Re: [Harp-L] Best harp amp for under $500

[Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>]

The best?  It depends on what you want to do with it.  If you plan to use if
for home practice and some low intensity ensembles there are lots of
choices.  But if you aspire to play at loud blues jams you have fewer
choices, and you may have to upgrade in the future anyway.

Every blues harp player should have a small tube amp for practice.  It will
never become obsolete for you.  Most of the under-$500 amps in this class
use a single EL84 power tube, a design I find to have a pinched and nasal
tone (some amps more than others).

The best of the "new" amps in this class is the Epiphone Valve Junior
Half Stack:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Valve-Junior-Half-Stack?sku=481475

Great tone.  The 12-inch speaker in the separate cab produces a nice fat
tone much bigger than the other single-EL84 amps.  I use this exact cab with
my 20-watt 1953 Masco ME-18 amp.  Very impressive and very economical.

The next step up in "new" amps would be the Fender Pro Jr, an amp with a
2xEL84 design that sounds better (and is a LOT louder) than the single EL84
amps:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Pro-Junior-Combo-Amp?sku=480511

This amp will be loud enough for most jams.  Its tone can be inexpensively
improved for harp:  I wrote about a Pro Jr project harp amp at the Blues
Harp Amps Blog:
http://bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/2008/09/fender-pro-junior-harp-amp-project.html

Among new amps, you should consider slightly more expensive amps that are
specifically made for harp.  The Harpgear HG2 is an exceptionally good
5-watt amp (with a 6V6 power tube instead of the EL84).

Richard Hunter wrote about amp modeling, and there are two Roland solid
state amps I like a lot for harp:  The Cube 30 and the Cube 60.  They are
inexpensive and sound great with the COSM models and effects; with plenty of
guts for jamming or performing.

As I said, lots of choices, but these are the amps I can recommend in the
under-$500 class.  Of course, buying used on eBay you can find some great
deals on Fender Silverface Champs and other vintage amps that sound great,
but they may require a bit of time and attention to get right.

Here is the only real rule in amp buying:  If it sounds good to you, it is
good.  Let your ear be your guide.  You can hear samples from lots of
different amps at the Blues Harp Amps Blog.

-- 
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
http://www.bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/

On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 7:49 PM, Tim Bete <tim@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I'm looking to buy my first amp but don't want to spend very much. What's
> the best harp amp for under $500?
> Tim
>