Re: [Harp-L] re: Gear LONG

I've been reading both sides of the issue and can agree with both points.
Let me add a bit more to the discussion.

There are times the quality of the gear does come into play whether the player is good or bad. The venue size/acoustics and fellow bandmates
can have some effect on the rig you use. If the situation allows for the musician to be heard at low to medium volumes pretty much any amp or pa that can handle those levels will sound good in the presence of a harp player with good tone. An amp or pa that can't handle the venue/gig situation is no good to anyone. The need for dependable gear and a players tone are 2 different subject matters.

Maybe a better description of personal tone would be resonance tone. This separates the "tone" controllable by the use of eq's with the resonance "tone" produced by the player.

Some things to think about if a player hasn't found the sound he/she is looking for.

1) Amp volume controls amplify resonance tone. If your tone is weak it will sound weak causing the player to use higher setting to compensate for poor resonance projection. (maybe a lack of strong tone is the reason many harp players switch out 12ax7 preamp tubes. Better tonal projection can keep you away from the amps feedback threshold). If resonance tone is strong it will project strong and allow for lower volume settings while still sounding rich.

2) Amp eq's enhance or mute harmonic tones/frequencies of the reeds. They can't compensate for poor use of your oral cavity. The quality of a mic can affect it's reproduction of tonal frequencies of the reed but it can not add to the tonal resonance of the player.

3)An amp's eq settings, speaker, effect pedals and mic's ability to add the secondary ingredients to the sound i,e, clarity, crunch, distortion, flavoring, whatever, are a matter of personal taste. A player that has developed good resonance tone chooses their gear based on the secondary elements and not on it's ability to give them "tone". It's those secondary elements that dictates gear purchases. Too many times musicians confuse a pro's choice in gear with giving them resonance tone rather then how it affects the harmonic tone.

4)The personal resonance of a musician is what allows some players like Butterfield, Miles Davis or Toots to be identified with a single note. Buying their gear won't give us that "sound". Your resonance tone is your musical fingerprint. Once that can be understood a musician can better understand what he/she is looking for in gear and find fewer disappointments after the purchase.

Mike Easton

On Jul 1, 2005, at 10:31 PM, Michael Fugazzi wrote:

While I totally agree you got to be good to sound good, I do disagree with some comments.

1. The idea that a good player can make any rig sound good. Crappy gear will bring you down. If this isn't true, think about the amount of time and money you (meaning harp players on the board) have spent either tweaking harps or trying different rigs. Now granted, a great harp player will pretty much sound good all the time, but why don't we all by a super cheap solid state amp, a Radio Shack mic, and play a $5 Hohner? My point is a good player needs at least a mildly suitable "rig" to get the tone across. This could mean playing acoustically through a vocal mic or using a amp.

Heck, I can put a song on my computer from any harp player and make it sound silly by just playing with the eq. So do I think my favorite harp players can make any rig sound good? No. Do I want to pay money to see a show where the harp player trys to prove me wrong? No. Can a great player make the best out of the gear they use? Yes! Can a lesser player get the same results? No!

2. Great acoustic tone means great amped tone. Now I know I am being picky here, but I can think of several harp players that I either like acoustic and dislike amped or vice versa. This can be as simple as a great player poorly cupping a mic, but there is a difference between playing with a mic in hand and playing in front of a mic. I think this is pretty close to comparing electric guitar players with acoustic players. Just because you are good at one that doesn't mean you will be good at the other...although many times a good guitar player will sound good with either axe. This seems to be more relevant, to me, with non-blues players.



--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Bob Maglinte"
wrote:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Routledge"
To:
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 3:47 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] re: Gear



This true to an extent.

But a bad player will always sound bad no matter what gear he uses.
While a good player will sound good even if he uses sub standard

gear.

Yes a Bassman RI Ltd will sound better than a lot of other amps,

but only

in the right hands.

It's been said a million times before but it's the only truth out

there.

Good acoustic tone is the secret to great harp playing (I only

wish I had

it !!)


HiNo matter what you can say gear does for you, the above post is
the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The last
sentence says it all!!

Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
MP3's: http://music.mp3lizard.com/barbequebob/


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Mike Fugazzi
Harmonica/Vocals
NiteRail

http://www.niterail.com

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