Re: [Harp-L] Re: how do you set the kinder afb?- even more questions/ ME TOO

[<bfrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

if you don't have an afb+, you're only half the man you can be!  :)

---- Ray Beltran <raybeltran@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
> Well put, John.
> 
> Totally agree, especially regarding playing an amp without mods.
> 
> When I taught alongside Dennis Gruenling at last year's Jon Gindick  
> Harmonica Jam Camp, Dennis traveled with his harps, his mics, and a  
> Kinder AFB+. You can catch a video of him playing through the amp I  
> had then, a boutique Bassman, no mods:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8XidmqNmcM
> 
> Man, does this guy kick butt, or WHAT?!?!?
> 
> Best money I've EVER spent on gear. It's absolutely PRICELESS not  
> having to worry about feedback in any way, shape or form. Am I  
> standing in the right place, am I loud enough, do I need to adjust my  
> tone controls to fight feedback? That last one is especially nice... I  
> don't have to compromise the tone of the amp in order to quell  
> feedback. Get the FULL TONE of the amp, and let the little blue box do  
> the rest.
> 
> I like to run the box as transparent as possible. (Ever feel like if  
> you could get just ONE MORE twisty on the volume, you'd be good?  
> That's me.) Yet even at it's lowest settings, it's fighting feedback,  
> and "supercharging" the sound for more projection. That's the "plus"  
> in AFB, I think. It's a kind of tightening up of the frequencies,  
> focusing of them, sort of. Hard to describe. But it's a tough sound  
> that is, no doubt about it, FULLY road tested and ready for the stage.  
> Some harp-related gear works good in the living room, but you can rest  
> assured the AFB+ has gone through YEARS of development and "has your  
> back" on stage.
> 
> Ray.
> --
> My Music - www.resgraphics.com/music
> 
> 
> On Sep 11, 2008, at 8:42 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> > Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:48:24 -0400
> > From: "John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: RE: [Harp-L] how do you set the kinder afb?- even more
> > 	questions/ ME	TOO
> > To: "Monsterharp" <Monsterharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Message-ID:
> > 	<F38163487B9C674E8EF6A3C1701AFB02033A6B3D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
> >
> > I have tried an Alesis "feedback eliminator". It was a little box-type
> > thing, similar in size to the Behringer Shark (which I have not
> > tried...but always wanted to...)
> > I ended up returning the Alesis. The problem I had was the "lag time"
> > between the time it "located the feedback frequency" and the time it
> > eliminated the squeal. It worked, but a slight squeal every ten  
> > seconds
> > or so was just not gonna cut the mustard for me. That was some time  
> > back
> > (1989?), and technology may have caught up with that issue by now. But
> > in any case, the device would still have to go through a "learning
> > period" in each venue until the problem frequencies were identified,
> > filtered and "memorized" by the device. Okay if you have the luxury  
> > of a
> > preliminary sound check, but not always doable in a jam or a  
> > spontaneous
> > situation.
> >
> > Since the Kinder AFB+ does not "locate" problem areas, it does not  
> > have
> > a lag time. It works on a totally different principle.
> >
> > I think that the biggest issue with the AFB+ is the price. It is  
> > hard to
> > part with $360 for something sight-unseen; or at least thing-untried.
> > Yet, we do it with $1000+ amps all the time. I've said it a hundred
> > times and I'll say it again: The AFB+ is the best piece of gear I have
> > ever bought. Period. I would give up my amp before I gave up my AFB+,
> > even though I paid $900 for my amp. When I go out of town, on  
> > vacation,
> > etc., I take my harp case with two mics and my AFB+ in it. If the
> > opportunity ever arises to share the stage or join a jam, I feel  
> > assured
> > knowing that I can plug in to whatever amp is available and just wail
> > away. That is something I could never do with a 50lb,
> > "customized-for-harp" amp. That flexibility has no price tag, in my
> > opinion.
> >
> > In addition, I believe that most tube amps work great for harp with no
> > modifications. The problem has always been that we (harp players) have
> > never been able to get the volume up into the "sweet spot" before
> > feedback occurs. Guitar players get to experience this as a matter of
> > course. You read all the time of guitarists like Page, Clapton, et al
> > going into the studio and plugging into an old tweed Champ with the
> > volume knob pegged. Harp players can't just do that; even with tube
> > swaps. Let alone do that with a Bassman. The AFB+ gives me confidence,
> > total freedom and the ability to choose the right amp for "my tone".
> >
> > I was so nervous when I sent the $360 away for the AFB+ that you could
> > have sharpened a pencil in my butt. But I am so glad I did it. I can  
> > do
> > nothing now but think of all the money I could have saved
> > "experimenting" with so many amps over the years. Once I got the AFB 
> > +, I
> > went and bought the amp I WANTED. Before, I was relegated to buying an
> > amp that "worked best". That, too, has no price tag.
> >
> > John Balding
> > Tallahassee, FL
> 
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