surfingjack
15 posts
Nov 24, 2013
11:02 PM
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Could your guys share with me some of your typical setting that would be dialed when using a Fender Bassman for Harp.
Channels used etc.ec.
Would be great to have a starting point.
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jbone
1424 posts
Nov 25, 2013
3:56 AM
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When I had mine I put a jumper between inputs 2 and 3. Plugged my mic into 4. This bridges both channels and overdrives the circuit.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
Last Edited by jbone on Nov 25, 2013 3:56 AM
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walterharp
1230 posts
Nov 25, 2013
7:45 AM
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typical, presence up a way, bass at 8, mid at 1-2, treble at 3-4
however the more I play it the more I tend to move closer toward flat tone control.. say bass 7, mid 3 treble 5 depending on how much cut I need.
Presence is generally half way up or more.
Bridging tends to muddy things up at times. However even if you do not bridge use the other channel volume control in addition to the one you are plugged into, it noticeably alters the volume and tone...
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Greg Heumann
2473 posts
Nov 25, 2013
1:01 PM
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I say "don't ever let anyone tell you how to set up your amp."
It varies. A lot. Not just the amp, but the player. The way I set my amp up for ME is probably not the way I'd set it up for you - and I mean significantly different.
With some Bassman-based amps, you need to turn the bass way up. With others that creates nothing but more muddy distortion when you chord, and doesn't fatten your tone.
You need to personally understand what the tone controls do. Play with them. Turn them too far. Test playing with high, medium and low harps. Play single notes and chords. Play hard and soft. Play headshakes and tongue slaps. (How an amp responds on the "edge" of a note is really important to its tone. The headshake really helps you hear this. LISTEN. Let your taste be your guide.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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Rick Davis
2733 posts
Nov 25, 2013
1:07 PM
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I agree with Greg. Twiddle with the knobs 'til it sounds good to you.
(Exactly right about the "edge of a note.")
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-Little Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Frank
3389 posts
Nov 25, 2013
1:33 PM
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Experiment with the knobs and notice how you can make a regular "F" harp sound best to your ears and then pick up a low "F" harp and play it with the same settings...
If you like how the low "F" sounds using the same settings, fine...If not play with the knobs again until you hear a tone you prefer.
Stuff like this will give you a pretty good ideal with how the dials on your amp can be used. And you should catch on fairly quickly how you like things dialed in, being there are only handful to deal with.
Some amps sounds great with everything on 10 - except the volume of course :)
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1847
1334 posts
Nov 25, 2013
2:59 PM
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first thing you want to do is this.
order a kinder antifeed back pedal
or the new squeal killer pedal.
while waiting for it to arrive, install 3 Sylvania 12ax7's
and like jbone said, jumper the channels
then simply turn all the controls fully clockwise
roll back the treble till it just stops feedbacking.
ask both guitar players if they would mind turning up
easy as pie.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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Greg Heumann
2474 posts
Nov 25, 2013
6:07 PM
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@1847 - you're big proponent of the Kinder AFB. That's a $350 box if I'm not mistaken. Its a helluva lot cheaper to swap a couple of those 12AX7's out for lower gain tubes. Feedback problem gone, and, in my opinion, LESS detrimental to tone.
I respect your opinion and impressed with how much we disagree about this. I hope someday we get to be in the same room with the same amp and experiment with this stuff!
Edit: Of course I wrote this having read only the first half of your "recipe"..... perhaps you were more tongue in cheek than I presumed?
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
Last Edited by Greg Heumann on Nov 25, 2013 6:09 PM
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Chinaski
263 posts
Nov 26, 2013
3:26 AM
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I agree with Greg - one person's settings can be significantly different to the next.
In contrast to walterharp for example, I always have the bass below halfway - around 5 usually - the mid up to 4 and little touch of treble between 2 and 3. That ends up giving me this sound which suits me (solo about halfway in):
Somebody using that rig may prefer it set entirely different though.
The wood mic from Greg being used here doesn't harm either ;)
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jbone
1426 posts
Nov 26, 2013
3:57 AM
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Of course it also depends on what mic you plug in and how that element responds to both you and the amp. I found with mine that a mc151 crystal was a good choice on some material and that the bass on the amp sort of compensated for less bass response on the crystal element. A lot of times though, a cm or good dynamic element was my go to.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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walterharp
1231 posts
Nov 26, 2013
5:57 AM
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I totally agree with setting it like you like it. The only point of my post as this topic has come up before elsewhere a number of times, that is roughly where people most commonly recommend to start...
If you are going to delve into it what that amp, get an amp tech to get it sounding the way you want.. bias pot and then match to your sound.
One thing that really helps me is to get a looping pedal and play a harp or two in different styles to start the loop. Then you can step away from playing and listen while you change settings. Some people can hear what is going on fairly well while they play, but so much sound is transmitted through your jaw it is my opinion that it is physically impossible to really hear what is happening without listening to a recording later. but for doing amp settings, this is a pretty clumsy way to go about doing things.. yeah the looping pedal colors the sound some, but it makes things easier.. fwiw it also is a good quick recording tool to immediately hear how what you play sounds as well.
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Rick Davis
2734 posts
Nov 26, 2013
6:26 AM
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Chinaski, nice tone,
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-Little Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Chinaski
266 posts
Nov 26, 2013
6:40 AM
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Thanks, Rick.
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Greg Heumann
2475 posts
Nov 26, 2013
8:58 AM
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Chinaski - +1 from me - great band, singing, playing and tone!
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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Chinaski
267 posts
Nov 26, 2013
9:50 AM
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Thanks Greg, appreciate it :)
Fine mic, btw!
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1847
1335 posts
Nov 26, 2013
10:23 AM
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i am a big proponent of using the right tool for the job
you don't want to bring a switch blade to a gun fight.
the kinder box is an awesome tool as is,
i strongly suspect the squeal killer.
but it is just a tool.
i also like to switch tubes as much as anyone. a 12au7
is a fine tube to substitute for a 12ax7.
it will help with feedback, and it can make the amp sound very nice.
it can also" enhance" the sound! so i believe we are in agreement there.
a lot depends on the venue being played, and who am i playing with?
is the amp mic'd?.... if so using 3 12ax's 7 and the kinder pedal
is not going to work so well, the sound man will ask you to turn down.
if you are rod piazza you can tell the sound man this is my band, do not mic my amp.
the rest of us mere mortals may not have that luxury.
you may very well end up with a limp sound and you will not be at all happy.
i am currently using a 5751 for the phase inverter.
it seems to work well for all permutations in the preamp.
for my amp, an ideal tube compliment is two
6072 5 star black plate triple mica square getter general electric from the 50's
these work well with and without the kinder box.
with two au7s, the kinder box is not necessary
the amp sounds grea....t very little feedback issues..however
since the introduction of the kinder box and the more recent
the squeal killer . you now have an option of using three 12ax7s
i can get a great sound with the stock set-up straight in no kinder box
12ay7 12ax7 12ax7 or........ 12ax7 12ax7 12ax7
it will be a cleaner sound than using 12au7s
and just about the same volume, which is fine by me as i tend to play
a lot in upper register , and a cleaner sound just works.
now let's get to the greasy part.
with 3 12ax7's and the kinder pedal, my amp is now a fire breathing dragon!
it is like having a custom amp. with the amp set at 5 or 6
it has a harmonic sparkle that is hard to describe.
and it now is, appreciably louder. you will be heard.
you will not need two amps...although that can also be great.
my amp is primarily used with my harmonica, that is why i have it.
however, it can be used as intended... with a bass guitar!
what a novel idea. you never see or hear anyone doing that.
i have a friend that stops by the shop he brings his bass
i plug my guitar in, find a cool song on itunes
pour us a cold beer, and have at it.
but now i have options, i can use any tube i like
or i can simply switch to a smaller amp depending on the venue,
who i am playing with, and is the amp mic'd, all very important considerations
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
Last Edited by 1847 on Nov 26, 2013 10:30 AM
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doctom
17 posts
Nov 27, 2013
7:15 AM
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Could someone explain the concept of "bridging" and the use of a jumper. Quite a few posts have mentioned it and I would like to know how it is used.
Thanks!
Tom
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walterharp
1232 posts
Nov 27, 2013
8:33 AM
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There are 4 plug ins, 2 for volume 1 and 2 for volume 2. It is using an instrument plug to bridge those two sides. Then you are feeding signal into both volume controls regardless of which of the remaining plugs you use for your mic input.
It gives more gain because each side uses half of the first gain tube. I think it might muddy things a bit because those two can be slightly out of phase. Some like the sound, other don't
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