The BH100H
The BH100H "Hothead" from
Blackheart Engineering takes the basic plug-and-play attitude of a world-class,
100-watt workhorse head, then shoves in enough jaw-dropping features to make it
the most flexible amp in its class, not to mention several classes up.
Two power modes (Class AB and Class A) divisible by pentode (full power) and
triode (half power) operation put four unique, classic and powerful voices right
at your fingertips and you won't need a PhD to get amazing tone, whether it's
searing rock-your-face-off-at-full-volume riff work or plucky, responsive Class
A blues when you're feeling all deep 'n' stuff.
Two simple switches — Class and Power (which are what everyone wants, really)
— open up an endless world of tonal possibilities:
-
Class AB/Pentode: 100W of flesh searing power
-
Class AB/Triode: 50W, tighter headroom, crisper gain, still hurts
-
Class A/Pentode: 60W, lots of headroom before overdrive, nice and plucky
-
Class A/Triode: 30W, less headroom, more responsive to your attack
And this is all before you even dial in a brilliantly tuned EQ section and
rein everything back through the master volume and master presence controls.
Hothead has two channels (Loud and, ahem, F'n Loud), each selectable by a
mini toggle on the faceplate or remotely via the included footswitch, and each
voiced through its own dedicated EQ section. No more switching from one sound to
the same sound in the middle of your jam. Dial in two distinct voices and rock
on.
The Loud channel (aka "One") is voiced to range from crisp cleans to classic
rock and heavy blues tones. Its controls include drive, level, treble, middle
and bass. The F'n Loud channel (aka "Two") is voiced to capture classic crunch
to sweet overdriven lead tones, all shapeable via pots for gain, level, treble,
middle and bass.
Both channels share a tube driven effects loop that can be run in series or
parallel modes (selectable by mini toggle on the amp's rear panel) and then hard
bypassed, doubling as a footswitch-activated boost. Send and return controls act
as expected.
When the effects loop is on, the blue LED on the footswitch lights up. When
using the effects loop as a boost, use the hard bypass selection. Then, when you
turn the effects loop on (the blue LED lights), decrease your send and/or return
level to create a non-boosted level. Admit it... that's cool!
Other Hothead amenities include: a solid state rectifier; DC powered
filaments (preamp) for solid, quiet operation; 16-gauge, 1.5mm rugged chassis
construction with folded and welded corners; one 16-ohm, two eight-ohm and two
four-ohm output jacks, plus a 1/4-inch line out; and a rugged cabinet
constructed of durable 15-ply, 18mm, void-free plywood.
Naturally, the rock-it scientists at Blackheart Engineering wouldn't create
this monstrosity without giving it something to play with; hence the company is
also introducing its BH412 Slant (SL) and Straight (ST) cabinets (each $449.99
U.S. street price, also shipping in May). Loaded with four 12-inch Blackheart by
Eminence BH1216B
Speakers, British-voiced and specifically designed for closed back cabinets,
both the BH412SL and BH412ST feature that rugged "we're in this for the long
haul" build quality that makes every Blackheart piece of gear a lifelong
commitment to sounding your best, being your best, and pissing off your
neighbors until they finally call the cops.
Instead of focusing on how inexpensively products can be made (which is like
trying to see how ugly a date you can get), Blackheart sends these out your way
with metal handles that'll hold their own for years and heavy-duty, removable
metal casters that'll roll while you rock longer than most bands will stay
together. These are sexy little boxes that feature meticulous tolex work wrapped
around 15-ply, 18mm, void-free wood cabs, classically joined and glued.
With power handlings rated at 300 watts, both cabs have an input impedance of
16 ohms and sport parallel 1/4-inch input jacks to daisy chain multiple speaker
cabinets from a single source.
