RE: [Harp-L] Recommendations for an affordable first amp?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<I would second the recommendation that you get a Kalamazoo Model 1 or 2.  They <regularly show up on ebay and the best thing to do upon purchase is send it to Greg <Heuman at Blows Me Away productions (see his Kalamazoo page at : <http://www.blowsmeaway.com/kalamazoo.html).  He'll tweak it, address any issues and <ship it to you.  These amps aren't battery powered so you can't do the street corner <busking thing, unless you plug in somewhere.  But they're the best dollar-for-dollar <small harp amp you'll find.

Not considering, of course, that by the time you 1) buy the amp, 2) ship it from England to California (the original poster is apparently in the UK, since he describes prices in terms of pounds sterling), 3) pay Greg for his work, and 4) ship the amp back to England, you will have spent at least double the original poster's budget of US $155?  Keeping in mind that Greg himself says that anyone who buys a Kalamazoo off eBay who DOESN'T have it fixed up is asking for trouble?

And also not considering that, contrary to the OP's expressed intentions, you can't run a Kalamazoo on batteries?  A nice sounding amp that can't be used for its intended purpose isn't a very good investment for a working musician.

Kalamazoos sound nice. But they're not the only small amp that sounds nice. 
And they're definitely not the solution to this guy's problem.

Regards, Richard Hunter

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