rbeetsme
657 posts
Feb 21, 2012
7:48 AM
|
It seems everyone has a favorite amp. There is a pretty good consensus from working players regarding the elements that make a good harp amp. If we had a poll I bet this would be a long long thread. How about the opposite, what amps should harp players avoid? This info might be helpful to novices tempted by "good" deals.
|
jbone
794 posts
Feb 21, 2012
11:03 AM
|
pignose g40v. 40 watts running through a single 10" speaker. this was before i knew much about speakers and wattage, and taming feedback effectively with pre amp tube swaps. i took the word of a salesman about how great this amp would be for harp with a cm bullet mic.
my first rig was a lavalier mic mated to a ss crate II amp. i bought it because it looked cool, like a crate. i had guys at the used store with me who were all but begging me to get a mid 60's champ and a bullet but noooo-oooooo, i hadda get the CUTE amp. it sounded dryer than a popcorn f#rt. even a boss dd3 was no real help.
peavey classic 50 4x10. it may look like a bassman but believe me the configuration is fatally different. a huge weight to lug around just to be frustrated by low volume and high feedback.
----------
http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
|
MrVerylongusername
2244 posts
Feb 22, 2012
3:56 AM
|
I had a Peavey classic 30, awesome guitar amp, but way too bright and hot for harp.
|
kudzurunner
3023 posts
Feb 22, 2012
6:59 AM
|
I had a Peavey Artist, I think, during the mid 1980s. It had 1 x 12", hybrid circuitry (solid state preamp, tube power amp), and it truly sucked. I was stone ignorant about what made for a good harp amp.
Scroll down for a photo:
http://thelittleguitarshop.com/Amps.html
|
harmonicanick
1471 posts
Feb 22, 2012
9:38 AM
|
I too had a pignose with massive feedback, did not know about tube swap
Then I had a Line6, way too bright
Now have a FBJ, with tube swap (AND THANKS TO THIS FORUM FOR THAT), its ok, and sounds pretty good and I can carry it at my advanced age and decripidation
Favourite by far is Bassman '69
|
LittleBubba
193 posts
Feb 22, 2012
10:12 AM
|
@MrVeryLUN: I have a Peavey Classic 30 and I agree with your sentiments, but I down-tubed it and discovered that when I use my Dano BLT slap echo delay, it's fairly serviceable for the task of cuttin' through loud bar bands. I hardly ever use it, but I think it has its place.
I've never had to repair it, but I've heard that there's a printed circuit in it on a tri-folding card that basically makes it a throw away amp if you have a problem there.
|
bharper
152 posts
Feb 22, 2012
3:00 AM
|
I agree so far... the Pignose G40v and Peavey Classic series are terrible harp amps.
|
HawkeyeKane
726 posts
Feb 22, 2012
4:41 AM
|
My Marshall MG10CD was my first amp. It was halfway decent as a starter amp, but as my standards went up, I realized it is NOT a good harp amp. Underpowered and solid state, I basically only use it for testing settings on my pedal anymore.
It isn't mine, but I have had to use my father in law's Fender Acoustasonic when my Vypyr was in the shop. It had some power behind it, but the tone was not desirable to my ears at all.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Feb 22, 2012 11:33 PM
|
LIP RIPPER
559 posts
Feb 22, 2012
4:49 AM
|
Kustom Tube 12
|
rbeetsme
661 posts
Feb 22, 2012
8:02 AM
|
50 watt Crate full stack! That was during my year of discovery. I bought anything that looked interesting and was a good deal. I also had the 50 watt 3X10 Crate combo, all in blonde tolex. Very harsh tone, tubes didn't help much. Killer for guitar, of course I don't play. That buy and try bug still pops up occasionally, but I can't say any recent ones were bad.
|
MJ
371 posts
Feb 22, 2012
8:42 AM
|
LIP RIPPER, I have a Kustom Tube 12 that I sort of like. I replaced the speaker with a Weber 8" Ferromax and never use the overdrive. It sits next to my computer for noodling along with You Tube stuff. Granted, I would never gig with it, but as cheapo amps go I rate it pretty good.
The least favorite amps I have owned that I can think of were a Vox ACTV4 and a Fender Champ 12.
Last Edited by on Feb 22, 2012 8:43 AM
|
garry
173 posts
Feb 22, 2012
10:55 AM
|
i played through a peavey bandit 112 for a while. it was ok as a starter amp, very loud, touchy about feedback when the volume went up. it was built like a tank; you could park your car on it. a million years from now cockroaches will be blowing harp through that thing.
|
12gagedan
167 posts
Feb 22, 2012
12:38 PM
|
It was my first tube amp, but really dislike the Blues Jr.
----------
12gagedan's YouTube Channel
|
Joe_L
1752 posts
Feb 22, 2012
12:46 PM
|
I've played through a Peavey Bandit before. I didn't think it was so bad.
----------
The Blues Photo Gallery
|
Willspear
60 posts
Feb 22, 2012
1:04 PM
|
Blues jr.
Can sound good but so can lots of other so so amps
I gigged a Princeton reverb reissue tonight No tube swaps and it just so obliterates the blues jr for guitar and harp. Less feedback prone. Not farty Tone is just somuch better on so many levels
Fender blues deville is s deadly amp without seriously retubing
I play through the old 212 on occasion just because. But stock it was do unwieldy in a live setting and impossible to use. I embarrassed myself once due to underestimating the feedback potential of it.
Re tubed it does ok with a couple Mics
I know people get good tone out of some Mesa boogies but I can't for the life of me get a sound I like our of them.
|
dougharps
170 posts
Feb 23, 2012
2:19 AM
|
The Peavey Classic 30 is a good guitar amp, as noted above by LittleBubba. I found I could make a Classic 30 work for harmonica, stock, by using the clean channel and cutting treble and mids way back, with little or no reverb. Sometimes I used some delay. Don't try for major breakup, just get a warm sound that will break up when you push it. Do not use the distortion channel: that adds gain, makes for a fuzzy sound, and increases feedback. This is what worked for me.
But if you are buying an amp for just harp and no guitar, I wouldn't recommend it. I sold mine to a guitar player and use my other amps for harp now.
----------
Doug S.
|
Tuckster
981 posts
Feb 23, 2012
3:12 AM
|
Blues Jr. gave me fits. That was before I knew about retubing and knew nothing about amplified harp.
|
Barry C.
313 posts
Feb 23, 2012
3:38 AM
|
fender pro junior - h-a-t-e!
----------
~Banned in Boston!
|
FatJesus
2 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:22 AM
|
i'm a chronic lurker here, but for what it's worth, i'll chime in on the Vox.
i have a tube-swapped Vox AC4TV, and it's not bad for harp, though it can (like a Vox), get a bit 'ring-y.' it's definitely more of a clean sound, especially out of the box.
the stock tubes are very harp-unfriendly, and do not give you much in the way of headroom, particularly with a hot mic; my CM biscuit would originally make it squeal, fast. but swap the tubes (from stock Sovteks to, say, a NOS National 12AY7 and a Mullard), add a couple of LoneWolf pedals, and it's not bad sound for the money.
the power attenuation (1/4 watt, 1 watt, 4 watts) is a good feature, though it gets the most distortion at the 4 watt setting. and the 10" speaker is a good size, and a pretty decent speaker, for blowing harp (in this price range).
NOTE: it is an EL84-based amp, so if you really love that 6V6 sound, be advised. i might go with the VHT Special 6 or Greg Heumann's modded Kalamazoo, if i had to do it over again (Greg's stuff is great).
but with the tube swaps, i don't regret owning this. it'll be my primary amp until i can upgrade to a much bigger HarpGear or Wezo or Sonny Jr.
i wish Marble Amps were available stateside.
|
rbeetsme
664 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:10 PM
|
The Fender Blues Jr. is an amp that has always been at the forefront of harp players list. Some years back I bought one from a Harmonica retailer. Didn't play it much, but started to bring it to jams. One year I was at a blues festival, all the harp players had Blues Jrs, maybe 6 of us. None sounded good to me. I left that festival determined to read all I could about the qualities that made up a good harp amp. I know there is a lot of info and sites dedicated to making the BJr sound better, I looked elsewhere. I think they were popular because they are cheap and loud. Sounds like these VHT amps are a much better choice for starter amps. In keeping with this thread, high wattage big speaker amps don't work well for harp unless extensively modded. I never found a 2X12 50+ watt amp I liked for harp. Worst case scenerio was a BMW motorcycle Rally I attended. They had a "Blues Band" in a pole barn structure where the tables for the food court were located. Ear bleeding volume. Just a single guitar player and harp player. Both had Twin Reverbs, probably dimed. Harp was shrill, harsh and sterile. But he was loud! The sound was so offensive, I couldn't tell you if he was a good player or not.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2012 4:12 PM
|
MJ
373 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:40 PM
|
I owned 2 Fender Blues Jrs when I first began playing harmonica with a band. I thought at the time that it was the perfect harp amp. It did work well with low volume practice, but was not very good when the volumes got higher when playing out. Feedback was a big problem. Although they sound pretty good when used for guitar. I have gone through many amps in search of something for harp. Thankfully I have found that.
|
bharper
153 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:52 PM
|
I, too, was disappointed with the Blues Jr. I owned it for a few years and could never get what I wanted from it. On the other hand, I like the little Pro Jr. It is really not a bad little harp amp.
|
jbone
797 posts
Feb 23, 2012
8:02 PM
|
fender hot rod deluxe was another disaster of mine. took the opinion of a guitarist about what would work well.
i have 2 of the danelectro amps, a dirty thirty and a nifty fifty. some years ago we got a gig doing a happy hour. we had no p.a., we did have a peavey acoustic 2 channel amp for wife. guitar one side, mic in the other. but that left me needing a harp amp and something to sing into since it was such a hassle moving her mic back and forth. i ended up using my silvertone 1482 for vocals with a shure 545 with impedance tranny, and a dirty thirty for harp. it was just SO FREAKIN' HOT. i had to use a crappy mic in it and keep the settings way low, and drape a towel over the front to get a bit of muffling even so. luckily we ended up getting a little p.a. and i got my 1482 back for harp.
there have been times i wanted to strangle whoever set the mic when i was blowing harp through the p.a. i tend to get right up on it and if the mic is set for vocals a foot back, the gain will absolutely break eardrums.
i've blown harp through a blues jr and thought it was pretty good. these days try and find ANY amp new for under about $500 that's any way decent for harp.
----------
http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
|
Greg Heumann
1493 posts
Feb 23, 2012
8:26 PM
|
+1 on having bought a Blues Jr (which, in retrospect, was a stupid, uninformed guess based entirely on the Fender name and the name of the amp.) CRAP for harp without a lot of modding.
Peavey Prowler. yuck.
----------
/Greg
|
hvyj
2198 posts
Feb 23, 2012
8:57 PM
|
Blues Jr. = Great guitar amp + terrible harp amp. Fender Deluxe Reverb is another lousy harp amp.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2012 8:59 PM
|
12gagedan
170 posts
Feb 23, 2012
9:00 PM
|
Several years ago I came across a vintage 5E3 Deluxe at a Guitar Center in Connecticut. (Asking was over $3000 at the time). I tried it out for harp, and all I could think the whole time was, "This amp is doing everything the Blues Jr. tries to do and fails at". The Deluxe was worth more than my car at the time. It was so nice, though.
----------
12gagedan's YouTube Channel
|
Kingley
1819 posts
Feb 23, 2012
4:52 PM
|
Barry C - If you can't get a good sound out of a Pro Jr then it must be either your playing technique or mic technique. As this amp makes a pretty good harp amp and is fairly well regarded in harp circles.
hvjj - If you mean the reissue 40 watt Deluxe then I agree with you. The old 5E3 tweed deluxe though is a different beast.
|
Joe_L
1758 posts
Feb 23, 2012
5:24 PM
|
@Kingley - he means the Deluxe Reverb. I played through one of those recently. The house PA died. The band was using a Deluxe Reverb as a PA. I plugged a harp mic into it, turned the knobs and got some killer tone out of it.
A couple of us played through it and it sounded fine.
----------
The Blues Photo Gallery
|
Kingley
1821 posts
Feb 23, 2012
6:21 PM
|
Cheers Joe. Thanks for clearing that up. Yeah the '65 Deluxe Reverb is ok for harp.
|
hvyj
2199 posts
Feb 23, 2012
7:12 PM
|
The original '65 Deluxe Reverb I had once upon a time was an uncontrollable feedback machine. But that was quite a while ago before I knew about tube swapping. The tone seemed ok but the feedback threshold was so low it made the amp unusable.
@Kingley: Yeah, this is the amp that the current Deluxe Reverb Reissue is a reissue of.
Last Edited by on Feb 23, 2012 8:11 PM
|
tenbarsteam
5 posts
Feb 23, 2012
8:38 PM
|
I used to have a 1978 Fender Twin Reverb with the orange JBL speakers. An excellent guitar amp but that thing really needed to be cranked way up to get a good harp sound. Oh yes and it weighed a ton.
|
arnenym
140 posts
May 29, 2013
1:12 PM
|
I had a Fender Twin with those orange speakers. Terrible harp amp.
Original blues juniors is another one of the worst ones.. I have tried to mod three BJ's but i never succed to made good harp amps out of them.
|
HawkeyeKane
1715 posts
May 29, 2013
3:50 PM
|
I once tried playing through an SWR Super Redhead. I was pretty disappointed with it to be honest. Practically zero attainable distortion.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
rbeetsme
1238 posts
May 29, 2013
3:59 PM
|
BTW: I currently own 6 amps, 5 vintage, 1 current brand. All are steller harp amps. None are harp specific, all were designed as guitar amps. You can get a guitar amp that sounds good for harp. As Adam once told me, harp players prefer low watt amps with small alnico speakers. Good starting point.
|
Moon Cat
262 posts
May 29, 2013
9:18 PM
|
second and thirding the Blues Jnr. Lone wolf pedals make all those situations easier...Some times its easier to play to the rigs strength...bites but can be a learning experience still is for me now. meow.
|
jbone
1266 posts
May 30, 2013
4:39 AM
|
two of my worst ever harp amps: Pignose g40v and Peavey Classic 50.
----------
http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
|
ridge
424 posts
May 30, 2013
5:14 AM
|
+1 on Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Way to heavy and way to crappy to make it worth while.
|
SuperBee
1162 posts
May 30, 2013
6:15 AM
|
ha, funny because i was gonna mention the HR Deluxe...theres one (an LTD with the Jensen Alnico)in my band, thanks to threads like this i never really thought of it as a harp amp...
but at practice the other night, i actually had the amp in my car...took it in and set it up while the guitarist was still on his way...and tried it with the harp. i thought it sounded pretty good. there was no pressure with sound levels though, so may have been a different story when the band fired up. for sure the volume knob is touchy as...
beautiful sounding rig with the strat though, on the normal/bright channel...
i wouldnt mind having a crack at modifying one along the lines of my deville; i expect it would come up pretty good
----------
Last Edited by SuperBee on May 30, 2013 6:20 AM
|
Rick Davis
1864 posts
May 30, 2013
12:46 PM
|
-Any Pignose except the little one.
-Any solid state Peavey or Crate.
-Almost any amp that uses EL84 tubes.
-The Epiphone Blues Custom 30 was a great disappointment.
-I once played through a bandmate's Marshall 100-watt stack. That was awful.
----------
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Tip Jar
|
