[Harp-L] iStomp and preamp

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've been working with the Digitech iStomp that I described in a previous post--the one loaded with the Swing Shift multi-timbral pitch shifter--and I decided to try front-ending it with an ART Tube MP preamp.  

The MP is a simple preamp driven by a 12AX7 tube.  It sells new for $40.  I haven't used mine for a long time, but I was bothered by a little bit of digital crispiness in the iStomp, so I decided to give it a try.  As it turns out, the MP does exactly what I wanted and more: it smooths out the sounds from the iStomp, and it also improves the iStomp's pitch shift tracking against the harp.  It's also a very lightweight device with a footprint the size of a pack of cigarettes, so easy to fit into the rig. 

If I didn't have the iStomp in my FX chain, I wouldn't bother with the Tube MP. The sounds I get from the Digitech RP500 and the Zoom G3 are fine without it.  But it makes a nice addition to a chain with the iStomp in it, and I suspect it also helps push a stronger signal from the harp through the Radial Tonebone ABY box that I use to switch between the RP500 and the G3. 

I'll post pictures of the full FX chain to my blog at hunterharp.com soon.

regards, Richard Hunter   

author, "Jazz Harp" (Oak Publications, NYC)
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