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Memphis Mini endorsement
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Owen Evans
213 posts
Mar 10, 2017
6:02 PM
After playing my Memphis Mini for 2 years I have come to love it's qualities and then today I read that one of my favourite harp players endorses it; makes it just a little more special for me to own.
Jerry Portnoy Endorses Memphis Mini Amp



"Our newest pro endorser is the Blues Harp Master himself, Jerry Portnoy.

“My Memphis Mini gives me that classic Chicago sound in a small lightweight cabinet. I love it!”

Jerry is an elite blues harp player, having played with the Muddy Waters Blues Band for six years and with the Eric Clapton Band for four years. Read his complete bio here: http://www.jerryportnoy.com/

We are delighted Jerry has decided to become part of the MM amps family. A video will be coming soon."
SuperBee
4574 posts
Mar 12, 2017
3:00 PM
I'd be interested to hear one of these. In the room I mean.

YouTube clips don't do a lot for me.
i hear great players sounding great. I think 'great'.

when pro players start using particular amps as their stage rig or for recording, that's when I start paying attention. As my late wife was fond of saying 'words are cheap'
Coyote
15 posts
Apr 09, 2017
10:48 AM
KCBLUES
94 posts
Apr 11, 2017
6:48 AM
First off, let me start by saying I really respect and have long dug Jerry Portnoy and his playing.

That being said, this clip confirms what I already believe and know to be true about these small amps (either mic'ed or with a line out to the PA), They sound like a little amp only louder! I guess that is fine if that is the sound you are going for, but nothing IMHO can replace a larger amp (or amps daisy chained) which give you more bottom end, more "thump" and push more air.

I appreciate the convenience of smaller amps - I even have a 2 X 10 amp that I use for TRIO gigs. But when playing with a larger ensemble I do drag out my 4x10 50 watt Harpgear. It is worth the effort.

If this is the sound that people are looking for then it is a non-issue. But if people are trying to suggest that a smaller rig like this approximates the sound of a much larger amp then I am not aboard.
1847
4055 posts
Apr 11, 2017
8:01 AM
i think it is hysterical ...

here are some famous qoutes from mr. davis himself.

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.

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.

it is indeed an educational experience, finally there are harp players more champ happy than me.
jbone
2280 posts
Apr 11, 2017
9:21 PM
A bit to the side of the original topic, but I've owned a replica '59 Bassman, A Peavey Delta Blues 210, and a Fender Vibro Champ among several others.
KC is right that 4 10 inch speakers do move more air. Unfortunately for me playing on a stage loud enough to need all that air moved lost me some hearing capacity and I nearly ruined my vocal cords as well.

Other end, though we loved the champs- wife and I had a matching set in the duo and they were great for recording and really small rooms- We ended up opting for a pair of 12 watt Silvertone 1482's. Since we are mostly a duo and even when we play with a rhythm section the volume is ALWAYS lower than most outfits, these amps serve us very well.
I love new innovations and cool stuff but at this point I know what works best for me.
More power to Memphis Mini, I have yet to hear anything bad about them.
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Coyote
17 posts
Apr 11, 2017
9:29 PM
Jerry Portnoy is an undisputed expert on Chicago harp sound. He learned harp during the 60s on Maxwell street and in Chicago blues bars. If he says the MM amp has it you can take it to the bank.
SuperBee
4617 posts
Apr 12, 2017
4:56 AM
Must say that I relate to the first 2 sentences of KCBLUES' post.

But that's why I'd like to hear it in the room. YouTube really can't convey the real sound.

However, Portnoy is a good score as an endorser, so congratulations are in order I think.

I've got a really great 5F1 clone built into a HG2 cab with a Weber sig 8. I'd like to hear it alongside an MM
1847
4057 posts
Apr 12, 2017
10:46 AM
I agree, portnoy is the heavyweight champion of the world, have you heard his recording
The streamliners? One of the all time great blues records. I would bet that he has used a champ
In the studio on numerous occasions. A jt 30, in to a champ is a classic combination no doubt about it.

As far as endorsements go, he gets credit because there is actual footage of him using one .
How many times have we seen someone endorse a product, only to find when we go to see them
They are using something else?

As far as taking it to the bank re: the menphis mini that is like saying evel knievel knows pain.
So if he endorses the the stimulator and
Tells us he feels like a million bucks, we should just take that at face value?

I find the entire Memphis mini marketing scheme to be quite bizarre. Rick spent a month of Sundays
Trying his best to discourage me and anyone else who would listen, how foolish it
Would be to even attempt to use a little 5 watt amp live, complete futility.

And now he is importing fender clones from china wholesale and giving them to the top
Blues harmonica players. To endorse. Really? After making statements like….

“ leave the bedroom amp at home” ……………..

´Are they all missing something? Perhaps you could share your secret with them.
He is is another of his famous quotes…..

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.

Get it?

As you can tell from this thread, most of us who have been doing this for a while have learned that it is better to have some control over your own performance. Sometimes a Champ will get you there, but not usually. You don't have to lug around a Bassman, but you are likely to have a better experience if you have an amp in the 15 to 30-watt range.”

As james cotton would say… my nose is open… something doesn’t smell right”

hvyj
3262 posts
Apr 12, 2017
11:25 AM
I was in the house band for a blues jam for a year and a half or so, and a lot of different harp players brought in a lot of different rigs. A couple of guys had Memphis Minis. I have no idea what they sound like because they were not loud enough to be heard and if they got turned up loud enough to be heard all they did was feed back. The house PA didn't have enough channels in the board to allow us to mic them. The musicians in the band would dread it when a harp player would show up with one because of the ear splitting feedback we would usually be in for.

One guy came in with a very small amp (not sure if it was a Memphis Mini or not but I think not because it had metal amp corners which the MMs don't come through with). He wanted to line it out to my DB, which I let him do. Sounded great, but how much of that was the DB and how much was the little amp is difficult to judge.

FWIW, at different times at that jam I used a Fender Super Reverb RI, an SWR Baby Baby Blue, a Fender Princeton Reverb RI and a Peavey Delta Blues 1x15. With the Princeton I was often close to being outgunned by the rest of the band. The other amps did fine, and I actually bought the Peavey DB to use for this jam because I didn't have a mid size tube amp at the time. The SWR is a bass amp that has a tube preamp but a solid state power stage and the Super was a lot to carry. I'm very happy with the DB and I like my other 3 amps pretty well, too. It would not occur to me to acquire a 5 watt amp to play out with.

Last Edited by hvyj on Apr 12, 2017 1:55 PM
SuperBee
4620 posts
Apr 12, 2017
1:45 PM
I have seen a guy over here picture his double trouble + mm rig and claim it won't be outgunned.
I know the DT is a remarkably good amp but I have heard one in a local jam and it was struggling. Enough that the owner sold it and imported an HG50 instead.
So I really don't know how the MM could cut it in the jams I've seen or with any band I've played in
I mean, I know the mm is just a slightly modded 5F1 with a Weber speaker. I have a 'very good' 5F1 clone with a Weber speaker, and I know there are circumstances in which that can work.
The garage jam I attend isn't one. Too many guitarists.

Band practice with our previous drummer wasn't one. Too many years experience deafening crowds of adoring rock music fans.

But with our current drummer in a small studio space it is actually quite ok. Brilliant really.

1847,
I think the quotes you quoted are from when RD was touting Bruce Collins' Mission Amps 32-20, which was before he realised there was a much bigger market for a relatively cheap 5 watt amp.
i think it may be informative regarding the marketing scheme for the 32-20, and why you found some discussions a bit frustrating at that time as you advocated the virtues of your champ. Now it seems Rick has come around to your way of thinking; I'd have thought you'd be feeling validated rather than aggrieved.
no doubt you put forward some points that contributed to the rise of the MM. maybe you should be getting a piece of the action?
You are a pretty decent standard of player with solid experience as a champ-user in live performance situations. Maybe Rick could get you into a demonstration role?

Last Edited by SuperBee on Apr 12, 2017 1:49 PM
1847
4058 posts
Apr 12, 2017
5:29 PM
We were discussing the 5 watt vht amp. I merely suggested you could do a gig with a 5 watt amp “because I have” and he went off on a tirade completely lambasting me on that idea.

I am ok with that, as yogi berra once said… some folks, if they don’t know, you can’t tell em.
But what got my goat, was the fact that, while he was typing some of the quotes I listed,
He was making out a purchase order for a container full of fender 5 watt clones!

All I was hoping for was to have a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages
Of using a small amp. It is extremely difficult to use a small amp in a live situation.
You have to realize sometimes, that, this is not going to work. And abandon ship.
But at the same time, it can be rewarding when in fact you have it dialed in.

Listen to the streamliners recording I posted, I can’t say for certain….
But that may very well be a fender champ he used on the recording… it does not “sound” like a little amp only bigger. It sounds like a big amp.

I will say this…. I have to admit… rick has a passion for this little instrument… you cannot deny that.
At the end of the day , we most likely have more in common than not. But sometime you have to call…

BULLSHIT!

PEACE 47.
hvyj
3263 posts
Apr 12, 2017
5:56 PM
You can do a lot of things in a studio that don't work in a live performance setting.

True story: local harp player is sitting in with a band and has his mm mic'd through the PA and sitting on stage next to the guitar player's Fender Twin Reverb RI.
No monitors. Harp sounds ok, but the player comes off stage and complains that he can't hear himself. I suggested to him that it might be because his little amp was sitting next to the guitartist's 2x12 Twin. He gives me an incredulous look and says "But I mic'd it...." Go figure.

Last Edited by hvyj on Apr 12, 2017 5:58 PM
indigo
348 posts
Apr 12, 2017
10:07 PM
So am i right in thinking that Owen Evans and Coyote are actually the same person,ie Rick Davis?
Ok i am confused.

Last Edited by indigo on Apr 12, 2017 10:09 PM
SuperBee
4621 posts
Apr 12, 2017
10:12 PM
no, Owen really is Owen, but i gather Coyote is Rick
indigo
349 posts
Apr 12, 2017
10:18 PM
G'day'Bee
We spend too much time on the computer..that was a real quick response ;)
Ran into Marcus last night at our jam ,he sends his regards.
harpoon_man
202 posts
Apr 13, 2017
3:34 PM
Wow, seems like folks around here get worked up when the topic of Rick Davis comes up. He has been a gentleman in my limited interactions with him (I sold him an amp probably 10 years ago and met him at a blues jam in Denver once), but I realize he has rubbed some people the wrong way here and elsewhere. Here are my thoughts on big amps vs. small amps and the MM in particular:

Big amps (e.g., bassman) and small amps (e.g., champs and other 5-watt class A amps) do not sound the same. They both sound good and can both be used for gigging. For playing with a full band, a small amp almost always needs to be miced to the PA, which can cause a lot of problems if you are not the one operating the PA system.

I gigged a lot during my first couple of years playing with a band micing my champ to the PA system. Even when our guitar player was the guy running the sound (his PA system, and he didn't let anyone else touch it), this caused feedback problems with monitors, and not being able to hear myself on stage, and not being loud enough in the mains due to the guitar player's fragile ego.

After owning and playing a plethora of big and small amps over the years, my current amp arsenal consists of only a Kalamazoo Model 1 and a Bassman Reissue (plus a Kinder AFB+ and Squeal Killer). If I'm playing in a situation where the Kalamazoo would need to be miced, I just bring the Bassman instead of putting myself at the mercy of a PA system or sound guy, and I'm much happier with the results this way.

As for the Memphis Mini, I have a local buddy who owns one, and I have played it several times. It sounds good - very good actually, to the point where I have been considering picking one up for myself for use in playing at home or in basement jam sessions. Also it comes across as loud for a small amp, but I'm not convinced it could compete volume-wise in a full band setting at typical blues band volume levels without PA support...but at the same time, I keep an open mind about these things and would believe it if I saw (heard) it in person.
Owen Evans
216 posts
Apr 14, 2017
9:03 AM
OK Indigo, for starters making this statement is misdirected especially when you justify it by saying you're confused. I am a real person, always have been and I have never hidden behind a nom de plume. I came here to become educated in harmonica information as well as pass on some of my musical knowledge from playing guitar for over 40 years.

To all the other negative commenters, I own a Memphis Mini. I have had the pleasure to have been friends with Rick Davis ever since I bought the amp 2 years ago. I bite my tongue when I see all the vitriol espoused herein because of certain individuals' past experiences which I was not here to witness nor engage in. That said, instead of dumping on the past, why not open one's eyes to present and future? 1847 is the most vehement voice against the MM but he never acknowledges that Rick developed a Memphis 20 for those who want an amp which moves more air. Lessons can be learned and a mistake is not a life's sentence; it's just a stepping stone to progress. As for hvyj saying the PA didn't have enough channels to mic the MM; that's a shame. Of course a 6 watt amp won't cut through a loud amplified band and is destined to feed back if pushed too far. However, I have played through an MM mic'd as well as directly patched into the PA for 2 years and it has held its own. Any more volume & it's 'too' loud. If you don't know from direct experience with an MM (not another Champ clone), then please don't pass judgement on what you can't know for certain.

This past winter I played through a Bassman RI every Tuesday at a great jam and it was stunning to move air without need of a PA. However, it was mic'd through the PA and then the mix of all the instruments came through better. Oh yeah and when I played through JD Taylor's Kindred Soulful at Blues Hall 2 weeks ago, I found out what a freight train of pure amplification can do to harp playing. No experience like that one! Helps me realize that there's a special sound out there for everyone.

Let me conclude by saying that ignorance is not bliss. Conjecture is offensive. And to err is human but to arrhh is pirate. Let's help each other herein and let sleeping dogs lie. Please and thankyou.

Last Edited by Owen Evans on Apr 14, 2017 9:06 AM
hvyj
3268 posts
Apr 14, 2017
10:06 AM
If one carries an amp to be self sufficient, but can't be unless it's mic'd, IMHO that is a considerable limitation. But that applies to ANY small amp, not just the mm. To be clear, I have no beef with Rick.

Last Edited by hvyj on Apr 14, 2017 10:08 AM
Tuckster
1558 posts
Apr 14, 2017
10:10 AM
I"ve heard a 'Zoo cut through surprisingly well but when the band really lets loose,I couldn't hear it. I have a SJ 1 (22 watts)that sounds great but is totally drowned out by the band. Anymore,if I go to a jam around here,I need my Bassman 50 and even it can get overwhelmed by deaf guitarists.
1847
4064 posts
Apr 14, 2017
10:41 AM
47 is the most vehement voice against the MM ....

i do not recall ever saying anything derogatory re: the memphis mini, please
point out what you are referring to.

if you are referring to the quotes above ....


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.

Get it? ............for example.... or this may be my favorite..

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.


these are rick's words verbatim, cut copied and pasted. they are his firm beliefs. i did not say any of that..... notice the hypocrisy?


ok... so then the MM is not a fender clone? it is such a radical departure no one would recognize it.

that is where i call bullshit.

jerry portnoy endorses victoria amps, perhaps he can demo their champ clone and the MM
side by side in a blind demonstration, and we all can hear how the MM is such a unbelievable radical,
hands down no contest departure from what leo fender did right the first time.

don't drink the cool aide.
Killa_Hertz
2293 posts
Apr 14, 2017
1:40 PM
Another place to call bullshit.

Owen Evans says "That's why Rick DEVELOPED the Memphis 20."

Isn't it actually .... He decided to also order the 20 from the China company, from which he orders the Memphis mini?

Everyone knows where these amps come from. The china website has been posted numerous times. Every country has their own version of the MM, all from the same company. And this company has had the Memphis 20 on their site for a long time.

Rick just decided to start selling it aswell. No doubt because of the success of the MM. There was No "development".

I have yet to hear a sound sample of anything that sounds anywhere near worth the money your asking for these tolex wrapped cardboard boxes.

And leaning on an endorser as "proof" is laughable. To think all endorsers believe in their products.

In fact I posted an add Joe Nameth did in the 80s for pantyhose, to prove this point. And was blocked on Facebook. Lol.

I respect the hustle Rick. But you won't catch me buying that trash.
indigo
350 posts
Apr 14, 2017
4:48 PM
To me it does seem a bit disingenuous of Rick to leave this Forum and then sign in again under a different name.
Especially when he using the Forum to sell gear which, as an aside, should be going to the For Sale thread ?
I actually quite like what i have heard from the amp but for various reasons i wouldn't buy one.
SuperBee
4624 posts
Apr 14, 2017
5:57 PM
Indigo, I said above that I gather Coyote is RD.
I mean, I said that because on the mid-size amp thread kudzurunner addressed a question about the players on a Memphis 20 video to 'Rick'. Coyote answered the question specifically to 'kudzurunner'. Taking this along with the fact that coyote usually only posts to share Memphis mini or Memphis 20 promotional video I 'gathered' kudzurunner knows coyote is Rick. But it's only my assumption.
SuperBee
4625 posts
Apr 14, 2017
6:05 PM
i noticed that on the mid-sized amp thread, it was actually you, Indigo, who first addressed coyote as 'rick'. But coyote did not respond until kudzurunner asked virtually the same question.

I seem to recall the MM did inspire an infestation of sock puppets here a couple of years ago
JustFuya
1058 posts
Apr 15, 2017
9:22 AM
I always take endorsements with a grain of salt.

I do have a MM that I use at home. I like it quite a bit (with a delay) but have never used one at a band practice or gig. I'm just not that curious.
Owen Evans
217 posts
Apr 15, 2017
10:28 AM
Earlier in this thread I spoke only to Indigo; 1847 and hvyj. This is my last post so I won't speak to everyone, just these folks & one more who responded herein.

hvyj responded with an opinion & I respect that. I disagree, but I respect the response.

As for 1847, I shall respond as such to your question. You continue to rehash several comments made by Rick so as to establish him as a person not to have credibility. Then you actually "call bullshit" when you disagree with his statements. A straw-dog ploy if I ever saw one. Finally, you ask me where I get the idea that you are an MM detractor. The answer is blown' in the wind dude. You started raggin' on Rick when he didn't answer your ludicrous question about daisy chaining two amps together back when the MM was first offered herein:
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/5458262.htm
Then you said nothing after LSC & HarpNinja commented on your whiny response.
Before this, you and Rick always had differences of opinion & the responses were always curt on your part. Your responses are just confrontational. Maybe, I'm thin skinned but I don't appreciate your demeanour, and so I'll desist herein.

Indigo didn't respond after I answered him when he questioned my integrity herein. Rather, he took a swipe at Rick and questioned 'his' integrity and still hides behind a nom de plume. I'm done with you.

Finally, Killa Hertz adds his own bit of vitriol which isn't what I signed on for.

This is a really mean and bitter place. Truth is one thing but mean spirited one upmanship is just nasty. Call me what you want but I am truly disappointed so I'll cease & desist.

Mr. Gussow, please remove my name from this forum as it is not a place I wish to be associated with any longer.
1847
4067 posts
Apr 15, 2017
10:52 AM
oh the irony
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1847
4068 posts
Apr 15, 2017
11:12 AM
Then you actually "call bullshit" when you disagree with his statements.

lets see where i disagree..

here is from the thread you just posted....

"It is a little monster 5-watt harp amp that nails the vintage "Champ" vibe"

no disagreement there. like i said a champ clone. heck, it is even tweed.

the whole thing is bizarre

Last Edited by 1847 on Apr 15, 2017 11:13 AM
nacoran
9434 posts
Apr 15, 2017
11:54 AM
Okay everyone, let's calm down.

First, Owen, if you'd like I can take you off the list. Contact me at the membership email. I thought this thread would calm down, but it didn't.

Second, Coyote, I'll just come out and ask, are you Rick? I've seen the accusation a couple times and you even answered to it once and with the exception of one oddball attack on BBQ you only post on MM threads. I'm just trying to figure out why everyone is so riled up. Could you contact me at the membership email to clear that up privately?

Third, play nice everyone. I'm going to lock this thread. I'll go back read it in more detail later.






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