Re: [Harp-L] $500 and a new amp...

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Captron100@xxxxxxx wrote:
 
<In a message dated 12/7/2006 9:34:09 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, Shay Allen  
<writes:
<I have  about $500 dollars and a Shure 520 mic. I am looking for the best
<amp to  buy to get the raw blues sound that everyone is looking  for.
<Shay, U may get lots of good info and different opinions.  Here's but  one: 
<In the middle of this page is our very own valuable Harp-L poster, harp pro  
<musician, Richard Hunter's suggestions for a complete Chicago blues setup,  
<for 
<$400, including mic.  _http://www.hunterharp.com/huntmenu2.html_ 
<(http://www.hunterharp.com/huntmenu2.html) 

Thanks for the mention.  If the budget is $500, I'd suggest that you may want to think about buying a new or used Crate VC508, V58, or Palomino V8 or V15, any of which should run below $300, or any other fo the tube amps recommended so far for less than $300, and spending the remaining $200 to send the amp to Ron Holmes, who will tweak it into a monster harp amp.

The big question in all this is how many watts you need.  The Crate VC508, V58, and Palomino V8, and the kalamazoo amps are all 5 watt amps.  They put out a lot of sound, but not compared to a full band.  If you're going to be playing in a full band with your rig, you either need a bigger amp, or you need to plan on micing the amp through a PA or something.  My site, as referenced above, includes some information on alternatives for a big, loud setup.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com