people say it does a bunch of stuff ok but nothing great, and the handsome devil does one thing really good, and luckily that's what I want. As for the jca I guess if the handsome devil doesn't work out I'll return the HD for an even trade for the jca new

[FiestaRed869]

Out of curiosity have you played the jet city jca20 or 22 or compare the 2. For an extra 50$ I could get the jca22 which is 5 more watts and 2 channels. If i can get the same sound out of channel 1 I wouldn't mind having an extra high gain channel

[shakeshakeshake]

Didnt try either the jet city or tweaker, both interest me though...

for 50 bucks Id go with the extra options

[FiestaRed869]

^ that's what I was thinking but the YouTube samples of the handsome devil really seem to get me, with i could try them both out side by side to see if the jet city can get the handsome devil tone

[fullofdust]

I picked one up when they first came out a couple years ago when i was working for a Blackheart dealer. It's a decent amp, especially for the money, but I just didn't click with it and sold it pretty quick.

I liked the cleans alright, but didn't dig the distortion at all. I did some demo recording with it and my bandmates at the time described it as "making everything sound like ACDC." So it does that tone well!

[FiestaRed869]

Well i don't need a versatile amp, just one that gets the one sound I'm looking for and that's it. They both seem to be described as Marshall esque type jcm800 sounds, I haven't heard either one in person are they similar enough to not even swear it and just pick one or are they noticeably different?

[Lost_Cause]

I know the local guitar store has some Blackheart amp for cheap. They have been sitting there for awhile.

[FiestaRed869]

I wish I had one to try out, can't seem to find any in south jersey.

[AshlandBump]

If it sounds anything like the Smiths' song by the same name it's gotta sound great.

[FiestaRed869]

Ok so I dcided to go with the blackheart handsome devil. They are much harder to find used and I found a head and matching cab for 350$. If I don't like it I have a 30 day return policy and can do an even exchange for a new jca20+cab. I'm sure between these 2 I can find what I am looking for. On a side note I tried the tweaker and didn't like it.

[hammersig]

I have one and love it. Call me crazy, but when I'm in a place that I can't play my 50 watt plexi due to it's loud nature, i pull the Handsome Devil out. It's not a gain monster, but has more than enough to do classic rock and the like. For me, it just fits.

The 1X12 cabs is nice too, though I am not sold on the speaker. It's a little too smooth sounding for the hard rock stuff I prefer. I love this head through my 2x12 Vintage 30 cab, so I plan to grab another Vintage 30 to put in the 1x12. Give it a try though and see what you think, it may fit better for you.

Out of curiosity, I actually installed the BitMo mods tonight, but the wife is sick so I can't turn it up to compare until tomorrow. So far, the third position switch definitely tightens up and adds more gain.

[hammersig]

So I tested the Bitmo mods today. Wife's still under the weather so haven't been able to fully crank, but enough to tell the differences.

Stock position seems about the same. It was supposed to be an "upgrade", mainly to the tonestack, but I don't hear any significant change. Not a problem, as I like the amp stock to begin with, so at least this didn't make a change for the worse.

Middle position is supposed to be the "tweed" setting. It basically partially bypasses the tonestack and by doing so it gains a little output, and some headroom. Still plenty of gain to do the classic rock stuff this amp is great for, but cleans up with the guitar much more easily. As indicated by the instructions, the treble and mid knobs do not function in this mode, and it seems the bass knob becomes a treble cut. Presence still works, and pretty simple to get a good balanced tone between the two. I can feel this will probably be the setting I will use with my current coverband, where I need more versatility with a minimalist rig.

Third position is the "hot rodded" setting. This sounds somewhat similar to the stock, but with a little more output and a noticeable gain increase. Nothing over the top, but your basic modded Marshall type tone with solid compression, and an upper mid boost (?). Very nice for harder rock tunes, and probably the setting I will use the most with my original rock tunes. For now I would somewhat compare the stock/hotrod positions to Plexi/JCM800 differences.

In short, the mods are simple to install (though i don't necessarily agree with Bitmo's soldering/PCB ideas.) They are also effective enough to turn a great amp into one with a little more versatility. Well worth the ~$30 I paid for, and could be done for even less if you sourced all of the parts yourself. I really like this amp, and I think you'll enjoy it too FiestaRed869. For the price that it's set, it is definitely in a higher class.

[FiestaRed869]

Cool thanks a lot guys. The only immediate mod I was planning was turning the watt switch into a standby. Is a standby even nessasary

[FiestaRed869]

Just got one used with the matching 1x12 cab for 375$ shipped to my local GC with a 30 day return policy. I'll post come clips and my thoughts. Should have it Saturday mornin

[Electric I]

Good deal on the head/cab.

Have the combo w/ bitmo & matching cab. Been in storage for months. Must dig it out sometime. One of the reasons I initially shelved it is the lack of a loop. Too bad bitmo didn't offer one.

[FiestaRed869]

I'm super excited the tracking says it will be delivered to the guitar center Friday, just Hoping to get a call early enough so I can go before work.

[FiestaRed869]

Ok guys just picked up the amp about an hour ago. When I plugged it in I thought the voicing was great, def a vintage style tone which I liked. I started playing and really liked the tones I was getting, so far so good. Then only problem was I wasnt getting much gain or grit, so I kept turning the gain and level up, When finally cranked it sounded really good but still alil shy of the gain I wanted. It would have been perfect if I could have just turned that gain knob a 1/4 turn more. I'm very happy and yet alil disappointed. This tone is the closest I have heard to the sound in my head. It's an open, bright, articulate, not compressed O/d but theres really no gain at all on tap. Thinking about getting the bitmo mod but not sure.anyone else have this amp Amd notice the same thing. I BOUGHT this used and almost all the YouTube demos seem to be gainer then mine so wondering if there's something wrong . Hmm decisions decisions

[FiestaRed869]

I know nothing about Amps, is there a way to some how let the gain knob "keep going" or let it get more broken up? I luv the voicing and tone I just need more cowbell

[champster]

Add your OD of choice and these amps really sound great. I really liked the HD I had but I came to prefer the tone of 6V6 amps. Then again the HD does have a really sweet tone on its own that if one came along I would probably buy it. I had the head and was running it through what ever speaker was in the cab at the time. Usually the speaker was either a C12N or an RW&B.

[hammersig]

With the mod, the high gain side of the switch pretty much stays in high gain. If I have any complaint about the head itself, it just doesn't clean up with the guitar volume pot as well as my plexi does, and the the high gain switch doesn't help that at all. I generally don't like using dirt pedals, as I like to use the amp itself, but champster hit it right. A good overdrive does well with the amp, and is probably the best option to use with this amp.

Dont forget this isn't a gain monster, and it wasn't designed to be. It's still a great amp, and since I've changed the speaker in my cab tonight, I can't wait to see if it made it all the more better tomorrow.

[FiestaRed869]

Yea I wanna use the amp dirt, would you describe the high gain mod switch as the same tone, just being able to turn the gain knob more or changes the characteristic to a high gain type sound?

[hammersig]

I've already said in an earlier post, the stock and high gain sides are very similar in tone. The high gain side seems to shift the midrange to a more upper midrange character, and it adds dirt. Other than that, they sound about the same.

[big jilm]

I had the head and 2 1x12" cabs. Cool amp, but I needed more gain. I used a Barber DD low gain, and it worked pretty well - but I sold the amp to get more gain and I havn't regretted it.

All that said, it is a cool sounding amp, and cheap too!