Re: [Harp-L] Epiphone Valve Special - Opinions and Help for Newbie

[Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>]

Scott-

Get ready for a deluge of mail from Harp-Lers who think new players should
not buy an amp until they have mastered acoustic tone.  I have a different
view.

There are several things you can do to that amp to make it sound good for
harp, but feedback is a creature of many origins.  The room you're playing
in has the biggest impact.  Playing loud in your bedroom or den will almost
always result in howling feedback.  Playing in big rooms (or outdoors) will
lessen feedback.

The first thing I would do is get rid of that 60W speaker!  Swap it out for
a 15W Weber Signature alnico or something similar.  With amped blues harp
you want a smaller wattage speaker, not greater.  It should be as close to
the wattage rating of your amp as possible.  I prefer speakers with a
smooth, non-ribbed cone, since they are warmer-sounding and break up
sooner.  Many speakers preferred by guitar players can be shrill, which may
exacerbate feedback,

You need to replace your input preamp tube (the one closest to your
input jack) with a tube of the same family but with lower gain.  I use the
5751, and the 12AY7 is very popular, but its greater gain reduction can
impact the ultimate volume on a small amp.  Half of the other input tube is
your reverb driver; replacing it with a lower gain tube may cause
your reverb to not work at all.

To my ear, the JJ EL84 is brittle.  I get warmer results with an EH EL84.

Feedback is ALWAYS an issue with amped harp because of the silly nature of
walking around in front of an amp with an open microphone.  You will often
find yourself playing right on the edge of feedback (which can sound cool,
by the way).  Roll off the treble and boost the bass.  Try different
placement of the amp; I usually put mine behind me and to the side.  Try
putting the amp on the floor instead of on an amp stand.  Try a tighter cup
on the microphone.  Don't put a strangle-hold on the mic... Just try for a
more complete seal.  Eventually you'll find a combination of amp tweaks and
playing techniques that help you minimize feedback problems for your
particular style of play.

I suggest you do all these things before spending the big bucks for an
anti-feedback device, some of which work well and others don't.  They all
color your tone somewhat.

Then... practice, practice, practice, with and without the amp.
Eventually you will sound great and have control of your feedback.


-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
http://www.bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/


On Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 7:27 AM, Scott Hicks <dscotthicks@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> I'm a newbie player, started less than a year ago but have only started to
> get serious within the last couple of months.  I picked up an Epi Valve
> Special on a decent deal after reading a few positive things about the Valve
> Jr. for the budget-conscious harp player.  I liked the idea of tone
> controls, two pre-amp tubes, line out, and built-in reverb (not awesome
> reverb but usable).  The previous owner (guitarist) replaced the original
> tubes (2 - 12AX7's and an EL84) with JJ's, and replaced the speaker with a
> 60W Celestion G10.  I have the amp paired with a custom bullet with a lo-z
> Shure CM and built-in hi-z transformer, a pretty hot mic.  Overall, I like
> the tone, it has a nice mid-range honk.
>
> My biggest issue is volume.  Now I know that I shouldn't expect too much
> from a 5W amp, but with the master volume dimed I can only get the gain up a
> quarter of the way before the feedback starts.  I'm really very green so I'm
> wondering if anyone can recommend changes that would allow me to get a
> little more volume.  I'm also open to any suggestions on how to improve
> tone, if anyone has any experience with this amp.  Thanks.
>
> Scott
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