Re: Little Smokey Amp

["G." <gigs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

- --- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Jp Pagan <jpl_pagan@xxxx> 
wrote:
> 
> hey all,
> 
>    i should mention the Smokey has not volume control
> of its own. when i said it worked at low volume, i
> meant using a mic's vc.
> 
>   --Jp

I looked at getting one of these a while back.   I compared it 
against the Dan Electro Honey Tone and Marshall & Fender's little 
practice amps as well.  
  The Smokey amp is a simple unit, no controls at all, just an input, 
a speaker and an output if you want to run a cabinet of it. 
  The way I saw it was the Honey Tone had more control over the 
sound, some nice features and I read a few reviews said it was pretty 
loud for such a little sucker, and I got it cheaper than any of the 
others.

Having got it, it sounds better to my ear than the Fender & Marshall 
mini amps, and works well for what I bought it for.

  A local pro harmonica player who borrowed it, and checked out the 
Fender and Marshall miniamps, and after that I bought another honey 
tone for him he's delighted with it too. Like me he lives in a flat 
with neighbours but a thin wall away - he too plugs his old 520D into 
it for practising amplified playing at home.  

I've read opinions from players who say the Honey Tone sounds like  
crap, and one player in particular had a very poor opinion of his - 
discussing it a bit further with him, it appears that maybe some 
Honey Tones come out sounding good, and some are the pits - a throw 
of the dice - which kind of sucks.  So I guess both of us were lucky.

  I use mine clean with my Harp Commander which warms it up, 
effects,  a mini mixer & minidiskman with playalongs and recordings I 
want to practise with - its a light portable setup that works for 
me.  I can use it with headphones late at night and used this setup 
jamming with another harp player, you can buy a little 1/8" stereo 
headphone splitter so two of you can jam through the one amp.  :)

Works well, and keeps the neighbours happy at the same time.
G.