[Harp-L] Tube vs. Solid State, revisited
- To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
- Subject: [Harp-L] Tube vs. Solid State, revisited
- From: Rick In Davis <rickindavis@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 22:06:54 -0700 (PDT)
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A few days ago we were discussing tube amps versus solid state, and I thought it was very interesting. I have always been a tube amp guy, but I am lately persuaded that solid state and digital gear for harp sounds great and has some distinct advantages over tube gear.
Some harp players spend absurd amounts of money chasing ?THE? sound. Boutique or old original harp amps can cost a fortune, and when all is said and done they are still old and one-dimensional. They have one sound they do very well, but beyond that they are useless. If you want to sound like a guy imitating Little Walter 100% of the time, those old amps are just the ticket. But even Little Walter didn?t sound like that ALL the time. He tried all kinds of different amps.
The Roland Cube 30, for an example, is a great little harp amp. I bought one on eBay for $156. Use a vocal mic, and experiment with the amp models and delay/reverb. I often take it to small blues jams, and I get a lot of complements on my tone. Here is a short clip of Dave Krauss harpin? through a Roland Cube 30: http://www.bluedrivers.com/youdont.mp3
Norton Buffalo plays a vocal mic into a Roland AD-5 Acoustic Instrument Processor plugged straight into the PA. Madcat Ruth ? who taught me to play blues harp ? plays through solid state amps. Lots of good players get great tone with solid state/digital gear that is cheaper, lighter, and more reliable than smelly old tube amps. (Yes, when you push them hard, they smell.) I still keep some tube amps, but the rig I play most now is the Crate Powerblock into a 4x8 bass cab.
If Little Walter were still playing I bet he would still be moving the blues harp tone forward. He would be the guy experimenting with digital processing and emulations. Have you guys tried playing harp using the Line 6 POD or similar devices? It is a lot of fun, and it sounds a lot better than you think?
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