Re: [Harp-L] Small practise amps

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ken H wrote:
<Check out the Vox DA5 amp !  It's a great little practice amp, can use 6 size C <batteries or AC adapter, 3 wattage setting (.5, 1.5, and 5 watts), a variety of amp <settings and effects (my favorite is the "Blues 3" with the Delay or Reverb <settings).

I agree that this is a very good choice for a beginner.  Inexpensive ($140 new), loud, very good sounding, good feature set.  It's an amp that will be useful long after you've gone beyond beginner status and skills.

Ken also wrote:
<For a mic, you can't go wrong with one of Sonny Jr's Turner bullet mics... I have <one and its my favorite for holding, cupping, and the indented V/C is great and the <mic sounds great (mine has a CR element, but I have another Turner bullet with a CM <element and its great too!).

Well, it's a great mic, but it's also twice the cost of the amp, and given that it's a bullet mic, it's going to have a very particular sound that's designed for blues.  I'd recommend an Audix Fireball V, which sounds very good with the Vox, works in a wide range of styles, and costs about half what a rebuilt Turner goes for. You might also consider a Shure 545, SM57, or SM58.  The Bottle o' Blues is a fun mic with a very distinctive (and bottom heavy) sound--I'm glad to have one in my collection, but it's not a great choice for your primary mic.

I've done some recent recordings with a Shure 545SD and a Fireball V side by side running through the same rig, and I'll post those within a day or so.  Both mics make nice sounds, and they certainly sound different from each other.

Regards, Richard Hunter

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