[Harp-L] Tone Wars - Middle Class Rig

["Derwood Blues" <Derwood.Blues@xxxxxxxxx>]

Richard Hunter said:

"Of course good players make good sounds with nothing but a harmonica.
 That's not the point.  An amp gives the harp a certain kind of sound."

I hope he forgives me for keeping the discussion going, which he did not
want to keep going, but here I go...

I have been playing harmonica for 15 years but have been playing guitar for
30. I have plugged into equipment with a guitar at times and could play
anything and it sounded amazing. The equipment made me sound better. I have
also used equipment that made me sound worse than I really am. I have not
yet pugged my harp into something that made me sound amazing but I have
sounded worse than I really am.

If we are honest we all know that a a great harmonica player can only sound
so good on a jambone harp with a radio shack tape recorder mic through a
peavey sidekick. So people can sell custom harmonicas for over $100, mics
made out of "vintage" technology for $200 and bassman copies for $2000. But
those are the two extreams. Pesonally I am somewhere in the middle because
of my skill and commitment. I am a mediocre intermediate who plays out a
handful of times a year. I love my stock hering vintage and hohner big
rivers harps with my homemade mics and my stock bogen chb 35a with a
behringer mini eq for tone and feedback control. I have stopped buying
johnson harps for backups; they just don't sound good.

So, in the tone wars I am a moderate. I want equipment that sounds good but
that I can get for cheap. There is just so much quality you can gain in poor
acoustic settings like bars. If I was making money playing I might consider
a more expensive custom amp and try out a customized harp. I'd keep my mics
and get them professionally painted. But for now, to keep me happy, I will
assume that all that is not worth the money.

Maybe instead of keeping this thread going (because, like Richard, I want my
opinion heard but let it end there) we could have a middle class amature
equiptment sharing. Of course I am speaking of somewhere between Obama's and
McCain's definition of Middle Class.

Here is mine:
Harps: Herring Vintage (~$20 each) and Hohner Big River (~$15 each)
Mics: Turner shells (254, +2...) with Turner dynamic, Shure 450 CM or NOS
crystal elements, chopped and painted by me. (~30 from patient ebay shopping
and Mouser)
Feedback Control: Behringer FBQ800 (`$35)
Amps: Silvertone 1482 (1x 12at7 preamp swap, 1/4 in. replaced baffle, Weber
Sig 12 in. Alnico) (~$200 on ebay if patient + $75 in mods)
           Bogen CHB 35a (12at7 preamp swap) (~$100 ebay), Homemade pine
cabinet with 2x10 Jensen ceramic and vintage alnico (~$75)
Amp Alternative: Behringer GDI20 (Sounds pretty go on Tweed through a PA)
(~$25 ebay)
Harp Case: Old used tweed case ($20 ebay)