# Blackheart Little Giant/Handsome Devil



## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

Just gave these amps a try today. Didn't get a chance to crank the LG into any kind of saturation, just a very juicy clean tone with a touch of hair when I used humbuckers. The Handsome Devil has just the right amount of gain on tap for most classic rock playing, and absolutely stellar tone for a $500 amp -- it has a roundness to it at low gain that I associate with much more expensive amps, tons of cut and presence without being harsh or fizzy. As the gain goes up, the tone gets thicker and the sustain increases, but it's never overcompressed.

If I was at all in the market, I'd be choosing these amps over a Blues Jr. or YCV20. Definitely one of the most pleasant surprises I've had over affordable gear recently.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I have a little giant and love it. I wish I had been patient and waited for the Handsome Devil to come out instead of buying the Peavey Windsor I have. My assumption is that the Handsome Devil probably has more clean available than the LG, is that true?

Matt


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

I love my LG and it gets pretty loud before it gets distorted, I put a pedal in front for the distortion I need.
These little amps do take to pedals very well.

I have the head version and have run it with all sorts of cabs, not one sounded bad.


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## LaRSin (Nov 27, 2006)

mrmatt1972 said:


> I have a little giant and love it. I wish I had been patient and waited for the Handsome Devil to come out instead of buying the Peavey Windsor I have. My assumption is that the Handsome Devil probably has more clean available than the LG, is that true?
> 
> Matt


what don't you like about the Windsor ??


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

LaRSin said:


> what don't you like about the Windsor ??


The Windsor is voiced more like a hardrock/metal amp than a classic rock amp. It's not that I don't like it, it's more that it wasn't what I expeted. I need to buy most of my gear via the internet because of where I live. Sometimes the demos don't quite live up to reality.

Basically, getting clean tones with any appreciable volume is difficult. That's perfect for some people who are interested in low volume recording, but I wanted it for jamming with people in a quiet jam setting (drummer with brushes) - and it wasn't clean enough for me. It has some great rock tones and even better metalish tones at volume (which the attenuator can bring back down to low volume if you want) but those are redundant for me as I have those through other gear (like the LG). 

The XLR direct out is really good and actually sounds _better _than the amp through speakers! That's what Peavey used to make their demos.

I also find the amp to be very mid heavy - the cabinet it's in accentuates this. 

matt


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## LaRSin (Nov 27, 2006)

I was looking for something to jam with To but light , Carring these things up and stairs is a pain, Even my Hot Rod I find difficult, And a 30 watt SS isn't powerful enough, Was going to look for Crate Powerblock ..


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## BoldAsLove (Jul 31, 2009)

how is the blackheart LG at low volumes?


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Works well in both wattage settings, they are voiced slightly different yet both sound good.
3 watts is still pretty loud so you may not get the tubes cooking at that low volume.

If you have a clean boost you can turn the amp up and use your boost as a master volume, works well.
Distortion pedal same thing.

Bev


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

How much clean headroom did the Handsome Devil have?


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## BoldAsLove (Jul 31, 2009)

DeleriumTrigger said:


> How much clean headroom did the Handsome Devil have?


i wanted to know the same thing, but come to think of it, it's probably best that we go and try one right?!


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

DeleriumTrigger said:


> How much clean headroom did the Handsome Devil have?


I just tested it at low volume, but it started breaking up with the gain at about 6 with a Strat. I doubt it would stay clean up to a rehearsal or stage volume, but that's not really the point of it anyway.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

If you do some digging you should be able to find a new set of tubes that break up at a much higher volume.


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## CDWaterloo (Jul 18, 2008)

Blackheart LG is the best $250 ever spent but imo my old "US made" blues jr is still better than LG. One thing about LG, it sounds very different at 3 watts than 5 watts. I always boost the treble up at 3 watts. great amp for the buck...


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## Rideski (Feb 25, 2009)

I have to give full props to the LG. These little guys really sound great for the $$ you pay. I bring my LG head to the rehearsal studio, run it through a Marshall 412 cab, and it sounds really quite good. So much easier to carry around than my big amp too.....which is why I originally bought it.
I can get it quite loud before I get into break up if I adjust the guitar volume. Once I'm in the land of break up the dirt is fairly decent (although I run a pedal board for this) - it takes pedals really well..
Honestly they are great amps for the price...can't go wrong. The Blackheart 112 cab sounds really good too.....again good value for the $$.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Andy, if you are in the toronto area and have a cab, feel free to borrow my LG and take it for a spin..

Bev


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

Brushing the cobwebs off an old thread here...

Has anyone spent some decent time with the Handsome Devil?

It's been out a while now, and I'm not hearing much. Wondering if there are problems?

I'm considering something a bit more powerful than the Little Giant - wondering if Handsome Devil might be it.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I just posted this on another thread less than an hour ago, there's a Handsome Devil Combo on sale for $399 at Steve's on Queen West in Toronto. This was a floor model so,....


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