I have been asked to do a few blues shows throughout the rest of the summer. A bullet/amp rig is preferred. I have the bullet mic, but do not own an amp (I usually use a SM58 and pedal board to the PA).
What are some of the under $500 options out there I should check out? I really want a Princeton Reverb Reissue, but don't really NEED it.
I am not very interested in 8" speakers, and I don't need something that only does Chicago tones. I tend to prefer cleaner tones, even with the bullet.
It must be easy to use and grab and go. I want to plug my mic straight in and would rather not have to worry about pedals and feedback devices. Having to sub tubes or speaker is fine.
Like I said, I am leaning towards saving up for a Princeton Reverb Reissue, but 1.) I'd probably prefer my 58 with it, which is what I used to demo it, and 2.) it costs more than $500, lol.
I basically need a grab and go small to midsized amp for cleanish blues with a bullet mic - I do not want to deal with feedback issues, which bullets are more prone to.
Normally I would just use my current rig in all its glory, but really want to make a good impression as a sideman in the hopes of doing more work with the band, or having more work come my way as a result. I do not need something like a Bassman.
A used Fender Pro Junior would work great. Not sure what a new one costs these days or if they even make them anymore. 15W, 10-inch speaker. You could put a lower gain preamp tube in the first socket if you want, speaker swap, etc, but not necessary, especially for an experienced player like you. It only has a volume knob and a tone knob. Fairly clean sounding amp, but lean into it with a bullet mic and you'll get Chicago dirt. I have had a tweed one for over 15 years and it works great. Very loud, but you could throw a SM57, a little stand and a cord in the back of the amp to mic to the PA if the gig requires. Leather handle that will eventually disintegrate so make sure it's solid before you grab it.
Thanks for the tip. I am actively searching out a used PRRI, but haven't come up with any deals locally or online. I guess I picked the wrong time to find one, lol.
I had a PJr a million years ago. I retubed and had a Weber in it. I also remember using a Kinder AFB+ with it and cranking it to 7 for gigs. I wish I had a sound sample somewhere! ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
As long as you're in that power range the amp will need to be mic'd, I presume. Why not just go with a Memphis Mini or Harptrain 10? There's very little advantage to going "a little" bigger. ---------- *************************************************** /Greg
I don't like 8" speakers, and I haven't tried the HT10, which currently isn't available. I think live there might be an advantage to an amp that is push pull. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
Peavey Delta Blues 1x15 is an unbelievably great harp amp if you swap out the 3 preamp tubes. Very versatile. I have used it in place of my Princeton Reverb RI and in place of my Super Reverb RI. Appropriate for any type of gig and can stay clean or get dirty. I've used it to play in a trio with an acoustic guitar and a singer and used it to play with an electric power trio with a guitar player running through a Marshall half stack. Got compliments on my tone in both situations. A couple of weeks ago a harp player came to the Sunday jam with his HarpGear 12/10. He was complaining that he had to carry a delay pedal because his HG has no onboard reverb and asked if he could try my DB. After fiddling with some knobs he matched the the tone of the HG except for getting more high end response from my DB (which may have been due to him using my 545 Ultimate instead of his bullet). The DB can get dirtier than either my PRRI or my SRRI. Also takes pedals well if you are selective about what pedals you use, but sounds fine with no pedals too. The DB would be just fine for your intended application and is less expensive than a PRRI. Astoundingly good harp amp!
Last Edited by hvyj on Jul 29, 2015 9:45 AM
Greg mentions the Memphis Mini. These amps are feedback generators in live performance situations. We hate it when harp players show up with one at the Sunday jam. Ear piecing feedback every time. The only exception was when a guy lined out his MM into my DB which sounded GREAT, and I mean really great. FWIW.
Last Edited by hvyj on Jul 29, 2015 9:33 AM
Mike, I have played through a LOT of amps, and if I didn't already have so many amps in my closet (3 old tube PA heads, a 1961 Gibson Explorer, a small custom amp, a Newcomb record player, plus solid state amps, etc.) I would choose the Princeton Reverb as my main amp. I really like 6V6 and 6L6 push-pull amps that don't have too many preamp tube gain stages. EL84s can sound OK.
The Princeton Reverb can be pretty loud and has a lot of punch. It can be loud enough for most clubs without mic'ing. It would fit your needs for plug and play with no pedals, since Fender reverb is built in. I have played through original and reissue PRs using a Shure 585AV and also using a bullet, and it is a great harp amp with either mic, though it tends to be pricey.
Maybe you could sell some other gear or harps to make up the price difference. At this point in your music performance, with your ability, My advice is don't settle for less than what you really want. ----------
The Harp Train and Memphis Mii both seemed designed for a total Chicago Class A Tube sound and from internet sound clips (I have never heard them live) they seem to do that one thing very well. That's great cause it's a killer sound...just like a Kalamazoo has a great distorted sound. But if you want some variation there may be other options in the 15W-30W range. And you won't have to mic them up at all in a small club with a classic-style blues combo unless you have a Hendrix guy on guitar drowning everyone out. Interesting to hear that the Memphis Mini feeds back a lot. Bummer....
TRUE STORY: Harp player comes into the Sunday jam with his MM and gets called up with this female singer who wants to do the vocal version of ALL BLUES, the Miles Davis tune, which he doesn't know so he hands me his mic (I had left the stage and could not get to my rig without interfering with the other musicians who had already started to play). So, I stayed on the dance floor to avoid feeback problems, but no matter what I did I could not clean up the tone. So, there's a FB video out there somewhere of me playing the head and a solo on ALL BLUES with this ratty distortion that sounds like shit on a jazz tune. How embarassing. I certainly didn't woodshed that tune to sound like that!
Last Edited by hvyj on Jul 29, 2015 10:28 AM
VHT Special 6 is a great amp if you are looking for fairly clean and class A. If I were to go small, that would be my top choice, and I almost repurchased one twice this week.
I am going to keep holding out for a used PRRI, me thinks. The whole issue is I don't really NEED it, just want it at this point - but I've had a few pick up gigs lately that I'd like to turn into regular gigs if possible.
My main reason for the jump to pedals was that I could take my own monitor for harp and vocals. This summer, I haven't had the same need - any vocal work hasn't required my own gear. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
@HarpNinja -- I'm not a fan of 8" speakers because unless you're doing a gig at an ultra low volume, amps with 8" inch speakers (with the possible exception of a 100 watt solid state Quilter Micro Pro, especially when armed with a Squeal Killer), just doesn't cut thru the mix in most gigging situations just because there's not enough bottom end to them.
The PRRI is pretty decent and they did a fairly good job when A/B'ing it against a real one, but the stock tubes in them I'm not that fond of and I'd use the same numbers but for the 6V6 power tubes, I'd go with a matched pair of Tung 6V6 reissues (they're the closest thing to the classic NOS US made GE's that were in the real deal) and swap the stock 12AX7 tubes for either the Mullard or Tung Sol reissues in that order.
I remember watching a PBS broadcast of Jerry Portnoy on one of his first gigs with Muddy in 1974 and he was using a Shure PE585V into a real Princeton and that still sounded pretty damned good. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
ah yes,...Greetings Gents! ...once again, searching for the ideal amp. One easy to tote around, and with as little weight and bulk as possible. With lots of tone and....volume...ofcourse! I'm surprised nobody has recommended the Model One. (or Two)...Kalamazoo. I get alot of compliments, too. The venue I play at is simply too small for my medium size amps. This is perfect! With help from the board,I have managed to find sufficient bottom end. You kinda gotta make a good cup to soften the highs, though. Over all, the crunchy mids take the cake...with just the right amount of cut in the mix. Playing every week helps you to find your sweet spot more and more, too. I recommend the One. No mods.. Now, I'm sure I would dig one Gregs customized Zoo's. Maybe you ought to try one of those. And Leyt me know. FYI, I just bought THE. Trippy lookin thang. Can't wait to hear it in action. Oh, and don't forget a Holy Grail reverb pedal, a Sennheiser E600, and a 15' mic (XLR low z)cable. It really helps going through the PA. Amazing little amps. Then ofcourse, there is my bullet mic recommendation. Whatever your preference is...CM CR? 58 545? Crystal? Stick / bullet? I have never strayed from the comfort and weight of a good CR or CM inside an Astatic custom 200 chop. A volume pot is my preference, too. The tone loss is negligible. James Cotton, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Rod Piazza, Kim Wilson, James Harman, Paul Delay, Paul Butterfield, etc etc...the type of blues you are lookin to play is important.
---------- Yes, there are blues in Hawaii.
Last Edited by Mojokane on Jul 31, 2015 12:21 AM
I have a Kalamazoo Model Two...one of the best small harmonica amps I have played through for that rich distorted sound—and it does cut through with the 10-inch speaker. Wonderful amp, and sounds great for certain guitar applications. However, it is not an amp that provides clean or varied tones for harmonica once you apply any sort of volume to it, and for me it's a bit iffy to truck around to anything other than small tavern/coffeehouse gigs because it's kind of fragile—pressed wood and thin metal are what's it's mostly made of. I cross my fingers every time I push or pull my cord outta that thing, LOL. But I agree it's an amazing amp. Just not one I'd rely on for on the fly pickup blues gigs where I might want a cleanish blues tone like Ninja wants.
My advice would be get a '65 Fender Princeton Blackface Reverb Reissue. Superb amp. Change the valves as Bob says if you like. Although in my opinion it's not needed. I think it's perfect straight out of the box.
I got to play over a Fender Vaporizer the other day (guitarguy plays it during practice). In Europe they go for 240 Euros now - new. 2x10, onboard reverb. Sounded sweet enough to me. Lil' buddy and a p10r in it, and I reckon you have a winner!
I have a SFPR and my 35W, 2x10 Super Princeton which is not, grab and go. Also have Bronco and SFDR, SR and so on. I made the mistake of souping up the SFPR with bigger iron and a very efficient Ragin Cajun speaker. Now it needs a big soft room to sound good. I will be putting it back to stock.
Anyhoo, I picked up a nice Champ II. This is the predecessor to the original Super Champ. Champ II is Paul Revera's first design sold by Fender back in 1980. This is a single channel 18W, 6V6 push pull, fixed bias amp with 1x10 speaker. It has bridge rectifier and huge filter caps for big punch. V, Treb, B, tone stack with a pull to mid boost pot on the Treb. This feature is great for harp! Also has MV and line out. I REALLY like this amp. Plenty of balls and a big fat tone with the stock speaker. I put the coveted Blue Alnico in it but not good on its own. I lost bottom and clarity. Gets muddy too fast. The Champ II is slightly bigger and heavier then a VC but is definitely grab and go. It will run clean and loud when you need, with the stock speaker! No effects on this amp though. These are underrated and going in the $4-500.00 range. Well worth it IMO...BN
https://wgs4.com/fender-champ-ii-one-rare-bird
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Aug 02, 2015 7:36 AM
@tomaxe re " I cross my fingers every time I push or pull my cord outta that thing, LOL. "
Your concern is warranted!
One of the mods I do whenever I rebuild a blackface Model 1 or 2 is to fasten the top of the front panel to the cabinet so it doesn't flex when you plug in your cable. Otherwise all that flex transmits through a resistor that runs from the input jack to the preamp tube and it will eventually break the solder lug on the tube socket.
I played a duo gig last weekend with a blues guitar player. He played full time in MS and played straight ahead Chicago blues with some jazz changes.
I used a bullet mic and a VibroChamp with a 5751 on like 2.5 on the volume, so it was about as clean as you can get with a bullet mic.
It was very low volume and I found I wasn't even using a full cup the whole time to keep volume down. He had asked me to bring an amp/mic comb, so I did, but it would have been to just play acoustic.
He really dug the sound (he referenced a love of Big Walter early in the night, so I think he liked the cleaner amp with tongue blocking) as did the other musicians in attendance (I was getting unsolicited feedback). I thought it sounded really good for the room, etc. too.
That same night I found a good deal on a PRRI and snatched it up. Should have by the end of the week. I think it will work great for my needs, which are relatively clean regardless of mic and context. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
The PRRI was owned by a tech that put Tung Sol 6v6 tubes in. I have a hand full of tubes to roll - a RCA Commando 5751 along with JJ and Tung Sol 12ax7 tubes to try. Finally, I have a mint Mullard 12at7 for the reverb tube.
Locally, like 5min from here, someone has a Weber DT10 for next to nothing I am going to pick up too. On paper it looks like a great harp speaker. I don't need the PRRI to be really loud as on huge stages I go straight to PA and even cleaner to avoid feedback.
I added the amp to add flexibility to pick up gigs where a "modern" rig would be questioned, lol. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
Hey Mike -- RCA's made the best 5751's ever in my book, sort of an in between tube somewhere between the sound of a 12AX7 and a 12AY7. A mint NOS MUllard 12AX7 is one tough, expensive tube to score. I've never heard the sound of that Weber you mentioned so I can't really comment on it one way or the other. Just remember, if that guy you're playing with wants the Big Walter sound, never use ET tuned harps because that just ain't cutting it at all, and basically doing anything with a diatonic for sounds prior to 1974, the ideal harp is one tuned 7LJI, regardless of genre.
One night when I was hanging out with BW, somebody asked him if he tongue blocked, he said "I don't put no goddamned on on no harmonica," which I knew wasn't true at all (as those who knew him personally knew he could spin some tall tales) because the only way you can play the open 4 bars of his solo on the Jimmy Rogers classic Walking By Myself is by a tongue block.
The one thing about all bullet mics is that because the pickup pattern is omnidirectional, it's a much more powerful pickup than either a ball or stick type mic with a cardiod pick up pattern and so it makes sense that you won't be able to turn it up as much as you would with a stock/ball mic, but it does make it more sensitive as to how you hold the mic and harp together and you have a larger resonating cavity for the harp to work with. The Green Bullet types have a much more heavily exaggerated midrange presence rise which also contributes to an easier feedback factor.
Many years ago, I had a chance to pick up a real pre-CBS Princeton for about $75, for which I now kick myself for not jumping on and that thing was awesome for both harp and guitar. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Great news Mike. The only thing i'd say is when you swap out the valves. I would put in the same values. I wouldn't recommend lowering the gain values of any of them. As I find the PRRI loses a lot of it bite and tonal colour with a 12AY7 in V1 for example. It's stock configuration is great with both guitar and harp.
For new production, I've heard that certain Svetlana tubes sound like the NOS RCA...that's coming from KCA Tubes, so pretty reliable.
My harps were 19LI. I played pretty straight blues. I think I'll get to play with him again sooner than later.
The duo I usually do (like 1-2x a month) is pretty clean, so I wouldn't use a bullet for that. I agree that they are much more directional. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
Mike, I do not have a DT10. I do have the Pyle speaker that the DT10 is modeled after, can't recall the model #. I find the 10" Pyle to be dull and lacking in cut and highs, that is until you hook it to a Twin. Then it is like "Holly Crap" this speaker wants power!..BN PS: Congratulations on the PRRI, you'll love it. And those TS 6v6's will be just fine IMO.
