Re: [Harp-L] amp recommendations

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg Heumann wrote:
<You didn't say what kind of music you play or what kind of tone you're  
<after, but for my money, for a warm, overdriven sound, the best small  
<harp amp of all is the Kalamazoo Model 1 or Model 2. These were mid  
<60's vintage practice amps - cheaply made. But that's why they sound  
<so good for harp - the power supply sags when you lean on it, and it  
<has a wonderful crunch. I have rebuilt 50 of these amps - I hope that  
<qualifies me as knowing what I'm talking about. 

For what it's worth, Greg knows what he's talking about.  If Greg was selling a piece of gear I wanted, I'd buy it from him without hesitation.  

That said, his first point is the most important of all.  What kind of music do you play and what kind of tone are you after?  An amp is an instrument, and choice of instrument is dictated by the music. A harp player who wants to play nothing but Chicago blues needs a different rig than one who wants to play jazz, or country, or acoustic blues.  

In other words, the question isn't "what's a good amp?"  The question is, "what's a good amp to play the music I want to play?"  And while you're at it, you might as well ask about a mic too, because the amp and the mic work together, and changing either one gives you a different sound.

The good news is that if you can answer the question above, the people on this list can give you great advice on what gear will work for you.  (If the answer is "Chicago Blues," then Greg already gave you some really good advice where the amp is concerned.)

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp