Our Fancy Coporate Press Release
The Blacker The Heart, The Badder The Amp
Tone junkies rejoice and prepare to kick out the jams: Blackheart's Little Giant has entered the building
WOODINVILLE, Washington - November 2007 -- Blackheart Engineering may be a new name in musical instruments, but with the rollout of its all-tube, vintage-styled Little Giant models (BH5H head, BH112 cabinet, and BH5-112 combo), Blackheart proves that it's old-school all the way, baby.
Tone junkies rejoice and prepare to kick out the jams: Blackheart's Little Giant has entered the buildingWOODINVILLE, Washington - November 2007 -- Blackheart Engineering may be a new name in musical instruments, but with the rollout of its all-tube, vintage-styled Little Giant models (BH5H head, BH112 cabinet, and BH5-112 combo), Blackheart proves that it's old-school all the way, baby.
Guitar amplifier super-genius Pyotr Belov, whose own hand-built amps
have been highly acclaimed by artists and gear freaks worldwide, is the
man behind every detail of Blackheart's product line. Pyotr's classic
designs begin as hand-wired, point-to-point masterpieces tweaked in his
infamous two-car garage until they ooze attitude and sing like little
glass and metal cherubs. Every component is hand-picked to create the
best possible amplifier tone and performance, and then engineered to be
manufactured in quantity, giving guitar players access to a tasty
sounding, durable, and sexy little tube amp without the snobby price
tag.
Pyotr personally selects a very small number of qualifying offshore manufacturers and stands over their shoulders to make sure that nothing gets lost in translation. He specifies every tube and component, and approves everything one piece at a time, right down to the piping and tolex. It's a very straightforward process that no other manufacturer of high-end tube amps can say they undertake. That's no surprise when considering that Pyotr sometimes spends weeks away from home and out of the country teaching others how to handcraft amplifiers to his expectations.
The crowning jewel of the new line, Blackheart's Little Giant head (BH5H, $149.99 MAP / $229.99 retail), is a five-watt, single-ended Class A design powered by an EL84 and voiced through a 12AX7 preamp tube. With a switchable pentode (5W) / triode (3W) selector and three-band EQ controls (plus volume), guitarists get the only amp in its class to deliver true tonal range from instantaneous punch to deliciously greasy overdrive, and with precise control over output volume. Every feature of the Blackheart Little Giant head represents zealous dedication to true quality in tone, looks, and tank-like ruggedness. Under its ubercool exterior guitarists will find a 16-gauge steel chassis, 1/2-inch corner radiuses and meticulous tolex work ensuring years of reliable performance. Other noteworthy BH5H amenities include: 4, 8 and 16 ohm speaker outs, solid state rectifier, double-sided PCB (for durability and to withstand handling for mods), DC power to filaments for super quiet operation, 2 oz. copper tracers and 1W resistors (carbon film) in signal path, 2W and 5W resistors in power supply, and 15-ply (18mm) thick void-free plywood construction.

Built around a single 12-inch Blackheart by Eminence speaker in an 11-ply (18mm), classically joined, void-free plywood cabinet, the BH112 ($129.99 MAP / $201.99 retail) creates the perfect half stack when paired with the Little Giant head (in fact, the Little Giant half stack, designated as the BH5HS, is offered at an extra nice package price of $249.99 MAP / $431.99 retail). Sporting two parallel 16 Ohm speaker jacks and handling 75 watts (RMS) of power, the 1x12 enclosure can also be used to maximize the tone of other amps in guitarists' arsenals. From its incredibly well crafted construction to its similarly ultra-clean tolex work, the BH112 is a great value in a portable, powerful and boutique-quality extension cabinet. The closed back tuned design and Blackheart by Eminence speaker are the fruit of extensive research involving Crate and Eminence, and the result is a very tight and responsive cabinet. Furthermore, all of the BH112's cabinet joinery is based on classic, proven design for maximum tone and roadworthiness.
For those guitarists who prefer having their electronics and loudspeaker shacked up in the same cabinet, the Blackheart Little Giant combo (BH5-112, $249.99 MAP / $399 retail) offers all of the features and controls of the BH5H head with the addition of a built-in 12-inch Blackheart model 1216A by Eminence speaker. This particular loudspeaker has an American voicing and is specially optimized for the BH5-112's open back tuned cabinet.
To find out how you can best get away from your Crackberry, power mower, or second wife's stupid little accessory dog, plug into the dark side at Blackheart: www.blackhearteng.com <http://www.blackhearteng.com> .
About Blackheart
Blackheart Engineering is a new guitar amplifier company benefiting from both the design expertise of Pyotr Belov and manufacturing muscle of Crate/LOUD Technologies Inc. Dedicated to delivering the best old-school, all-tube tone at price points within any guitarist's reach, Blackheart truly embraces the camaraderie, attitude and spirit of irreverence that is rawk! For more information visit: http://www.blackhearteng.com. Blackheart Engineering is a trademark of LOUD Technologies Inc. in the United States and all other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About LOUD Technologies Inc.
LOUD Technologies Inc. (www.loudtechinc.com <http://www.loudtechinc.com> ) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of professional audio and music products. As the corporate parent for worldrecognized brands including Alvarez, Ampeg, Crate, EAW, Knilling, Mackie, and TAPCO, LOUD Technologies produces and distributes a wide range of digital recording products, loudspeakers, commercial audio systems, audio and music software, guitars, guitar and bass amplifiers, and orchestral string instruments. LOUD Technologies' brands can be found in professional and project recording studios, video and broadcast suites, post-production facilities, sound reinforcement applications including churches and nightclubs, and retail locations as well as on major musical tours.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
Pyotr personally selects a very small number of qualifying offshore manufacturers and stands over their shoulders to make sure that nothing gets lost in translation. He specifies every tube and component, and approves everything one piece at a time, right down to the piping and tolex. It's a very straightforward process that no other manufacturer of high-end tube amps can say they undertake. That's no surprise when considering that Pyotr sometimes spends weeks away from home and out of the country teaching others how to handcraft amplifiers to his expectations.
The crowning jewel of the new line, Blackheart's Little Giant head (BH5H, $149.99 MAP / $229.99 retail), is a five-watt, single-ended Class A design powered by an EL84 and voiced through a 12AX7 preamp tube. With a switchable pentode (5W) / triode (3W) selector and three-band EQ controls (plus volume), guitarists get the only amp in its class to deliver true tonal range from instantaneous punch to deliciously greasy overdrive, and with precise control over output volume. Every feature of the Blackheart Little Giant head represents zealous dedication to true quality in tone, looks, and tank-like ruggedness. Under its ubercool exterior guitarists will find a 16-gauge steel chassis, 1/2-inch corner radiuses and meticulous tolex work ensuring years of reliable performance. Other noteworthy BH5H amenities include: 4, 8 and 16 ohm speaker outs, solid state rectifier, double-sided PCB (for durability and to withstand handling for mods), DC power to filaments for super quiet operation, 2 oz. copper tracers and 1W resistors (carbon film) in signal path, 2W and 5W resistors in power supply, and 15-ply (18mm) thick void-free plywood construction.

Built around a single 12-inch Blackheart by Eminence speaker in an 11-ply (18mm), classically joined, void-free plywood cabinet, the BH112 ($129.99 MAP / $201.99 retail) creates the perfect half stack when paired with the Little Giant head (in fact, the Little Giant half stack, designated as the BH5HS, is offered at an extra nice package price of $249.99 MAP / $431.99 retail). Sporting two parallel 16 Ohm speaker jacks and handling 75 watts (RMS) of power, the 1x12 enclosure can also be used to maximize the tone of other amps in guitarists' arsenals. From its incredibly well crafted construction to its similarly ultra-clean tolex work, the BH112 is a great value in a portable, powerful and boutique-quality extension cabinet. The closed back tuned design and Blackheart by Eminence speaker are the fruit of extensive research involving Crate and Eminence, and the result is a very tight and responsive cabinet. Furthermore, all of the BH112's cabinet joinery is based on classic, proven design for maximum tone and roadworthiness.
For those guitarists who prefer having their electronics and loudspeaker shacked up in the same cabinet, the Blackheart Little Giant combo (BH5-112, $249.99 MAP / $399 retail) offers all of the features and controls of the BH5H head with the addition of a built-in 12-inch Blackheart model 1216A by Eminence speaker. This particular loudspeaker has an American voicing and is specially optimized for the BH5-112's open back tuned cabinet.
To find out how you can best get away from your Crackberry, power mower, or second wife's stupid little accessory dog, plug into the dark side at Blackheart: www.blackhearteng.com <http://www.blackhearteng.com> .
About Blackheart
Blackheart Engineering is a new guitar amplifier company benefiting from both the design expertise of Pyotr Belov and manufacturing muscle of Crate/LOUD Technologies Inc. Dedicated to delivering the best old-school, all-tube tone at price points within any guitarist's reach, Blackheart truly embraces the camaraderie, attitude and spirit of irreverence that is rawk! For more information visit: http://www.blackhearteng.com. Blackheart Engineering is a trademark of LOUD Technologies Inc. in the United States and all other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
About LOUD Technologies Inc.
LOUD Technologies Inc. (www.loudtechinc.com <http://www.loudtechinc.com> ) is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of professional audio and music products. As the corporate parent for worldrecognized brands including Alvarez, Ampeg, Crate, EAW, Knilling, Mackie, and TAPCO, LOUD Technologies produces and distributes a wide range of digital recording products, loudspeakers, commercial audio systems, audio and music software, guitars, guitar and bass amplifiers, and orchestral string instruments. LOUD Technologies' brands can be found in professional and project recording studios, video and broadcast suites, post-production facilities, sound reinforcement applications including churches and nightclubs, and retail locations as well as on major musical tours.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business based, in part, on assumptions made by management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including those described above and the following: changes in demand for the Company's products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, constraints on supplies of critical components, excess or shortage of production capacity, difficulties encountered in the integration of acquired businesses and other risks discussed from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic and international economic conditions. Such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
