[Harp-L] Re: New Harp Attack pedal in action

[HTownFess <Spschndr@xxxxxxx>]

I got a phone call from my old friend Bobby Mack, who had a showcase
set lined up at Antone's the last day of the South by Southwest
festival in Austin.  We've had fun when I sit in on his Houston gigs
since he came out of retirement last year, so when his current band
had to drop out for other (i.e., much more lucrative) commitments, he
decided to do fewer originals and more chestnuts with the pickup band,
adding me for the second half of the set.  Pretty good pickup band:
you may recognize Antone's house drummer Barry "Frosty" Smith from his
time with Rare Earth, Lee Michaels, and Sly and the Family Stone.
Bobby is a contemporary of SRV and had a weekly gig @ Antone's back in
the day, played regionally and toured Europe and New Zealand instead
of the States, was on Provogue Records in the 90s
(www.bobbymack.com).  It was really nice of Bobby to invite me; he'd
guessed that I'd never played Antone's (unlike his current band) and
would like to do it.

Very short notice, logistics weren't good for me, I didn't want to be
responsible for hauling an amp around Austin during SXSW, and it was
time to give the new Harp Attack pedal from Lone Wolf Blues Company
the acid test.  The Harp Attack is a true tube distortion pedal for
harmonica; it uses a subminiature pentode tube that runs on 18v and
sounds like an overdriven tube output stage because that's what it
really is.  Three knobs: tone, volume, drive.  High input impedance
for harp mics, true bypass, and I ran it on two 9v batteries instead
of a wall wart to travel even lighter.  $175 for the pedal; more
details at www.lwharpamps.com .

The red HA pedal is visible just to the right of my genuine Amelia
Earhart brand harp box, which is all I had to bring (and if I'd
thought to ask Bobby what songs he meant to do, I could have left a
bunch of harps home and maybe brought the ET Low F).  Courtney the
soundman patched the HA into a DI box and just took a level: quick
changeovers @ SXSW, so as my name is not James Cotton or Kim Wilson, I
didn't complain about the monitor mix (totally low, dark, and furry),
just set the pedal knobs where I knew the HA was in the ballpark for
the 5 Meg crystal JT-30VC I was using.  Courtney used the first song
to dial the house EQ (mainly more bass) and add reverb.  On the second
song, I used a self-customized Low F SP20 in the standard compromise
tuning for an Otis Rush classic in Gm that I'd never done with Bobby.
Harp solo starts around 3:20; I wasn't playing very loud the rest of
the time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHub6eWYvD8

I've been using the Harp Attack since last December, doing beta
testing before it hit production, going to every jam I can and sitting
in when possible, plugging the Harp Attack into every PA I can get at,
and it's gotten nothing but compliments.  Easy and forgiving to set
up; more importantly, you feel and hear that there's a tube in there,
running the right way.  The drive knob lets you set the distortion
level, and you can push the tone in the direction of a 59 Bassman or a
tweed Champ, depending on settings.  The pedal's tolerant of different
embouchures as well: you don't have to be a heavy-duty tongueblocker
to get a good sound out of it.  It also works well in front of a clean
combo amp.

Yeah, as a beta tester and endorsee I'm financially connected, but
that requires me to undertake dangerous missions like walking into a
SXSW showcase with world-class players in one of the world's most
famous blues clubs armed with only a pedal for an amp.  You may judge
the results for yourself and perhaps understand why I had no qualms
whatsoever.  Honestly, if I hadn't told you what I was using, what
would you have guessed?

Stephen Schneider