Blackheart Engineering BH1H Killer Ant

Well there's only 1 knob, so... what features? But everyone know this when buying this amp.

So add a pre-amp..

I've got a Johnson J-station effects box and really lets me get just about any tome out of this amp. I get some great clean tones, sparkle, gain, feedback, etc... This effects box gives the amp what its missing with only a volume knob...

I've owned this Killer Ant Amp for about 1 month now, but also have the Blachheart 3/5 watt combo, but it's way to loud for apartment use. So I searched the mini amps and already knew that Blackheart was a great amp so I purchased this one and got the 112 speaker cabinet to go with it.

My guitars are: Fender Strat, a Les Paul, and an Ibanez.

I replaced the (stock china tubes) with some BB tubes, and that helped to make the amp sound quality & power output somewhat, (I'm also going to experiment with the TUNG SOL 12AX7 tubes later next month). Right now with the BB tubes I get excellent tone, sustain, feedback, even at a volume 3 level. If I go to the 4-5, I can get great break up, but I start to bet worried that the amps power output may be getting to loud for the apartment. So I turn the speaker cabinet around and push it up to the sofa or use a pillow in front of the cabinet to muffle the sound some.

I can really achieve almost any tone, sound, or effects that I want from this amp, with the help of various effects peddles.

My setup is:
Guitar > Johnson J-station > Boss DS-1 > Boss SD-1 > BB Green Screamer > Vox Wah > Amp

The Johnson J-station helps me achieve any tone. This pre-amp effects box, gives back what the amp is missing. The treble, mid, bass, & gain. You can find one of these on ebay for about $50-$75.

For the cost of the Killer Ant, I've never owned or seen any other amp that can achieve the same quality sounds that you can get out of this amp, except one other.

I'm always scanning YouTube, reading Amazon feedback, and checking everyplace for USER amp reviews and have only found 1 other practice amp that's better in sound quality, and can vary its power output down to less that 1 amp, that amp is the Valve 105 Bimbo - which I rate as #1.

I say this because that Valve amp is far above any small practice amp that I've found... but the Valve 105 amp costs $900. Who has that kind of cash to throw out? So really comparing the 2 on cost, the killer ant will always be rated as number 1 for us poor folks!

Never had a problem with a Blackheart amp.

Never had a problem with a Blackheart amp.

Excellent little practice amp

features?
um... no sir no features here.
1x switch (power), 1x knob (volume), 1x input jack and 3x speaker out jacks (4, 8 & 16 ohm)
I guess it's "big" feature is its impossibly small size and sub watt power rating.

low mark for features but this is not really relevant.

using -
P90 equipped Les Paul Special
high gain pickup Rickenbacker 350
Fender Bass VI
Schecter C/SH-12
Epiphone SG400 (Chinese)
Epiphone Casino (Korean)
Generic, spare parts strat.
Generic spare parts tele
Other amps:
Vox AC30 CC
Laney VC30 2x12
Crate V5 5watt
Assorted Line 6 combos.

Run through Laney cabs - 1 Jenson equipped 2x10 8 ohm closed back unit and 1 celestion 2x12 8 ohm open back unit

I generally play with the Les Paul, SG and the Ric having the volume knobs dialed down about to 3/4's

At idle amp is generally quiet some hum kicks in at 2 o'clock on the dial progressively getting louder but never intrusive.

So quiet below 8 o'clock on the dial that the guitar's acoustic sound on the Casino, Ric and Les Paul drowns it out. records nice though but you have to properly isolate the speaker/mic at this low level

Nice clean and chiming sound at 9'oclock on the dial, at this volume you're still at day time apartment friendly volumes (think a slightly loud radio or a moderately strummed acoustic guitar). On moderate strumming and picking the Schector 12 string on humbucker, the P90 equipped LP and the SG are easily breaking up, the Les paul with a nice gritty tone and the SG being smooth but aggressive
The Schecter 12 string (single coil tap), Rickenbacker and Casino breaking up nicely on harder passages.
Telecaster chimes nicely and it is easy to differentiate the various pickup positions on the strat both articulate nicely with a nice easy gritty break up on lead configurations.

At this volume the Schecter 12 string really shines on either single coil tap or humbucker mode... I could imagine a Rickenbacker 12 sounding a treat.

At this volume an overdrive or fuzz pedal is handled very well allowing for a harder, grittier, break up or constant distortion while maintaining some dynamics.

The Epiphone casino is still as loud as the amp at this stage.

By 10 or 11 the amp is now, finally, louder than the Casino hollow body but it's hard to pull a clean sound out at this level of drive.

By 12 o'clock all guitars are overdriving the amp an anything but the softest of picking or strumming... break up continues to about 2 o'clock and beyond that it's just adding compression to the distortion rather than any true volume gain.


Speaker radically alters the sound... used with the closed back cab it is noticeably deeper, tighter and punchier and grind ever so slightly. with the open back cab it was a more mellow breathy sound

Sound is very good rock tones... more 70's and 80's modern than classic blues and not a lot of head room (though one can't really expect much head room from a fractional watt amp)

Doesn't handle the Fender Bass VI very well at all... breaks up to hard and 1 watt is not enough to get a usable volume at an octave below normal tuning. The same Fender VI runs nicely through a Crate V5 5 watt valve amp though.

This the first valve amp I've owned that is actually almost too quiet.... forget about being overpowered by the drummer, at anything less than 3 o'clock on the dial this is overpowered by an "enthusiastic" player on a Martin dreadnought acoustic.

Looking around on the internet it seems that replacing the stock valves with Tung-Sol ECC803G / 12AX7 (pre) and Electro-Harmonix 12AY7 (power) produces a cleaner sound with more head room... at this price I'll buy a second head to mod as I do like the stock sound as well.

I live in medium density free title (fully detached housing) with only a meter or two between houses but at anything below 2 o'clock I can jam away till late...
dial down to 9 'oclock and I can play all night.

maybe still a bit loud for pulling an all nighter jam in an apartment.

No opinion here as I've only owned it for a month or so .... but ..... there's not a lot in here to go wrong is there?

the local distributor for crate/blackheart is generally good with support so not worried here

great tone at a neighbour friendly volume.

a very nice sounding amp on the whole... a little harsh for most of what I play (Beatles/REM esque sound) but at this price I'll gladly buy a second and swap the valves out of that .... then use and a/b box to switch between the two :)

2008 Blackheart Killer Ant ???Fractional Watt??? (~1/4 Watt) Tube Head. One Channel, One knob, 4, 8 and 16 Ohm Speaker Outputs
The features are purposefully simple. One volume knob. Additional EQ tweaks and/or gain boosting can be achieved with pedals.
It gives you that great, dirty ???plexi??? tone at a volume level where you can stand right in front of it without fear of (further) hearing loss. It works EXTREMELY well with all of the pedals I???ve tried so far, and responds very nicely to a little cleanish, Tubescreamer-style boost on the front end. This thing wasn???t really designed for a clean sound, so the clean is pretty wimpy. The best-sounding clean tones I???ve found so far were by simply rolling back my guitar???s volume control.
Simply put: AC/DC Highway To Hell tone on tap, at a TOTALLY reasonable volume level.
Three (minor) criticisms:
1 ??? No handle on the top. It???s VERY light, but it would still be nice to have a handle.
2 - It???s very difficult to reach in and change the tubes. This is due to the overall small size of the enclosure, and the relative position of the tubes and transformers. Not a big deal, but if you plan of doing a lot of tube swapping you may wish to simple take the chassis out of the enclosure (a pretty simple undertaking).
3 ??? No standby switch. Hopefully this won???t affect the lifespan of the tubes TOO much. Still, 12AX7???s are generally way cheaper than most power amp tubes, so it???s not a huge deal. I???m not using NOS Mullards in the damn thing or anything???

I???ve so far tried a pretty wide array of guitars through it, and I???ve plugged it into most of my available speakers. It responds COMPLETELY differently, depending on A) what it???s plugged into and B) what you plug into it. To be honest, it sounds pretty crappy plugged into certain speakers (even some NICE ones), but once you find a cab or two that pair well with it, its full potential can be realized! The same can be said for guitars: your cheap, cruddy Squier that may sound OK through your POD is going to suddenly sound horrendous through this thing. Or not??? just try each guitar out and you might be surprised at which one sounds best. I first had this type of experience when I first plugged into my first little single-ended tube combo (Kalamazoo Model 1 ??? GREAT little amp). I guess it???s kind of like watching TV in HD: you suddenly notice every pimple and nose hair. You get the good along with the bad.
Right now I???m running it through the stock Eminence speaker in my wife???s Fender Blues Junior, and it sounds pretty kickin???. It also sounds great, and surprisingly huge, through my 4x12 (loaded with 75W Celestions ??? can???t remember the model #???s). As far as guitars, my custom, all-koa Carvin SC90 so far seems to be the best mate, effortlessly pulling out delicious, sweet, crunchy, singing tones, no matter WHAT I do! I???m guessing that a Les Paul would have a similar effect.
It???s very touch-sensitive, with regard to breakup. With the volume at about 11 - 1 O???clock, you can push it into the beginnings of a nice crunch. At about 3 O???clock you???re in AC/DC City. With the volume dimed, it almost seems to get a little farty, so I don???t generally go QUITE all the way up. 3 to 4 O???Clock seems to be about the sweet spot for distortion. Definitely not enough for most metal styles, but if you back it off to around 11 or 12 O???clock and stick a pedal in front you can get some great, low-volume, high-gain tones. I haven???t really tried ???maxing it out??? yet with a Boss Metal Zone or anything like that yet, but I will at some point. A pedal will boost your overall volume considerably, but it???s still at a level I would consider ???manageable???. At MAX volume, it???s too loud to carry on any sort of conversation in the same room, but not to the point of ???ear discomfort???. About like a loud stereo.
I replaced the stock tubes with some Tung-Sol 12AX7???s. It tried to hang with the stock tubes for a while, but eventually gave up. At this price point, I usually assume that I???m going to wind up swapping the tubes. The stock tubes weren???t terrible, but the Tung-Sols seemed a little more ???pleasant??? (easier on the ears, so to speak). About a $15-20 upgrade, unless you???re using NO$ tube$???

I haven???t really had it long enough to have any problems with it, though it looks like it would be pretty easy to fix. The circuit looks pretty basic. I took it apart to check out the components, wiring, circuit board, etc. and it looks pretty well put together. For this price point, I was actually pretty surprised at the quality!

Ne???er dealt wi???em???

I???ve been playing for around 18 years or so. Mostly just for personal enjoyment/aggravation. I got lightly into modding, fixing and building tube amps and guitar effects about 5-6 years ago. I just dabble, mainly. I???ve got a variety of guitars (Fender, Reverend, Carvin, etc.) and amps (Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Fender Blues Junior, Garnet Little Rock, Marshall JTM-30, Kalamazooo Model 1, Home-built AX84 P-1, Blackheart Little Giant Head, Peavey Musician Mark III, etc.).
I got the Blackheart Little Giant Head for Christmas last year, and have grown more and more fond of it over these last months. The Killer Ant just sounded too good to pass up, and fortunately turned out to be a wise investment. If it were stolen I???d buy another one as soon as possible!
It???s got me playing more and more (which is a good thing). Previously, I would usually noodle around through my POD or Johnson J-Station most of the time, to spare my poor, ragged eardrums. This little bugger has pulled me back from the Digital Realm, into the Real World again, and it feels soooo good!

The fact that you select between 4,8, and 16 Ohms on an Amp Head of this calibur is great. Also, the power plug pulls separate from the Amp, for some reason this indicates quality. I've read about the Bitmo mod, but I don't think there is really a need for one, like with the Epi Valve Jr. It definitley needs a standby. I've installed them and it is so simple its amazing. Once you play through this Amp, it'll be your go-to practice Amp and you'll want to leave it on all the time (without burning out tubes).

Great chunky distorted overdrive. At first it takes a bit getting used to, because the sound is similar to a stack of Overdriven Marshall's but the volume is much lower. I have to nearly pinch myself to believe I'm playing at that level of OD with so little volume. The tubes beg for relief and I'm giving no quarter! This Amp features just the basic Marshall tone. Hooked into a Boss ME 50 and DOD Stereo Crossover (EQ) I've matched the head right alongside of Epi Valve Jr. and the Ant on 4 O'clock equals the Valve Jr. at 12 O'clock. So, for 1/4 W (or 1W whatever it is) there is a bang for the buck. It plays just at the level where it would probably just get drowned by a kicking drummer.

The Ant is built with the same basic components as any head. Thus the cost. There are no shortcuts. I've found the tubes to be rather decent. I've been waiting to get this Amp for a year, but once it hit the states, the price went up $30. Maybe they put quality tubes in during the interim. I don't know. So I waited and found it $129 at a Clearance sale. I've been into low Watts as of late and for years could not understand why there was no market for them, now there is between Blackheart, Fender and Epi. And Crate V Series. So the market has basically exploded in 1-2 years. Now is the time for low-watt Amp.

Crate once fixed a practice Amp I had for free at a marquee repair shop Sound Check studios Nashville. It was 2 weeks prior to the 5 year warrenty expiring. I had probably pushed the little amp through wrong Ohms on a Cab, so I blew a transformer. But the price to fix it probably exceeded the value of the Amp itself.

Must, must have. The Amp twice exceeded my expectations. I would not have believed that this amount of tone could ever be experienced at such low volumes. I have the Amp set on 2 (through a chain) and literally get Carlos Santana sustain. For $179 one might think it is excessive for a 1W Amp. But it isn't. What you don't get in volume, you get 5X in tone. If you like to practice at low volumes and forgot what it is like to play at Pete Townshend volume feedback, seek no further. Basically the Amp is loud enough on my setup where it just stops short of ear damage/ringing. No need for Pre-Amp overdrive at all. OD just oozes from the tubes.

Power and volume - so far as basic as it can get.
The volume pot's main purpose isn't the volume itself but to dial in the distortion level. After say 11o clock it doesn't turn significantly louder.

I especially like the point where it starts to distort slightly, which is @ 10o clock with singlecoil and 9o clock with humbucker. That's where this little animal really shows class.
Below that: Standard cleansound, nothing too special.
Past that: Since I don't fyvor classic rock distortion too much, the area past say 2o clock isn't for me. It also start getting muddy / less defined. If I need more I'll add a pedal.

The amp is very quiet, no hiss or noise so far.

I live in an apartment and the volume at 10o clock is not bearable for my neighbours at nighttime - although it's just 1/4 watt it could be less loud. But that's also to be influenced by the cab you use.

Built like a tank & no problems so far.

I've been playing for 3 decades now, mainly modern rock & crossover stuff. I currently use 2 modded strats and a ibanez. My other amps currently are on the tube side a h&k duotone and a line6 flextone on the solidstate side.
I found this little toy very useful as an practice amp for me. Also, there is no real competitor amp on the market as far as I know.
The price is more than attractive.
BTW: I'm a bit picky concerning my ratings, imho 10 means the optimum you can think of.

Product Features
<1 Watt RMS, Single-Ended, Class A
Outputs: 1 x 16 ohm jack, 1 x 8 ohm jack, 1 x 4 ohm jack
Solid State Rectifier
Volume (the rest of the tone is in your hands)
DC Power to filaments for super quiet operation

This is the best tube amp ever for practicing! You won't go deaf getting great classic distortion. I have the blackheart Little Giant, but at five watts, it is still too loud for practicing, and at three watts is too dark. I upgraded the Killer Ant to Tungsol 12ax7 tubes, and it definitely does sound better (better even order harmonics?), but the stock tubes aren't too bad. I believe my search is over for great low volume tube amps. Make sure you add EQ and a tube screamer and DS-1! Add a chorus or reverb if you really want to, it's up to you!

No problemo.

Never called them, and they never called my.

For practicing, it is the best thing on the market. The ZVex NANO is wildly overpriced. Get one, or two, of these.

Single channel, all tube, 1/4w rms @ 16-ohms. 1.5 pre-amp tubes .5 of a 12ax7 as the power section. Single volume knob. 4-8-16ohm outputs. Use your fingers, picking, and guitar knobs to shape the tone.

Basically a high gain preamp with speaker outs.

As an 18yr guitarist, and a 10yr studio engineer. I'm pretty picky about sound..
I've been playing this amp with a LesPaul Studio (1992 model ebony fret-board 57' classics)
through my Epiphone 112 (valve Jr.) cab. My other amps are: Ted Weber Marshall 18w, Epiphone Valve Jr. (ver 3, stock).. In the studio: Marshall JCM 2000 TSL, USA made Fender Blues Deville, USA Pro Jr...

I bought the Valve Jr. to play at home but, 5w IS definitely enough power to play small clubs with a drummer and a bass player.. WAY too loud for the house.

Yes 1/4w IS quiet enough to play on 10 while my kid watches TV at a moderate volume 15-ft away from me in the SAME ROOM!! Finally!

But the most surprising part, this thing sounds amazing. Tight, focused bottom end. at 10 I'd compare it to a (VERY quiet) cranked early jcm 800. Very easy to get an Angus Young or Jimmy Page sound from a Les Paul.. Billy Gibbons from a Tele.. Country players will want to stick with a 5w or higher for super clean tones. For Rock from light to heavy this is your amp for the living room..

I'll Be using this thing as a studio amp, and would be ideal for accompanying acoustic guitar in a coffee shop scenario (assuming you want to hear some breakup). Also a great amp for weeding out crummy cables, pickups..etc You hear it all.

It will NOT keep up with a drum-kit period.

I have never practiced this much in my life.

Not sure... It's pretty new

See above.

I'll be using this amp for years, I will replace if stolen. I'm sure that many of the competitive products sound great too. They'd better! The lowest price I've seen for a sub 1w, all tube amp aside from the Bh1h: $500-600 (PLEASE correct me if this is untrue, I'd be interested for varietys sake)

As far as sound quality goes.. Easily one of my favorite amps. (See above)

Next, I'm most likely going to buy a JCM800 clone pre, with a single el34 (12W) to see if i can get a similar sound at stage volume.

Giving a nine because simple designs make things easier for me and allows me more time to play.

This amp is great for what it does, and I've yet to play another that can get tubes to drive this heavy at such low volume levels. Great for practicing. There is barely any headroom so don't expect to get useable cleans. This is an amp created to overdrive. I was looking for a dream amp, but didn't find it. My major issue is how much this amp squashes and compresses the signal and makes it really dark. I've used it with both humbuckers and single coils with pretty similar observations. It is perfect for nailing Sabbath, but if Sabbath is too dark for your tastes, you may want to look elsewhere. That being said, props to Blackheart for this release. To the credit of the designers, it is probably not possible to create a 1/2W tube amp that doesn't overly compress. All in all this is one of my favorite toys. I originally tried it with their 10" cab and then the 12". Do yourself a favor and do the same. I liked the 12" a bunch more. Really opened up the growl.

Seems like the only thing that would go bad is the tube!

Haven't had to deal with them.

A ten for great value and a fun toy if nothing else. Thanks!

Class A 1/4 watt. volume, input, and speaker input with various ohm ratings. straightforward no thrills head powered by two 12ax7 tubes one for preamp and one for power amp stage. Internal power block to reduce volume output to speaker

I use this amp with a gibson Blueshawk. I play classic rock and blues. The amp is just perfect for what I play. I do use an electro harmonix reverb pedal before the amp. beyond that no other effects are needed. the amp sounds great. Tube distortion to die for. Distortion is classic rock level. no metal tones here. Nails that cream sunshine of your love sound. Reacts well with overdrive pedals but not needed. Did try a barber ldt and direct drive with good effect.

not sure yet on reliability but I did open it up and it is built solidly. Very impressive quality for short money

have not needed them yet

I've played for 25 years. I love this amp. It allows me to get great tube distortion at a very low volume. The sound quality is excellent and the construction looks flawless. I also own the blackheart 5 watt head and the epi valve junior head. I like the killer ant more for the mere fact that I can get great sound without the volume. Believe it or not even the epi at 5 watts can be loud enough to play with a drummer, bass player, and another guitarist as long as they are sane. The 5 watt blackheart at 5 watts is louder than the epi. It has a 3 watt switch which brings the volume down but is still loud for apartment practice. The killer ant is perfect for practice and I would think for recording

Made in 2008. One channel. Two 12AX7 tubes, one preamp one power amp.
Single volume control, no tone or other controls except on/off switch. No effects loop or headphone jack, but has separate 4, 8, and 16 ohm speaker outputs. Approximately 1/4 watt output. I'm using this amp at home with it's companion cabinet, the BHE Killer Cab which sports 1 10" Blackheart by Eminence speaker rated at 30 watts.
Simple, low power, straightforward class A amp.

Sounds fantastic! I've been playing a Les Paul and a Strat through it and both really shine! I play mostly classic rock and blues. This amp is very quiet. Stays fairly clean with the volume set at 9 o' clock or lower, after that it begins to break up quite nicely and responds well to variations in attack. Cranked all the way it will produce enough gain for classic rock, but not enough for metal, you'll need a pedal for that.

I've only had this amp for a couple weeks, so I can't really say how reliable it will be.

5 year warranty on the amp, 2 year on the speaker, 90 days on the tubes. Have not had to contact customer support as yet.

Been playing for 35 years, mostly as a hobby. Bought this amp primarily to use at home as my Fender Blues DeLuxe is just too loud.
I love the fact that this amp will produce real tube overdrive at a volume level that won't get me in trouble with the neighbors. Wish it had reverb, but I can get pedal. If lost or stolen I would replace it immediately with another one. If you're a tone freak like me and hate practicing with a crappy sounding solid state amp, get this amp! You won't regret it!