I own a fender vibro champ amp. It's one of the latest versions in the fender champ series. The main difference between this reissue and others is it comes stocked with a reverb knob. I couple it with a dynamic shaker harmonica mic with volume control. I set the reverb at about 2 or 3 and the volume of the amp to about 7 and the volume control on the mic is set to about 6 or 7 as well. I can't push the volume higher because I get very intense feedback which, is unfortunate because I feel like I'm just starting to hit the amps' sweet spot. Does anyone have any suggestions on cutting feedback? Does anyone own this amp and use it with their harmonica? I was thinking of maybe buying a lone wolf delay pedal because it claims to cut feedback. I've also thought about selling the amp and buying a harp gear II because they are similar in price and the harp gear II comes highly recommended by many, including Gussow. What are your thoughts?
so is that a tube amp or solid state? if it's tube you can probably cut the feedback by using a lower value pre amp tube esp if it's a 2 or 3 12a model amp. what i've learned is to leave the hot tube- say a 12ax7- in the socket closest to the transformer, which should be p1, and swap the remaining pre amp tube or tubes for say 12au7's. the idea being to bring the signal into the pre amp section at full strength and then massage it some after. that way you have more sweet spot to play with. this has worked on my 2 amps, a silvertone 1482 and a replica '59 bassman. a volume pot of the right value is a definite plus on a mic. this allows you to set your volumes higher and use that higher setting for lead work and then drop back for rhythm/accent stuff. remember, a mic feeds back usually when it it at rest rather than when it's being played through. i use a e-v dynamic modded to high z by greg heumann. also have a mc151 crystal mic and a cm bullet i play with. all work well in either of my amps.
if this is a solid state amp there is not much you can do inside the case i don't think, but a delay pedal may help. other than that different mics and elements are in order i think. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
I have the opposite experience with my Shaker dynamic. It has a much lower output than others, and much less prone to feedback. The result is I can crank the amp to the sweet spot without feedback, but the price (or benefit) is less volume.
Do you have the current 5W 1 8" spkr Vibrochamp XD?
First of all you should get plenty loud for the house but that thing will never be loud enough to hear on stage at a jam, which will surprise you when you hear how loud it is at home. If you push it, you'll get feedback.
Make sure you set the "gain" knob very low and turn the volume up to compensate. It has a single 12Ax7 preamp tube. You might get better results dropping that down to a 12AY, 12AT or 5751.
I don't know what the "voice" knob does, nor do I know what "FX" it has - but "overdrive" type effects should be avoided as they tend to increase feedback. A good amp gives you a good overdriven tone when you cup the well and you have to learn how to do this. An overdrive effect isn't the same and isn't as effective.
@Wowwiezowwie "I was thinking of maybe buying a lone wolf delay pedal because it claims to cut feedback."
I don't recall Randy ever making this claim for the delay pedals. If you bought one with the expectation that it would reduce feedback you would be disappointed.
Randy does make the Harp Octave pedal that thickens tone & reduces feedback a little (useful tool) and is working on a specific "anti feedback pedal" as we speak.
I'm a bit confused by this bit in your post, "I set the reverb at about 2 or 3 and the volume of the amp to about 7 and the volume control on the mic is set to about 6 or 7 as well." and "I've also thought about selling the amp and buying a harp gear II because they are similar in price" - I'm not totally up on the latest Fenders but the Vibro Champ XD is way less money than a HG2 and the EC Vibrochamp (nearer the price of the HG2) has no reverb. Can you please clarify the model of amp you have?
Set the mic volume to fully up when playing, if you can set the volume on the amp to 6-7 it doesn't really sound like you have an issue with "feedback" so much, more an issue with the tone of the amp? ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Below is a review of delays where the reviewer claims the LW "eats feedback" (about 11:30 into the video). Perhaps where the rumor comes from. Does it really? I have a LW Delay, but I don't have a muscle-bound amp and feedback isn't normally a problem for me. But if there's an impact on feedback, it's just a side effect that demonstrates that the device isn't transparent, it's changing the signal. That may be considered good or bad.
I used my LW Delay last month in a recording session. Neither the band leader nor the recording engineer wanted the delay, but they liked the way the amp sounded better with the delay connected, but all the knobs cranked down to zero. It definitely changed the tone in a subtle, but good way. I doubt it was an intended feature though.
@Easyreeder, "Neither the band leader nor the recording engineer wanted the delay, but they liked the way the amp sounded better with the delay connected,"
Sure, this is not uncommon, anything you put between mic & amp will affect the sound somehow (even the construction & sometimes length of the mic cord) and the Lone Wolf V1 delay was found to be on the darker side by some (hence the brighter/crisper V2 delay) - this hi frequency roll off might have a negligible affect on feedback in some circumstances, but "anti-feedback", per se, is not a feature of this pedal. Most stomp box wet effects are aimed at being unity gain (neither add, nor take away) by design, but realising this in the real world is not so easy...there's often inevitably a little change in signal level. I like the lone Wolf V1 delay & own one, it's pretty transparent compared to anything else I have AB'd it with. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
"I own a fender vibro champ amp. It's one of the latest versions in the fender champ series."
didn't know they reissued the vibro/champ but from what you have described so far, "reverb"?! they must be very odd. i've owned three original vibro champs over the years).
actually, getting stock guitar amp up to 7 before feedback is quite a trick.
the sweet spot on the originals was far lower than seven. depending on mic and condition of amp, the sweet spot was about 3-4 or maybe a little higher before they screamed feed. you had to stand pretty far away too. ----------
MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
i have the xd and i get a good sound out of it but i only play at home at lower volumes. but its a hybrid amp so the way i understand it the amp wont hit the sweet spot or have the speaker breakup that an all tube amp would have.
@ greg --- I own the EC Vibrochamp, not the the Vibrochamp XD, I should of specified that. The 'EC' is all tube, containing Fender Groove Tubes - 6V6GT output tube, two 12AX7 tubes, and a 5Y3Gt rectifier tube. For a portable amp it has a big sound. I like it ---@jbone --what do you think of this setup? If you were to modify it what would you change?
@5F6H ---The Vibrochamp has a knob on the control panel labeled 'speed.' Rotating it clockwise adjusts the rate of the 'vibrato' effect, from long waves, to short. It produces a Tremolo sound, I thought it was similar to reverb. That could just be me. I'd say the EC and the HG2, as you noted, are comparable in price.
@ Iceman --- good idea, I'll have to buy an XLR to quarter inch cable because the inputs are quarter inch only. Unless I go wireless, any thoughts on wireless systems?---@Greg -- do you have any thoughts on this subject, wireless vs. traditional mic setup? What setup do you prefer if you don't mind me asking?
@easyreeder---That video is what I based my assumption on, that the LW delay pedal could cut feedback. I've never used one, so I have no way of knowing for sure.
I've played acoustically for many years. I like to busk on the street with another guitar player, we never go electric. Most bluegrass jams I go to are acoustic. When I do go to a blues jam, I use what the venue makes available to me, or I ask another player if I can use their set up.
Recently, over the course of the last few months, I've been playing out a lot of with this loud Blues/Rock band. I needed a setup and bought the aforementioned products. I've been working on my seal to produce the overdriven sound. Paying close attention to hand resonance.
I could definitely stand to learn more about microphones, amplification and the inherent combinations there to. Any additional information pertaining to these categories is welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
Last Edited by on Mar 09, 2012 12:29 PM
Wowwiezowwie, good that's as I thought, reverb would typically add some gain, it's unlikely that the tremolo in your amp does...infact the tremolo might even be beneficial in that respect.
As Greg suggested a lower gain preamp tube is a good idea, a 5751 (1st choice) or maybe even a 12AY7. Your amp has no tone control, just a volume control...for some guys this isn't a problem, but the tone will nearly always be fairly tight & bright (no highs are attenuated from the signal, like they are via the HG2's tone pot, some like this well enough) but you might try adding a cap to cut highs...try 0.0047uf or 0.0022uf from the RH volume pot tab to ground...or a smaller value cap like 500pf to 1000pf accross the "input stage plate resistor". A tech could do either, or both of these mods in 30mins, parts cost next to nothing.
Considering the $ hit you will take on the EC VC don't think it is really worth your while selling it to get a HG2 (unless that doesn't bother you & you have a chance to try them both), they are both well made amps, once you get the "hi cut" cap(s) to a setting you like you should be good to go. The HG2 also has a line out, but this can also easily & cheaply be facilitated on the EC VC. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
