[Harp-L] Sonny Jr. Cruncher

[Les Weiner <les.weiner@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I've been playing harmonica since I was 15. That's a few years and a
pompadour ago. Over time, my playing seemed to plateau. Recently, I
made a commitment to get better. And I didn't want to use poor
equipment as an excuse for less than good playing. I subscribed to
harp-l, I bought a new set of harmonicas, mics, cables and an amp. It
was a Fender Blues Junior. The price was right, the name was right,
the sound was wrong. It wasn't made very well, feedback was a big
problem. After innumerable tube swaps, I got it to behave but not
really the way I'd hoped. To go the next step, a custom mod, seemed
wrong to me. I felt I'd just be throwing good money after bad. The BJ
was designed for the guitar. I needed an amp designed for harmonica.
After consulting the collective wisdom of this forum, as well as
testimonials by respected players, I bought a Sonny Jr. Cruncher. I'm
incredibly happy I did.

After emailing him, Gary Onofrio (Sonny Jr.) called me to discuss what
I'd need. And he's stayed in touch to help me through any
problems/questions that might arise. He's been very helpful and
generous. The amp shipped very quickly and was really well packed. It
comes with a manual that takes you through the intricacies of its
design and functions. Gary offers suggestions for the stock setup,
tube swaps, DanElectro pedal and so on, all to better shape the tone
for the room you're playing in and the mics you're playing with.

The tone: it's great out of the box. I wanted a touch more gain so
Gary suggested I swap in a 5751(it comes with some extra tubes) and it
performed as he said it would. You can bridge channels for a different
sound. I think the bridging makes the channels kind of interactive.
You can easily hear the difference when you dial up or dial down the
bright channel. If I plug into Bright 2, my crystal mic gets the
bottom end it lacks. I don't know exactly how to describe this, but this
amp
is musical, it has lots of voices. it can sound clean, edgy or gritty. It's
dynamic and has dimension. With my CR mics and my PE54, it's a blast.
In a short time I felt I was playing more relaxed, hearing things
better, more in control. I'm not knowledgeable enough to know what
goes on inside an amp. When I read about capacitors and bias, my eyes
glaze over. There are many here on harp-l who've forgotten more than
I'll ever know about the technical side of amplification. But I do
know what I can hear. This amp is evidence that Gary has put a lifetime of
knowledge and a harp player's wish list into the Cruncher. This is
great fun.

One other feature I've yet to try is the line out to PA. I heard from
others that this works great in large rooms and doesn't color the
sound. It seems like a better alternative to micing it.

The craftsmanship is superb. The cabinetry is solid and the finish is
perfect.

Oh, and it's passed The Wife Test. My wife, who's a singer and has a
very critical ear, loves it and said it made me sound a lot better.
Now I can exhale.

If you're looking to buy an amp, you only have to buy one. I'm glad I
bought the Cruncher.

Les Weiner

email: les.weiner@xxxxxxxxxx

 
 
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