Blackheart Engineering Little Giant 5

Some features.

I've tested quite a few small amps within the last year, and this one is easily the best. With a pair of good tubes, and an extra eq for the 3 Watt mode (which sounds a bit muffled), it has a very good clean sound(at low volumes too), and the crunch is also ok, compared to the Valve Junior and such stuff.

You cannot depend on anything.
I never giggle, so why should i use a pickup? OK, it weighs almost 20 pounds, but since i have all these muscles there is really no need for a breakdown.

Dunno.

Overall rating is:
Satisfactory
I wish it would be less loud - something between the killer ant and itself.

I think everyone else covered the features. Basic, valve amp. What it has works well.

I use it as a practice amp with a stock G&L ASAt special and a les paul studio. I really like the way the ASAT sounds with this amp. The cleans are really nice and full sounding. I've just been playing straight through no effects.
It is a full sounding amp, I couldn't ask for a better practice amp. My main amp is a musicman 112 RD100. I think this amp actually sounds a little better in some ways. I play Blues classic and some eighties alternative.

Dunno had it a week. It seems solid though. nothing on it feels cheap.

no idea. time will tell

As I said I really like this amp. I think it is one of the best amp bargains out there for what it is if you're not trying to hide crappy playing behind a bunch of effects.

Dead simple grade A all tube amp.

This head has On / Off switch ; 5 watt / 3 watt pentode / triode switch ; bass, middle and treble eq controls ; 1 master volume control.

As I said, dead simple.

The combo comes with 12 inch speaker, as does the matching cab.

Two channels would've been nice, or perhaps a built in reverb...but those weren't really considerations for me.

Here's the deal...what are you buying a new amp for ?

I already own a Marshall JCM 200 TSL 100 head and 1960B cab, which is my primary gigging rig, I also have an old Marshall 100 watt Valvestate head and matching mini 4 x 12 cab which I have been using at home, but now I intend to move down to our rehearsal studio.

So I found myself looking for a small, all valve amp or combo, which I can play through and teach with from home, which won't wind up my neighbours and which sounds great.

To tell you the truth, I was torn between the Orange AD5, the Blackstar HT5 and the Blackheart BH5.

I've been playing for 20 odd years now, and play all sorts from metal and punk, to jazz and funk. I play through a couple of PRS custom 22's, an old Ibanez GR520VS, a Michael Kelly Patriot Premium, and my Jackson Dominion - my gigging guitar of choice.

So, to the sounds.

I was really seeking a small amp with a wonderfully warm, rich clean tone. Creamy and natural, organically bluesy...and the little Blackheart delivers in spades. Setting the eq in a neutral 12 oclock position, and the Blackheart sounds full and warm and fantastic.

When winding up the volume in triode mode, the sound goes from a warm, clean to a light overdrive. Switch to the pentode, and the beast starts to roar. Perhaps not enough for a scooped out, nu-metal teeny, but as I've already said, you got to ask yourself "what am I buying an amp for ?". Horses for courses.

To these ears, the Blackheart tonally wipes the floor with the sharp, harsh, glassy sounding Blackstar, and it also holds a nother trump card over the Blackstar and the Orange AD5 I mentioned earlier - the 12 inch speaker.

As others have said - this Blackheart LOVES a pedal, and I have spent hours already playing my valve driven Vox ToneLab LE through the Blackheart.

From single coil driven, light compression; perhaps with a touch of light delay and reverb right up to a heavily saturated overdrive / distortion the Blackheart takes them all superbly - seriously, it sounds far better than I could have ever have dreamed.

Wherby the 10inch speakers on the Orange and Blackstar combo's couldn't handle the METAL, the Blackheart LOVES it.

One final thing - the Blackheart is LOUD...even at 3 watts !

I can't wait to try it in the rehearsal rooms alongside my Marshalls.

Superb tone. A Faultless 10 / 10.

So far, so good.

Built like a tank.

Because the Blackheart is built so well, I've had no cause to get in touch.

Like I said earlier, been playing for 20 odd years, I've owned a shed load of gear in that time and the little Blackheart is as sweet a sounding amp as I've ever heard.

I adore it's simplicity and it's build quality. I love it's tone and it's versatility.

And it's value for money cannot be beaten.

As I've said, for the purposes that I bought it for, the Blackheart BH5 stands head and shoulders above the Orange AD5 and Blackstar HT5.

If stolen, I would definitely buy another tomorrow, because I cannot recommed it highly enough.

2008 Blackheart (by Crate) BH5-112: one 12AX7 preamp tube and one EL84 power tube. Volume, bass, mid, treble controls. One 12" Eminence speaker in an open-back cabinet. Also a triode/ pentode switch to go from 3W to 5W. Great selection of speaker output options on the back, too.

My playing style covers roots music (blues, country, bluegrass, folk, rockabilly), rock (60's & 70's, mostly), and experimental/ alternative/ post-rock (big fan of early Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and other early punk/ post-punk bands...as well as newer post-rock like Sigur Ros and G!YBE). Also dabble in reggae, ska, Gypsy jazz, and classic soul & RnB. I do listen to the heaviest of metals (Nile, Earth, and Cathedral are current favorites) but I rarely play in that style.

The triode/ pentode switch isn't extremely useful for me; I love the richness and detail of the 5W setting and the 3W side seems a little flat in comparison. It is nice for quieter output or earlier distortion, but I could easily live without the option. In 5W mode, the amp goes from bedroom apartment levels all the way to practice/ performance volume...I doubt there's enough volume for most full-on rock bands, but quieter combos and soloists should have no problem. Running it through a 4x4 cab boosts the perceived volume noticeably- you can keep up with most drummers, especially if you boost/ OD the signal before it gets to the amp. Miking the amp is a great solution for just about any venue (you get that great tone AND you can add post-gain effects!).

"Features" is a tough category to call...there aren't many, but what's there is excellent. If you absolutely need a master volume or second (or third) channel, look elsewhere. Ditto for reverb, tremolo/vibrato, effects loop, or extended EQ stacks. The basic TMB configuration gives you far more range than a single-knob amp like the Valve Jr., and honestly lets you cover as much territory as most amps with a dozen controls. My 7 rating takes into account that many guitarists will want more options...but I'd rate it a 10 for myself and any others who are looking for no-nonsense, high-quality tone.

My two main electrics are an 80's Fender Strat (customized with Texas Specials and a hardtail bridge, and I also shielded and re-wired with better components), and an original Reverend Rocco semi-hollow with two stock (but high-quality) humbuckers.

This amp gives such an excellent basic sound that I'd recommend it for anything but the very cleanest and dirtiest extremes. From 1 to about 4 or 5 on the volume, perfect detailed cleans. From there to about 7 or 8, tasty and toneful OD that responds as tube gain should (responding well to your touch & the volume on the guitar). At the top end, a useful tube saturation reminiscent of pushed-hard vintage Vox and some Fenders. The midrange and depth of the amp rounds out the Strat perfectly for some of the most detailed and full single-coil sounds I've ever heard. Humbuckers bring out even more of the natural gain of the amp, though you may need to back off on the mids and bass a little more (of course). You can cover a huge range of classic tones with just this amp and the knobs on your axe. Put a booster or OD in front and you get enough gain to handle just about any blues rock and early metal/ punk tones. The amp loves pedals, BTW.

There's a bit of noise, but even with the single-coils it is not at all distracting (or track-ruining). I've hard noisier solid-state amps. The stock tubes are just slightly microphonic (some ringing on the high mids), but I'll be replacing them soon anyway. Great amp for casual or serious modding!

The amp seems quite solid and 'roadworthy'. I'd have little worry about gigging with it (and I can't say that about every tube amp that I've used), but I would probably keep a backup handy. Nothing against the amp itself, but things happen...

The second day that I had it, I ran into an odd problem...the amp just didn't sound right when I turned it on. Lifeless dynamics and not very responsive; I thought it had gone bad overnight and was planning to return it. The next day the sparkle was back and I haven't had the same problem since...the only difference was that I'd plugged it into a different AC outlet that day; the top plug was switched for a light (and yes, I plugged the amp into the bottom one) so that's the only thing I can imagine might have caused the issue. Not a big deal, but as AC quality does vary greatly from gig to gig, it may be worth keeping a backup or power conditioner handy.

I'm not blown away by the tone of hipness that Blackheart marketing affects (the website reads like dialogue from a VH1 show about bikers), and Crate customer service has disappointed me in the past. Still, I haven't had any trouble with the amp so far, so I don't have much to say about this category. I will give a thumbs-up to Zzounds customer service, though.

I've been playing for over 20 years, and I've owned Fenders and Marshalls as well as Peaveys and Crates (and played through nearly everything else at one time or another). To be honest, I've had just as many bad tube amps as I've had good solid state amps, so I keep my ears and mind open through fads and hype. If this were taken from me, I'd probably replace it with a head instead of another combo, but I'd stick with Blackheart because it's simple, pure, responsive and full of tone. There's a few lower-cost tube amps out there, but the Little Giant compares well with amps costing twice (or 3X) as much. An effects loop would be nice to add a little clean reverb, but that's about the only thing I miss- and I don't really miss it that much.

I purchased this amp just as the price jumped a hundred bucks, and the folks at Zzounds gave me the lower price (thanks again!). At $250 it was a ridiculously good amp, and it's still (almost) a steal at $350. If you can afford a $1000+ amp, go for it...if not, grab one of these and get comparable tone.

5 watts, single-ended, class A amp. Bass, Middle, Treble and Volume controls, on/off switch (no standby), switch for selecting 5/3 watts, one input. Back panel has 2 speaker outs apiece for 4, 8 and 16 ohms. This is a nice feature as you can run more than one cabinet if needed.
This amp is basically an updated and upgraded Epiphone Valve Junior. It does sound drastically different, however, than the Valve Junior.

I bought this head used from a gentleman who had both the Blackheart and a Valve Junior for sale. Both amps were too loud for him to practice in his apartment and they had to go. I tried both amps out, as I had never played through either model before. I was very pleasantly surprised by the Valve Junior. I've read many reviews on them and am glad I heard one for myself. Through the cab with the Lady Luck speaker I was blown away, the VJ was full, big and beefy. The only problem I saw was that it went into that great fat overdrive tone a bit early. The Little Giant had more headroom and that is what I was looking for, as I was not only looking for another little studio amp but was contemplating using it as another amp for small gigs. With it's superior construction and parts, as well as tone controls, I bought the Blackheart. I've used it several times now, one of those times being at a gig in conjunction with my '64 Bandmaster with a 4x10 cab. I ran the Blackheart through a 2x10 cab and it sounded pretty darn good, but just didn't have enough oomph for onstage. By the end of second set, the Blackheart was being drowned out by the rest of the band. So, I picked up a 1x12 cab loaded with an old organ speaker (!) and tried that out. Yow! I think I found a good match, and plan on taking the Blackheart to the next gig in parallel with the Bandmaster. Even though my Little Giant is loaded with Groove Tubes, the overall tone is still a bit splatty, nowhere near as fat as the Valve Junior. I may try another set of tubes. It does sound very good with the 1x12 cab. I have the headroom I need for a bit of cleanish tones, and it does take effects very, very well. It's fairly quiet. The 5 watt/3 watt switch doesn't really interest me except for playing at home. In the studio I will more than likely just leave it at 5 watts and turn up the wick. Overall, a nice amp, constructed well, glad I bought it. May have to have a Valve Junior next.

Bought this one used, looked as if it had just came out of the box. Have only gigged with it once, but have blasted it many times now in the 2 weeks I've owned it. It's put together very well, I expect that it should be reliable.

Not enough time with the amp to have any info.

I've been playing around 25 years, most of that gigging steadily. I don't own a warehouse worth of gear like some guys, but I've gone through my share of stuff over the years. My main gigging rig has been a 1964 Bandmaster through a 4x10 cab. For about the last six months I have supplemented that with a Blues Junior. I just love two amps roaring at the same time. At tiny gigs I sometimes either just bring the BJ or run a Crate Powerblock into a cab to take up less space. I now plan on adding the Blackheart into my rig for a while and see how things go. For very tiny gigs I may just use that and the 1x12 cab, we'll just have to see. For amps, I currently own the Bandmaster, Blues Junior, the Blackheart, the Powerblock (which is my emergency amp in case something blows-saved my butt last weekend when my Bandmaster went down), a Kustom Tube 12, Danelectro Nifty Fifty, an old Kay amp with a six-inch speaker, a Boss MG-10 (cah-rap!) and a Peavey Bandit, which collects dust. Guitars are usually strats. I play classic rock stuff primarily, but at times have played just about everything to make a buck except for Death Metal for 12-year olds with anger management problems. If lost (?) or stolen, I'd either buy another Little Giant or go for the 15-watter that Blackheart now makes. Try one of these little guys, they're not bad at all.