Re: [Harp-L] Harp amps, mics, blah blah blah...

["Bob Laughlin" <rlaughlin@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

NOTHING beats the feeling of having done the footwork to find a great deal
on something, and saved a chunk of money. To me, that's better than having
"the right stuff", or the "best stuff". It's just GD INSPIRING when I bring
a little beat-up second hand tube amp to the party, and the band tells me
it's got "tone to die for", and it only cost me 75 bucks and a trade-in.

NOTHING makes a person feel good about him/herself more than the
gratification of having been resourceful, rather than just fallen prey to
sales bytes and consumerism, and a large chunk of change.

In a way, it's a way to keep one's dignity, in this day of escalating prices
and the falling value of a dollar.

And as far as "do it yourself", I come from that tradition, from my
involvement in amateur radio. No matter what, I just enjoy the learning
process you go through with any project. It's very rewarding, struggling
through decisions, choices, discoveries,,,etc. That's what life's all about,
in my opinion.

"There is nothing to fear but fear itself."

Franklin D. Roosevelt

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/there_is_nothing_to_fear_but_fear_itself/205789.html

BL


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <JFlash541@xxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 8:27 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Harp amps, mics, blah blah blah...


> Such ranting over the prices of elements and custom harp  amps.  If you
> really want something half ass decent.......do it  yourself!  On the
subject of
> MICS...  I've bought a couple of mics off  of Ebay from builders that have
been
> mentioned previously in this listing as  having great reputations.  The
mics,
> in fact, were painted with  hammertone rustoleum with no clear coat over
it,
> the elements were held in place  with pieces of cheap foam insulation, and
> soldered poorly.  The mics  shorted out, and actually broke (Astatic 200
chopped at
> the stem with some kind  of bondo stuff painted over it).  I ended up
taking
> the elements out, which  were actually very good and soldering them into
jt-30
> shells myself.  I  then bought an inline volume control (the best custom
harp
> thing I've ever  bought) and put it on.  Wham.......I'm happy again and
> wiser.  A lot  of those custom builders have great feedback because people
leave
> the feedback  right away.........not a month down the road when they've
had the
> mic short out,  paint flake off, or holes in the actual shell appear and
the
> volume pot fall  out.  On the subject of AMPS...  I've had quite a few in
my
> "quest"  for the great sound.  I can say with absolute certainty that an
old
> Stromberg-Carlson, Masco, Silvertone, or Gibson will sound as good if not
better
>  than these super expensive boutique amps.  All you have to do is read up
a
> little on the net as to what ciruitry, tubes, voltage, etc. gives an amp
it's
> tone.....and you don't have to have a degree in electronics to half-way
> understand it.  Those guys are the ones who I say thanks to.....not
builders.  I
> currently have a Weber 5F6A  (bassman) kit.  I'm not going to name any
> builders here by name  (that would not be nice) but that kit amp built for
$900 with
> the NOS  tubes and speakers I put in absolutely tore up the other boutique
> amps.  I'm not bragging about the kit amp by any means.........I  just
don't
> think these boutique or custom amps are all the hype they claim  nor
should you
> ever feel that you MUST have one.  You can do just as well  going other
routes.
>  I also have a mid fifties Stromberg-Carlson p.a. with  the speaker halves
> that separate, and a mid fifties Gibson Maestro with four  eights.  Those
three
> amps together complete cost less than one custom  amp.....and sound JUST
AS
> GOOD or BETTER.  One last thing.........I bought  a custom harp amp one
time
> second hand.  It didn't come with a manual  explaining tube substitutions
or ohm
> settings for the speakers.  I wrote  the builder asking if I could buy
another
> manual.  I got a condescending  reply asking why they should help me out
when
> I did not buy the amp directly  from them in effect cutting them out of
the
> deal.  It was the weirdest  exchange I've ever been involved in over the
net.
> Anyways.........I ended  up selling the amp after going the Weber kit
route
> (it sounded Waaayyy better  with no crazy builder to deal with).  The
funny part
> is.......the guy I  sold it to was going to buy a new one from the builder
> but found them to be such  an ass that they just bought mine instead.
That's
> also the only thing I've  ever sold in which I had to let potential buyers
know
> that the builder was an  ass.  Anyways........take care.......and don't
get to
> googoo over the hype  of custom stuff.........
>
>
>
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