RE: [Harp-L] Amp recommendations?

[chicago bluesman <chicagobluesman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A few ideas:
1)  Keep your eye out for a good Kalmazoo on ebay (doesn't really matter if it's a Model 1 or Model 2), send it to Greg Heumann for mod's and installation of a line-out jack.  You'll spend less than $500 altogether.
 
or

2) Get an HG2 from Harpgear.  They're terrific amps and they have a line-out jack.  This might push you a little past your budget ceiling.

Like a lot of people who post here I've had a whole series of amps over the years.  Let's see....there was the Ampeg ReverrbrocketII, the Fender Super, the Victoria Double Deluxe, the '68 Fender Princeton, the little Sears Silvertone, the '65 Fender Vibro-Champ, the Meteor, the HG 35 (my current gigging amp).  And, of course, I've sampled a bunch of other amps in music stores.  You won't find a small amp which does a better job than either the Kalamazoo or the HG2.  The 'Zoo's tone is more harsh, brittle and smokey (but it's still got tube warmth) than the HG2, which is louder and achieves the right balance of clean vs breaking-up warmth.  The HG Rock Bottom would be a cheaper alternative to an HG2 and, in fact, you could probably stay in your budget with a Rock Bottom and a 'Zoo.  I've come to think of my 'Zoo's and the HG2 as necessary tools of the trade.  I've got 2 Kalamazoo's for no particular reason other than I think they're ideal cheap harp amps.  I still watch ebay for 'Zoo's which appear to be in good shape--I think of them like harp mic's, in which I like to have a few to work with.  I haven't played an HG Double Trouble but I have no doubt that it would be a great purchase for you--you might want to consider checking it out.

Good luck,

John

> From: imanonimous@xxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:35:54 -0500
> Subject: [Harp-L] Amp recommendations?
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> I would appreciate recommendations and/or insights about choosing a  
> combo amp for gigs in small venues like coffee-houses, pubs, small  
> auditoriums, and occasional outdoor gigs for audiences up to 200 or  
> so. I realize that nobody can point me to an amp I'm guaranteed to  
> love, but your advice will certainly help me sort though the hype and  
> I thank you in advance for whatever guidance you can offer.
> 
> A little background: I've never played professionally and never had a  
> good excuse for buying a good combo amp. Although I cut my teeth  
> playing along with Big Walter and Carey Bell (on vinyl, the first  
> blues album I ever bought) my playing has been mostly acoustic blues,  
> folk, and bluegrass. But recently I was invited to join a band led by  
> an experienced, competent (and very non-egotistical) guitarist with a  
> taste for the Chicago sound. He has an old high-end Ovation that is  
> surprisingly loud, even unplugged. Other instruments are fiddle,  
> upright bass, and drums. Not your typical blues band, and we're doing  
> a variety of material including country blues, bluegrass, skiffle, and  
> some Chicago influenced blues, which gets loud despite the acoustic  
> nature of the band.
> 
> Years ago I bought a Crate VC-508. I had never used it beyond a small  
> coffee-house gig and it proved inadequate in a small auditorium this  
> weekend. I don't have enough experience playing amplified to really  
> complain about the tone, but it doesn't give me chills (I can hear the  
> solid state preamp breaking up). I know the 508 has it's fans and  
> critics. The big problem is volume, and the ability to play loud  
> whether dirty or clean, and to get good tone at lower volume for  
> smaller venues.  I like the mics I have, and if I buy a new amp would  
> like it to work well with them: 520D, Shaker dynamic, SM58, AKG D5  
> (although the D5 is only useful on a stand, the windscreen makes it  
> almost impossible to cup effectively).
> 
> I'd like to keep the cost down to $750 or less, and the amp as small  
> as possible. I'm not so concerned about weight, it's the "fit in the  
> trunk" feature that matters most.
> 
> So, is this the impossible dream?
> What would you choose, and why?
> Should I be looking at the boutique amps like HarpGear, Fat Dog, etc  
> (they seem to be the only players in my price range)?
> The Fender Blues Deluxe (recently recommended here by Rob Paparozzi)  
> has a lot of horsepower and fits the budget and the trunk, but would I  
> find it difficult to get good tone at low volume with an amp designed  
> for guitar?
> What about Harp Commander, using it to run through the PA, using my  
> 508 as a stage monitor?
> 
> Regards and thanks,
> 
> Harry Thomas
 		 	   		  
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