[Harp-L] Harp Amps vs. Guitar Amps

[kurt crandall <kurtcrandall@xxxxxxxxx>]

As someone who recently purchased a boutique amp, I have been reading this thread with
much interest. I used to own and play exclusively through a 1962 Fender Concert amp. I 
sold the amp to pay for an engagement ring (well worth it!)... My wife felt so bad about 
the situation that as a wedding gift she bought me an amp... I considered buying a vintage
 amp but wanted the reliability of a newer amp so I started to explore harp amps on the
 market... SJ, Harpgear and Meteor were on my short list but after playing through a
 boutique amp before leaving Chicago I decided to go with a guitar amp. I am now playing
 through a VERO (4 ten) amp that I had custom built (separate head and cabinet) by the FAzio brothers who live outside Chicago..
 
For those unfamiliar with VERO (www.veroamps.com) Charlie Baty plays through one as does Nick Curran... They are not common among harp players although Gary Primich was using one before his untimely passing... 
 
It took a while for me to dial in a sound that I am happy with (swapped out many tubes - settled on a 5751 preamp tube.. Like Rick Davis I have found this to "mellow" out the amp a bit and make it more harp friendly... It sounds great for both Diatonic and chromatic.. I have only used mics with crystal elements (mc 151) but am excited to try it with a ceramic or CR...
 
Kurt Crandall
 
www.kurtcrandall.com
www.myspace.com/kurtcrandall