[Harp-L] New harp amp design

["steve" <mudharp@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve here from thunderharpmics,
A short review from a new amp design I just built that was designed by Bruce Collins of Mission Amps.
As the first one to make his new design I feel obligated to spread the word.
It's a single ended amp running a KT66, 12AX7 and a WZ34 Copper Cap Rectifier or a GZ34 tube rectifier (your choice),  A high quality Weber 10A125-O Speaker and a choke. Output pushes 10 watts or so.   It's circuit is different from the 5F1, it's a whole new beast.
It's the crunchiest, nastiest, busted up tone I've ever heard in a single ended amp.  I've played through an internally modded 5F1 Champ 'with a quality speaker' and it screamed mercilessly, but the tonal spectrum and output of Bruce's design make it the Champ's brawling big brother that lives on the meanest street in town.  
********* AND this amp is near silent.  
If you've ever heard Gary's  Sonny Jr Amps driven hard or John Kinder's HarpKing amps being pushed hard then you know it doesn't get any better than that in the crunch category.   Now, there's a new lower powered harp amp that will run with the big dogs in bone crunching tone.
Here's my take on some comparisons.    It's louder, nastier, punchier, fatter, breaks up more and has a broader tonal spectrum than any modded Champ, Kalamazoo, Valco, Harmony, Premier etc.  
It utilizes a common 1Meg volume pot and a  "2Meg" tone control and that allows the player to use different  mic elements to great effect by upping the treble or upping the bass response and adjusting the volume to re-achieve your desired crunch from element to element.   It does this very very well !!!   
Here's my tone comparisons with several very hot harp elements using a few different tone and volume settings all the while pushing the amp just before feedback:
1st)  A good working R7 crystal -- Very aggressive, crunchy, pretty good low end, nice mid range grind, highs weren't piercing.
2nd)                     Shure 533 stick -- Aggressive, crunchy, big low end, fairly thick midrange, smooth highs.
3rd)           White Label Controlled Reluctance --  Very aggressive, very nasty crunch, decent low end, nasty screamin'  broken up midrange,  highs were not piercing, but close to it.
4th)    ThunderHarpMic  Bullet --  Very aggressive, huge broken up low end crunch, very thick mean midrange, highs were not piercing.
5th)   A good working MC151 crystal --  Very aggressive, crunchy, but more controlled than the R7, decent low end, decent midrange, highs were not piercing.
6th)  1960  545 stick --   Very  aggressive,  massive opened up sound,  busted up low end crunch, very thick mean midrange, highs were not piercing.   
Unfortunantely I sold my last 99-86 CM as that would be interesting.  I didn't bother with my 2 Black Label Reluctance element fitted mics as I don't like the output.  Only the big daddy's in this review!
With a good echo box mics 2,4 and 6 will be interesting as the low end through this amp seemed to be like a thick cloud that hung around.
This chassis design is so new the cab isn't here yet so I jumped it over to my Magnatone's vintage Jensen P10S with the back open and I was instantly sold on the punchy attack no matter what mic I used.   I feel that the Weber 10A125-0 will have bigger bottom end response and it may be  more crunchy.  Mercy mercy mercy.
All in all this is a serious serious harp amp!   
I plan on making a few more for my buddies and who knows.
Most likely my buddy will be playing this amp at the Hohner booth at the Anaheim NAMM Show.  Stop by.
Merry Christmas to all,
steve
 
 

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