Re: [Harp-L] Amps

[Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is interesting--

A Fender Frontman Reverb amp with a Jensen P8R speaker

http://youtu.be/_x01h4GL4_4

-Rick Davis
Memphis Blues Amps
Denver Colorado USA

On Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 4:42 PM, Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> Rick Davis wrote:
> <The Fender Frontman 15 actually makes a pretty decent harp amp for the
> <money.  Here is a link to a video of a Dex Lane playing his at Ziggies
> <Blues Jam in Denver:
> <
> <http://youtu.be/7wvgMk-fmRg
> <
> <Does it give you great harp sound?  No, but it certainly is not bad.
>
> Thanks for the link.  I'm not wild about the sound of the harp on that
> video--lots of high mid-range, not a lot of beef in the low mid-range. It's
> not always easy to separate the sound of the player/the amp/the mic
> involved (bullet mics emphasize the midrange, of course), but in general
> it's not a sound that I would prefer.  However, since you can hear the harp
> clearly on the video, potential buyers can certainly make up their own
> minds.
>
> I remain convinced that in the lowest price ranges ($100-125) in
> particular, modeling amps offer more value for money--better sound, and
> usually more and better FX as well, including decent delays and reverbs.
> The Vox DA5 is a good example, and there are videos on Youtube of harp
> played through that amp that sound very good.  This one, by a German player
> (with text in German) is a prime example:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9gNCCgwnb8
>
> The DA5 has built-in FX that include delay and reverb, and it makes a nice
> roar with harp. It also has a line-out that's useful when you want to put
> the amp's output through a bigger amp or PA.  It's no longer in production,
> but they can be found fairly easily used on eBay for less than $100.  I own
> a DA5 that I keep around for those occasions when I just want to plug
> something in and go; I bought it immediately after I played through one at
> a jam session a few years ago.  Obviously I was impressed by the thing.  It
> sounds very nice with guitar too.
>
> The Vox VT series also seems to be harp-friendly; Brandon Bailey has a
> nice video on Youtube demonstrating the VT30 model:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRYKpDJC014
> Guitarcenter.com has a few of these selling used for under $100.  Anything
> you buy from Guitarcenter.com comes with a 15-day no-questions-asked refund
> policy, so the risk is pretty low; if you hate the sounds, pack it up and
> send it back.
>
> I'm reminded of something Steve Baker said to me a few years ago.  He told
> me that he'd run a workshop in Germany where a bunch of amps were tested,
> and in general the players with good acoustic tone sounded pretty good no
> matter which amp they used.
>
> That said, I repeat that in my opinion, in the lowest price ranges
> ($100-125) in particular, modeling amps offer more value for money.  I
> suggest that you check out a few of the videos referenced above and see
> what you think.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
>