Re: [Harp-L] Re: Genius?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Rob Paparozzi" wrote:
<Hi Richard...
<
<I hope I didn't sound like I was anti-gear cause I'm not and you have really 
<made some amazing headway on the amp modeling scene for harp players....plus 
<saved many guys and girls from Hernias from carrying around Heavy Amps!!!,-)

No, you didn't sound anti-gear, you sounded pro-skills, and what's wrong with that, ever?  Thanks for the kudos.

<I've actually considered picking up your software and the necessary hardware 
<as I travel alot and cannot bring amps by plane as it's to expensive and 
<bulky.

Let me say nothing here to convince you otherwise... 

<My biggest peeve is with the students that come to me for advice and are 
<ready to spend thousands on harp gear, they they are NOT ready for. meaning, 
<they haven't put in enough time to develop their fullest potential in 
<technique and tone w/o the amp. Then they wonder why theire RIG doesn't 
<sound anything like Kim Wilson's or Rod Piazza's. It's like a beginning 
<Guitar student insisting they have a Gibson L-5 to get 'their' sound, 
<.....they haven't yet found their sound so you may wanna make the L-5 your 
<second or 3rd axe while your getting there... I know this is not a great 
<analogy but you get my drift...........

Absolutely.  Hey, if anyone doesn't know that the bottom line is that you have to know how to PLAY, then it's time to wake 'em up.  If you can't make a great sound with nothing but a harp in your hand, you won't make a great sound no matter how much gear you pile on.  Jimi Hendrix got famous making big wacked out electric sounds, which we all know and love, but before he discovered a Marshall stack and a wah-wah he learned how to play the hell out of the guitar, all by itself.  That's not opinion, it's documented fact.

<It's OK to test and Tweak and buy Gear, I do all the time, but the 'magic' 
<does not come from the amp...the amp can only make a good sound better IMO. 
<So all I'm sayin' is put some extra time in on developing your sound THEN 
<add whatever gear suits your fancy....

You bet. Duck sauce only tastes great when there's a duck underneath it.  I do a lot now with multi-fx, but the underlying technique is all about the solo acoustic harmonica I worked on for years starting in the early 1990s. 

<I'm not knocking anyone for buying a SONNY JR....they are amazing amps from 
<what I've heard and worth the money...maybe I'm old fashioned but I think a 
<player should 'pay some dues', this way your 'great tone will sound 
<'greater' as opposed to your 'mediocre tone' sounding louder,-)

As the thoroughly delighted recent owner of an SJ, I couldn't agree more.  I waited 43 years to get mine. I figured that was long enough.  Besides the thrill of hearing that monster roar, I really wanted to have an absolutely world-class big harp amp to compare my patch set to.  

<No matter what you say Richard, You are a genius in my book,-) and I'll 
<expect a professional discount on the new modeling patches!,-)

Aw, shucks!  Right back atcha man.  The people on this list should know how lucky they are to have access to the words of wisdom that you, Robert Bonfiglio, Steve Baker, Brendan Power, etc. throw down here.  How many guitar players get to exchange opinions with Eric Clapton, Julian Bream, etc.?  We get to do the equivalent here, every day.

Regards, Richard Hunter     




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