Re: [Harp-L] Jam band harp

[Mudharp@xxxxxxx]

Lately I've found myself in a jamband situation and I'm really digging it a 
lot. Through some other bandmates I've hooked up with two of the guys from the 
now defunct Freddie Jones Band. Great players with a natural bent toward the 
jamband format -- lots of musical ideas being traded back and forth and lots of 
chances being taken. Spiraling improvised solos that start very simply and 
build on themselves. Great fun. Last Friday night we played a big corporate 
Halloween party and during the sound check I blew out one of the 6L6's in my Sonny 
Jr. No spares. Bummer. I was resigned to go straight through the PA when one 
of the guitarists said "hey I've got a spare amp out in the car, wanna use 
it?" You bet, said I, not even knowing or caring what kind of amp it was. It 
turned out to be a Trace Elliot Bonneville 112. After trying a couple of different 
bullet mics and not quite liking the way they sounded, I plugged in my EV630 
and it was an eye opening experience. Took a couple of minutes to get it under 
control but once I did, magic happened. I got a huge beautiful sound with 
this mic/amp combination. Not distorted at all, unless I really leaned on it, but 
huge, fat and clean. Very trumpet like. The amp was mic'd through the PA. Cut 
through the wall of guitars like a hot knife through butter and I never got 
the volume past 4. 

So I think I'm on a new quest for one of these amps. I guess TE stopped 
making this particular model a few years back. I've had the chance to play through 
one other Trace Elliot amp; I think it was a Speed Twin 212 that a well known 
harp player here in the Chicago area uses for his electric gigs. I was super 
impressed with the way it sounded as well. The point is that Trace Elliot amps 
seem to be harp friendly and unique sounding. From what I've seen they let you 
rely more on your own natural acoustic tone but at the same time get a big 
amplified boost with plenty of head room when you need it. May or may not the 
best bet for traditional blues, but really nice for rock.

T. Albanese