RE: Bassman amps

[John Kally <jkally3@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Ray,
I thought yours was an interesting post, and the responses have been 
very informative.  I would guess, from my own experience, that  one big 
reason the the 4X10 (original and RI)  is so dominant in harp circles 
these days due to the fact that so many guys have seen other players 
use them.   The reason I got my first amp, a master volume Twin, was 
that I got it from a harp player (who probably hated it, it sure didn't 
do much for me!), and I figured if he used it it must be a "harp amp."  
Of course that was long ago, pre-internet, where now you can get an 
amazing amount of information in minutes that used to take years to 
find out, if ever.  I had previously gone looking for a Fender Concert 
because my old teacher, Gary Smith, used one, and was dismayed to find 
that they weren't made any more (I knew nothing about "vintage") ; that 
was all I knew.
I think, as I know you've discovered, there are many other amps that 
are very serviceable for players that know what they're doing as far as 
amplified technique, and many good amps that sound awful when the 
player doesn't know how to make them work.   My current favorite amp, a 
1964 black Concert, doesnt' show up too often on the lists as a great 
harp amp but it seems to work for me and lots cheaper than some other 
vintage amps; I even got a second one at a bargain price.  I do own a 
couple of genuine 50s  bassman amps, of course they are great too, just 
different.    If I was in the market for a new amp, I'd probably give  
the Sonny Jr  new model  serious consideration.   I did do major mods 
to my old RI, new board, speakers, tube swaps, transformers, put a 
bunch of cash into it and it sounded really good,  and now resides with 
another harp player, but  I'll bet his amps take that up a few notches.