As we know from his Pedals Randy and his team seem to know the 'sound' that most of us want...This amp is pretty well guaranteed to sound good but i hope when they upload their Demo's they also include a sample of it playing through the lineout to a PA because in that case the amp becomes in effect a preamp,different ball game than driving its own speaker.I've played through a few small amps that sounded great ,but, when used through a PA ..didn't..
I thought that amplified harp players wanted amps that were not solid state. I see it has tubes for for the pre amp and power sections, but a solid state rectifier. From what I have read, would a tube rectifier not give a better compression?
I know that Randy had a prototype amp at the 2014 Harmonica Collective that I played through for a while. I wonder if this is similar. ---------- Ridge's YouTube
Solids state rectifiers work great for small amps like this. It saves space, money, and doesn't negatively impact tone. It is hard to get a rectifier to sag with a small amp. The SS gives it more punch if anything. ---------- Mike My Website My Harmonica Effects Blog
Is this the same amp that you can build on the Lone Wolf website? Very cool entry into the wild and wooly world of harp amps. And the Ninj hit the nail on the head! And the amp runs cool...
No I don't believe it's the same amp. The LW6L6SE build is 12 watts. This amp is 8 watts. Although it will no doubt share some similarities. From experience of some of Randy's other products though I'm sure this amp will be great. I'm looking forward to hearing it.
Just a heads up that I post on this forum, and I'd be happy to answer any questions about the Harp Train 10 in this thread. I do my best not to "advertise" on this forum, but since y'all started this thread, I'd be happy to answer questions.
It is similar to the build on the website, but it is not the same. Randy explains perfectly why a SS rectifier is the better route for a single ended amp in one of his build guides...
"The power supply's job is to produce a ripple-free DC voltage to power your amp along with a heater voltage to supply the tube's heaters. The rectifier is the component that converts AC to DC current, and we have two choices here: tube or solid state. Tube is the traditional choice, but solid state is the logical choice; why? Because heat is the enemy of electronic components, and tube rectifiers generate a lot of heat; they are also inefficient, producing lower voltages and putting extra load on the power transformer. An issue that often comes up with tube rectifiers is sag: distortion created by tube rectifiers, i.e. compression when there is a sudden heavy current draw. In this case, we are building a single-ended amp. In a single-ended amp, there is maximum current draw at idle when you are not playing hard; the current draw actually decreases when you begin playing, just the opposite condition that is needed to produce sag, which simply does not exist in a single-ended amp period. In the event we were building a push-pull amp, it would be different, and we would have to decide if we want sag or not. But we are building a single-ended amp, so it is not an issue. A solid state rectifier is efficient, does not produce excessive heat, is much cheaper, and most importantly it will not take away from the tone of the amp. So, solid state is the rectifier that we will use." ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
Nathan: With there be a separate version made for Euro market, or do you just need to change the cord? This photo makes it look like you might just need to replace the cord (as with a laptop computer, when traveling).
Last Edited by MN on Jan 16, 2015 7:39 AM
Nathan is spot on with his information. One additional + for SS. The SS rectifier will last nearly forever! Leo Fender switched to SS for his larger amps as soon as the technology was developed to the point of dependability. He viewed tube rectification as a weak point in his amps.
I wish Randy, Nathan and crew the best of luck with there new product. Now for a 40+ watt pro version. ;>)
The reason line outs sound crapy IMO, is due to horn speakers in the PA. We fuss and fret over speaker selection in our amps but that all goes out the window when you go thru the PA...BN
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Jan 16, 2015 8:06 AM
@Hawkeye...The HT10 is cath biased. The speaker is not a Weber. In fact, our original plan was to put the Weber in it when the amp got to us in the states. We are VERY pleased in the speaker and it is uniquely ours.
@MN...Peter Blyth with Harmonicas Direct will be handling Euro orders. The voltage is switchable, so you just need to switch the cord.
@Barley Nectar...the HT40 is the next project ;) ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
Last Edited by NathanLWBC on Jan 16, 2015 8:06 AM
Just took a look at the amp. Looks sharp. I like the corner protectors and speaker cutout. No freekin tweed or chicken head knobs, THANK GOD!!!
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Jan 16, 2015 8:16 AM
@Barley Nectar...we thought it'd be fun to be different. Haha ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
Looks great Nathan. I'm really looking forward to going to visit Peter Blyth and trying one out. Am also looking forward to hearing that Australian friend of ours playing through one too.
I get to kill two birds with one stone with that demo...I get to hear an incredible player use the amp, and I get to meet my favorite player. I think I have a pretty sweet job, haha. ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
I was talking with Peter Blyth at Harmonicas Direct today and he was really raving about this amp. To say he is really excited about this amp, is an understatement. I don't think I've heard Peter so fired up over a product this way for a long time. I'm hopefully going over to test one out when he gets them in.
The new production rectifier tubes aren't remotely close to as good as the NOS ones were and the NOS ones, like a real NOS Mullard 5AR4/GZ34 lasted for over 30 years easily but many of the newer production ones don't hold up anywhere near as long. I have a real '65 Champ and it still has the original equipment GE 5Y3 rectifier tube kicking butt today. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
This amp sounds too good to be true. I would consider this amp, as I will be in the market for a small tube amp sometime this year. Interested in hearing the tone.
(I would love to line this amp through my Peavey Special 120 watt SS amp and 12 inch Scorpion speaker. If tweaked right, it might be like having a portable PA system. But I think I'd rather enjoy the tone standing alone probably)
SuperBee - The demo hasn't been recorded yet I don't think. Ian will be testing it when he's in New Orleans at the end of the month I believe. That should be when Nathan hopefully gets to record it.
Steve - The amp is PCB I believe to keep the costs down. I wouldn't let that be of any concern though as it has been designed from the ground up by Randy, so will be great I would imagine.
I'm sure if I've got any of that wrong then Nathan will correct me.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jan 23, 2015 12:45 PM
Steve, from what I read there turret board. I'm willing to bet there 10 times better than those little PCB Pignose amps. Even though two of those PN amps sound better than one. At that introductory price, we should all buy two!
It is a great price, but I am still paying off doctor bills from my stem cell transplants. I can get a harmonica every now and then but I have too many amps now :)
@Steve Harvell...The amps are PCB. We felt there were enough hand wired boutique amps out there, and we are trying to make something as affordable as possible.
And.........here's a demo with Ian Collard using it. This was taken on Ian's phone. In this demo, he's using the Harp Train 10, Harp Delay, and Harp Reverb. We did the demo in a studio, and we have higher quality video and audio on the way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7qOIw8rarc&feature=youtu.be ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
@Steve: congrats on the stem cell transplant. My dad had one because he has multiple myeloma and it saved his life. He's been in remission for almost ten years because of the stem cell transplant. Hoping the best for you.
Nathan wrote: "And.........here's a demo with Ian Collard using it. This was taken on Ian's phone. In this demo, he's using the Harp Train 10, Harp Delay, and Harp Reverb. We did the demo in a studio, and we have higher quality video and audio on the way."
As a guy who enjoys working on and modding amps, PCB amps are a pain. As far as dependability, a quality built PCB is extremely dependable. This amp is not going to need modded and it's probably been quite some time since they hand wired aircraft!...BN
Cliffy= Thanx for sharing the story about your father having Multiple Myeloma bone cancer, that is what I have too... So glad he pulled through and is doing fine. I had 2 transplants in the summer of 2013, the first one did not work but the second one did, I was in Stage 4 at the time. Mine is in remission too, happy harping everyone, sorry I am off topic :)
@JJ Harper...both the "Loudness" and "Balls" controls are set to nine o'clock in this video. We will be doing a more extensive overview of the amp in the next couple of weeks where the controls will be demonstrated. ---------- --Nathan Heck Lead Technician, Lone Wolf Blues Co. customerservice@lonewolfblues.com
I prefer the sound of the Harp Train. But not sure if it's the amp or the element in JJ Harper's video. I am not a fan of the sound of those new ceramic elements of Greg's.
sounds like theres a fair bit of the room in ian's recording. and its recorded on his phone i think he said. there are too many variables between the speaker and your ears to really say much about an amp based on these kind of demo videos, but of course they have to be made and ian is a good person to have demonstrate.
The MM video was recorded by Rick Davis, and he record his videso whit a Zoom Q3, so of course is going to sound better. ---------- Sorry for any misspell, english is not my first language.
Another thing worth noting is that it's suppose to be about what the Harp Train Amp sounds in general. Now it's sort of turning into a The MM sounds better pitch, I don't think it does, and I don't really care if it does. But if they are making claims that the MM sounds better, than they should be comparing the 2 amps in the same room, with the same recording equipment, same mics, same levels, same harp and the same player. Then maybe they could make the claim that the MM sounds better. But from what I'm hearing my money would be going on a HT amp, if I were in the market.But everybody has there own opinion, and that's just mine.
The thing people seem to be forgetting though is that they are completely different amps. The Memphis is a 5 watt amp with an 8" speaker. The Lone Wolf Harp Train 10 is an 8 watt amp with a 10 inch speaker. The Memphis Mini has a few modifications to make it more harp friendly, other than that as I understand it, it's based loosely on the old Fender 5F2(A) circuit. The Harp train has been designed from the ground up by Randy Landry and isn't (as far as I know) based on a Fender 5F2(A) circuit. The only real similarities these two amps have in common apart from being touted as harmonica amps is that they are both single ended amps. It would be nice though to hear someone who was unbiased do a review on them all.
