HUNORMOUS: I pretend I got a Bad@ss JT30 plugged into a HG2. ---------- The Art Teacher Formally Known As scstrickland
Last Edited by on May 22, 2010 7:08 PM
small - HG 2x8" medium - Sonny Jr Cruncher large - HG50 1210
@harpwrench - I emailed you a couple of times recently, but couldn't get a response - it was around the time you were selling the Cruncher actually. Did you change your email address? ---------- Myspace
Last Edited by on May 23, 2010 2:27 PM
I still have the old addresses, which seem to be working okay now. But I'd been having email reliability issues with those internet provider email address, then a hard drive failure on top of that. I did get a new gmail address, with harpwrench as the user ID, a new computer, and an iPhone, so please try again:)
Small: Kalamazoo Model 2. A bit bigger: 6L6 SE (Lone Wolf) w/ 12" Cannabis Rex. Medium-small: triple 6V6 SE, cathode bias, built into an old suitcase, 2 X 8" speakers (up and running but still in the fine-tuning stage). Medium: 5D4 Super-based homebrew, 6SL7 preamp, 2 X 10. No large amp yet, but I'm collecting parts for a Mark Burnessified 59 Bassman 4 X 10. I find that the amps I use most are the 'Zoo for bedroom playing and the Super for practice w/ the band and playing out.
Large: Fender Tweed Bassman head with KT90s/Brown Concert...or both together :-)
Medium: Gentleman Tim's Brown Bandmaster 3x10" combo, repro built from a 6G7A head, & his 3x10 Fender Blues Deluxe. My tweed Bassman style head into 3x10", either with 6V6 or 6L6, cathode or fixed bias.
In between small/med (e.g. just about big enough to hang with a drummer using sticks): Laney LC15 can be great, once you get the hang of balancing the gain against the master vol & excellent value for money, Premier 120, self-split 6V6 amp that I built (schem on my photos page at myspace.com/markburness).
Small: Triumph Leo w/elliptical speaker...& inspired by 7LimitJIs tiny 1W amp, currently working on a push-pull 6SN7 powered amp...testing underway, but already showing some promise...
Last Edited by on May 24, 2010 2:49 AM
Small: a tweed champ or Princeton. I have a Princeton with a ten, which sounds nice. Or for a small gig, my Penrose with the attenuator on -6db. Or my Skip Simmons Masco thru my Pro.
Medium: Tweed Pro (Clark Penrose). Simply can't be beat.
Large: Clark Piedmont. Again it can't be beat for that ballpark "Ludella" Antone's CD tone.
Large and LOUD: my Super Sonny. Killer tone, but for big I usually prefer my Clark a hair. The SJ is very versatile. Despite Gary's advice on the Mids, if you know what you're doing you can crank the mids and get a VERY respectable Big Walter tone.
I have owned a HG DT (nice and portable but not the break up I like), an SJ1 (great but too Champy, too Piazza-ey for me), a Goldentone 2x12 (probably great - a vintage Aussie amp - but sold it before I knew what I was doing with harps and amps), a Mesa Boogie studio.22 (shit), have played through a SS Voc AC30 (actually pretty great with the right mic), Deluxe Reverb Re-issue (great, like a mini Super Reverb), 5e3 (great, fat harp tone, despite the poor reputation - especially with a Black CR), Meteor (excellent but very humm-ey and not as much bass as I like), tweed Super repro (killer for medium gigs, very tight aggressive distortion)... and many, many more.
I have played through almost every Victoria in production and they were ALL terrific harp amps STOCK. The Regal II was an amazing amp. Wish I had one. A guitar buddy sold his without telling me because he knew at the time I would have bought it regardless of the consequences with my wife...
The only amp I regret selling... I really, really wish I hadn't done it... was a super minty-clean 63 Brownface Concert. What an idiot.
But anyway, the outcome is I think stock 50s and most of the 60s Fender amps are killer for "grip and rip it" players. So I would recommend Victoria and especially Clark if you can afford them. They work straight out of the box and the quality is unsurpassed.
But a lot of good builders out there, lots of great choice available if you're a gripper and a ripper.
To add - I have received some email from guys asking if it should read from the above that the Piedmont is not versatile, in contrast to the Super Sonny. That's not the case. The Clark is versatile - if you listen to the Piedmont with ceramic vid on my page the tonal characteristics with that mic combo are a bit different. More of these harmonic distortion overtones and with a tone that works great when laying back (thinner) or when chording (fatter). But if I use a crystal the tone is different again live (great but crisp) and so is the CR (great - more fat, hornlike).
What I was trying to point out is that Gary recommends a certain range on his tone controls and says you should avoid upping the mids beyond a certain point. In my experience, that's not true - FOR ME. I do concede that if some weekend warriors I knew tried to blow in a live situation with some of my control set ups that they would become human lightning rods for feedback. (You know these guys, I'm sure. Just can't get a break).
Anyway, that's what I was pointing out. Both great amps, but the Clark is my all time desert island amp and will be in my will.
Here it is with the ceramic. Nothing special. Just some noodling and wanking I quickly whipped for some buds to see about a day after the amp arrived...
Small:Magnatone M-197-3-V (I just love this little "coolest amp ever - Mother of toilet seat"- look amp with chimy tone through an 8'' Oxford speaker/ Small to medium: Twin Eight chasis with reverb with a 12'' speaker (organic to the amp, i.e., this is how Premier made the amp) : "The Tone"/ Medium: Premier B 160 club bass amp with 7591 tubes and a a 15'' C15N/ Large: 1962 Magnatone Clio bass amp with a 15'' Jensen replacing the 4 8''s organic to the amp. ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
Sidewalk - Peavey Solo. 12V of D.C. madness Small(old)- Epiphone Devon Small - Peavey Bravo Small(augmented) - Peavey Bravo w/2 Yamaha S0110 PA cabinets Medium - Peavey Triumph PAG 60 Medium(augmented) - Peavey Triumph PAG 60 w/Acoustic 6x10 cabinet. This is my current favorite. Heavy - Peavey Heritage
Note: If anybody has any questions about old Peaveys as harmonica amps, I've probably got an answer.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on Mar 28, 2013 9:55 PM
