Re: [Harp-L] Small amps and gigs

[Mike Fugazzi <mfugazzi67@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've tinkered a lot with this idea.  Focus more on the actual volume of the band more then the actual amp.  5w sounds different from amp to amp, speaker to speaker.  The bottomline is getting your tone at a volume that can cut on stage vs. the drummer.

5w can be pretty loud depending on the speaker set-up.  For guitar and harp, however, the extra watts means more clean headroom.  If the guitar player likes things clean, 5w is worthless in a lot of cases.  If you favor a jazzy tone, you might only have a one trick pony.

A lot of guitar players have wasted watts.  Instead of using an amp they can crank, the get one that's too big and then end up using pedals.  For blues, a 5w amp might be perfect...but look into speakers other then 8" too.  Multiple drivers or ones that are 10" or 12" can make big changes in tone and perceived volume.  Your amp should only serve as your personal monitor.  Let the huge PA rigs do what they're supposed to do!  

With a good speaker setup, 5w can compete with a lot of amps.  Not your 45w Bassman set to stun, but it lets you get to the sweet spot much sooner.  That HarpGear driving 2x10 or a 4x10 might not only be tonal nirvana, but it might work at a lot of good sized stages.  I think those small amps often get a bad rap for being limited by both guitar and harp players.  If they tried different cabs, they might end up with different opinions.  

Mike Fugazzi
Harmonica/Vocals
http://www.myspace.com/mikefugazzi
 
 
"Music should be healing; music should uplift the soul; music should inspire. There is no better way of getting closer to God, of rising higher towards the spirit, of attaining spiritual perfection than music, if only it is rightly understood."
-Hazrat Inayat Khan





--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Paul Routledge <kingley@...>
wrote:

I keep on telling my guitarist that we could do small to small/medium
gigs with 5 watt amps.

The set up we use at rehearsals  is Harp 5 watt amp, Guitar 5 watt
amp, Bass 25 watt amp and drums.
I am using a HarpGear 5F1 and he has an Epiphone Valve Jr.

My belief is that this set up is big enough to do small gigs and that
for medium size venues we could just boost the amps in the PA for the
extra fill to the room.
The guitarist and drummer are a little sceptical, however the
guitarist is keen to try it out!

Can anybody confirm this? Does anyone do this?

I have heard that Helge Tallqvist does this, and others as well?

Paul



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