Rick Davis
2919 posts
Jan 28, 2014
10:10 AM
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Today is the day! The Memphis Mini amps will start shipping. We'll drop off the amps at UPS, in the order they were purchased. All the orders will be shipped before Feb 1. We will be in contact with the lucky new owners, sending you the tracking info and even a link to a video of your amp being played right before it was packed!
The Memphis Blues Amps website is here.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Rick Davis
2924 posts
Jan 30, 2014
6:44 AM
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A note I received this morning from a new owner: "The Mini arrived yesterday safe and sound. What a sweet little amp!! You’re right it does kick ass. Thanks again for all your help. Happy, Happy Camper."
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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HawkeyeKane
2290 posts
Jan 30, 2014
7:57 AM
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Lemme say congrats again to you Rick on a successful start in your enterprise! BTW, be awesome if the customer's last name was actually Camper and went by the nickname of Happy. Sounds like a great harp player name!
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Hawkeye Kane
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Rick Davis
2925 posts
Jan 30, 2014
9:00 AM
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LOL. BTW... in the same note he said he ordered a cover for the amp from D2F and it "fits like a glove." I sent the dimensions to D2F a few weeks ago. Although the amp is not listed on their website yet they can make the cover. I've been a customer of theirs for years; good product.
Note - I don't get any benefit if you buy a D2F cover for the amp. I recommend them because I use them.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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HawkeyeKane
2292 posts
Jan 30, 2014
9:06 AM
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Just out of curiosity, how much difference is there between the Mini's cab dimensions and those of say an original 5F1 cabinet?
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Hawkeye Kane
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Rick Davis
2926 posts
Jan 30, 2014
11:15 AM
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The MM cab is slightly bigger and heavier. The amp 18 pounds. The transformers are bigger.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Jan 30, 2014 11:18 AM
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rbeetsme
1486 posts
Jan 31, 2014
3:57 PM
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Is this a Mission amp or a consigned to China build? Shellaced tweed? Good price if it performs as advertised.
Last Edited by rbeetsme on Jan 31, 2014 3:59 PM
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Rick Davis
2927 posts
Jan 31, 2014
10:09 PM
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Rick, it is not a Mission amp, but Bruce Collins helped design the tone circuits.
From the website: "The Memphis Mini amp begins its life in a factory in China -- built to our specs -- and is completed here in America with rigorous quality control at ever step of the build. Amp techs who know harp tone finish the amp with quality speaker, tubes, and electronics to give it that vintage sound. Every amp is played before it is shipped."
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Rick Davis
2932 posts
Feb 03, 2014
3:04 PM
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An email I received today from a veteran player:
****************
Rick,
Just as a follow-up, the amp came in today. I picked it up and nothing was damaged in shipping.
Ran through it as-is with 12AU7 tube. I see no reason to pop it out and go experimenting at this time. I will probably do that when the speaker starts to break in just to satisfy my curiosity. As can be expected, the speaker is stiff from being new, but I see nothing that would lead me to believe this isn't a great fit.
Just playing around with it; it has great texture. If I were betting, I'm pretty sure this is going to exceed the old tweed Champ tone I got from my 1959 Champ when it breaks in. I can already hear it going on in there. Just a pretty amp to boot. With the economy being what it is and most players either not gigging much or playing smaller venues, I'm guessing these amps are going to get traction in the market.
I'm going to break the speaker in and in a few weeks will use it at a gig with the line out feature to see if me, the amp and the soundman can coexist in sweet love and harmony.
First impression is very good and I think you have scored a 2400 on the SAT. Great job.
best regards,
**************
LOL.... that SAT comment is WAY off. But nice to hear.
He's right. The speaker needs a little break-in time. I've been playing the original prototype amp for several months, using it as my regular gig rig. The speaker has mellowed nicely but still has that nice crunch an color. Break-in time will vary a lot, but I think mine was where I wanted it after a couple of weeks.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Rick Davis
2937 posts
Feb 04, 2014
3:48 PM
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Another note from a new Memphis Mini owner:
"The Memphis Mini is a giant in tone and versatility. I got mine today and played all different styles of blues and rock. I added a bit of room reverb to it, and even a short delay signal sounds nice. And it's a quality built beauty, too. This amp is definitely worth every dime. Thanks Rick!"
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Feb 04, 2014 3:48 PM
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Rick Davis
2939 posts
Feb 05, 2014
6:27 AM
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Okay, I'll stop posting accolades. There are too many. Go to the link right below my signature to see them on the website if you are interested.
I'll just note that the Memphis Mini amp has had a very successful roll-out so far.
Tech Note -- Several owners have asked about the 12AU7 preamp tube. I like it because it gives more usable sweep to the volume control and it makes a nice tone. Most of the distortion comes from the power tube, which is what I wanted. But it is fine to go with a 12AY7 or 5751. The amp will be gainier -- with everything that goes along with that -- and will have a bit more crunch. I've been gigging the amp with a 12AU7 for a few months and I dig it.
BTW, the Memphis Mini is now being shipped with NOS tested American made vintage 12AU7 tubes. I have a finite quantity and when they are gone I will go back to the EH 12AU7.
...and, as I write this it is -11 degrees in Denver. Yikes!
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Feb 05, 2014 6:59 AM
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HawkeyeKane
2308 posts
Feb 05, 2014
7:49 AM
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Rick, regarding the preamp tube, just outta curiosity, have you tried it with a 12AX7 for kicks & giggles?
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Hawkeye Kane
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Rick Davis
2940 posts
Feb 05, 2014
9:59 AM
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Tim, sure. Not my first choice.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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HawkeyeKane
2309 posts
Feb 05, 2014
10:10 AM
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Well no...obviously not in a harp amp.
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Hawkeye Kane
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Rick Davis
2945 posts
Feb 06, 2014
11:43 AM
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We offer PayPal's "Bill Me Later" plan as a payment method. A good player who bought the Memphis Mini amp wrote to tell me he used the Bill Me Later plan and it was fast, easy, and painless. Six months to pay with no interest for US customers. Check it out....
http://www.memphisbluesamps.com/
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Feb 06, 2014 11:44 AM
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Rick Davis
2948 posts
Feb 08, 2014
10:29 AM
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Shawn in Encino got his, sent this photo.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Slimharp
190 posts
Feb 09, 2014
7:19 AM
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Rick, how is the MM on feed back when it is pushed ?
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Rick Davis
2951 posts
Feb 09, 2014
8:08 AM
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Slim, here is a comment from a MM owner in Atlanta:
"The Memphis Mini is a tone monster, and it is working with zero feedback. To my pleasure, absolutely."
I have no feedback issue when I gig it, as I will tonight at the Ziggies jam. Zip, Zero, None. I am not kidding. Of course, it all depends on the room, but I know I can walk into Ziggies with the amp in one hand and my gear bag in the other and be set up to play in about two minutes. Grabbing a chair and carrying it to the stage (to put the amp on) takes most of that time. I put it on the chair, run a cable to a channel on the mixer, crank the amp to about half way on the volume. I dial a little bit of the amp in the monitors with no effects. PA's tend to be bright, so I roll off the mids and highs a bit and boost the lows on the mixer channel. Done. Time to order a NA beer and play some boogie. Big tone with no feedback.
I can get the amp to feed back if I crank it way up at home in my workshop room. But volume before feedback -- even without using the line out -- is impressive. That is by design: The 12AU7 preamp tube and the slope of the tone stack. The Weber Sig 8 ceramic smooth cone speaker is part of that too.
If you want more spank out of the amp you can use a 12AY7 or 5751, but you will likely have less usable sweep of the volume knob.
Thanks for the question!
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Feb 09, 2014 8:10 AM
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Slimharp
192 posts
Feb 09, 2014
1:16 PM
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Rick, Im getting an older Blues Jr. for a trade I did a while back.The guy I traded with is a very good amp tech and he is going to do some serious mods to the Jr. Let me see what she sounds like. I am interested in the MM. If the Jr. doesnt cook I will go with a MM.
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walterharp
1320 posts
Feb 18, 2014
7:57 PM
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Hi all,
Just thought you all might want an independent opinion of the Memphis Mini amp offered by Memphis Amps in Denver via Rick Davis. I preface the review in that I do not know Rick other than on internet boards.
This amp is apparently based on a Fender Champ circuit (5f1) with a hand soldered turret board, point to point. It is a 5 watt single ended class A amp. It is close to the re-creation of the original by Fender, but it does have an added single tone control and a beefed up transformer. It has a line out which is also a unique feature for these amps. The amp does not come with a schematic and I did not trace the layout too closely. Any good amp technician should be able to easily work on this amp.
I base this review on playing at home and a single gig under moderately loud electric blues conditions (full drum kit, two guitars, keys, bass). I have played Blows-me-away modified mics through it: a sure 545 pistol grip (Butterfield mic) and a bullet with white label sure element. It was tested straight in and with a Lone Wolf Delay, Lone Wolf Octave, and BBE Sonic Maximizer. I also messed around a bit with a Digitech RP355 with the Hunter Patches.
This is a nice little amp and mine is labeled # 28. The cabinet is solid, the electronics look to be well soldered, with clean wiring lay out. The solid pine cabinet is very close to the original 57 champ specifications. The cabinet looks to be put together well, and has screw grommets all around, an improvement to the Fender reproduction currently available. The tweed is fairly well attached but it is a bit rough and frayed around some of the edges. It could benefit from a coating of lacquer or honey pine poly finish to seal down the frayed bits. My only criticism of design is that it has a 4 foot power chord. This is barely long enough to reach a mid-wall outlet and finding close power is a bother at many gigs, not a deal breaker but annoying. Six feet would be way better.
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walterharp
1321 posts
Feb 18, 2014
7:58 PM
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There are videos of very good players using this amp, and you can tell from those videos it has good tone. It breaks up nicely when you dig in and is moderately clean at lower volumes and signals. I base my analysis of tone on regularly playing a bassman-clone, a 1958 low wattage push-pull Dan Electro and a Kalamazoo. The Memphis Mini has a tighter and brighter tone than the two vintage amps, some of which will probably loosen up as the speaker in the Mini gets more broken in. It clearly has less bass response than the bassman even with tone all the way to bass, as would be expected. The amp cut through the mix well at the gig and I could hear myself play with the volume set half way up with no feedback problems. The amp was miced to the house with a touch in the monitor. People in the audience (including a soundman/ harp player) said it sounded good. If you do not trust the sound guy, then a bassman type larger amp is still a better choice in this setting. The guys in the band also liked the tone.
I ended up settling on using the sonic maximizer and a touch of delay. The maximizer boosted the clarity of the amp to my ears and I like a little delay. The mini sounds great without any pedals as well. The octave pedal offers more break up, but that is only needed on one song we do where the effect is part of the show. The amp sounds way better than the simulated amp patches on the RP355. The amp sounds better to me with the bullet mic than the sure 545, which is a bit bright to my ears in this amp. It responds well to tight cups on both mics with a good solid tone that really cuts through.
I had been looking to a get a fender champ-type amp and give it a spin. The commercial re-releases run $700+ for used versions and about $1000 new, a true vintage version is really expensive, and the kits out there will set you back about $500. The Mini comes in right around $500. However, with the kit you would need to buy a different transformer and upgrade the tubes a bit, and you would end up with no tone control and a good bit of work. If you are handy at building, you could probably build your own cabinet and get it done cheaper. There are several other small tube amps out there that can be had for less. A revamped Kalamazoo is a common choice, and if you like a grittier broken up tone, it would be better to go with the zoo. However, if you want a punchy solid little amp that will not break the bank, that you can carry into a gig without breaking your back but delivers some more volume, and produces a classic vintage tone without too much break up, this could be the amp for you.
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SuperBee
1683 posts
Feb 18, 2014
8:45 PM
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Good review. Nice work!
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Rick Davis
2981 posts
Feb 19, 2014
2:05 AM
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Walter, I'm glad you like the amp! Thanks for the nice write-up.
The speaker will definitely loosen up as it gets broken in. It never sounds ratty, but it gets a really nice crunch with overtones.
Thanks again.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Rick Davis
2982 posts
Feb 19, 2014
6:15 AM
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I would note that the tweed looks exactly like this:
On the front page of the website it says this: "Minor cosmetic imperfections in the amp are normal and expected."
The MM is meant to be a great sounding harp amp suitable for any venue at a very affordable price: Less than $500. The cab is very sturdy and durable. I've gigged my MM amp a dozen times at least and it still looks exactly like the amp in the photo. We had to make choices to keep the price low. I feel the cab is an excellent combination of low cost and good quality.
If you want to apply a finish to the amp I suggest Minwax Polyshades Classic Oak Satin, but please apply it first to a spot on the bottom of the amp to make sure you like the look.
UPDATE: Here is a photo of my amp taken a couple days ago. It is a hard workin' little tone monster.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Last Edited by Rick Davis on Feb 19, 2014 7:09 AM
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MJ
665 posts
Feb 19, 2014
8:32 AM
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Rick, I would respectfully say that using a polyurethane on the finish is a mistake. I would strongly suggest an amber lacquer finish. Polyurethane tends to haze with age and once its on your stuck. I have been a paint contractor for 35 years and have had much experience with this. I have painstakingly removed urethane from a few amps in the past that had turned milky in color. Amber shellac also is a viable choice. The shellac cleans up when wet with ammonia. All of my tweed finished amps have been protected with amber shellac and have stood up well.
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tmf714
2422 posts
Feb 19, 2014
8:48 AM
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From the Harp-L Archives-P.S>I used this on my RI Bassman-worked out very well.
Hi gang,
Some of you asked for the instructions on how to shellac your tweed amp in order to give it that vintage look. It's really easy and can be done in about three hours, including waiting between coats. Here's what you'll need:
- --------------------------------------------------
1 can, Zinnser Bullseye Amber Shellac (small can. Also, be careful when you buy it, because shellac is a dated product)
1 can, denatured alcohol (small can as well)
1 plastic paint mixing bucket (small one, with measurements on the side-- IMPORTANT)
1 brush (use a hair-bristle brush only, no sponge brushes)
mixing sticks
rubber gloves
newspaper or tarp to work on
phillips head screwdriver
cup or ziplock bags to put screws in
thin knife
clean area to work in, with decent ventilation
- -------------------------------------------------
Okay, here's how to do it:
1. DISASSEMBLE YOUR AMPLIFIER.
First, take out the tubes and put them in a safe place. Also unplug the speaker wires from the amp chassis. Take off the back panels with the screwdriver. Also remove the handle, and loosen the screws holdine the chassis. BE CAREFUL when actually unscrewing the chassis, so that it doesn't fall! Put all this stuff somewhere safe and out of the way, keeping the screws you need in a cup of plastic bag. Once the chassis is out, unscrew the screws on the front of the amp that hold the baffle board (I think it's called the baffle board -- it's got the speakers and gill cloth attached to it), which you can then remove with all the speakers still attached to it... no need to take them off the board. Make sure the empty chassis is relatively clean, too. Use the thin knife to gently pry off the nameplate and any metal plates nailed in the back. Save the nails if you can.
2. MIX THE SHELLAC.
Use the plastic mixing bucket... pour equal amounts of Shellac and denatured alcohol into the bucket, using the measurements on the side of the bucket to help you keep things even. Wear gloves, and stir it up well. The 50/50 mix seems to work well... the color is beautiful when you apply it.
3. SHELLAC AWAY!
Use the bristle brush to lay on a nice thin even coat of shellac. The mixture is very thin, so always scrape the excess out of your brush before you apply the shellac to the tweed. Fortunately, the tweed has a texture, so brush strokes will not be visible once you finish applying a coat to the whole amp. Don't go too crazy with it, just put on a nice thin coat.
4. DON'T MESS WITH IT.
The first coat will take about 15 min. to dry to the touch, and will be ready for a second coat in two hours. Go listen to some Little Walter and try to decipher whether "Le Riff" is a 3--6 or 6--9 octave, my bet's on the 3--6. Resist the urge to sit there and watch it dry. The smell isn't too bad, but it still can;t be good for you.
5. RECOAT TO TASTE.
I used two coats and was very happy with the results. If you use the very small can of shellac, that may be about all you can do anyway!
6. REASSEMBLE YOUR AMPLIFIER.
Pretty simple stuff, provided you didn't break any tubes and stored your chassis in a safe place.
7. CALL ALL YOUR MUSICIAN FRIENDS AND TELL THEM HOW COOL YOUR AMP LOOKS.
Isn't this what I did by posting his to Harp-L?? Or, go hit the open jams and show it off!
Good luck to all of you, and let us know how it turns out!!!! My Bassman looks so good, I'm thinking of stripping my silverface Champ and putting tweed on it and replacing the grill cloth. But that's a project for another day...
Bill
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Slimharp
202 posts
Feb 19, 2014
9:20 AM
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Rick is the tweed fabric or tolex tweed like on the old Peavy Classic 50 ? I cant tell by the photos.
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Rick Davis
2983 posts
Feb 19, 2014
9:40 AM
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Wow, MJ and Tom, thanks for the info! I will pass that along to any buyers who ask about lacquer.
I first heard about the Minwax Polyshades for tweed in the Fender Forum, where I was a member for several years. In the section about vintage amp restoration it was the consensus of the members that the Minwax was the way to go, and many of these guys seemed very much to be experts in vintage tweed amps.
MJ, I have a question for you: You say Polyurethane tends to haze with age, but how long is that in your experience?
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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Rick Davis
2984 posts
Feb 19, 2014
9:57 AM
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Slim, here is a photo of the tweed wrapped around the edge of the cab and glued on the inside.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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MJ
668 posts
Feb 19, 2014
1:50 PM
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Rick, It (the haze) would depend on condition the amp is in and how well the polyurethane was applied. The amps I had where the haze occurred were in that condition when I got them. It showed up most on amps that were black. The nice thing about lacquer and/or shellac is that additional coats merge with the previous coatings rather than laying on top.
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bloozefish
152 posts
Feb 19, 2014
2:09 PM
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Rick,
I used the Minwax Polytone Classic Oak on my original HarpGear cab, and so far I'm very pleased...I used two light coats and it looks great.....application was easy, and I didn't have to worry about drips. I also like the color better than the lacquered cabs I've seen, which are a bit too orange for my tastes
Sure hope that haze thing doesn't set in too soon.
James
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harpwrench
776 posts
Feb 19, 2014
2:43 PM
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I used the minwax poly on my Blues DeVille about 10 years ago and it still looks fine.
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Rick Davis
2989 posts
Feb 19, 2014
2:57 PM
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I used the Minwax Polyshades on my slightly ratty Bassman RI. It looked great and it kept the worn corners from fraying. But I sold it before I noticed any haze.
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-Little Rick Davis
The Memphis Mini harp amp
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
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MJ
669 posts
Feb 19, 2014
3:03 PM
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On tweed I think you worries may not be as great as if on tolex. It is just that the best method is to use either lacquer or shellac.
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Tweedaddict
122 posts
Feb 19, 2014
5:31 PM
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My two cents...
I use shellac as a 'sealer' then pro quality rattle can 'toner' lacquers..(lacquer with color in it)
The tweeds I have done have mostly all been 'relic' jobs... ie. making new tweed look old and period correct. I find that this combo of finishes lays on well, and it doesn't build too thick and end up looking plastic like...
Two or three shades/colors of toner and then some final relic effects and waxing etc can result in a really nice period correct looking old tweed. There sure are some other handy tricks that will soften the feel of the tweed when sprayed, to make it seem more period correct also. MarkG probably has the best heavy relic cabinet I ever did... I need to get motivated and do some more.
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walterharp
1553 posts
Nov 03, 2014
11:27 AM
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Review update:
I have a fairly full review above, but have gigged and played with this some more, so further observations.
1) I dropped the amp two times from 2 feet onto concrete and asphalt. The amp still works just fine.
2) the frayed edges of the tweed were bugging me so I took it apart, gave a couple of layers of clear shellac and used a razor to trim the fray, looks much better and sealant should retard further fraying
3) A very good professional guitar player that I play with calls it my "little screamer" That is a compliment and the small amp does cut through.
4) having opened it, i appreciate the quality of the build and the design.. no loose nuts except 2, and those had to be so the speaker panel in front can be taken out without clipping those off
5) the short cord still bugs me, i was going to re-wire it but just got a short extension. A gig amp needs a long enough cord that it can be set on a bar stool and reach a power strip flat on the floor a foot away... yeah, i know Rick, it costs more
this is a great amp and i have not taken my bassman to a single gig since i got it
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