Rick Davis
3046 posts
Mar 09, 2014
7:11 AM
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The Blues Allstars and I will be hosting at Ziggies in Denver tonight. Special guest Ronnie Shellist will be in the house. If you are in the Denver area, c'mon by and play! I'll have the Memphis Mini amp and the Mission Delta Sonic amp for you to use. Bring your harp kit and let's boogie!
I plan to get some video and I'll post it in this thread.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Mar 09, 2014 7:11 AM
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Rick Davis
3051 posts
Mar 10, 2014
9:26 AM
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This is from last night. Ronnie is playing through the Memphis Mini amp with no line out and no pedals. What you hear is 5-watts of tube amp. It kept up with the band really well.
It was a heckuva jam! I love it when the fans outnumber the jammers and the place is full and noisy. The pros get focused and the jammers get edgy and up their game. You can see they are more nervous before they go on. It makes for a better jam overall.
In this video it is Ronnie with my band, The Blues Allstars: Brad Stivers on guitar, Bruce Collins on drums, and Mac McMurray on bass. Listen to Brad play accompaniment... He sounds like Hollywood Fats. That is the way it's done. He makes everybody sound better. Plus, the rhythm section is locked in and groovin'. Nice set.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Mar 10, 2014 9:51 AM
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grahamonica
96 posts
Mar 10, 2014
9:50 AM
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Just great Rick.....live proof that small amps can cut it...awesome sound.
Would love to come to one of your jams....one of these days!!
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MindTheGap
342 posts
Mar 10, 2014
10:40 AM
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Sounds wonderful - your amp and the whole thing. Out of interest, what is the sort of volume level in the room? Could you hold a conversation for instance?
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MTG
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1847
1561 posts
Mar 10, 2014
11:02 AM
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"Small amps unaided by PA support usually cannot hang in that environment. Sorry if that hurts your feelings; I can tell you are very proud of your amp".
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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1847
1563 posts
Mar 10, 2014
11:23 AM
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I'm glad you are happy with your Champ. I don't think I've ever met a harp player as Champ-happy as you. I have a Champ too, and I dig it. I've played it at gigs and jams. I have no problems admitting it's limitations.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Rick Davis
3052 posts
Mar 10, 2014
12:14 PM
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1847, you are confused. This ain't a Champ, it is a Memphis Mini amp. It is significantly louder by design and has better harp tone.
MTG, the room volume at this point was moderate. You could have a conversation without screaming but the music sounded full. If Ronnie had tried this in another set with the guitar hero wannabes he would have been harder to hear without the line out. When I play the MM amp on stage I always use the line out.
Even with my Bassman and a Kinder pedal I could get drowned out by guitar wankers.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Mar 10, 2014 12:19 PM
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Littoral
1046 posts
Mar 10, 2014
12:40 PM
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Hmm, I hear Ronnie working out with a great sound and a band that listens so he doesn't need the PA. I'm sure it would have gone just as well with the line out, or maybe better if it was a full room that required a better distribution of sound. Evidently not. I REALLY prefer when I have to lean in to listen as opposed to protecting my ears.
Music.
And, if Rick wants to show off the amp a little -damn right.
Last Edited by Littoral on Mar 10, 2014 12:42 PM
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1847
1564 posts
Mar 10, 2014
12:56 PM
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I know Bruce Collins at Mission Amps is planning on producing a pure 5F1 tweed amp for harp called the Memphis Mini. It will sell for less than the Harpgear HG2.
yes iam totally confused a pure 5f1 hmmm
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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6SN7
425 posts
Mar 10, 2014
1:12 PM
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The band certainly makes RS sound great. Clearly the band have a lot of respect for RS and serve him well. The guitar looks like he is using a small amp, too.
This is what I wish happen at every jam but regrettably it doesn't; you know the drill, the volume just increases. Just imagine if another guitarist showed up! But, I am sure people are cool at the jam, particularly since Lil' Rick is the sheriff in town!
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1847
1565 posts
Mar 10, 2014
3:00 PM
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it's should be pretty obvious by now i am kinda miffed
And it has the added charm of being a tweed amp with an 8-inch Weber speaker. It nails that nice "Champ" sound.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Rick Davis
3053 posts
Mar 10, 2014
4:51 PM
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Geez, 1847, relax. When Bruce Collins decided to cancel the Memphis Mini amp project I took it over and took in another direction. The amp reflects my tastes in harp amp tone. Bruce helped with the tone stack design, but it is not a Mission Amp.
Tweed Fender Champs made about 3.5 watts and used a relatively inefficient speaker. The MM amp makes an honest 5 watts (when both are measured the same standard way). The MM has a more efficient speaker and larger transformers. And there are other super duper double secret formulas that I included in the amp just to piss you off.
I've played the amp along side several single ended 5-watt amps including tweed Champs. The MM is louder, with a bigger punchier tone. My perceptions are validated by several owners of the amp who also have tweed Champs. They tell me they prefer the tone of the MM amp.
Here a photo of the transformers and some of the super secret stuff:
In the video with Ronnie, we were doing a kind of proof of concept: Can the MM amp cut it on a jam stage without PA support. The answer is.... maybe. In this case it did really well.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Mar 10, 2014 5:25 PM
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Rick Davis
3054 posts
Mar 10, 2014
5:32 PM
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6SN7, the guitarist (Brad Stivers) is using an expensive boutique 1x12 guitar amp that makes 40 watts and is louder than hell when he turns it up. Forgive me, I can't remember the name of the amp. I had never heard of it until Brad brought it to the jam a few months ago. It sounds very good.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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walterharp
1340 posts
Mar 10, 2014
6:54 PM
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it is a champ-type amp with good cut, and bigger transformers and a harp friendly speaker. The cabinet is solid and "rings". It cuts well for an amp of that size, and the tone control is a relatively unique feature for the champ amp setup. Probably because guitars have tone control. I really like mine, put in an hour of practice on it tonight. Price is not too bad, but the 4 foot cord annoys me :-)
That said, there is a for sale thread on this forum and if that is the main point of post here, then that is where it goes. Greg gets away with it occasionally, but he has people like Kim Wilson endorsing his gear and does it relatively infrequently.
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Rick Davis
3055 posts
Mar 11, 2014
7:17 AM
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Walter, the thread originally was more about the jam than the amp before 1847 hijacked it. The MM amp is the amp I have on stage for jammers to use. So yeah, it will show up in the videos.
Any time Ronnie Shellist or Nic Clark play I think it is of interest to blues harp players. I sure get a kick out of it, so I tend to post those videos here.
Walter, I am happy that you have the amp and you like the tone. That is the coolest part of the whole thing.
Here are a couple of photos from the jam. I'm the tall guy. The other tall guy is bass player Mac McMurray.
Two really good harp players, Ronnie Shellist and Dan Treanor.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Mar 11, 2014 7:37 AM
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1847
1569 posts
Mar 11, 2014
8:39 AM
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i am not sure how many watts my amp is producing, but it is loud
perhaps it needs to be put on the scope just to see.
i always liked the way it sounded, it never occurred to me,
to pull out the tired old vintage alnico speaker, and "upgrade" it
to a newer ceramic weber "signature" chinese knockoff
but hey if that will vastly improve the sound, i am open to all options
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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snowman
28 posts
Mar 11, 2014
10:25 AM
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your guitar player does sound like Hollywood fats-- have hollywoods double cd--saw him live in mammoth lakes california approx 78 79 80 --also saw him in southern ca few times b4 he overdosed-- talked to him about his chord fills-- what a charactor--and by the way '1847' can I steal this line i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway" thats top notch lighted hearted humor-your jam looks fun
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Joe_L
2439 posts
Mar 11, 2014
8:37 PM
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I'm surprised the Mini could cut it volume wise at the Ziggies jam without amplification assistance. The times that I went down there I was playing through someone's Princeton Reverb and that was drown out, so I switched to the PA. Not a knock in the jam. Just surprised at the amps.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by Joe_L on Mar 11, 2014 8:38 PM
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Rick Davis
3057 posts
Mar 11, 2014
9:29 PM
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Joe, to be honest it may be that I exert a bit more volume discipline at the jam than when you visited. Still, there are times when the MM could not hang, but it did in this set.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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1847
1576 posts
Mar 12, 2014
7:14 AM
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snowman i got that expression out of the newspaper
that used to have a daily quote.
i liked so much i cut it right out of the paper i still have it.
the request i get most is......
can you turn that down.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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1847
1578 posts
Mar 12, 2014
10:32 AM
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Walter, the thread originally was more about the jam than the amp before 1847 hijacked it
ok fine, you posted a video of ronnie using a five watt amp with an 8 inch speaker
and i am not supposed to mention it, hmm.
all i did was post some of your previous statements re: such amps
they were direct quotes, word for word verbatim.
for a week straight i was ridiculed, for my comment ..you can gig with a 5 watt amp
and now you are gigging with a 5 watt amp. but yours is not an ordinary amp
it puts out a super duper extraordinary 5 watts.
here are several more direct quotes
and the little amp is not mic'ed up or lined out? If that is the case, ya got me there. It's a freaking miracle.
Can you name a pro player who always brings a 5-watt amp to his gigs? Maybe you can, I can't think of one
. At the blues jam this Sunday I'll be playing my Bassman. Bring your Champ and set it up next to it, okay? We'll get the jam going and see where each one sits in the mix.
Are they all missing something? Perhaps you could share your secret with them
. You are welcome to come and play at the jam. I think it might be an educational experience for you.
and my personal favorite........................... Leave the bedroom amp at home.
it seems you have finally discovered the " secret"
turn down!......... watching ronnie's set it sounded just fine
no need to be any louder, but then again they are pro players.
watching the video that came on after that one, dan treanor
the band was too loud he was being drowned out
too bad i liked what i did hear of him. either the band turns down or he gets a bigger amp
the preferred method would be the former.
i posted a video of last weeks jam, i'll be the first to admit, "i am no ronnie shellist on harp
heck i'd be willing to bet he can out snow ski me also.. now that, would be an educational experience for me,
”but in that video" we have a seven piece band, i am using a transistor amp with a 8 inch speaker.
when i went up, i asked the band can we turn down? the key board player, who is also a fabulous harmonica player tadq
shouts out loud, thank you, i ask the band again can we turn the amps down a notch, not just the guitar volume control?
tadq shouts out again thank you! ....i could not have done it without his help, thank you tadq.
yes i can easily bring my bassman quite often i do, it is fun to play loud. no one plays louder than me
but sometimes the music suffers. , I am at least aware of it.
bobby and the hijackers.... i like it... i'll have to use that till my band.... the sexual predators
all get out on parole.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
Last Edited by 1847 on Mar 12, 2014 10:33 AM
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Rick Davis
3064 posts
Mar 12, 2014
5:02 PM
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6SN7, the amp Brad is using is a Dobesh BFS 2.0. It's obscure. Kind of a souped up Deluxe Reverb.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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