Philmore1313
12 posts
Dec 16, 2014
6:47 AM
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Hey guys,
Happy Holidays. I haven't posted in a while. I hope everyone is doing well. Figured I'd bring this to you guys and see what you thought.
As the rooms we play in the different projects I'm involved with have changed, I've gotten away from playing my VHT Sp 6 and my Champ more and more. My sp6 is probably my favorite tone amp and seems to work well with my current pedal arrangement.
I have a 65 PRRI that I also love and as long as it's mic'ed and I'm on the opposite side of the stage from our guitarist, I hear myself just fine.
We played a small club date the other night and without an actual drum kit (we play foot percussion and stomp boxes), I was able to break out my Sp 6. I'd forgotten how much I love the sound of the Lil Buddy 10" speaker I have in there and how versatile and simple that amp is. I also love the sound of 10" speakers with harp the most.
I'm trying to find a way to make the larger PRRI play nicely with pedals and round out the shape but not lose the tone and natural vibe of the amp itself.
I should clarify, I suppose, that I sing and play harp in a couple of different outfits. One is a heavy funk rock project that delves into psychedelia a bit (think Galactic meets Talking Heads and Phish maybe)... we sometimes have a horn section also.... So I like having the different "on the go" abilities my pedal board offers and the ability to switch from clean to dirty to weird.
The other project is a foot stompin, half-grass, whiskey soaked boom chicka project with a lotta foot percussion... a rowdy boom chicka song will suddenly stop on a dime and drop into psychedelic or reggae or spacey weird stuff..etc.... Lotta clean sounds and I play through the vocal mic almost as much as I use my amp and board.
So I'm considering a speaker swap and possibly an A/B switch or an effects loop pedal. I've never used either.
I can pick up any of the following for a reasonable cost. What would you do?
Lil Buddy
Celestion Greenback
Rajin Cajun
Or I'm open to other ideas. What's the optimal speaker for a PRRI to get a warm, full sound but offer bottom end with early break up?
Also, I'm open to suggestions as to how to make the effects pedals play nicer with the PRRI.
If it helps... here's my chain.
Ult 57 Mic>
Rocktron Hush>
Micro Pog>
Roto Sim>
MXR 6 Band EQ>
Two Timer Delay>
Sonic Stomp>
PRRI
Thanks in advance for your help.
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Kingley
3779 posts
Dec 16, 2014
9:33 AM
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The '65 Princeton Reverb Reissue is hands down my favourite amp for harp. Personally the only change I would make is a 12AY7 in V1. Other than that I wouldn't change anything about it. I regret selling mine almost every single day. If I ever get the money again I'd buy one in a heartbeat.
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TetonJohn
225 posts
Dec 16, 2014
9:35 AM
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Haven't played through my BFPR in a bit, but IIRC pedal-wise I liked the Lone Wolf Harp Tone+ and the Kinder AFB+ pedal (can make a stock guitar amp more harp friendly regarding both tone and feedback). Just maybe I substituted the LW Octave pedal for the AFB+ (because I happen to like the "distortion" of the Octave pedal and it has some feedback control). I think I have a Weber 10F150 in there (w/H dust cap). I can't really say how all that might work for you, but thought I would share anyway. (My current go to amp is a Masco MA17 head, so the Princeton Reverb has not been getting the use it deserves -- I probably should sell it to a guitar player -- it's 1963.)
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dougharps
784 posts
Dec 16, 2014
10:45 AM
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A guitar player friend of mine came over and tried various speakers I had with his Princeton Reverb, blackface original. He plays telecaster and steel, so he wanted a high chimey sound, not what I like for harp.
But I got to try it with different speakers of mine. I really liked it for harp with a Lil' Buddy. It has more punch than my '61 Gibson Explorer. Since you already own a Lil' Buddy in your Sp6, I suggest you try connecting it and see if you like it.
My friend went with a Weber recommended on the steel boards...
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Doug S.
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HarpNinja
3987 posts
Dec 16, 2014
11:57 AM
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IMHO, that rig probably sounds good with the pedals without an effects loop.
Personally, I'd be inclined to not use the MXR or Sonic Stomp. The POG will sound fine through the amp, and the Rotosim has enough internal options that you shouldn't need an effects loop.
I use an effects loop to make my Zoom true bypass and allow me to change patches on the fly without having them active.
IMHO, modulation effects sound better if you mix them clean and add them to the dirty signal. However, you should be fine unless you start adding other pedals like a wah. It is possible the Rotosim would sound better in an effects loop, but maybe not?
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Mike
My Website
My Harmonica Effects Blog
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Philmore1313
13 posts
Dec 18, 2014
7:07 AM
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Thanks for the tips fellas.
I use the EQ as a boost for leads and solos really. I rarely futz with it. set it and forget it.
I guess I should also say that it's not really a matter of fighting feedback at all. I rarely have problems with that. It's more of a situation where the tone with the pedals engaged (Particularly the Rotosim and the pog) just sounds more round and full with less of a shrieking high end on the Sp 6 than on the PRRI. The more I'm dissecting it, the more I think it could be the speaker more than anything else. My technique (while far from perfect) doesn't change from amp to amp, that's for sure. I just like my tone and feel a little more willing to be adventurous on the Sp 6 it seems. But I like the overall tone and the cleans I can get from the PRRI more and the extra wattage comes in handy in a loud rock and roll band.
I'd love to hear how some of you guys who play with pedals, dial your rig. Currently, I like dialing the low octave all the way up and the high octave down to about 1/4 and run that with the Rotosim and battle our keyboardist for who can out-church their organ solo. Slap on the two timer with the first delay set for a little slap back and the second delay for long spacey echo-y returns and skid right out of that into something else....that covers for the guitarist as he tries to decide what song we're fading into... comes in handy in a third set late night situation too.. ha
Anyway... I'm always looking for some other way of approaching this as playing with pedals can be a taboo thing for some and just another way to be creative to others..and I'm still learning more and more about how effects play together in the world of harmonica... So ideas are more than welcome.
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dougharps
788 posts
Dec 18, 2014
10:24 AM
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Have you tried the Princeton through your Lil' Buddy yet? Did it make a difference?
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Doug S.
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