Hi, I am attracted to the "good sound, low price" type of review that this amp received, but I don't know the reviewers and I think this place is full of professional players.
Is it a good buy for a home/car set, one of those amps that even when you upgrade, you don't have to sell ?
General question, indeed, but if this amp doesn't have any major issues or problems for harp players, that is good enough answer for me !
Yes, the VHT Special 6 is a good amp for harmonica. It's even better if you modify it with some minor circuit changes, but out of the box it's a decent amp and suitable for harmonica and doesn't need changes to make it sound good. I'd recommend anyone to buy one. Yes there are better amps out there for harmonica, but most cost much more. The VHT is a good investment, an ideal platform to learn to work on modding amps, it's ideal for home and studio use and you'll never outgrow it.
Last Edited by Kingley on Feb 19, 2016 7:54 AM
Most people seem to really like the Alnicomagnet mods. You can find them on ebay. You could also try the Jim Rossen mods. They also seem popular. Just google either and you'll find the websites.
I have to warn u tho. If your using it for home use. It's pretty loud. Thats a problem I ran into. But the harp attack fixed that.
Mine has all the Jim Rossen mods. Unbelievable sound. Especially for the price. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwigrPOzx4TLAhWIWx4KHY3YAMoQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikefugazzi.com%2Ffiles%2FVHT_Special_6_Mods.pdf&usg=AFQjCNGGyMy9ysKco8BL6hKLsXV3kbtIsA&sig2=Wo-V-wW1pgxQLxf6pKK-lg ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
Hi,Ofir Levi ! I love my VHT6 special. It was good as it is. But after I've installed an Alnicomagnet mod and put a Jensen p10r speaker in it.. it become much more better!
The mods basically takes some of the highs off and eliminate some feedback. The speaker upgrade is for better speaker breakup, i think. And you can swap tubes around if you want. But you heard what it sounds like stock. Great.
You will not regret buying this amp. It's awesome. If you dint wanna buy expensive pedals right now. A danelectro delay will do just fine. They are like $20 and sound pretty good. Add a akai dm13 or something like it. The rest is up to you. Which is the hard part. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
I personally would not mod it. I did an A/B against a '68 Bronco and it was a toss up.
Killa Hertz voiced the mods, you loose highs and cut, there is no feedback problem. I liked the stock speaker. Leave it alone and play it for a while and learn it's strong points.
It will benefit from better tubes which i don't consider a mod. I recommend a 5751 preamp and a JJ 6V6s power tube...BN
Is there a brand of tubes that people recommend for this amp? I have the VHT and really like it, but the only thing I've thought about changing is the tubes. This is my first and only tube amp; so this is likely a dumb question, but can you just unplug the tubes and plug in new ones?
It s high voltage stuff... so be careful. Learn about what your doing. They will hold voltage after being unplugged. Don t get dead.
Sorry i dont know much about tube types. Very easy to find out online. Especially for this amp. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Feb 19, 2016 8:34 PM
Vht special 6 combo..,. Cheapest out of the box amp for harp... Once you change a couple of resistors and cut out a capacitor. ( Jim roseen mods first 3 that make most of the change) . leave the speaker alone. If you end up changing that then you are better to step up to the next bracket off amps. Cost of the changes is only a couple of dollars.
gmacleod15 -The head is indeed the same as the combo circuit wise. I've heard it's also apparently a little easier to work on if you want to modify it. Though how true that is I don't know.
@ Harp Study. Turn the amp on and let it warm up a few minutes. Turn up the volume and listen for some noise or play thru the amp. While the amp is making some sort of sound, turn it off and listen for the sound to decay. Now the vast majority of the power in the capacitor, had drained. Next simply pull the tubes and replace by grabbing the glass part of the tube, wiggle slightly while pulling. Keep your fingers off the pins for safety. When you look at the tube pins the small tube has a pin missing. This creates a reference to the socket. Look at the socket and match the pin pattern to the socket when reinstalling tube. The larger power tube has a center reference post with a key, match the key to the socket when installing...BN
Nice, thanks for the recommendation Kingley ! I looked around at the more "fiddly" mods and I think I will just stick to your specified tubes, and maybe maybe a speaker in the future.
The AMP is now ordered and on its way !!
YES
Last Edited by Ofir Levi on Feb 20, 2016 7:25 AM
Great stuff. I'm certain you'll love it. With the two power modes, the two inputs and the pull switch on the volume. There's a lot of options for tonal variations with the VHT amp. It also sounds great with guitar as well.
Very nice ! I will be pairing it with the Ultimate 57 mic from Blowsmeaway.
Delay, I don't know yet. One step at a time :) I am just glad to be getting good stuff for the first time. As a backyard astronomer, I learned the value of buying stuff ONCE.
I guess with pedals that means Lone Wolf ? Questions for another Christmas :) :)