CarlA
24 posts
May 25, 2012
1:17 PM
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The HG Double Trouble is a great amp, but I was wondering if any members did any modifications to their DT that helped them achieve a more specific "sound" (ie:tube swaps, effects pedals, etc)
Thanks!
-Carl
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CarlA
25 posts
May 26, 2012
5:26 PM
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I guess the harpgear dt stock is perfect the way its shipped! I guess I just had a crazy moment asking such foolish questions. Golly Beaver!
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Joe_L
1856 posts
May 26, 2012
9:16 PM
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I own one. I've used a Harp Tone+, a Harp Octave or a Harp Delay with it. Usually, I run the mic straight into the amp and try to play the shit out of it. It's a great amp.
I guess I don't understand the need to mod everything. Most harp amps are going to sound fine, if you've got tone. Many guitar amps will also sound fine.
The Double Trouble is a fine amp out of the box. Just play it.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on May 26, 2012 9:21 PM
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SuperBee
278 posts
May 27, 2012
3:46 AM
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I think there's a recent thread about putting twin 8" speakers in a Princeton Reverb Reissue, where Mike harpninja Fugazzi was talking about all the speaker swaps he had tried in his DT.
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Last Edited by on May 27, 2012 3:48 AM
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Greg Heumann
1623 posts
May 28, 2012
7:31 AM
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Agree with Joe. When a guy like Brian designs an amp specifically for harp players, you can assume he did his best. Of course that is personal taste. You can make it DIFFERENT with mods. Whether that is better is your call. I've heard and played a DT and agree it is a great amp out of the box. Don't change it unless you have a specific goal in mind to correct what you perceive to be a shortcoming.
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/Greg
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HarpNinja
2479 posts
May 28, 2012
8:20 AM
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I hated the stock speakers due to their breakup and farting out, so I went with ceramic instead. Great amp, but I realized I just hate 8" speakers.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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timeistight
590 posts
May 28, 2012
10:22 AM
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I can't understand why you'd pay over a grand on a low-watt, boutique harp amp and then spend more money making it different. I think you'd be a lot better off selling it and buying something else, or, if you're dying to hot-rod something, buying a used tube Fender and trying to make it work for harp.
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Joe_L
1858 posts
May 28, 2012
9:38 PM
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I can't disagree with that statement. Personally, I never considered swapping anything in my Double Trouble. I never had the problems then Mike had. I've played my amp at the volume limit on several occasions.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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HarpNinja
2484 posts
May 29, 2012
9:58 AM
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When I got my DT, it was like $800 ($850 shipped, I think). I played with it with the volume at 7 using a SM57 and on lower harps it would make the speakers fart. I am not just talking speaker break-up, which I do not like, but it could get flubby when really cranked.
Had I known I was going to get speaker break-up like that, I would have just ordered it with ceramic Webers insteand - which would have actually been less in overhead at the time.
I don't like speaker break up, and the last straw was the 8" speakers in general. The amp sounded great (even with stock speakers at not-cranked volumes), but it wasn't much louder than my modded Vibro Champ, and when A/B'ed with a Princeton Reverb RI, the PRRI blew it away in projection and cut.
I moved up to the HG50 1210, and that amp on three with the tone controls way down was louder than the DT. I realized the tone from 50w on three with the tone controls adjusted to taste was not only louder, but better - and had much more projection. I loved that amp, but took a break from serious gigging and wasn't using it (I had bought my own PA gear, and therefore could just mic smaller amps).
I tried to gig with a DT two times (I mean I had to DT's and used them at a lot of shows). It sounded great, but didn't cut it with a band for stage volume, and it would not project enough with the 8" speakers either. My solution was just getting a HG2 and micing it (although I almost always just play straight to the PA via my pedalboard).
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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HarpNinja
2485 posts
May 29, 2012
10:51 AM
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Here is a clip with a stock DT:
I think I was using a Boss DM-2 as well...Shure 57 for 100% sure. It sounds pretty sweet, but I think it was on 5-6...Famous Dave's has a huge PA, so I was using monitors. I will dig for a clip where it sounds rattier. Again, great amp and tone for what it was meant for...I just prefer a cleaner tone with less speaker break-up (hence moving to ceramic).
Here is a track (from studio, though) of a DT with ceramic speakers...
It is cleaner and less paper-tearing sounding.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
Last Edited by on May 29, 2012 10:53 AM
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7LimitJI
670 posts
May 29, 2012
11:30 AM
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Carl if you're not happy with the sound then mod it.
Harp specific amps are the designers idea of a harp amp, which is not necessarily to your taste.
In saying that, they are expensive to buy and if you modify it will lose re-sale value.
Maybe better to sell it and buy a stock Fender and mod that.
It is just a tube amp and they are easy to mod.
But, you need to know what you want.ie
More or less crunch,headroom,bass or treble, etc etc
Then find a good tech to do it, or do it yourself.
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The Pentatonics Reverbnation
Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
"It's music,not just complicated noise".
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HarpNinja
2488 posts
May 29, 2012
11:44 AM
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"I guess I don't understand the need to mod everything."
Well, like you did with the over $300 in pedals, you might need to tweak things to taste. When I got my first DT, I was contacted later by Brian about a new mod he came up with for it that involved adding headroom, so at that time, even the maker was tweaking.
I like the DT threads as I really really like the amp's tone even with some non-circuit tweaks. It sucks it wasn't a good fit for me and full band use, and I don't regret letting them go, but it was a sweet amp.
I never tried the amp with different power tubes. I did, though roll preamp tubes and, like Brian, liked the 12ay7 best. I bet when people initially start thinking about mods they have one of two things in mind...
1. More volume before feedback
2. Change in break-up
With the DT, lowering preamp tubes kills tone and volume, which is tough being that most people use it as a mid-sized amp when it isn't really a midsized amp. Higher preamp tubes like a 12ax7 are feedback prone.
The cheapest mods are preamp and speakers, depending on what you get. Depending on taste, a different mic might make sense.
Most people can't try it before they buy it and rely heavily on word of mouth. I bought my first DT based strictly off a Jason Ricci clip playing it. I didn't even think of the fact it wasn't with a full band, lol.
Often, the best you can do is buy what you can and try to make it work. If it doesn't work out, hopefully you can flip it (the only gear I've bought new other than harps are my first DT, Kinder AFB, a Tech 21 Pedal, and my wireless).
IMO, the trick to just about anything amped playing is 1.) finding a good mic and 2.) matching it to an amp with some flexibility. By that, I mean something that sounds good clean and pushed...the dance then becomes getting something that has enough volume/headroom to do that.
The worst part of playing harp, IMO, is finding a good amped rig...if only for feedback and cutting through a band. By journey has been complicated by the use of effects beyond delay. If I played in a blues band, any Harp Gear amp and analog delay would be good enough assuming I could cut through the mix.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
Last Edited by on May 29, 2012 11:51 AM
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Joe_L
1861 posts
May 29, 2012
6:51 PM
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I guess you missed the two preceding sentences.
"Usually, I run the mic straight into the amp and try to play the shit out of it. It's a great amp."
I'm quite happy with my purchase.
Next time, I will make sure to only offer Mike Fugazzi approved opinions.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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HarpNinja
2489 posts
May 29, 2012
7:36 PM
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I think it is unfair and illogical to be critical of someone wanting to investigate mods to their amp when you've experimented yourself.
Why plug in the outboard gear if the amp sounds great? Did you want to compare the before and after? It is probably cheaper to mod the amp, even internally, then buy all those pedals. It is nice to see what you can come up with with the tools around you.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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CarlA
27 posts
May 30, 2012
6:33 AM
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Thanks for all the responses guys!
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