Re: [Harp-L] Barrett's amp tasting

[Grant Walters <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Saw Mark Hummel recently...in one of the hardest places to sound good...
Concrete and glass surfaces...

Noticed a few things...(and I have watched him for at least 15..maybe 20 years)

He sounded outstanding at a really,really  low volume....and got louder as the crowd grew.
He got a great sound even with the Chromatic..amplified.
Sounded great when the band turned up...

He had a really Cool custom Biscuit mic
He played some cool lines on the Chromatic in unison with Rusty Zinn.
(I think he borrowed from Brubeck...horn lines are one Mark's things.)

One thing that I noticed...different...
He put the Amp right next to the Drums...in front.....
He was sitting almost beside the amp...again the amp was out front.  of the band..he just to the side...and in front of amp.


Having played the same room and watching every good harp player that comes through here plays this room,
I have noticed that everyone sets the amp in the back corner of the room....as it is a small space...not a raised stage.
Due to fear of feedback..I tend to get away from my old vintage amps...and the Fender Super is just to much for this little space.
As the crowd grows...I always...(not sometimes) have my smaller deluxe...size amps get lost in the noise...and volume...
Every harp player struggles to get the sound beyond the drums in this room without hitting everyone in the face with the sound.
 The back of the room (very reflective surfaces.) always says..I could not hear you.

What ever Mark is doing...it worked...my guess is it was a good combination of volume without feedback that allowed him to sit on top of his kit.

I am curious about where others place their amps...when playing...
The more humble position on the side and in the back row may be a big mistake...in a tight space like this...16' across with 5-6 piece bands.
Or maybe Mark just did this because they ran out of room.....

Of course..when you start moving yourself to the front row ...you might want to check yourself..so not to start a power struggle.

I am going to start looking seriously at the placement of the amp...with my favorite players...
Long story short.....( already long I guess)....

The amp he used was amazing...and i have heard them all come through this little Brewing Company..Blues bar.
If it is a Sonny Jr.....then that is the best I have heard in this space so far....
I will  check with Mark......Mark has always been the go to guy when it comes to harp amplification.  (he may even have a DVD on the subject)

Great Job Sonny.

Grant Walters





On Jun 4, 2010, at 7:21 AM, SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx wrote:

> With all major amps present except my Avenger which I had in another room,  
> it came down to the top two amps were the Cruncher and the Harpking neck 
> and  neck. My margin is smaller than anyone in the business, but I will hold 
> off on  raising prices for now..That says a lot for a midsized amp to keep up 
> with a 100  watt huge amp. The Avenger is as strong as any amp on the 
> market, and still has  the tone that I will not sacrifice..My cost to build I 
> know for a fact is the  highest out there, yet I am offering an initial 
> introductory offer... Kay is the  one who works on the site , and right now is 
> having communication issues with  the webmaster who is out of the country. You 
> will see an entirely new site and  already reviews of the amp. Mark Hummel 
> will be getting his as well as Charlie.  Mark only plays Sonny Jr amps, 
> however all levels of players can get volume and  tone from this unique amp. It 
> sounds good at any volume. I am not sure if  my other post went up but the 
> sound bites are up on you tube under sonny jr ...  Avenger, Cruncher, 
> introduction, for more information. Get the Avenger now  while I have this short 
> introduction period.  SJ 
>