[Harp-L] Re: SJ410/ Thunderharpmics

[AV1901@xxxxxxx]

Count me in as a big supporter of Sonny Jr. (Gary Onofrio) This guy is a  
genuinely great harp man who clearly walks the walk as well as he talks the  
talk. He has done his homework and is benefiting the harp community  greatly. 
I went to his house in Hamden,  CT two years ago and came home with one of  
the 1st Sonny Jr 410 amps. This amp is one of those things in life  that you 
buy and simply feel better because you own it. Was it expensive? Not  really. 
Seems like when I look around the bandstand, I see a drummer with  Ziljian 
cymbals and a nice drum kit, a guitar player with a Strat or a Gibson  335 and a 
Fender Deluxe (or a Super Reverb), a bass guy with a Fender bass and  an Ampeg 
amp, etcâ. If I were to count up every playerâs expenses, I donât think  Iâm 
outta line with my rig. 
Sonny has sent me at no cost unsolicited upgrade information and parts  for 
the amp (new setup for crystal mics) and has provided e-mailed tech  assistance 
whenever Iâve requested it. 
I do wish it was lighter, as Iâm not getting any younger, but the $30  
folding hand cart I picked up at Lowes makes it bearable, and the thick Ampeg  style 
handle and thick amp cover make it easy to move and as well protected as  you 
can get without an ATA case. 
I havenât tried the Thunderharp micâ. I am currently using a white Shure  
Controlled Reluctance (CR) mic element inside an Electrovoice EV 605 shell  
through a Boss DM-2 analogue delay pedal. 
I have played it on a wide variety of gigs â indoors and out, large venue  
and small, Wilmington Blues Festival stage, outdoor biker events, First Night at 
 the Hotel DuPont, down and dirty at the HiHo Tavern, upscale at weddings, etc
â  and the amp just feels and sounds right. It gives the control and stage 
volume I  want in my big amp, with the tone Iâm after. The amp has held up 
without a  back-up, and actually sounds better today than it did 2 years ago in 
Sonnyâs  basement, as the speakers have broken in. (Maybe it was that gin that 
spilled on  top of the amp on one of my 1st gigs with it, or maybe that  
thunderstorm when we were on the deck at the Chesapeake Inn last  summer?) 
Sonny Jr. knows his stuff. Period. 
Andy Vincent