As a favor to Rod Piazza, I'm posting this info, and getting nothing in return.
As most of you may already know there has not been any 410 or 610 Harpkings made for about 2 years or so. The Harpking has been turned over to Rod Piazza and with enough interest will once again be available thru Rod. Please contact Rod thru his email at info@themightyflyers.com.
One of the main reasons John stopped production was he never really made a decent profit. Harpkings are not just another modified bassman circuit where for instance you can buy a chassis already made. Every part is custom made to spec making it a true one of a kind harp amp. The anti feedback circuit is on a board of its own and is like nothing you will ever see in any other harp amp.
In order to continue production the price of the 610 will be $2800.00 and the 410 will be $2700.00. IMHO they have the thickest, fattest tone of any harp amp made.
The prices may seem high, but not when you compare them to some of the finer tweed clones, like Clark, Kendrick, Victoria, etc:
Last Edited by on Apr 02, 2010 5:04 PM
Well if this is indeed true then it's great news that the HarpKing amps are being made again.
A friend of mine once had a 410 HarpKing and it was a killer amp.
However the cost will put it way beyond most peoples pockets. The pricing is very high when compared to other custom harp amp builders.
A 410 at the price mentioned with import taxes, shipping, etc would be over £2000GBP. Which is a crazy price for an amp. You could for example buy a Bassman LTD and a Kinder AFB for far less money.
If Rod is really serious about making these then he needs to look at the pricing again in my opinion, to make any decent amount of sales. Also maybe he should re-release the Harpking Soulful 210.
Set at a decent price point I think the HarpKing amps would sell like hotcakes.
I agree with Kingley-they are fine amps(I've played thru the 610), but the price point is a bit high compared to so many others, HarpGear, Sonny Jr, etc. I'd like to see him thrive with these, but at those prices, I seriously doubt it. ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
You would still have to add the maximizer and mid-bass cut boxes from Kinder,along with the AFB. Total for all three-$739.00. These come as standard equipment on all HarpKing amps-along with KT88/90 tubes,which you will never see in any of the other boutique amps. Reissue Bassman-around $1500.00. Add shipping and all the Kinder boxes-$2500.00-and it's still not even close to a HarpKing. I sold my 1990 reissue Bassman-hand laquered,point-to-point Hoffman kit,all NOS tubes with adjustable bias-to purchase a 4x10 HarpKing from Rod. My custom Bassman was a great amp-killer bottom,incredible volume with no feedback. It still could not hang with the HarpKing.
Last Edited by on Apr 02, 2010 7:05 AM
Like I said, every part of the HK build is custom made for the amp. There's no bassman cab, bassman chassis, off the shelf transformers, etc:
Rod has looked at the build costs very closely, and the prices shown is what it will take to make a reasonable profit.
Last Edited by on Apr 02, 2010 5:10 PM
As stated: Rod should do a return of the Soulful 2 10'' amp. I had one and made the mistake of selling it. It was almost always loud enough for a gig and very full bodied. I have youtube videos of playing it for any interested if it were to go back into productivity. Rod could also produce some more of his candy painted astatics although I know he is all about crystals and they are rarer than when he was packaging his mikes. I dare say (presumptuous as I can be) that Dennis Gruenling (I've sold him my 4 10'' Harpking- he's played my Soulful and I his 6 10") would be an East Coast rep. d ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
I wouldn't bet on Rod lowering his prices any time soon. Back in the late 80's to early 90's, he was redoing all of the Hohner Blues Blaster/Astatic JT30's over by getting rid of the XLR connector and 500K volume pots that were in them (some had 250K pots in them), replacing them with a 5meg pot with a low value capacitor, putting the screw on connector in where it originally was with a set screw to stabilize it and at the tinme was charging $150 each, which at the time was pretty steep, and then a couple of years before he stopped doing them, his price went up to $250 each, so I wouldn't bet on him lowering the price. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
No argument about that, you get what you pay for. I have not played through a HarpKing but have heard a few and there great sounding amps. If the funds were available it would be tough to pick from all the fine amps being built!!
i remember those piazza hotrod mics (true to piazzas taste) all had purple wireing rather than red, white, green, and black. they had astatic 151 crystal elements. i never bought one but fixed one once. i think kevinsharps crystal ball was made better with a much better volume pot.
I think there would be more demand for a Harp King 2x10 or 12/10 - 6 10 & 4/10 are good for pros in a band but the averge harp joe wants a amp he can lug about easily - you would get more sales abroad with a smaller amp
MP, the Crystal Balls I saw people have and personally checked weren't as good and they left out one thing Rod always put in ther and that's the low value capacitor so that when you rolled the pot down, the mids and highs, which would normally be lost by the extreme highs and lows, would be there regardless of the pot setting and the CB's didn't have that at all.
Kevin's were selling the Piazza mics for a while and the demand was so great taht he and a guy who called himself Dr. Harpo were making clones of them and often of poor quality and I still have my Piazza mic and it still works like a charm, and that cap works great also. BTW, that cap was basically derived from what was done on the Fender Telecaster pots from the late 40's (when it was known as the Broadcaster) to about 1955. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
"BTW, that cap was basically derived from what was done on the Fender Telecaster pots from the late 40's (when it was known as the Broadcaster) to about 1955."
That is some cool trivia, Bob. I didn't know that.
Last Edited by on Apr 04, 2010 12:57 PM
Ill eat my arm the day I pay $2600 for an amp... just FYI...If EVER ever i do, it will be because im making 50K a year blowin harp... ---------- Kyzer's Travels
i realize now that it's an amp for folks way out of my league...I certainly dont gig, and an amp that size must be reserved for large venues. count your 'blessings' EV... ---------- Kyzer's Travels
It has nothing to do with your league. It's a premium amp, in the same vein as a premium guitar or stage keyboard, or other instrument.
I've been gigging for 20+ years (playing since 77) and, yeah, I know what I like and want. The amp I'm talking about is arguably the ultimate copy of a tweed Bassman. It also includes a 3/6/9db attenuator, making it useful even for small intimate venues.
I haven't spent an additional grand on pedals (don't use them or need them) or money on tonnes of custom harps. If you add those on top of, say, a Bassman RI or an HG50, the money I dropped is reasonable.
Ev630 makes a good point about custom harps. If you add those onto the price of say a HG50 or Sonny Jr Cruncher, then the HarpKing doesn't look that expensive.
Last Edited by on Apr 05, 2010 1:58 AM
Hi, I have a Harp King amp that I bought soon after seeing Rod Piazza with the prototype and serial number 1 amps at Gilrein's in Worcester MA. I asked Rod about them and got John's number directly from Rod. I have serial number 11. I paid $1500 plus shipping plus the cost for the cover. I have never regretted the purchase for a second. My amp sounds GREAT in any setting. I love the damn thing. I have 5 other amps and use them all, however when I really want to kick butt - out comes the "KING" BTW The Kinder-instruments.com webpage has not been updated with the pricing described at the start of this thread. I have seriously considered buying a 4x10 but with all my other amps I just can't pull the trigger.
I got this from John last August 31st when inquiring about replacing the Soulful I regrettably sold once. I don't feel it betrays any confidence between he and I: Hello Dennis,
Its been a while! I hope all things are well with you and yours. I heard (through the grapevine) that you no longer have your Soulful. Times are hard and we need to do what we have to do to survive.
We have temporarily halted “official” production of our Harmonica Amplifier line (including pre-release versions of our 55W RMS Soulful amp) in order to keep up with the demand for our Anti-Feedback+ device. When things slow down a bit with the AFB+, production of the amplifiers will resume. Please feel free to check back as often as you wish for an update. ---------- myspacefacebook
I had the opportunity to play through a Soulful once. It sounded killer. I've got a buddy of mine that has been waiting for one of those for quite a while.
The Harpgear Double Trouble sounds great and is super portable.
I've played thru the 6-10(Smoky Greenwell's amp), and it is indeed awesome. But damn, I'd hate to move it around! You'd definitely need to employ casters or a dolly with it.
Anyone have a ballpark price for what this Soulful would sell for, or did sell for? ----------
Todd - Dennis posted this to harp-l a few years ago.
"The "Soulful" amp currently in production is available in “British Racing Green” wrap with a gold- sparkle grille. It is an "equivalent circuit" of our 6(4)x10 HarpKing (MidBass Cut, Presence, AFB, and UB controls internally preset), and it also has the feedback rejection capabilities of the HarpKing. The 2x10 speaker cabinet dimensions are (inches), 22.25 high x 16.25 wide x 10.00 deep at the bottom, tapering to 9.25 at the top with the speaker type being Eminence Legend 102-8K and total weight hovering around thirty-five pounds. The power output is 55 Watts RMS and is priced at USD $1495.00. This includes a high-grade cover and a One- Year Warranty."
I live in an area with tons of harp players. I know several harp amp collectors. I've only seen two of them. After playing through one, I would definitely consider buying one.
Wow, dimensions of a 35 watter, and 55 watts when you need it? Very nice. The price really isn't that bad considering the wattage and the fact that the afb is built in AND a cover is included. Even if the pirce is a little higher if/when it comes out due to inflation, it's still worth looking at. If this amp is capable of producing its full tone(or at least good tone beyond being clean) at lower volumes, I would have to seriously consider it.
Oh, and it comes in purple,(I would assume since the other HK amps do), which happens to be my favorite color. Win! ----------
Todd L. Greene, Codger-in-training
Last Edited by on Dec 16, 2010 1:01 PM
A friend of mine here in the UK has a room full of every type of boutique harp amp available, several models of some, literally stacked against the walls. Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. And right there in the middle - a Kinder Soulful. I wasn't sure it even existed until then. Like Keyser Soze.
Couldn't persuade him to sell it though! ---------- Myspace
Last Edited by on Dec 17, 2010 2:09 AM
Green works, too, if I can't have purple! It's my name, after all. My grandmother added the 'e' at the end when she married my grandfather, as she didn't want a color as a last name-but green is okay by me. I think that amp could have pink and orange tolex with purple piping and gold and black checkered grille cloth, and I'd still take it if the guts were the same. ----------
What ever happen to the Soulfull amp? I remember that the business was turned to Rod Piazza and that a new production including the 2x10s was coming, but that was more than a year ago. Actually there are few to none pictures in the web, and limited audio/video files. But, to me, they just have an amazing tone and would love to have one. Any news?
Good question...but note the tremendous price drop! Read the prices in the original post for both of the other amps, then check this out. http://www.kinder-instruments.com/julies4x10.htm
Todd - Those prices on the Kinder website have been like that for a long time. The prices mentioned in the OP are Piazza's new prices since he has taken the line over. John Kinder probably just hasn't gotten around to amending his website yet.
I'm still confused. Are Kinder amps currently being built or not? I understood that Piazza decided it was too much to deal with and that at this moment only the pedals are actually available from Kinder. ---------- LSC
