Has Any One played this amp? If so, would you recommend it? Is this amp in the same class as the Harp Train or Memphis Minnie? I am in the market for a 5 watt harp amp .I can land this at home in New Zealand for around $900 NZ dollars which is about what Indigo payed for his harp train and my friends MM cost just over a $1,000.
It certainly sounds pretty good. I've been following it's progress on Facebook and from what I gather it's only just starting production. So it's unlikely that many people have tried one yet. It certainly won't be any less of a good deal than the Memphis Mini.
I'd say try your friends MM and if you like it then buy either amp. The advantage of the Windy City is that it can apparently take a 6L6 as well as the stock 6V6 and appears to have some kind of bright switch. Of course how effective those are in real world situations is debatable.
What you will get though is an all valve 5 watt amp based (I believe) on the famous 5F2A circuit, which is a proven commodity for harmonica.
Last Edited by Kingley on Nov 29, 2015 2:25 AM
Well, the guy sounds good but he has no idea what he it talking about circuit wise. A 6SJ7 is not like a half of a 12AX7. A 6SJ7 is an octal based pentode whereas a 12AX7 is a novel based duo triode, one half of which will be a triode. Triodes and pentodes are different animals! I personally love the 6SJ7 when used as a first gain stage. Fat-n-Gritty. I also like a bright boost switch as in a fender amp. Kick amp to bright for leads in lower keys, gives you extra cut. 6V6 vs 6L6, probably not much difference with a 5W amp. As far as speakers go, I'm not a fan of the Weber Alnico Sig 8. MUD! To sum it up, just another 5W amp that sounds good at home but is pretty useless with a live band. JMO of course...BN
All, thanks for discussion on our new Amp!!!! Please feel free to contact me for specifics, but: 1) yes, we ship with a 6V6 and 6L6,plug in your choice and switch the bias and JAM! 2) the Brightness Cut switch helps cut down on feedback while still giving flexiblity in tone 3) we offer 2 speaker choices at the moment, Weber and Eminence, the demo's so far are all with the Eminence. we are open to suggestions for others and will build it anyway you like! 4) yes the 6Sj7 is a pentode, apologies for the confusion.Its offers a classic tone different than 12ax7 or 12au7 etc. It will break up nice when driven hard and thats different than the 12ax7 5) we have a line out jack, so yes, you could play in a live setting by running into the mixer or PA 6) we offer a speaker out jack, you plug in your external cabinet and it disables the internal 8 inch speaker so you can play thru your choice of cabinet
7) the 6L6 clip on youtube shows the bigger bottom end and higher headroom compared to 6v6, but again thats personal preference ,thats why we offer it!
8) amps are assembled tested and ship from Chicago. we can support various AC voltages and plugs, just let us know. We have shipped to Europe and Australia in the past and know how to do this so the amp arrives safe and sound. thanks Windy City , sonic pipe amps
our website is www.sonicpipeamps.com and email is sonicpipeamps@gmail.com
I find it interesting that Barley Nectar's opinion is what it is given his high regard for the 6SJ7 Fat and Gritty sound? Maybe the quote of the designer of the Memphis Mini (Rick Davis) will shed some light on this question; " The Memphis Mini amp uses a JJ 12AU7 tube in its preamp section for two excellent reasons: 1) It sounds great! 2) It is a dual triode that can perform two duties, not just one. In the MM amp, one half of the 12AU7 tube manages the input from the mic and the other half manages the recovery for the tone control. If your preamp tube is a primitive single pentode like the 6SJ7 it cannot perform the tone recovery. You get only one gain stage. That means your tone control is just a high cut filter that muffles your tone and robs volume from your signal. It’s like throwing a blanket over your amp. That might sound okay at home as a practice amp but it will get buried on a stage with a band.
The MM is a full-on gigging amp with a big punchy sound that cuts through the mix and lets you hear yourself. Part of its 6-month development was weekly sessions on stage at a crowded blues jam every Sunday night at Ziggies in Denver. The MM amp can hang in clubs, and the secondary gain stage for tone recovery is part of that.
Wow that a lot of tax! I recently built a mojotone kit amp. It is a tweed Princeton 5F2 and it is great. It costs about 560$ and is much louder than a 5 watt amp. I have a 10" speaker rather than an 8". Perhaps the tax will be less if it is un assemblied when it hits customs. It is the case in some countries. As for building one, I am all thumbs and did it with no problem. You could also source just the "guts" from mojotone and provide your own cabinet, tubes and speakers
You bring up an excellent topic related to 6SJ7, gain and tone stacks. Here at Sonic Pipe Amps, we have over 25 years of experience with tube amps. With this experience comes Intellectual Property. Developing this Windy City amp with this line up was no walk in the park. Suffice to say, we have a very unique solution in the form of a custom component(our IP) that enables the 6SJ7 to drive the tone stack without compromise. So yes indeed the amp will perform well on stage with a band and full tone operation. thanks tom @ sonic pipe amps
I lost my post. Summarise main points: 5F2 is a 5 watt amp. No problem understanding BN opinion on uselessness of 5 watt amp as stage amp for harmonica player in loud band. Understand popularity of twin triode preamp but also have octal preamps and do not consider tone is mud Rick Davis understands some about marketing as well as some about electronics Windy City fair to comment on thread started specifically about amp and appreciate information, but also aware of crossing line into spam zone. Superbee out
Your right Barley, I don't know what I'm talking about , Tom dies but I know it's not just another 5 watt amp. This thing is nasty!!! How many small amps have switchable power tubes with a brightness cutoff switch plus the bias switch.
Guys Rick Davis has a great amp with the Memphis Mini which is his idea of Chicago tone... The Windy City is our idea of Chicago tone and the best vinyl stuff I hear comes from the early 50's and octal preamp tubes!!!!! This is our interpretation and an amp should have convenience, versatility, and trueness of sound.
Call it what you want, I'm satisfied with my amp !!!!!!
Congrats to Michael in the UK for ordering the 394th Memphis Mini amp! We are now in 29 countries on 5 continents. The MM owners are our best asset. The majority of our orders now come because of recommendations from other MM owners. The tone circuits of the MM amp were designed by Bruce Collins, a world renowned tube amp maker with decades of accomplishment. For months the tone of the Memphis Mini was honed on stage every Sunday at a raucous blues jam at Ziggies in Denver where it was tested by dozens of players of all levels. Two of the best blues harp players in America helped us dial in the tone: Ronnie Shellist and Nic Clark, and they both became enthusiastic endorsers. Check out our website for lots of customer videos, photos, and comments. Thanks! Memphis Mini Amps
Err...yeah...I know where you coming from with that 1847... Heh heh.. When there is a buck at stake, the tune sometimes changes. I got nothing against a champ, I built one myself which I like a lot...although I didn't install a tone circuit...I did keep the 'tone recovery secondary gain stage' ;) ... (Tickles me) But what I would like to see is for someone to put one of these Princeton-type amps in a Princeton-type cab.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Dec 04, 2015 2:27 PM
" Here is the deal -- If you use a bigger amp you won't be so needy and you can take control of your own performance. With a bigger amp you are not FORCED to play louder than your bedroom amp, but the potential is there if you want to"
How many small amps have switchable power tubes with a brightness cutoff switch plus the bias switch.
You can put a 6L6 in any 6V6 amp that has enough power available in the PT filament winding to safely run a 6L6. Fender Champ is one such amp. The total power output of the amp in question may actually go down with the 6L6 due to total VA capacity of the PT. The VA rating of the PT is the determining factor of am amps power capability, not the tubes that are installed.
High cut could also be high boost depending on how you label the switch. High cut as in removing highs from the output is unnecessary in a 5W amp IMO. This would be a feature geared more towards the neophyte amplified harmonica player. No doubt, the small amp market is lucrative as there are many beginers. There is a need, just not my need. Good luck with the Windy City...BN
Adam Gussow, this is his site. you have not heard of him. I am not speaking for Adam or working for him, I have never met the man. Just know that he offered to demo a Mephis Mini, and the guy turned him down. Why? I say he must have be crazy, Adam I would think would be the best guy to make a youtube video, because he likes small amps, and people trust his judgement, at least I do. So it would be up to you to contact him, I am not building these or selling them.
That idea was doomed the moment Adam agreed in this forum to do it. Way too big a risk for Rick to take at that stage; it made no sense. Had it been suggested privately, maybe it could have happened. Imagine if Adam had tried the amp and said it was nothing special, didn't stack up against the HG2 for instance but at half the price was reasonably good value. I mean, everyone would be waiting for the verdict so he wouldn't even be able to refrain from comment. And rick already had endorsers lined up. Why would he pay to take a risk like that? Now, if the approach had been less public...who knows.
@WindyCity and or tom@sonic pipe amps Tom, I re-read your response and Intellectual Property is fine but; you wrote that you somehow found a way around the secondary gain problem (tone stacks) in your amp. The 6SJ7 tube has only one stage, so you had to either add another tube (unlikely, since your website lists all the tubes in the amp) or you had to use a transistor, which would turn it into a solid state amp. From what I read on your website, your claim to fame is putting small transistor amps and tiny speakers into PVC pipes and calling them practice amps. Is that the IP which you speak of herein? If so that would not make sense since solid state amps are not tube amps. You also make the Knob amp which uses the same 6SJ7 as the Windy City but you also offer it with an optional dual triode 12AU7? Would that be for the recovery of the tone stacks? Without giving up the IP, I'm sure we'd all like to learn how you realized the outcome you alluded to in your post.
The present of a preamp gain stage after the tone control is NOT a key concern. Traditional circuits are often excessively gain-y for harmonica- that is why low gain tubes like 12AU7 are used. What matters is the performance of the amp. Amps with input pentode first gain stages can be wonderful for harmonica. Examples are Gibson Maestro and Masco ME18. Jim
Yes, Jim is correct. The 6SJ7 is capable of very high gain. Also the one knob treble cut type tone control does not throw away as much signal as a TMB tone stack. You don't need a tone recovery stage as long as you have enough signal to drive the power tube.
I recently built the Masco MA17/ME18 hybrid and believe me, this configuration lacks NOTHING...BN
@1847 - Just press on my name & you'll see I am a real person with a user profile . Unlike your 1847 producing nothing when I press it to see if you exist.
As for creating a video of me playing the harp over my MM amp; what does it prove? There are enough examples of really good players showing the efficacy of the amp and I don't qualify as being in the same league as JD Taylor nor Ronnie Shellist.
I have used tube amps since the '60s. ( Fenders mostly ) I played guitar before an accident left me unable to play any more (see my profile) I have built tube amps for audio systems; Dynaco; Heath Kits etc. I have modified tube amps & preamps with resistors; capacitors power supplies etc. So I know my way around an amp or preamp chassis.
The reason I push at suppliers for answers is that hype is not performance. I am hoping to be informed. When something is really a leap forward in performance, it is certainly worth investing in. If there is a good warranty; paid shipping for the service and/or return capabilities when someone is unhappy with their investment then these are bonuses for the consumer.
My 1.5 years limited harping capabilities doesn't make me a less informed amplifier user as you infer. But watch out what you ask for, when I am good enough to play with credibility, then the MM amp I own will definitely be qualified to demonstrate my musicianship.And yes, I will put it out there for all to hear/see.
Owen Evans, yes, we do have a line of battery powered PVC based practice amps. That product lineis in no way related to Windy City and has a market and customers all to its own. The IP used in the Windy City was developed here at Sonic Pipe Amps over a two year period. Yes, its sensitive and until we get our legal protection sorted out, it might seem like we are being cagey. Suffice to say we have a custom developed component that our engineers have nicknamed the "Bullet". Its a key part in the Windy City's performance. As for THE KNOB,its an 18 watt 2X6V6 head and yes that has several preamp tube options, some players (perhaps guitar players) like the 12ax7 "sound" others like the classic octal 6sj7 sound. Depending on what option is chosen, we implement different circuits. The Knob is a different animal compared to Windy City, and we have sold a few KNOBS to Harp players.
I don't doubt Owen as a real person. Owen, you surely understand that Rick's term 'tone recovery' is marketing hype. I expect the real reason he uses a 12au7 is because he got onto a good cheap supply, and the reason he hypes 'tone recovery' is likely due to his Bruce Collins tone circuit shunting a bit more signal to ground. With a low gain 12au7 I expect the second stage is quite important, but it's an issue for the MM. He's just hyping it as a strength, like 'finger lickin' good' hypes the greasyness as evidence of tastiness and helped build an empire. There's an element of 'secret herbs and spices', 'special sauce' in the marketing. I have a bunch of small amps too. Too many.
