Re: [Harp-L] Gear

[Paul Routledge <kingley@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I have been following this discussion and a lot of interesting thing 
have been said.

Here's how I see it.

1. You will always sound like you no matter what amp you play through.
2. To sound good your acoustic sound has to be together.
3. All amps sound different, but they will only give you the following 
differences:

1. Warmth
2. Distortion
3. Overdrive
4. More Bass response ( or less depends on the amp )
5. Volume

Yes, A Sonny Jr or indeed any other boutique amp will sound different 
to a Fender Bassman.
For a start they are all built to be Harp specific whereas a Bassman is 
a Bass guitar amp.

If you have the money then buy the best amp you can afford  ( Sonny Jr, 
Harpking, etc, etc ) and that makes you happy.

If you can't don't despair. Big Walter and just about all the other 
harp greats used to play at some time or another through amps like the 
Harmony, Silvertone, Gretsch etc, etc. These can be found fairly 
inexpensively on ebay and in some music shops.

If you don't want to go down the route of vintage gear, if you want a 
new amp that is fairly cheap and that you will be able to hear yourself 
over the band with. An amp that has that great tone etc. then go out 
and buy a Fender Pro Jr.

Please don't ever make the mistake that certain gear will make you 
sound like a better player than you are. Because it won't.
All that  good gear does essentially, is bring out the finer nuances of 
your playing so that you or somebody else can appreciate your ability 
on our fabulous instrument of choice.

Paul