[Harp-L] When do get started with amplification?

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

It's never too early. Depending on what kind of playing you are  
doing, a quality harp friendly mic and cable may be all you need.   
For a number of years when I was sitting in with various bands, I  
just carried a mic and cord (and an IMT, just in case) and played  
through the PA. Still do, sometimes, although for giging i have a  
couple of different fairly powerful amps i use, with a pedal board  
for each, as well as a smaller third amp for practice and really  
small giging situations.

My advice would be to get a good quality harp friendly mic and cable  
and play through the PA if you are going out to jam. To play around  
at home for practice and fun, just about any harp friendly amp will do.

I always find it amusing when I'm at a jam and watch some harp player  
set up more gear than i have furniture in my living room just to play  
a couple of tunes or when they say they need this or that equipment  
because they can't get their sound any other way.  Personally, i  
don't like bullet mics, but except for that, i think i can get  
acceptable tone through anything. If you are giging with a band and  
need to achieve a certain sound or tone for the material or to keep  
up with the rest of the instrumentation, that's a different thing.   
But just to play for fun and practice, get a good quality mic and  
whatever inexpensive harp friendly amp that catches your fancy. The  
most important thing is to have fun with it.

FWIW, I think it is more interesting to develop an amplified tone/ 
sound that you like rather than to copy something you've heard on a  
recording.  Harp players with bullet mics and distortion boxes or  
overdriven tube amps trying to recreate what they call a Chicago  
blues sound are a dime a dozen and precious few of them actually  
succeed in creating an interesting electric tone. i think the  
creative aspect of amplification is that it allows you to create a  
sound that is your own. I use my amps and equipment to try to  
recreate the sound/tone i hear in my head, not to imitate something  
I've heard on a recording. But, YMMV.  Anyway, the important thing is  
to have fun with the electricity, no matter how you decide to go  
about it.

JP