Re: [Harp-L] 'Acoustic' practice

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Bowering wrote:
> Unless I've missed something all the talk about great
> harp amps revolves around getting a good amplified
> sound since most amps will colour the sound.  Any
> suggestions on an electrified, clean sound with reverb
> at home?

As an itinerant harmonica side man, I, for one, find the overdriven
tone too one-dimensional to be really useful.  Rather than invest in a
number of different amplifiers, I play through a tube/solid state
hybrid pre-amp, then a digital effects unit, and finally a solid state
power amplifier, which lets me dial a variety of tones.  I generally
keep two set ups, and run through an A-B-Y switch to control the final
product.  

Clean sound is like this:

http://www.workingmansharps.com/Sounds/other/sample%2005.mp3

Distorted tone is like this:

http://www.workingmansharps.com/Sounds/other/sample%2002.mp3

If you're talking about playing/practicing at home, you could just use
your computer as a processor, assuming you have a good sound card and
a decent set of speakers, or lines out to external amplification (like
a stereo).  There are a number of clean, flexible amplifiers out
there, such as the Fender Acoustasonic, that will work.  

-tim