RE: [Harp-L] If money were no objext...

["Joe Piro" <joe_piro@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Man, am I glad to read this post. I just dropped my deposit off with Bruce
last week and I haven't slept since. I can't wait for this thing to show up.
We really are a sick bunch.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Davis [mailto:bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2012 1:56 PM
To: Harp- L
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] If money were no objext...

If money were no object I'd start with a clean slate.  I'd find one of the
best amp techs on the planet and huddle for months designing and building a
harp amp.  I'd take ideas from the Masco amps, and the Premier Twin 8, the
Western Electric bassman circuit, and others.  I'd let TONE be the
determinant for all design decisions.  I'd select every component for the
quality of its tone.  I'd use whatever sounded best, not whatever the
conventional wisdom said was "right."

Well.  That's exactly what I did.  The result is the Mission Chicago
32-20 blues harp amp.  I own the prototype, and it shows.  It has some
mismatched switches and funky stick-on labels.  But the amp is priceless.
It is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that is not for sale at any price.  How
many can say that about their amp?

During the development I lent the amp to pro harp players and asked their
opinions and followed their advice.  Do you like the fixed bias punch of a
Bassman or the cathode biased crunch of a Masco?  No problem; just flip a
switch to select one or the other.

The amp has as much useful volume as a good 410 amp.  I know, because I own
a nice modified 1991 Bassman RI.  It is 35 watts in a 35-pound amp.  The
texture and crunch from the amp are a good mixture of the more rigid 410
amps and the more compressed smaller amps.  It has an amazingly rich tone I
never get tired of hearing.  The amp inspires me to play more and more.

But you don't have to be a 'price is no object" kind of player to get one.
Bruce Collins at Mission Amps in Denver will build you one for $1149.00.

Mike Wezo did the same thing.  His Megatone amps are also excellent.
He decided money was no object and created his own line of amps that defy
convention.

Mission Amps:  http://www.missionharpamps.com/

Megatone Amps:  http://www.megatoneamps.com/


-Rick Davis



On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 9:50 AM, John Dekker <jdekker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> What amp/mic combo would you pick? Assuming you primarily play blues, but
also some classic rock (with a band).
>
> Would you consider the Richard Hunter method of playing through a Digitech
RP (using his patches, of course) into a keyboard amp?
>
> JD