Some Peavey's are good for gigging. I used a Vypyr 15 for a long time with good results. The ValveKing 112 has proven to be pretty good too. ----------
Is a good harp amp, not a great one, definitly not a vintage fender sound, but if you run it clean is very fat, a lot of bass. The real problem is that the volume pot on 4 is a sweet sound, and the volume pot on 4.25 is an agressive sound. Not too much room to play whit the stock 12ax7.
Whit a better speaker and whit better tubes I bet that is a very good 5w amp.
I always wanted to try the Crate V18 2x12. I need a more powerfull amp to play at my (street) jam, so is going to be the crate v18 or the Bugera v22.
Any one else has experience whit the crate amps?
Last Edited by rogonzab on Sep 23, 2013 6:17 PM
I have a crate V58 (the early one made in USA with two tubes). I upgraded the speaker to a 10 inch; celestion G10 (had to build a slightly bigger cab for it). Swapped out the preamp tube for a lower gain one.
Sounds pretty good I think, lots of bass, pretty fat and very loud. I use it at gigs and mic it through the PA. I usually have the volume on full and the gain at about a quarter.
Richard Hunter did some early work with the Crate VC508 tube amp, and his results were pretty good.
The newer Crate and Peavey solid state amps I've heard sound like crap for harp. Really bad. But you asked about non-gig playing, whatever that means. They might be fine for that.
For non-gig playing I recommend the Danelectro Hodad. If nobody needs to hear you, then 1,5 watts is fine. Sound pretty nice too, once you get the cupping down. I'm re-falling in love with it for home practice! Saves some dough too! And it might be the last battery-powered thing you buy.
Mic: SM 57 Harps: G, A, F Settings: Input: #2 (low gain) Bass: 2 o’clock Middle: 11 o’clock Treble: 9 o’clock Reverb: Off Bright: Off Rear of amp: Resonance: IN (Loose setting – more bottom end) Texture: Full Left (100% Class A) – Allegedly cuts power from 50 watts to 20
I am looking for a 5w practice amp that is under $50.
Rick, what it means is that I do not need a high quality amp for gigs. It is not something I am going to do. I want an amp to play around with, not for gigging. I get no woodies from a $1,000 amp.
Last Edited by Zadozica on Sep 24, 2013 3:00 PM
You can get a used Peavey Rage solid state amp for about $25 to $40 in a pawn shop. 15 watts and it's plenty loud indoors for practicing. They might be a little more expensive now that the price for the new ones has bumped up, but it's a no frills practice amp.
Here is the video of Dex playing a Fender Frontman 15. He paid $30 for it in the used section of Guitar Center. The amp was not mic'ed up. I think he was using a new Shure Green Bullet 520DX harp mic.
I have lots of Peaveys. I think the Transtube technology and the Rage may be what Rick is referring to when he says the Peavey's he's heard sound like crap. From my experience, it seems Peavey targets the high gain market. Loud rock & roll in the 70's & 80's and then metal from there on out. I am neglecting to mention all those steel guitar and keyboard amps on purpose. They're not really applicable, though I have experimented.
What we are talking about is trying to play harmonica through an electric guitar amp. Keeping that in focus, you can have just about the same amount of luck experimenting with Fenders, Peaveys, Marshalls, Crates,Mesas.., the list could go on and on. The 2 really good things about Peaveys is they are cheap & plentiful and damn near indestructible. Generally speaking, they are about half the cost of Fenders.
The tube amps can be tamed, but the SS preamps in the hybrids can be cantankerous. Feedback will cause me to forfeit most volume battles, but if I can convince everyone to keep it civilized, I have a Bravo and a Triumph that sound like harmonica amps and a Heritage that sounds like a PA with soul.
All that Peavey spiel aside, what's y'all's opinion on Quad Reverbs? I've been seeing good deals on them lately.
