RE: [Harp-L] Mission Amps (review)

[paul hoffman <phoff45@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

 I also am a happy owner of a Mission Chicago harp amp and would agee with the findings in Ken's review. I originally had my sights on another amp but when that builder never got back with me on some questions I moved on. Bruce answered all Emails and got my $$. Like Ken said it is a great looking amp with lots of cool features. I did not want a bassman sized amp yet wanted some power, and I got it. The cool thing is I generally dont need 35 watts and with the bias switch on cathode I can run 6v6's which gives a great warm tone. But I can run the 6l6's or kt66's anytime I need more. Great features and price with a reasonable size and weight!! Works for me.
             Paul 
 
> Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2010 12:46:00 -0700
> From: harplicks@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Mission Amps (review)
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> 
> Hi,
> 
> 
> I own the first production version of the Chicago amp by Mission (built by Bruce 
> Collins). I've been playing through it for several months now and I LOVE 
> it. It's got some great features for harp players and looks just beautiful with 
> its tweed 1950s Fender style cabinet.
> 
> Anyway, here are my impressions:
> 
> Things I love:
> - The lacquered tweed cabinet (Fender 1955 Wide Panel Deluxe) is beautiful! 
> - The single 12" speaker (Eminence Patriot "Cannabis Rex") is VERY efficient and 
> can handle a whole lot of output without breaking a sweat.
> - Plenty of power (@ 35 watts) so I'm never buried in the mix unless I want to 
> be. 
> - GREAT set of natural overtones. This thing is rich with overtones, and just 
> sings! The more I play through it the more I love it as I discover -- through 
> varying my attack, vibrato, cupping techniques, tongue slaps etc. -- that this 
> amp really responds spectacularly well, and offers a very nice pallet of tones. 
> For example, by using a delayed attack on a low harp, I can get a wonderful 
> trombone-like sound (a-la-Dennis Gruenling). This I never expected, and really 
> kicks butt on those slow blues numbers, especially 3rd position minors. 
> - I love the "Deep" switch which boosts the bottom end response. I just leave 
> that sucker on all the time. Playing a low harp, like your G or Low-D can be a 
> powerful experience -- it's all out front, despite the band's volume. This is a 
> GREAT feature! 
> - I love the line-out on this amp as it has it's own volume control on the am! 
> I've had several occasions to use it now, and it's MUCH better than micing the 
> amp. Once set up, if I need more through the mains, I can tweak it myself 
> (drives the sound guys crazy). 
> - The tone (base/treble) controls really REALLY effect the tone (what a 
> concept). Other amps I've used, the tone controls seem wimpy for harp.
> - The amp has two inputs (Hi and Lo) for using different types of mics. I'm 
> using the Lo input for really hot mics, like my 1950s Green Bullet and my 
> super-hot wood-bodied crystal, and use the Hi input for lower-output mics, like 
> my JT-30, or my RE-10. 
> - It comes with a switch that allows you to change from cathode bias to fixed 
> bias on the fly. The difference is subtle to my ears, but one provides a little 
> more vintage sound to my ears, so I leave it there (not sure which bias that is, 
> however, as they are not marked). 
> - It has a gigantic 50-watt power transformer which I'm told is the secret for 
> the HUGE bottom end you can project. 
> - The feedback resistance on this amp is phenomenal, even at hi volumes. Not 
> completely immune, but easily managed.
> - I haven't added any pedals to the amp yet, but Bruce tells me it's very "pedal 
> friendly" whatever that means. I'll take his word on that as he's come through 
> with everything else he's promised.
> - Bruce, incidentally, is GREAT to work with. Since mine was the first 
> production model, he would often come to my band's weekly blues jam to hear for 
> himself how the amp was breaking in. He actively solicited my 
> thoughts/impressions as a player. Bruce, BTW, is an engineer who really knows 
> his stuff. He's been building custom tube amps for guitar players since the 
> 1980s. The Chicagoamp is his first go at a purpose-built harp amp and he's hit a 
> home-run in my opinion.
> - The pricing on this amp is fantastic. Much less than comparable harp amps from 
> other custom builders, yet the quality is still amazingly high. 
> 
> Things I don't love:
> - Initially, I found my amp to be a little edgy/harsh with high-key harps (at 
> higher volumes). I went back to Bruce for a little tweak. Bruce then installed 
> an additional toggle switch inside the cabinet that he calls the 
> "crowd-friendly" mod. It cut the harshness right out of that puppy without 
> sacrificing power or projection. However, if I find myself on stage with some 
> guitar shredders, I can still flip that toggle and it will have more cut, but I 
> don't need that for what I generally play. 
> - In addition, the speaker itself, being brand new, needed a few hours of stage 
> time to mellow out. It did mellow out a LOTafter about 20 hours of play. Now 
> it's smooth and creamy.
> - At 35 Watts this thing needs a bit of push to get it to break up like smaller 
> amps, but I can still get around that by pushing the volume on the amp and 
> holding back the overall volume using the VC on my mic. I'd like a little more 
> break-up sometimes, so I'm thinking about picking up one of those "Harp Break" 
> pedals from Lone Wolf for when I want a more over-driven sound. Might add a 
> delay pedal as well for a little slap-back when I want it.
> - As a player, I wish I had a better vibrato... Other players with great vibrato 
> pull more out of this amp than I can... but that's not the amp's fault. :-)
> 
> Harpin' in Colorado,
> --Ken M.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Michael D'Aurizio <mdaurizio@xxxxxxxx>
> To: harp-l list <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Fri, October 8, 2010 11:24:26 AM
> Subject: [Harp-L] Mission Amps
> 
> 
> Hi All,
> Has anybody had any first hand experience with the harp amp put out by Mission 
> Amplifiers in Colorado? I think they call it the Chicago. Thanks.
> 
> Mike 
> 
> 
>