[Harp-L] Playing with the "Extremely Loud Band"

[Blueharp1@xxxxxxx]

lindsey mercer wrote:
> Hello,I am playing harp with an extremely  loud band...competing with 2
> guitar players with Marshalls, a heavy  hitting drummer, and a loud bass
> player. I have tried a number of amps  and I still cant get the volume I
> need without feeding back. What amp  will produce the most volume for
> harmonica?


Joe _galicic@xxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:galicic@xxxxxxxxxxx)  replied:
I use a  modified Fender Blues Deville to play at our weekly (VERY LOUD) jam  
session.  It has 4 ten inch speakers, 60 watts or power.  It can  get VERY 
loud without feedback.  I can be heard over three loud  guitars, drummer and 
bass without being mic'd.  I would think that a  bassman type amp would also 
be good with a loud band.   --Joe



Aw Man, I've heard The Extremely Loud Band...They're touring almost  
everywhere almost all the time.
 
Joe is thinking right, that  IF  you will have to compete with the Marshalls, 
heavy-hitting drummer,  loud bass, etc., then a Bassman Re-Issue will do 
fine. An unmodified  Bassman's "sweet spot" is pretty far up there in the higher 
volume range  anyway. I have a Bassman RI that I've kept only for this 
last-ditch  scenario (despite a generous and deeply regretably declined offer from  
Brian Purdy some time ago to trade my Bassman for one of his stellar  HarpGear 
amps, which, by the way, might be another consideration for you ~ you  can run 
a line out from a HarpGear and go thru the Giant PA speakers ~ that'd  show 
'em).
 
That being said, ALWAYS try the wise sensible diplomatic negotiation  
approach first...Try to convince your bandmates to consider that they will  actually 
be heard better (for a guitarist this means listeners will be able  to discern 
his "killer" guitar solo from the rest of the cacophony and chaos,  thus 
garnering praise and ego-stroking from the Fans), and appreciated  more, if they 
just scale down the volume, rather force you to add to it.  This is a concept 
that less experienced bands often miss. If they think they  can't get "their" 
tone at less than a 12 Volume setting, chances are they're  kidding themselves 
about having their "own" tone. Or they simply can't hear tone  anymore due to 
ear damage.
 
Jeff Gathercole
Denver CO
 
 
 
 



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