HawkeyeKane
1449 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:09 PM
|
As I mentioned in anotehr thread, I'm compiling a small database of current production amps that have either been established by one or more people as harp-friendly, or have been built for harp from the ground up. By current production, I mean currently being manufactured and readily available for purchase. I am still including a very few that have been discontinued, but those are still pretty available on the market today.
I'm dividing them into three divisions:
PEEWEE Division (10W or less)
CRUISER Division (12 to 35W)
BEAST Division (40W or more)
I've come up with a good number and gotten some suggestions from others. If you have a recommendation, please share. I'll post the divisions in three seperate posts for character limit's sake.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
HawkeyeKane
1450 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:10 PM
|
PEEWEE
Blues Luggage Sonny Boy
Bugera V5
Chickenhead F51 Little Juke
Epiphone Valve Junior
Epiphone Valve Junior Hot Rod
Fender Champion 600
Fender Eric Clapton Signature Vibro-Champ
Fender Pawn Shop Greta
Gretsch G5222 Electromatic
HarpGear HG2
Hohner Hoodoo Box
Kalamazoo Model One (Joe Goforth recreation)
Kendrick Vagabond
Kendrick Model 118
Marble MAX
Marshall Class 5
Peavey ValveKing Royal 8
Peavey Nano Vypyr
Roland Micro Cube
VHT Classic 6
VHT Special 6
Victoria 518
Victoria 5112
Vox AC4TV
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
HawkeyeKane
1451 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:11 PM
|
CRUISER
Fender Blues Junior III
Fender Pro Junior III
Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux
Fender '57 Bandmaster
Fender '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue
Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue
Fender Pawn Shop Excelsior
HarpGear Double Trouble
HarpGear HG35
Kendrick Specialty Canary
Kendrick Texas Crude
Marble Bluesonic
Marble Harpwood
Meteor Mini-Meat
Meteor Mini-15
Mission 32-20
Peavey Classic 30
Peavey Delta Blues 115
Peavey Delta Blues 210
Peavey Vypyr 15
Seydel HyperAmp
Sonny Jr. SJ1
Sonny Jr. Cruncher
Victoria 20112
Victoria 35310
Victoria Ivy League
Victoria Electro King
Victoria Regal
Vox AC15
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
HawkeyeKane
1452 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:12 PM
|
BEAST
Fender '59 Bassman LTD
Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue
Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue
Fender Hot Rod DeVille
Fender Blues DeVille Reissue
Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue
Fender Vibrolux Reverb
HarpGear HG50 1210
HarpGear HG50 410
Kendrick BadAssMan 2410
Kinder Harp King 4X10
Kinder Harp King 6X10
Marble Harpmaster
MegaTone Wezo-45
MegaTone Wezo Twin Prototype
MegaTone Wezo Twin 2nd Generation
Meteor Harp Amp
Mission Chicago 50
Peavey Classic 50
Peavey ValveKing 112
Sonny Jr. SJ2
Sonny Jr. Avenger
Sonny Jr. Super Cruncher
Victoria 45410
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
rogonzab
230 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:37 PM
|
Great idea!! very very usefull.
PEEWEE Division:
- Vox mini3
CRUISER Division:
- Laney Cub 10
|
Rick Davis
1280 posts
Feb 05, 2013
2:47 PM
|
Not to be argumentative, but the SJ amps are no longer in production are are not readily available on the used market.
----------
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
|
HawkeyeKane
1453 posts
Feb 05, 2013
3:02 PM
|
@ Rick
No they're not in production. But they crop up for sale on eBay and Harp-L on a limited basis. I'm not discounting that. I'm planning to note their discontinuation and limited availability in the database.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
lumpy wafflesquirt
686 posts
Feb 05, 2013
3:15 PM
|
peewee
roland street cube
----------
"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
|
Rick Davis
1281 posts
Feb 05, 2013
3:32 PM
|
Then why not include other out-of-production amps that are good for harp and are available from time to time on eBay? Such as Fender silverface amps, for example. Fender Red Knob amps. etc... If you are not strictly sticking to new production amps then you are leaving out a lot of really good stuff that can be had for not a lot of money.
I'm not understanding the purpose of your database. I thought it was for new production amps we can buy or order today from a manufacturer. I think that is a great idea.
----------
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
|
HawkeyeKane
1454 posts
Feb 05, 2013
3:46 PM
|
Fair point. Main reasons I was including them are because they've proved to be some of the most coveted boutique harp amps of all time, and their discontinuation was less than a year ago. Maybe I'll shuffle them over to another database division for those amps that have been recently discontinued.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
12gagedan
243 posts
Feb 05, 2013
4:25 PM
|
What about the Brown Concert?
----------
12gagedan's YouTube Channel
|
shbamac
241 posts
Feb 05, 2013
4:35 PM
|
I would add these amps from Mergili: http://www.mergili.com/Harp/HarpAmps.htm
And I would add Vintage47amps designs as well.
|
HTrain
87 posts
Feb 05, 2013
4:33 PM
|
don't know what happened to my earlier recommendatio:
Cruiser Division - MegaTone WEZO ME-18
|
HawkeyeKane
1455 posts
Feb 05, 2013
4:50 PM
|
Don't know either Htrain. But it is already in my list, just forgot to list it here.
@12gagedan
Wasn't aware there was a reissue brown Concert in production.
@shbamac
Which Vintage 47 amps do you specifically recommend?
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
12gagedan
244 posts
Feb 05, 2013
5:01 PM
|
My bad. I thought they had. Wonder what I was thinking of.
----------
12gagedan's YouTube Channel
|
Buzadero
1043 posts
Feb 05, 2013
7:56 PM
|
A Big Un, for the "BEAST" weight class:
Fender "The Twin" Red Knob
----------
~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
|
SuperBee
889 posts
Feb 05, 2013
8:41 PM
|
Peewee
Fender VibroChamp XD
Cruiser
Fender SuperChamp XD
Fender SuperChamp X2
----------
|
A440
60 posts
Feb 06, 2013
1:14 PM
|
Great list Hawkeye!
The Epiphone Valve Junior is also (sadly) discontinued.
|
HawkeyeKane
1457 posts
Feb 06, 2013
2:00 PM
|
@A440
Damn....you're right. I shoud strike that one too I guess. The Gretsch G5222 is also discontinued, but it's still available on Amazon.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
HawkeyeKane
1458 posts
Feb 06, 2013
2:16 PM
|
@SuperBee
The Vibro-Champ XD is getting harder to find in online retailers' inventories. ANyone know if it's on its way out or something?
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
SuperBee
893 posts
Feb 06, 2013
7:16 PM
|
Yeah dunno Hawk, I just checked the Fender amps page and saw they are still listing those amps under the Vintage Modified heading. Dave Barrett used to recommend the Super Champ XD to students, and the X2 looks like essentially the same gig with more versatility. The VibroChamp XD I have found to be very useful and harp friendly if you pick the right preamp voice model (hint: voice 4. The others are mainly too gainy, although 1 and 2 and a couple of others are also useable)
----------
|
HawkeyeKane
1460 posts
Feb 07, 2013
8:18 AM
|
I do believe the Super Champ XD has been discontinued, and replaced in the line-up by the X2. Only difference I can see between the two is the USB output on the X2.
After searching around, I do believe the Vibro-Champ XD has been discontinued as well. The Clapton Vibro-Champ is the only one being kept in stock by retailers that I've found.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
HawkeyeKane
1461 posts
Feb 07, 2013
10:14 AM
|
@Buzadero
According to all my sources, the red-knob Twin has been out of production since 1994.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
atty1chgo
602 posts
Feb 07, 2013
4:30 PM
|
Is this string limited to tube amps?
|
SuperBee
895 posts
Feb 07, 2013
5:29 PM
|
I think the X2 has a different preamp chip. Seems to be the same as they use in the Mustang series. But I think the 'clean' voice is still the same, and that was the one to use anyway.
Those XD amps are listed on the official 2013 fender Australia page, along with the EC VibroChamp. Maybe they are just clearing out the stockpile, I dunno, but they are still listed. Not on the US page though.
I also saw the price of the EC Champ. I really can't think why I would get one for a harp amp, although it seems a sweet amp it's hardly value
----------
Last Edited by SuperBee on Feb 07, 2013 7:31 PM
|
HawkeyeKane
1462 posts
Feb 07, 2013
7:06 PM
|
@atty1chgo
Certainly not! Several solid state amps have been added to the lists. Granted, they've all been modeling amps, but I know some non-modeling solid states that are good for harp...even acoustic guitar amps.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
Johncn
31 posts
Feb 07, 2013
7:55 PM
|
Hi,
Can I suggest that you are probably not building a relational "database" so much as a "spreadsheet" resource of harmonica amps and their characteristics....an admirable undertaking!
The columns (to use spreadsheet lingo) are the variables,and the rows are likely created for each amp on your list.
For our purposes, I'm assuming (suggesting) you use Google Docs for this, as it would allow filtering, download as an Excel document and so on.
If you wanted to make it more useful, and remove the need to decide if you only want to include those amps in current circulation and so on, you could simply add a column that could be titled "Availability", and make the options for status "Current", "Recent" or "Classic Era".
You could also allow users of this forum that you assigned permission for the Google Doc to add or edit the information in the spreadsheet directly, rather than have us relay info through you. This is, obviously, optional, and rest assured that you would also still be able to override their edits and/or track who changed the data.
Just an idea, as I sort of help people do this kind of thing for a living. Good luck, and thanks for undertaking the project however you decide to do it.
Johncn
Last Edited by Johncn on Feb 07, 2013 7:58 PM
|
HawkeyeKane
1463 posts
Feb 08, 2013
6:35 AM
|
I'll take it into consideration, John. I'm still compiling data before I release anything just yet, but your advice will be valuable when I come to that point. Thanks! :-)
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
Rick Davis
1290 posts
Feb 08, 2013
6:42 AM
|
Tim, I know there are issues of scope to be decided but I would encourage you to keep at this and get it done. You could even have links to Youtube video examples of each amp. It would be where we point all the people who ask the "which amp" question.
----------
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
|
HawkeyeKane
1464 posts
Feb 08, 2013
8:36 AM
|
Not a bad idea Rick. I'm still not sure which direction to go in terms of the format that I'll release this in. Adam graciously offered to create a separate page on MBH to host this project, and if I go that route, then I'll know that all this work I'm doing now will be the EASY part. I had the thought of a downloadable PDF, but then the YouTube vids couldn't be attached. I'll play it by ear and see how it goes. I'm still working on attaching photos to my preliminary Word doc, which is somewhat time consuming, and waiting to hear back from a few amp builders for specs they don't advertise on their sites.
@rogonzab
I've placed your suggestion of the Laney Cub 10 in the Peewee division since it technically is a 10W amp.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Feb 08, 2013 8:40 AM
|
Johncn
32 posts
Feb 08, 2013
9:21 AM
|
Hawkeye,
I think that you should consider how you see this information being used and maintained in order to select the best format.
Static HTML pages, and PDFs both require "ownership" - the primary control and writing by one person. They also require "versions" - updates done periodically as information changes.
If you expect the information to change - as it will when companies make changes to their product lines, or new solutions are suggested - then it will require editing, vetting and versioning by someone. The information listed will always lag the latest available resources.
A simple shared document format (Google Doc, wiki, etc.) would allow multiple contributors, distributed authoring, and more "eyeballs" to do the vetting. As YouTube links became available, for instance, or schematics, they could be added. As manufactuers made changes, these could be posted, and you could easily control permissions for the changes to a trusted group of volunteers.
As Eric S. Raymond says in The Cathedral and the Bazaar treatise, "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow". This is the premise beyond "open content" and "open source" project development.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cathedral_and_the_Bazaar
So, if your goal is "publishing" or "releasing" the information, then you will likely choose one type of format that only you control (PDF, HTML, Word or Excel, etc.). If you want it to serve as a dynamic resource that can grow beyond the limits of single author, you would probably want a more dynamic format with distributed authorship.
Just my opinion,and I wish you well in any event. It is an interesting project, and I'm sure you will make the choice that is right for you.
Regards,
Johncn
Last Edited by Johncn on Feb 08, 2013 9:08 AM
|
HawkeyeKane
1472 posts
Feb 13, 2013
7:45 AM
|
Okay....I've worked on the list a little. Not as much as I'd like, but I've been pretty busy at the office lately. Here are the additions I've made, but I'm still waiting on emails back from some of the builders.
PEEWEE
Danelectro Hodad DH-1
Danelectro Hodad DH-2
Danelectro Honeytone
Fender Vibro Champ XD
Laney Cub 10
Line 6 Micro Spider
Mergili Boy Elroy
Pignose 7-100
Roland Street Cube
Vintage 47 Spectator/Comet
Vintage 47 Oahu Suitcase
Vintage 47 Oahu Chicago Blues Tone Triple
Vox Mini 3
Yamaha THR5
Yamaha THR10
CRUISER
Fender Super Champ XD/X2
Megatone Wezo ME-18
Mergili AMPhibian
Mergili Big Boy Elroy
Mergili Tweed Indeed
Pignose Hog 20
Pignose Hog 30
Vintage 47 Dobro Tweed 10
Vintage 47 National/McKinney Two Tone Supreme
Vintage 47 1942 Oahu "El Capitan"
Vintage 47 English Tonemaster
Vintage 47 National Tremotone
Vintage 47 Bronson "Singing Electric"
Vox AC30
BEAST
Fender Custom Shop '57 Twin-Amp
Fender Eric Clapton Twinolux
Anyone have any other recommendations?
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Feb 13, 2013 7:48 AM
|
SuperBee
906 posts
Feb 14, 2013
4:49 AM
|
Do Laney still make the LC15? I quite liked that.
Also...I dunno if Kustom still make that 36 watt thing...with the silly looking upholstery...what was that called? I'll have to look it up. It was surprisingly good for harp... Oh yeah, that's right. The Kustom 36 Coupe. I've never heard of anyone using it for harp, but I did and I liked it. There was a 45watt 112 Peavey I tried too which was ok, pretty sure that would be out of production though...er...the "prowler"? It was ok I thought, not great but workable...I'm rambling...time to sleep...
Laney LC15. Quite useable for harp. And the Laney Cubs are all ok, the 8 and 12 as well as the 10.
----------
|
harpletunnel
13 posts
Feb 21, 2013
11:55 PM
|
Mergilli Big boy Elroy 20watt 210 harmonicia amp. I love it.
|
HawkeyeKane
1494 posts
Feb 22, 2013
6:40 AM
|
@harpletunnel
Can you give me the specs on that amp? Mergili only lists wattage and power tubes on their site, and they haven't written me back.
@SuperBee
Looks like Laney does still sell the LC15. I'm looking into the Kustom as well, but yes, the Peavey Prowler is discontinued.
Side question on the CUB8....does anyone know if this is pretty much a Champ type of circuit?
UPDATE: It appears the Kustom 36 Coupe is also discontinued.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Feb 22, 2013 10:36 AM
|
rogonzab
235 posts
Feb 22, 2013
8:46 AM
|
The Laney Cub12 is more close to the Blues Junior Circuit, and the Cub 10 is a whole other amp, it uses 6v6s instead of the EL84 that the Cub12 use.
I guess that the Cub 10 would be better for harp.
|
1847
534 posts
Feb 22, 2013
10:24 AM
|
LARRY DAVID 410 BULLET PROOF AMP
|
1847
535 posts
Feb 22, 2013
10:26 AM
|
THE HARP FANATIC AMP 410
|
1847
536 posts
Feb 22, 2013
10:32 AM
|
magnatone "lyric" kicks butt!
10" speaker 10 watts line out
|
dougharps
343 posts
Feb 22, 2013
10:46 AM
|
I am still using an Electro-Harmonix 44 Magnum through a Lil Buddy as my "sit in" amp when I play with Kilborn Alley. 44 Class D watts. It is super light weight and has reasonably good tone and volume when I use my Shure 585AV. The band was surprised the first time I brought it.
While I would choose a one of my vintage tube amps to play a full gig or for the studio, this little amp deserves to be mentioned. It allows me to have an amp available without dragging vintage gear around on the possibility of sitting in with a band. It allows an amplified blues harp sound different from that I would get through the PA, and in a small to medium venue, doesn't require the sound man to do anything.
----------
Doug S.
|
HawkeyeKane
1495 posts
Feb 22, 2013
10:56 AM
|
@1847
I've written Dave Kott for the specs on the HF and I'm adding the Lyric to the list.
About the Bulletproofs though....correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that those were vintage amps that Larry rebuilt and optimized for harp and added his snazzy cosmetic motifs to. I can't really look into it myself right now because he doesn't have his own website, just facebook and myspace which are inaccessible to me at my office. Is this an erroneous supposition on my part?
@doug
Shoot me an email if you can with this amp you're mentioning. I'm not familiar with what you're describing.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Feb 22, 2013 10:56 AM
|
1847
537 posts
Feb 22, 2013
11:37 AM
|
it's my understanding he builds them from scratch.
also almost any of the magnatone amps
with 6L6 OR 6V6 would sound awesome
i'd bet you could order one with
an eric johnson 12" eminence speaker or two
|
RyanMortos
1411 posts
Feb 22, 2013
1:26 PM
|
PEEWEE Division
HarpGear Rock Bottom
Or is this thing discontinued?
----------
~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
Last Edited by RyanMortos on Feb 22, 2013 1:39 PM
|
HawkeyeKane
1496 posts
Feb 22, 2013
1:45 PM
|
@Ryan
I believe its discontinued....it's not on his page of currently available amps....but I'll write Brian and ask him just to be sure.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
RyanMortos
1412 posts
Feb 22, 2013
1:53 PM
|
Huh, yeah I was curious why it's still on his site but not on the main amp page. Anyone who uses a search engine to find harpgear rock bottom will see it for sale.
So does discontinued drive resale value up or down, lol? Was like $580 in '09 .
----------
~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
|
HawkeyeKane
1497 posts
Feb 22, 2013
2:06 PM
|
LOL...good point. I've written him. I'll let you know what he says.
Sidenote, I was on the Bay the other day and found this erroneously named product.
D2F Padded Cover for HarpGear Kalamazoo I
I shared it with Brian. He got a kick out of it.
UPDATE: Brian wrote me back. The Rock Bottom is, as I suspected, discontinued.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by HawkeyeKane on Feb 22, 2013 2:25 PM
|
RyanMortos
1413 posts
Feb 22, 2013
3:24 PM
|
That makes mine a LIMITED EDITION HarpGear :D .
----------
~Ryan
See My Profile for contact info, etc.
|
HawkeyeKane
1498 posts
Feb 22, 2013
3:52 PM
|
So it would seem....you lucky frig. ;-)
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
6SN7
274 posts
Feb 22, 2013
5:21 PM
|
Great stuff Mr Kane!
|
HawkeyeKane
1501 posts
Feb 25, 2013
10:42 AM
|
Thanks 6SN7!
I've been adding the new Magnatones to the list. As 1847 said before, all their 6V6/6L6 amps have to be harp-friendly. But I think the Varsity, despite being an EL84 amp, would also be a good harp amp. It looks like its design could be comparable to a Pro Junior. And the Super 59 is an EL34 powered Beast division qualifier.
The Super 15 I'm not so sure about. It looks more Vox AC15 or Marshall inspired, and it has a Master knob. *insert tongue in cheek* Anyone think it should be added to the list?
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
