Re: [Harp-L] Amp recommendations?

[David Nalepinski <dnveloman@xxxxxxxxx>]

While its a side step from the usual-- I play a modded Blues Junior.  A late
Mexican made.  A local amp tech in VT (website available) upgraded the power
with Mercury Magnetics.  He lowered the power in the preamp a little,
modded the tone stack so you can dial them out/in, upgraded a few key
transistors,-  Last but not least- an Eminence Texas Heat.  The tone and
control thereof is unbelievable.  This thing has a fat bottom, wide
controllable mids, and trebles that you can use.  I use an AFB+ w/ some mics
and volumes- but usually no-need.

I'm in it for around $800- but it sounds as nice as anything- and no-one
expects the big sound from a stock looking BJ.

On Sun, Feb 14, 2010 at 9:35 PM, Ima Nonimous <imanonimous@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> 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
>