MindTheGap
479 posts
Jan 10, 2015
1:37 AM
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A while ago I reported that my little 5W amp - through which I practice all those amped-harp sounds and techniques at home - sounded like an angry wasp in a group situation (with drums). By which I mean that you can hear it, but all the subtlety is lost.
Well, the answer for me was to ditch the 5W amp in higher-volume situations and use a Lone Wolf Harp Break straight into the PA. I can blow quietly, which gives the subtlety back, and the PA gives the volume. With the Harp Break, the gain (tone, distortion) is independent of the volume. It's also much easier to control feedback, with the PA main speakers being distant.
I started with a small-ish keyboard amp, which was an improvement, but the PA is much better as it has much more oomph. I discovered that you need a lot of oomph to get a live sound that is anything like what you hear on a record. The idea is to set it so you can hear it clearly when you play your quietest, then you have the full dynamic range to play into to. All seems so obvious now.
With the single-volume-control 5W amp, the gain and volume are not independent and it's difficult (impossible in my situation) to set a value that is right for both. Maybe it would be with a better small amp like that HG2 or Memphis Mini, I don't know.
I know this will be old-hat to the experienced, so this is aimed at newer players who are considering buying a small amp for the first time. It may be great for practice but may not be what you want for playing with others.
I've read a similar thing from Kudzu who describes mic'ing his small tube amp to keep the gain/tone independent of the output volume.
Hopefully this is helpful to someone when thinking about what to buy for what purpose. And if you experienced players have advice or comments, I'd be glad to hear them.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 10, 2015 1:51 AM
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