Re: [Harp-L] Re : Little Annie

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"mike wesolowski" wrote:

<I personally thought that the Harp King amp that Dennis was playing 
<sounded WAY better then the seemingly anemic SJ whatever amp that Annie 
<played through. Although, I must say to be fair, hearing an amp over 
<small computer speakers is like hearing someone demoing one over the 
<phone. How could you possibly tell what any amp really sonds like under 
<those conditions? Those Harp Kings have a HUGE bottom end.   By the 
<way..........I'm a big fan of Annie's .  Does anyone one know what kind 
<of amp that she prefers?

You can find details supplied by Annie on her preferred instruments and 
stage and studio setups--along with the same info for lots of other 
players, including Rob Paparozzi, Lee Oskar, Dennis Gruenling, Tom Ball, 
Jellyroll Johnson, Robert Bonfiglio, and more--on the Pro Pages at my 
website:

http://hunterharp.com/propage1.html

These pages describe the actual gear used by these pros (at least at the 
points in time when they responded to my requests), and are based on 
material supplied by the pros themselves.

Regarding another comment by a list member to the effect that the 
boutique amps (SJ, Meteor, Harpking, Harpgear, etc.) aren't worth the 
coin: I think the buyers get what they pay for, which is a potent amp 
voiced perfectly for harmonica and built to very high standards.  I 
happen not to own one of these boutique amps, but I've played through a 
Meteor, an SJ, and a Harpgear, and they all deliver the goods.

It's true that a harp player can get good value for money by buying an 
off-the shelf guitar amp and putting in time and money to customize it 
for harp.  But time is not free, and it takes a lot of time and 
investment in good components to make a decent guitar amp into a great 
harp amp.  My main rig for harp now is the Digitech RP200; it only cost 
me $150, but I spent 50-plus hours setting it up with 40 patches that 
are gig-ready.  If my labor is worth $40 per hour--and any tradesman 
charges more than that where I live--then that box cost me as much as an 
SJ.

I like the sound of the Digitech fine, and the convenience factor is 
absolutely tops --I can take my entire rig to the job in a bag slung 
over one shoulder. But if I was looking for an amp to carry on stage, 
one of those boutique models is probably where I'd look first.

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
Latest mp3s always at http://broadjam.com/rhunter