harpdude61
1173 posts
Nov 28, 2011
12:10 PM
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After much pondering, saving, and listening to fellow forum members advice, I ordered a HG50 410 from Brian at Harpgear.
I would have liked to tried others, but since my Double Trouble has been a great amp, this was the logical jump.
Amps built for harmonica are not like new cars or even guitar amps. You cannot go to the store and try each one 3 or 4 times to find what you like.
I know many of you fine players use the HG50. I would appreciate any comments and advice.
As hard as I have worked the past few years on harp, I still have not grasped all the tech and sound stuff. I know I have more knobs to adjust. Any comments on settings? How does the standby work?
My mics are an Ultimate 57 and a JT30..I prefer the 57 most of the time.
I have a Harp Delay pedal and I just ordered a Sonic Stomp Maximizer. I heard it made the sound high def? Which pedal first?
As always I appreciate info from forum members in the know!
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5F6H
986 posts
Nov 28, 2011
12:57 PM
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Settings - Dial in bass knob first, play some 2 draws on a low-ish key harp (G,A) see where the tone really mushes up & back off to just before that point. Next the mid, play some 3 draw bends, listen to the attack & dynamics of the notes...the "shape" of the note, dial in as much as you need for your style of playing (if you play long, legato phrases you may not need as much mids as someone who plays choppy, more staccato phrases. Mid really controls the dynamics of your notes & phrases, too little and notes might be too soft edged & blurr some...too much and the notes might go brittle & metallic...mid settings are very player/style driven, one man's meat is another's poison. Then dial in the treble to just give the detail & crispness to the high end. Then fine tune all 3.
Standby - power on, wait 30 seconds to 1 minute, then throw the standby to "play" mode. When your tubes are cold they draw no current so the amp is hit with unusually high voltages potentially stressing rectifiers & caps...using the standby avoids voltage spikes when powering up. When turning the amp off, put in standby mode, wait a few seconds (10-15 is fine) then power down. DO NOT use the standby as a "mute" switch or leave the amp in standby for extended periods.
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www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Nov 28, 2011 12:57 PM
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bharper
115 posts
Nov 28, 2011
1:21 PM
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The HG50 is a fine amp. I have played it several times; I have never owned one. It has a very good distinctive tone. I'd try the amp without any pedals first. You may actually prefer it that way. I know I did.
Judging from your amp, mic, and pedal choices I'd guess you are a Jason Ricci fan. Jason is certainly a wonderful player, but as he showed on one of his many videos, that amp sounds great with nothing but a mic and a cable.
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harpdude61
1174 posts
Nov 28, 2011
3:49 PM
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@5F6H Great stuff man! I really appreciate it. So if the band takes a 10 minute break I should leave the amp alone? Standy is only for powering up and down?
Thanks bharper.
ME! A Ricci fan!?
IMHO he justs gets more out of the instrument than anyone and is so full of soul.
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5F6H
987 posts
Nov 28, 2011
4:16 PM
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"So if the band takes a 10 minute break I should leave the amp alone? Standy is only for powering up and down?"
Yes, that's right. The HG 50 is "fixed bias" (like a tweed bassman/super reverb) so won't do anything odd whilst left in play mode, like overheat or anything. It's better to kill the possibility of unwanted noise/feedback during the break by turning down your mic's volume control, or if no volume control you can pull the mic cord from the amp's input jack (pulling the mic end can result in awful hum).
Some other amps, like Mascos, Champs, tweed deluxes etc are cathode-biased and do just get hotter & hotter the longer they are left on, I'd recommend turning these off altogether during any lengthy breaks to give them a chance to cool.
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www.myspace.com/markburness
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timeistight
227 posts
Nov 28, 2011
4:24 PM
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Have you tried asking Brian Purdy these questions? Nobody knows this amp as well as he does.
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harpdude61
1175 posts
Nov 28, 2011
5:36 PM
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Brian is busy and I like to ask questions like this on the forum to share the learned info with anyone that might be interested....plus a lot of the guys on here gig regualarly with the amp.
Who doesn't like to talk about a new toy?
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12gagedan
138 posts
Nov 28, 2011
6:05 PM
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I played the HG50 that RJ Mischo ended up buying this fall. I really liked the sound, and would've considered buying one myself if I didn't already have a Brown Concert and an HG35. For my amp-taste, I don't think you can go wrong.
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12gagedan's YouTube Channel
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Joe_L
1647 posts
Nov 28, 2011
7:04 PM
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Listen to 5F6H. He knows his shit.
Enjoy your new amp.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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harpdude61
1176 posts
Nov 29, 2011
7:06 AM
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Thanks Dan and Joe. I really do appreciate people like 5F6H, hvyj, Walt Tore, BBQ Bob, etc..etc.. This forum is priceless for any player trying to advance.
Thanks again!
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bluemoose
634 posts
Nov 29, 2011
1:28 PM
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Sonic Stomp Maximizer is always the last pedal before the amp.
MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids
FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
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