RE: [Harp-L] New or used gear

[scott hostert <dylanwaits4u@xxxxxxxxx>]

John,
   
  Thanks for the info.  This sounds like a good alternative.  I have a Kinder AFB unit.  Perhaps I can try that on a floor model without having to switch out the tubes.  I'm also looking at a super reverb.  I'll keep you posted.
   
  Scott

John Balding <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  A hum is generally caused by a bad filter capacitor. Cheap fix,
depending on how well you know/treat the amp tech. Dirt cheap if you do
it yourself. The part costs a couple of bucks, tops. When replacing a
filter cap, it is best to replace them all (usually four or five of
them). It's the old "weakest link" syndrome...

I paid $800 for my tweed Fender Blues DeVille. (NOT the black Tolex,
3-channel Hot Rod DeVille.) It is a 60-watt tube amp into 4 10-inch
Eminence alnico speakers. It has a Normal input and a Low Gain input. I
use the low gain. I swapped the preamp tubes from 3 12AX7s to 3 12AY7s.
The only other "mod" I've done to her was to coat the tweed with Minwax
Honey Pine polyurethane stain. GORGEOUS!!! That's it. That's all I've
done and that's all I will ever do. She is perfect! Vintage look,
vintage tone. Loud as all hell and very forgiving with the feedback
issue. I generally play her on 3 or 4 for a 150-person audience - and
that usually drowns out the 2 guitarists and the drummer! Make no
mistake, this is a LOUD amp.

I have owned a Holland, a Sonny Jr., several Champs, a Fender Pro Jr.
and even a Sovtek Mig 50 head (remember those?) into a 4X10 cabinet. I
have also built and gigged with amps I have built from scratch. Nothing
and I mean NOTHING can hang with the DeVille in terms of overall value
and harp tone.

Sure, it's not vintage. But to me, that's the appeal. No need to handle
her with kid gloves and no massive up-front cost. No finicky
"period-correct" restorations or repairs needed, etc. Just a well-built,
solid, beautiful-sounding amp. If anything goes, all the parts are
readily available. Tube swaps are heaven-sent. It uses the Groove Tubes
matching system: replace the old tubes with new tubes having the same
color label and you're done! After having built some of my amps in the
past and biased them countless times, I can tell you that this feature
is not something to take lightly. It works and it is dependable. 

There are far too many self-proclaimed "experts" running around out
there postulating that tube biasing is a super-scientific, exacting
procedure. I say that's crap. First of all, ALL tubes change bias with
the input frequency, just like ALL speakers change impedance with the
input frequency. These are indisputable, provable facts. Second, when
you bias a tube at "idle" (no input signal), there is absolutely NO
guarantee that the tube will perform at its "best" when operating at
"full-throttle". There is no "magic number" when it comes to tube bias.
Period. 

The tone of the Blues DeVille can go from "clean" to "growling",
depending on how hard you compress the mic. I swear sometimes that my
amp knows what I am about to do and "helps" me get the most out of the
effect. It has been said before, but I never really knew what it meant
until I got this amp: the amp lives and breathes with you; it becomes
part of you. This amp has bass for days. It has a H-U-G-E, full tone.
However, with a little tweaking of the knobs, it can sound like a Fender
Deluxe or even a Champ! No kidding! I've never owned an amp with this
many tonal variations.
The amp has a straight "channel". This is like the Bassman idea: Bass
Treble, Mid and Presence controls. That's it. If you prefer the "Champ"
sound, or wish to add some variation to your tone for different songs,
you can switch the "Boost" button on. I have NEVER liked playing with a
boost channel, high-gain switch, etc. BUT - On this particular amp,
(with the 12AY7 tubes in place) the gain "channel" is surprisingly very
harp-friendly. In fact, I often find myself realizing three or for tunes
later, that I forgot to switch it back. The amp just sounds great no
matter how you set it up!

Give this amp a try if you can. But remember - if you try it out in a
music store, the 12AX7 preamp tubes are HOT and will make the amp squeal
easily with a harp mic. Use the low gain input. If the owner/manager
will permit you, change the preamps to 12AY7s. If not, try to keep in
mind as you play it that the amp will feed back MUCH less and be MUCH
more flexible in terms of tonal variations with 12AY7 tube swap.

That would be my recommendation. Sorry for the long rant. If you try
(tried) a Blues DeVille, I would be interested to know what your opinion
of it is.

Good luck with your search,

John Balding
Tallahassee, FL

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of scott hostert
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2007 3:44 PM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] New or used gear

Hey List,

If you had $2000 to spend on an amplifier what would it be? My
Holland has seen better days and probably needs a tune up. It started
humming really loud last night. I figure now's a good time to find
something different. I saw a 1966 Fender twin reverb in very good
condition at the local Guitar Center and almost made an impulse buy,
however logic prevailed. They were asking $2,399. I've been looking at
the Harp Kings, though I like the idea of having vintage gear. Thanks
in advance for any ideas.


Scott in So Cal


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