Dude, you're bustin' me UP!!!! I never knew these levels existed.
On Aug 6, 2008, at 12:48 PM, <bfrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
'71 super reverb...kicked ass completely.
vibro king...........kicked ass entirely.
late 60's sup rev...kicked asses and caved heads in.
One more:
'65 Super Reverb with a Super Mic...the first, second, and third rows
won't be able to have babies anymore.
I hope to post some observations soon on my experiences with this
pedal after a through evaluation. I've run it through my '65 Super
Reverb with Steve Warner's ThunderHarp mic and Dave Wren's mics, both
using elements that, how shall I say, are more "modern" than the
traditional crystal, ceramic, CM or CR. My good friend Mike McDermott
has helped to evaluate the pedal using a variety of small and big
amps, from his SIlvertone 1432 to his Sonny Jr. 410. Different mics,
as well. All tests have been very encouraging.
Here's a routine experience followed by some random thoughts:
While at a recent jam, I was using one of Dave Wren's mics, one I
affectionally call my"Jericho" mic (not cuz I saw IronDude, which was
a good move, by the way), along with my SR and the Kinder AFB+, and
the resulting sound was simply incredible. Due to the unique elements
in Steve's or Dave's mics, and a good deal of internal resonance, I
run the center "calibration" knob all the way off (and I can STILL
get the blue light to come on more than I want), with the left knob
on about 8 o'clock , and the right knob at 10 o'clock. I want it to
affect my tone as little as possible.
Let me tell you; on 2.5, MAYBE 3, I had the bass player who was
covering this louder than normal jam come over and ask that I turn
down! To what, 1? Sans volume control on my mic, I just relaxed a bit
and lowered my internal volume control and all was good. Dynamics.
Still had that volume whenever I wanted; just hit it a bit (or a lot)
harder.
The AFB+ can make my amp EXTREMELY loud (guys in the Pac NW love
their geetars - that's why I bought this beast the SR), but that's
not why I bought the AFB+. You can, with the right combination of mic/
element or technique, run it quite low on the volume. Or run it into
the #2 input that most amps have, too, and realize more versatility
from the same amp.
I bought it because yes, things can get quite loud and no, most
guitarists won't turn down. I thought if I could just get a notch or
two more on the volume, than I'd be okay. I never thought the AFB+
would offer so much flexibility or latitude.
What pushed me to buy it was a nightmare experience I had at a gig
where, no matter how hard I tried, with as many years as I've been
running a Bassman, I could not control feedback with a PTP Bassman I
had that particular night. It was just a wired acoustic thing. Never
seen it before, or since. I fought that beast all night, and as a
result, the gig was no fun. It was work. I promised myself I'd do
everything I could to never repeat the experience. The next Monday I
fired off a Postal M.O. to Kinder, and I've never looked back.
Now, most of you who know me know I'm a bit of a purist when it comes
to gear. I'm very wary of adding anything in the chain. I don't do
preamp tube swaps, have no volume controls on my unmodded amps, etc.
So it was reassuring to hear from the man himself, Dennis Gruenling,
who shares the same philosophy as I do regarding gear, that the AFB+
is one gadget worth consideration. He gave me an up-close-and-
personal demo at a recent Jam Camp where we were both instructors. He
confirmed that it will affect your tone, but only as much as you
allow it to. He rigged it up to the Bassman I had then (yes, the same
one that gave me fits) and showed me how he calibrated it.
The video is kinda dark. It was recorded by one of the students on
his video cam, so consider that when listening to the audio which is
still quite good. I have a better recording I made on my MiniDisc,
but I still haven't processed it. In the words of Pa Kettle, "...one
of these days, Ma."
And now those random thoughts...
Yes, the AFB+ it will color your tone, but only as much as you allow
it to. The more you twist the knobs clockwise, the more the tone is
affected.
John Kinder confirmed that the front end of the AFB+ is an impedance
matcher similar to his Maximizer pedal. During testing, we
experienced an INSTANT gain in volume by just putting the box in the
chain. Smaller amps seemed to benefit most, but we still heard
sizable gains on Mike's SJ410 and my Super.
He also said that Carlos Del Junco is using one. Although others love
the HarpKing amp that John builds (Dennis Gruenling calls it the most
versatile amp he's ever owned, and proved it by having me listen to a
quiet duo performance of his where the sound level is low, but tone
is full and fat), Carlos was not able to find a satisfactory setting
on his HarpKing, and opted for the AFB+ instead.
At first I was using it only occasionally. But I now use it all the
time, in the chain ready for any potential feedback problem.
What is so cool is never having to worry about where you are in
relationship to the amp. Being able to walk over to or stand in
front, behind, or on top of the amp without the slightest squeal is,
in a word...
priceless.
Just for that reason alone it's worth the money. I NEVER have to
think about feedback anymore. What a relief. And this is part of the
reason I'm wary of gadgets. I want to concentrate on making music,
not twisting knobs.
With the AFB+, it's (all together now)... "set it, and forget it."
And have fun.
Send the $ to Kinder. Wait by the mailbox as long as it takes. It's
worth it.
Oh, and I'm certain it will make just about any amp a useable harp
rig. Your rig takes a dive at a gig; no problem. Use it on a borrowed
amp, even a smaller one, and you will get decent tone AND be heard.
There are some sound clips on my website where I'm using the AFB+ at
various levels on the twisties as I was still trying to find the best
settings. So some resulting sounds are with the AFB+ at an extreme
setting, other a minimal setting. The Duffy's Hanger clip is at a
minimal setting, the Roadhouse 101 clips are at extreme settings, and
the Tupelo Joe's clips are with no box at all.
I guess this is the post I wanted to make in the first place.
"bfrain's" unbridled enthusiasm helped to finally get me off my duff
and do it.
See ya later, y'all... I'm off to another jam tonight with my
awesome mics, my '65 Super Reverb, and my Kinder AFB+...