Re: [Harp-L] Amp for Guitar and Harmonica?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 Eric Nielsen wrote:
<When I played both harp and guitar in bands, I used a keyboard amp. It
<works for a variety of instruments. At times, we even used it in lieu of a
<PA during practice. Not sure of pricing; you'll have to check that out.

A moderately sized keyboard amp like a Peavey KB2 or one of the smaller Behringer amps with at least one 10" speaker and something like 45 watts of power will run $250-300.  The next step up would be a keyboard amp with a 12" speaker and more power for something like $350 new.  I wouldn't bother with any of the keyboard amps out there that are fitted with an 8" speaker--they're not powerful enough to keep up with a band, and they don't have a line out for when you want to put the amp output through a PA.

If you go with a keyboard amp, you want at least one FX device for the harp, and maybe one for the guitar too, since keyboard amps make sounds louder without adding the grit that most people want in a blues or rock harp (or guitar) sound, which your choice of mic suggests is the point.  My choice would be a Digitech RP device loaded with my patch set for either, but there are plenty of other options for adding grit and grind to your sound.  I would budget somewhere in the neighborhood of $100-150 for whatever you use for that purpose.  Added to the amp, that means spending something like $400 for the full rig.  That's a pretty good price for something that's useful for a lot of different styles of music, is powerful but lightweight, and can be used for gigs large and small.

For more info, see this:
http://www.hunterharp.com/whats-the-best-choice-for-your-first-amp/

Regards, Richard Hunter