Re: Amp question

["Mark Wilson" <markwilson53@xxxxxxx>]

 > My vote is for a Fender Pro Jr. In my inexperienced, humble opinion it's
definitely in the top 3 for
> the money.

Lots of votes for the Pro Junior, but I have to disagree.  Mike Curtis got
stuck in traffic coming to the Irvine Jam yesterday.  We had 7 or 8 harp
players standing around so we decided to do an amp test/comparison.  We had
4 small class A tube amps on stage, the Pro Jr, a 1955 Tweed Champ, a 1968
Silverface Champ, and a Kalamazoo Model 1.

We tested the amps with a Hohner Bluesblaster, an Astatic T3, and a Green
Bullet.

The Pro Jr. is a very good harp amp but really did not compare to the other
3.  We even tried a couple of tube changes to try to improve the tone with
no luck.  I would have no problem using the Pro Jr., but if I had a choice
I'd go with either of the other 3 first.

The 1955 Champ was a great harp amp.  This particular amp was owned by Rod
Piazza up until a few years ago.  Very good tone and the amp broke up nicely
even at lower volumes.  It would be the perfect amp for a low volume jam in
your living room with a guitar player.  Once the music started it was a bit
of a different story.  With the amp cranked and a tight cup on the mic it
broke up too early and was almost too dirty sounding.


The 1968 Silverface Champ is a supreme harp amp and performed much better
than the 1955 Champ once the music started.  More volume and punch and quite
a bit more leeway before it started to break up.  Clearly the better choice
in a live music situation.  For low volume living room stuff I'd give the
nod to the 1955.

The good news for all you harp players on a  budget is that the Kazoo held
its own just fine and was judged by several harp players as the best of the
4.  The owner of the Pro Jr. is now in the market for a Kalamazoo Model 1
himself.  The Kazoo has the stock tube setup but does have an upgraded
Jensen C10Q speaker.  Great tone, smooth creamy breakup, and nice solid
punch when you need it.  I let all the players choose which amp they'd like
to play through and the Kazoo was the amp of choice followed closely by the
1968 Champ.

You can pick up these Kalamazoos on Ebay for about a hundred dollars.  Add
the $35.00 Jensen C10Q and you've got yourself a harp amp that will hold it
own just fine with all the other (class A) Fenders, Gibsons, Silvertones
etc..

Mark