hvyj
2717 posts
Aug 02, 2015
9:50 AM
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TRUE STORY: went to a benefit jam that was to help cover the final expenses of a recently deceased local blues guitar player. The other harp players who were there also sing so they played through the PA mic. I don't sing so I went up with an electric guitar playing female singer who's pretty good. I was told to play through a custom built harp amp that was in the backline. (It's brand name consists of initials that I don't recall and it had two 8's and a ten or twelve). It belonged to a harp player that was running sound.
Anyway, I can't hear myself and no one else can hear me either because I'm buried by the guitars. So tell them to turn up the harp amp and I'm told that it doesn't go any louder because it's only 10 watts. I was astounded and said are you fucking nuts putting a 10 watt amp in a backline with guitar amps? I was then told the problem was not with the harp amp and it was explained to me that the harp amp was a truly great amp but the problem was that the guitars were playing too loud. Go figure...
I got pissed and suggested to the harp player that he should save up his money and get a big boy amp and that it was stupid to use a pratice amp in a backline. His response was to tell me that I shoudn't accuse him of being incompetent just because the guitars are playing too loud. Really??? Only a harmonica player could be that delusional...
Last Edited by hvyj on Aug 02, 2015 9:54 AM
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1847
2632 posts
Aug 02, 2015
1:43 PM
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it is all up too who you are playing with, no reason a 10 watt amp cant be enough.
if the band insist in playing super loud then yes a bassman is appropriate, which sadly is the the case more times than not.
yesterday i stopped on my way home to hear my friends play
they had a harp player sit in , he had a stock blues jr.
he was using a amp stand.
the band had two guitar players, both of them were running stereo amps. well over 120 watts each. he had no problem hearing himself "the amp stand clearly helped there" and was plenty loud enough.
it is best to error on the side of caution and bring a bigger amp
because the volume does seam to creep up.
but bigger and louder does not equate to better.
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jpmcbride
102 posts
Aug 02, 2015
2:17 PM
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Hvyj,
Sometime its all in the approach you use ... telling someone to get a "big boy amp" and that their setup is "stupid" is not the best way to approach a fellow musician. Maybe bring your own amp next time? Just sayin'
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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