you could look into pignose ampshttp://www.pignoseamps.com/index.php?disp=master&subcat=portamps they've got a few although i think i'd look into maybe having a larger speaker installed on the larger ones they are a little harsh. the little 7-100 is a great little battery operated portable . i think a few guys here myself included have one. i use mine w/ a shaker dynamic microphone . a decent low cost porta rig. i think the hog 20 would be possibly a decent one although like i said i think i'd have a larger speaker installed the speaker it comes with is too small in my opinion.
I bought my a self mini amp from Danelectro, the Hodad. Amazingly loud and has a crunchy tone ---------- http://www.youtube.com/user/Dantheharpman
Last Edited by on Mar 01, 2009 11:55 PM
I have a hog 30 with a 10" speaker--I'm not much of a gear head either, but when I plug my green bullet into my Behringer 8-trak mixer with a bit of reverb (which can run on batteries too) and feed that into the hog, it honks out a sound that I like a lot.
It has a bass boost on it which I find useless---and the controls are all down on the BOTTOM of the cab! That really sucks--unless you set it up on a small table--which I usually try to do if the sound is right.
There is also a line out in the back (bottom) of the cab, so you can hook into a PA--I've never played it anywhere that was big enough to do that--and I usually only play with acoustic guitarists who have pretty much the same volume limitations harp players do.
If you are looking for very small (1 watt) amps, a lot of people like the Danelectro Honeytone and I've also heard a couple of good things about the newer Danelctro Hodad. Both of these have some effects built in (I think the Honeytone just has overdrive, while the Hodad has tremolo and echo). Here's a good reference for using the Honeytone woth harp: http://www.angelfire.com/music/harmonica/honeytone.html Many people also like the 1/2 watt "Smokey" amp, but i feel this is way over priced. If you have a soldering Iron, you can go to radio shack and build yourself the exact same amp for WAY less. Here's a reference for that build project: http://www.beavisaudio.com/Projects/NoisyCricket/
Personally, I have a pignose 7-100 (the "legendary" pignose). It puts out 5 watts of pure tone. If you want something more powerful, then a Hog 20 or 30 might do ya, but I don;t have any experience with either of them... ---------- -------------- The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
I just saw the "Amps for sale" tab on MBH. But.....a little out of my price range for now, maybe I'll put back some money each week. I like the sound of that HarpGear 2.....and the TWEED. Makes me want to cry looking at it. ---------- ---Go Bears!!! (Richard Dent for Hall of Fame)---
I busk with a roland micro cube using an SM58 knock off mic. It works well for me and I play blues mostly, but the guitarist I play with also likes CCR, Neil Young and all kinds of other styles so I flip the knobs to get the right sound for the tune and find it very flexible that way. It is loud enough for busking on the subway line even though it is only 2 watts). Definately not an amp if you actually want to gig with it as a stand alone amp. I haven't used it for gigs but would be pretty sure you wouldn't hear it much at all.
I think it is darn good for the money. I use rechargable AA batteries (6 of them) and light too (I don't have a car)
I can get real clean sounds out of it and it has all kinds of guitar effects that when played with a harp give a chicagoesque sound or almost anything really.
I can get an accordian sound (chours on full with a touch of reverb) out of it for jigs and reels or just clean reverb for Neil Young type stuff. I even use heavy delay for a reggae tune or 2.
Let me know if you want me to do a demo video of it to show all the sounds you can get and I'll post it on the harpfriends channel.
or check this guy out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGaGxNmXmkU
Not saying the playing is my favourite but he is playing harp on a roland micro cube with lots of effects on it (too much effect for my taste). But it will give you a sense of one of the sounds it can make.
Hope that helps
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2009 5:04 PM
Everything The Happy Harper says about the Roland Micro Cube is 100% correct. It is a really great battery operated amp for harmonica.
I used a Micro Cube for about two years. Then I got the Micro Cube RX, which is even better!
The Cube RX is similar to the regular Cube, but has 4x 4 inch speakers (instead of 1x 5 inch), and is much louder (5 watts instead of 2 watts). Also, the Cube RX has a 3 way equalizer (instead of a single tone control). This provides more tone flexibility and most notably, improved bass response, which is the primary reason I purchased the RX. Otherwise, both Cubes are basically the same.
One important thing that Happy Harper did not mention is that Micro Cubes have an input that allow you to connect a CD or MP3 player, so you can play along with back-up tracks.
I highly recommend The Roland Micro Cube, or Cube RX, as an excellent battery operated amp for harmonica.
You can get a Micro Cube on eBay for about 100 bucks, and a Cube RX for about $200. If you have the extra dough, definitely get the RX. Like I said, I have both.
Also, do not confuse the Micro Cube BASS RX with the Micro Cube RX. The BASS RX is not recommended for harmonica.
I have 3 videos of me playing harp on YouTube. I used the regular Micro Cube to make them.
www.YouTube.com/Jaybird33066
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2009 6:03 PM
$100- $200 Bucks...That's what im talking about. Definately in a better price range. I'll have to check them out.
I see the one with the delay/reverb, thats pretty cool.
I also see that it runs on 6 "AA" batteries. You guys and gals know of an amp that uses its own power cell?
That Micro Cube looks great though.
oh yeah, "the frozen canuck" asked about how to set up the roland cube amp up in another post. search forum- "older style tube roland cube 60 amp"---you guys and gals got any suggestions for him?
---------- ---Go Bears!!! (Richard Dent for Hall of Fame)---
Last Edited by on Mar 02, 2009 7:43 PM
I went down to the music store one day bent on buying a Roland micro cube. After hearing them on the street, and finding them appealing for the features and portability, It was time to get one. And I almost did. I still might.
When I got there, the sales guy let me play with the Roland micro cube which was as good as everyone's been saying. Then he showed me the portable Vox DA-5 amp, which was very close to the Roland in style and features, but the really cool thing was the switchable watts - from 1 to 3.5 to 5, depending upon your battery life, as well as finding that overdrive at lower output volume. When I noted that it was about 20 dollars more, the sales guy told me he'd sell it for the same price as the Roland so I had a choice. I went home with the Vox and a green bullet, and I like the sound and portability it offers.
just in case you haven't seen the actual MicroCube amp thought I would bring to your attention that the knobs have more than one function on them so it limits your ability to combine them. So if you think of each dial as a clock with numbers on it then it is like this....
since the same knob controls the level of each one of them you must chose only one at a time.
Knob 2
Delay 6 - 12 Reverb 12 - 6
You can get around this by adding the guitar effects like R-fier which will offer combinations of sounds then you can play with adding even more with the first 2 knobs.
Thanks J-bird for your additions, I forgot about the input since I never use it and have had no experience with the one that has the larger speaker and have wondered about that extra EQ knob. Your clips, Poor boy boogie and the festival clip, have some great playing and good sound from the amp, nice work.
I really like the thought of the switchable watts on the Vox that Blackbird talks about. Makes it more flexible as an amp.
Guess it all comes down to your specific needs. It is not a magic all solutions amp but exactly what I need and what I wanted to pay and I am totally happy with it, hope that helps
Last Edited by on Mar 03, 2009 7:51 AM
I've got a Danelectro Honey Tone N-10 and I'm very happy with it! I was on a rehersal today and didn't want to take my Epi 30kilometers away from my home so I took this little fella. It was well heard over the electric guitar and gave a really nice tone, some even say that tube-like. Good thing for a 20$.
I think I've tried them all, Roland Microcube, Vox DA20 (twin 8), Crate, Danos. I stumbled across a Letrosonic MaxiMouse (a la Adam Gussow) and it is by far the best portable I own. I don't know how many of these were made, but they were the standard back in the 70's and 80's. Batteries are rechargable and still available. Letrasonic is still in business and continues to repair these. If I could find a second I'd grab it.
Roland MicroCube me too. I auditioned tonight for a gig on 1st June in an art gallery and got the job. I play backing track MP3 files from my phone into the AUX socket and accompany with the harp. I'm playing a big venue but the volume will be quite enough to ensure I don't drown out the artistic chatter.
It's great to see this topic come up. I am also planning to play outside this summer and looking for a small portable battery-powered busking amp.
From everything I have read, it seems the Roland Micro Cube has a big following. However, visiting a local music shop, I discovered two alternatives to the Micro Cube: the VOX Mini 3 and the Fender Mustang Mini (which features a practical rigid handle). Has anyone used either of these? How do they compare to the Micro Cube? How do they compare on tone/volume/battery life?
Last Edited by A440 on May 24, 2013 3:43 AM
I've had my Micro cube for about a year now and I love it. No it's not a zoo or bass man...but for what I needed and what my budget allowed at the time, it is an awesome little amp. Don't let it's 2 watts fool you. It puts out a lot of volume. Lots of effects features AND you can get 20 hours of play time on 6 AA batteries. Great for on the street and medium sized venues. ---------- You Tube = goshinjk
I havent tried the Roland, but I think that the Vox mini3 is an awesome amp.
Pros: - Works on 6 AA batterys - It has 3 inputs: instrument, vocal mic, mp3 - It has amps emulations - It has several effects - Is light weight - It sounds awesome!
I do a lot of busking and have tried many battery amps. Crate Taxi is my favorite ( but it has no effects if that is important to you). Lots more clean power and lasts quite a while on a charge
I've only used 3 and only one of those is modern. The Roland was pretty good, but I preferred the mouse. Can't buy new, no effects, relatively heavy (but not heavy) totes rechargeable and 8" speaker. I used to use a pignose and that was cool in its own way but the mouse gets the job. The Roland was good too, I didn't own it though and it wasn't interesting enough to move me to buy one..but I roll that way, old stuff, simplify where I can...if I was smarter and savvier I'd play piano. Or make iPhones or satellites or something...can you believe satnavs? I can't believe they can sell that stuff in Australia..there's only 5 streets. Shit, I can remember 7 things all at once without having to make a note... ----------
i second the Vox Mini3 recommendation. i don't busk, but bought one for a practice amp. i tried the roland and several others, but to my ears the Vox had much more of a big amp sound to it. i like that it uses regular AA batteries; i keep a set of rechargeable ones, but you can usually get more in a pinch.
I have an older Vox DA-5. Sounds similar to the Mini3, I think. I also recommend the Vox. My model has a power switch between 0.5W, 1.5W and 5W which is great for practicing indoors. Mine was designed for 6 C cells, but I use adapters and AAs.
@rogonzab, what effects were you using for the second vid above? I really like that sound.
