[Harp-L] A word about Sonny Jr, the man and his amps

[Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well Sonny Jr has been vocal lately - some may even see it as  
ranting, others will recognize it as stream-of-consciousness - but  
newcomers may be skeptical that what he says is true.  I thought I  
would add my 2 cents. I met Sonny Jr. at an amp clinic at one of Dave  
Barrett's Harmonica Masterclass seminars. I have never met or heard  
of anyone with so much amp experience - and listening to Sonny Jr.  
talk you'd know it in 5 minutes. several folks had brought amps - he  
took us through each one, set it up right, blew through it, made  
suggestions about it, identified what was actually wrong with some  
after only 1 or 2 notes - it was obvious to everyone -  he has been  
there, done that.

It was he who turned me on to the Kalamazoo amps as the best small  
practice/recording amp you could get - and he was right.  I've made a  
small business out of buying those amps and getting them working  
right for customers, all of whom love it. But I digress. I sat in a  
class where Sonny Jr demonstrated Sonny Terry's style and played it  
for us - the whole audience sat stunned with jaws dropped. He really  
is the real deal.

And his amps rock, pure and simple. I bought a 410 from him a few  
years ago. I did so because I had already done my share of "amp  
chasing" and I was frustrated. Frankly, there are a lot of amps out  
there that just SUCK as harp amps. (There are also some other fine  
ones, of course, but they are the exceptions.) I didn't want to be  
like so many players I've met who bitch and moan about their tone (or  
lack thereof) and blame it on their equipment. I decided I wanted an  
amp I KNEW was good enough to never be able to use it as an excuse  
for my playing.

Looking  back, it was the best money I ever spent on an amp. I became  
instantly better; in fact my tone through that amp, and peoples'  
response to it, led directly to my finally getting noticed, getting  
gigs and getting a great band together.  May sound funny, but I KNOW  
the amp was part of that equation. My amp is the house harp amp at  
the Redwood City Blues Jam (rwcbluesjam.com) and has been played  
through by dozens of harp players - amateur and pro alike. Everyone  
loves it. It has been knocked over, kicked and yanked - but it has  
never failed me and still looks brand new. Amazing workmanship. His  
customer support has been incredible too - lots of help and quick  
responses to any questions I've had. So I sent Sonny Jr. my $$ to buy  
his new amp too - sight unseen. I ought to have a backup, right? And  
I trust his word. I should add that nobody asked me to write this and  
I have no business relationship with Sonny Jr. other than being an  
extremely satisfied customer. I think people speak publicly about  
vendors most when they're unhappy, but I like to to do the reverse.

/Greg
http://www.blowsmeaway.com
http://www.bluestateband.net