Re: Amp Tone

["B.T" <bulldog483@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

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"Sonny Jr" aka Gary is now making his modification in Bassman reissues .
I bought one in March of this year and I am still amazed at the tones I =
can throw with it. I am not an expert and played with a Pivey before =
that ,,but it is a damn nice ride and all in all not terrible in the =
price dept.=20
He throws in a lot of extras, a whole tube change etc. and advice and =
tech help at the drop of a dime.=20
For the man with a little extra in his jeans, a good buy ,, Those Harp =
Kings go for a lot more. Plus if you pick it up you get to him play.
Bulldog

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Mudharp@xxxxxxx=20
  To: Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx ; billmona@xxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
  Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 1:04 PM
  Subject: Re: Amp Tone


  In a message dated 10/2/2003 6:32:23 PM Central Standard Time, =
billmona@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:


    My question is:  How many other harp players out there use this amp =
and how does this compare to the Sonny Jr. or an original '59 Bassman?  =
Is it really just a matter of taste or is there a significant difference =
between these?



  Bill asks how the SJ and '59 Bassman compare to a Harp King amp.

  Having played through all 3 amps I have to say yes there's a very =
significant difference between them, sound wise as well as in design. =
The HK is a monster amp in every respect. 6x10 Eminence speakers, KT-90 =
power tubes and 100 watts output give it a huge sound and will enable =
you to be heard in just about any situation that might come up, even the =
guitar army scenario that many open jams turn into. Some folks have said =
that this amp is fine if you want to sound like Rod, but I have to =
disagree with that opinion. In my experience the HK enables a wide range =
of tonal characteristics with more controls than I've seen on most tube =
amps, including feed back control and something called "mid-bass cut". =
Not everybody's cup of tea, but if my bum back could handle lugging =
around a 63 lb. 33" tall amp, I'd probably own one. There's a 4x10 model =
out now and I'd bet it's a great amp too. If you decide to go with a HK =
be prepared to wait. I understand that 6-8 months is the normal lead =
time.

  I do own a SJ1 and it is a totally different amp. 4x8 Pyle speakers, 2 =
6L6's and about 35 watts output. 2 controls: volume and tone. A great =
amp in it's own right and I gig with it often, but I have to agree with =
the general opinion that this amp is somewhat one dimensional. The tonal =
range is limited to what you can get from, and do with, your own =
acoustic tone. Different mics and tube substitutions will extend that =
range a little but I find the SJ1 is kind of a one-size-fits-all type of =
amp. That said, the tone of this amp is big and round and sweet and I =
love the way it sounds. With a mic in front of it (I use a Sennheiser =
609 - a great amp mic) you will be heard with no problem. Very feedback =
resistant as well.=20

  An original '59 Bassman? Man, that's the amp to have. By far the best =
sounding harp amp I have ever played through and one fine day, in an =
ideal world with the stars in perfect alignment, I hope and dream to =
have one. If cost is no issue I would say forget the rest and go with =
the real deal. They're out there to be had, but the price seems to just =
go up and up. Victoria makes a 59 Bassman type amp (45410-T) but at =
around $2500. a pop it too is a considerable investment and would no =
doubt have to be tweaked a bit before it was harp ready.

  Taking it a little further, there are lots of other harp amps out =
there, both boutique (Spirit, Holland, etc.) and standard guitar amps =
that can be made to sound great for harp. Search the archives and you'll =
find lots of very good info. There are so many qualities that you need =
to get out of your harp amp but chiefly you need tone (player's acoustic =
tone aside), feedback control and you need to be heard in the mix. As =
sad as it is, most bands play too loud and you can ask your guitarist to =
turn down and your drummer to get a little brushy with it, but all I can =
say is, GOOD LUCK! In the real world it's nice to be able to compete =
with high volume and that's where some of these high powered harp amps =
come in very handy. I am also way in favor of micing my amps through the =
PA for all gigs, big and small. That's my rant and I'm sticking to it. I =
wouldn't mind hearing some other opinions on this subject.=20

  T. Albanese

  T. Albanese =20