I bet James had some feedback issues with that amp live !
I have heard his old rig was a vintage 1x8 plugged/jumped into a fender 1x 15 . Same thing I used for years and it sounded great !!
But now I find I can get the same thing or better with one amp like my brown concert or super sonny 4x10
Or by changing the pre amp tubes in my victoria 3515 copy of a 59 pro amp with 1x15 !! I wouldn't trade any of my Amps for this new amp !!
Last Edited by on Apr 02, 2012 1:16 AM
Went to a jam last night and what was set up on stage? Lo and behold a Quilter amp. I got to play two songs through it and it sounded pretty good, but it didn't floor me. At 200 watts(!) it cut through the loud band nicely with no feed back issues. The bottom line: Would I by one of I had the money? No. I think they're going for about $800. The thing is, they're designed for guitar, not harp. Like I said, it didn't floor me the way the Meteor amp did when I got a chance to try that.
Hopefully, I will know this weekend what it'll sound like. I like the idea of a 30 day moneyback guarantee. I'm picking up a 12-incher. But bluzlvr--I believe the guitar vs harp designs are moot, because unlike tubes, this is supposed to be a new kind of solid state. We'll see....
Last Edited by on Sep 26, 2012 1:43 PM
I posted on Quilter in the thread about solid state amps 2 weeks ago. There was no comment on it at all, but I am glad someone like James Harmon is reviewing it. Here are some videos on the product website:
http://www.quilterlabs.com/products/
James Harmon will be on the Blues Cruise in the Caribbean next month. I will see if he brings it with him. I will also ask to play through it.
Last Edited by on Sep 26, 2012 1:59 PM
@atty1chgo-It's James HARMAN-not HARMON-I call him Jimmy-were are tight like that-and you ain't going to play through Jimmy's rig,I can tell you that right know-don't even ask- Let me get this right-you don't know the correct spelling of his name,but your going to ask to play through his rig?
Last Edited by on Sep 26, 2012 3:07 PM
tmf714 - with all due respect, what is your fucking problem? CHILL OUT A BIT. Yes, I WILL ask him. You seem to have some problem that I am not understanding. Are you going to be embarrassed for me from 2,000 miles away or wherever the hell you live? All he may say is No. And I am SO SORRY that I am not thistight with Mr. Harmon like you are.
Good Lord man, relax and get some rest.
--- Now that it is a few hours later, let me try and explain a bit. On the Cruise, the musicians are very friendly and accessible; if you get to talk with them on occasion, they are, by and large, very friendly and down-to-earth, and actually helpful to other musicians, even amateur ones like you and I (or a pro musician). There are pro-am jams on the boat, and many pros attend them, as well as late night jams where rigs are set up in different areas of the boat. It's a relaxed atmosphere. It is very possible to interact with many of them in various settings over the course of a week - at breakfast, at the different ports of call, at the gigs, over a beer or drink. It's a very laid back time, and an amazing experience. The man seemed approachable from the posted video, so I didn't think that what I was suggesting was out of the ordinary. I was just taken aback by the vitriol of tmf714's comments, and I responded in kind. I'm sorry if anyone was offended, but I won't apologize for my remarks.
One more thing. The musicians on board very much respect the cruisers. These are knowledgeable blues music fans and musicians. They spend many thousands of dollars to watch a bunch of blues men and women play up to 3 full gigs in the course of a week, as well as the Pro Jams. The cruisers purchase a tremendous amount of product on board (and later on line), and attend gigs back on shore after the cruise. Friendships are created and maintained. There is an atmosphere where the cruise goers are not overly intrusive. The musicians always get their space and their privacy. And it is because of the popularity and success of these cruises (they are almost always sold out) that these bands get exposure and get paid for a working vacation. It is unlike anything I have ever seen or experienced. It is in that vein that I suggested that approach with Mr. Harman.
Here is the amazing fall lineup:
Taj Mahal Trio Tedeschi-Trucks Band
Brooks Family Legacy Band (Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Wayne Baker Brooks)
Buckwheat Zydeco Bobby Rush Revue
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue - original lineup: Tommy Castro, Magic Dick, Deanna Bogart, Ronnie Baker Brooks
North Mississippi All-Stars with special guest Lightnin' Malcolm
Ruthie Foster Band Tommy Castro Band Lil Ed and The Blues Imperials The Nighthawks James Harman's Bamboo Porch Revue Ana Popovic Trampled Under Foot Carolina Chocolate Drops
Shane Dwight - featuring Bekka Bramlett Ironing Board Sam Mitch Woods - piano bar host Leon Blue - piano bar host Victor Wainwright - piano bar host Scottie "Bones" Miller - piano bar host
"Nothing But The Blues" original play based on Chicago's Theresa's Lounge - featuring Earl Thomas and Big Llou Johnson (Sirius XM Radio Bluesville)
Wired! (2012 IBC Band winner) Earl Thomas and Eddie Angel
Randy Oxford - jam host
Special Guests:
Samantha Fish Matt Anderson John Nemeth
San Juan, PR pre-cruise party with Sista Monica Parker All Star Band featuring Deanna Bogart
Samantha Fish Band
Last Edited by on Sep 27, 2012 4:39 AM
@atty1chgo-My problem is simple-do you know all that James has been through in the last 2 months? He is not in the best of moods,and for a good reason.
Also -do you know what his nickname is? There is also a good reson for that.
The Good Lord has nothing to do with this-leave him out of it-I am well rested and ready to run the 6 miles I do everyday-then play my ass off tonight.
Just get the mans name right before you ask for anything-thats all.
I believe the selling point is its size and weight, but most importantly the tone, since it seeks to duplicate a tube sound in a solid state amp.
Last Edited by on Sep 27, 2012 6:34 AM
I am sorta ignoring the tone part on purpose as lots of things can get you tone...for $800 you could get a powered PA speaker and your choice of tone pedal and have all sorts of volume and headroom...I doubt you'd be at 19lbs, though.
hey fugazzi i can get a brand new qsc 12 for $650.00 is that a good price does it have eq so it's not to brite? thinking of mic'ing my champ
a friend of mine has a quilter amp he brought to the jam i saw no reason to use it the band was loud and we had the bases covered with a bassman i'll ask him to bring that next time seems worth a look under the hood; and maybe kick the tires
That's a good price for a new one. There are other speakers that might be cheaper that will work well.
The QSC does not have a built in eq that is as diverse as a three band eq. In most instances, if you mic an amp to it, you'd be fine. If you want to use it as your amp like I do, you'll want an eq of sorts in line with it.
Set the input correctly, the eq switch to flat, and the subwoofer switch to external sub even if you aren't using one. If you don't do that, it will feedback like crazy.
I listened to the track that James used the Quilter for recording - "Hittin the Groove" by the Mannish Boys. While it's not harp-focused, I wasn't crazy about the harp, a little less character than James's usual sound.
I would still be interested in hearing a side by side comparison of a similar budget amp e.g. a Princeton Reissue
I know a few pros who use them because of the light weight, easy to travel with - but they prefer their tube amps whenever possible. I've played through a couple of models. OK, not great. Charlie Musselwhite had a Quilter head - very light - so he could just hook up to a PA speaker or cabinet. We tried it here through a PA speaker and through my Avenger cabinet. Oddly, with CR's and crystals it just sucked. It was dead and lifeless. But through a Bulletini? That woke it right up. As Charlie would say "I ain't lyin'" ---------- *************************************************** /Greg
I saw Westside Andy playing one in Memphis in January. I heard nothing lacking when I heard it,but Andy would sound good with 2 tin cans and a piece of string.
BTW-I've also heard him play a Super Sonny JR.(I think) in Memphis.Perhaps the Sonny was a touch more "organic"-sorry I don't have a better description.But to me it was splitting hairs. they both sounded good. Ultimately,it was the player I paid attention to and not either amp.
So what is it? Cost probabably right? If that thing would cost around 500$, wouldn't every jamming harpplayer have one? Now it's in blackface/second hand bassman territory and gets compared to that and loses.
James Harman currently uses a Quilter Aviator when he plays live. I played with him about a month ago and the amp sounded great. No feedback problems.I had a Micro Pro for a while. Really a fun amp with very good effects but prone to feedback past 3.5. Im sure an AFB pedal would allow you to crank it. They are very powerful. I recorded with it and it came across flat, one dimensional.The people at Quilter - Costa Mesa are super good people.All in all I would say the Micro Pro is more of a guitar amp but you could make it work for harp with the right set up.
