[Harp-L] Using a Solid State Amp for Blues Harp

[Rick In Davis <rickindavis@xxxxxxxxx>]

?Hey, everybody!  Pull the string!  We gonna rock it like B. B. King.?
  -         King Biscuit Boy (Richard Newell), ?Get it Right? 
   
  Greetings.  My name is Rick Davis and this is my first post ever to Harp-L.  My first pro harp gig was in 1976 when I was 23, and I have been playing constantly ever since.  My style is ?Hard Blues and Full Tilt Boogie.?  My band is the Davis Blues Project (www.davisbluesproject.com).
   
  I wanted to join in on the eternal harp amp debate, with a twist.  After owning/playing through nearly all the usual tube harp amps over the years, my current rig is actually solid state with no effects.  I know this will cause some harp purists to faint, but hear me (and it) out first.
   
  I play a custom JT-30 w/ Shure CM element into a Crate Powerblock 150-watt head.  The speaker is an old Madison 4x8 bass cab.  You can see a photo of my harp rig here:  http://www.fenderforum.com/userphotos/index.html?recid=25957
   
  The Crate Powerblock has a tube emulator that works.  When I crank the gain I get the kinds of sounds you?d expect from your stinky old tube amp.  But the amp head weighs only about 5 lbs, and I can stand right in front of it playing at high volumes without a hint of feedback.  With all my tube amps, feedback was a constant problem even at moderate levels, and even after extensive mods to the amps.  I?m not sure about why the Crate gets so much less feedback, but the difference is profound.
   
  The sound from my rig is a little different from the usual Fender Bassman tone, but different is good.  It is a little edgier; a little more Marshallish, with nice, natural-sounding distortion.  I?ve tried it with other mics and it sounded nasty.  I?ve tried various effects (the Powerblock has none) but they didn?t seem to add any value to the sound.  And in a noisy bar with a loud drummer and the guitar player blazing on his Fender Evil Twin, I can cut through with ZERO problem.
   
  Have any of you guys tried the Powerblock?  Do any of you use a solid state blues harp rig?  Would you admit I if you did?      

		
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