[Harp-L] Bull In A China Shop? Big Amps in Low Volume Situations

[Ray Beltran <raybeltran@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't like small amps. There, I said it. Got that out of the way.

I know y'all gonna let me have it. And everyone has their personal  
preference. But if you ask me, they go from zero to crunch in nuthin'  
flat, and stay there. And that's it.

And they got them itty bitty speakers that go "sqwack, skwack, or  
sqwauk", take your pick. Any color you want as long as it's black.

I might, if I have to, play through one and get a decent tone from the  
minimal headroom they offer. But it's no fun.

For me, big amps is 'mo betta.

I like the MUCH broader performance envelope and bigger sound that a  
big amp offers. (Note that I said "bigger", and not "louder.") Phat  
and full, that's for me.

But a lot of people think that they're too much amp to use in a low  
volume setting.

Not so, says I. I think they are quite usable in, say,  a electric duo/ 
coffeeshop sort of situation. Seriously.

Today I made a recording of myself in my studio, along with my stock  
'65 Super Reverb, Dave Wren Shure modified Shure 7A (no volume  
control) and ... that's it.

Click on the "music" link at www.resgraphics.com/music

File named "How Low Can You Go?"

Amp set on about 2 in the vibrato channel #1 input. Tad bit of reverb.  
Recorded onto my minidisc, dropped into Bias Peak, and normalized. I  
did not EQ or compress at all.

I practice this way on occasion (not often enough) to see how quietly  
I can play amplified. Much like practicing acoustically to see how  
quietly you can breathe the harmonica, and bending notes using the  
lowest possible pressure, I think it's important to practice your  
amplified technique in this manner as well. Heck, anyone (myself  
included) can blow their brains out. But the objective here is to play  
as quietly as possible and still achieve decent amplified tone. It's  
quite a workout, really.

But back to the reason I likes me my big amps. Partially because of  
the broader performance envelope. I have all the headroom I need for  
dynamics. Not just the sqwaky. One of my favorite amplified harmonica  
toneage is that sort of relaxed touch from the player, and the amp  
just south of the sweet spot, but still full, ready to pounce when I  
hit it just a wee bit harder, and BAM for dynamics, and smooOOOooth  
over the top... man, that's fun.

And I never have to worry about not having enough amp. Just take the  
big 'un. I can play low. And fo' sho I can turn 'er up. With a small  
amp, I gotta start worryin', "can I be heard; okay, mic it... what's  
the soundman doin' up there, what do I sound like..."

'Course the first reaction is, "...that's way too big an amp for here,  
man." That's from the geetar player what's gonna crank it up to 'leven  
after the first set. I got ya covered...

But for the low volume gig, I'm still taking my gentle giant Super  
Reverb. All 40-plus watts of stiff and stout wheeled sixty-pound  
Fender Black Face Tolex goodness.

I just gotta find a way to squeeze her into the door of said coffeshop.


Ray.
--
My Music - www.resgraphics.com/music