The amp was set to the Fixed Bias mode and the Deep switch was on. He adjusted the Bass to about 7 (out of 12) and the Treble to 5. The amp is not going through the PA.
Just when I thought I knew what my next amp was gonna be....(And Dayum!! that kid's got a clue!) ---------- I used to be young and foolish. Now I'm not so young.
Paul, Nicky is playing through his Front and Center mic. It is a custom wood mic with an NOS crystal element. I have one as well, and it rips. You can find a link to F&C on my blog.
the deeper and louder your acoustic tone is the less bass and volume you need on an amp. only part of the sound is the amp but it helps to have a good one.
when i said it helps to have a good one,that means i know there a bad amps and ive played through a bunch of them and no matter how good you play- a bad amp can kill your tone, but i was talking mostly if you got a good amp than the deeper and louder you can play the less bass and volume you will need. is nic clark playing the same amp or model that al chesis is using, there is a big difference in tone.
This is a kid with an amzing potential but i have to say whoever is his parent or guardian needs to get a grip on his weight. This kid is only 14 and he is bloody OBEASE! he wont see 30 if nobody gives him guidance and that would be a tragedy
I enjoyed watching both vids last night, Rick. Two totally different playing styles and tones-nothing wrong with either one. I have officially added this amp to my 'serious contender' list to replace my now-sold stage monster. ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 5:09 AM
Harpaholic, I don't think Al Chesis ever has weak or thin tone. In that vid he is using a higher-keyed harp and playing a lot on the upper register. That is his thing.
I have some video of Al and Nic trading licks with the Mission Chicago amp... pretty cool. I'll try to get that up later.
What Nic Clark demonstrates is this: If you can't get huge deep tone with this amp the problem is you, not the gear. This amp will inspire you to play more and get better.
At $999 it is the best harp amp for the money on the planet. Many players have sent deposits in the last two days! Contact bruce@missionamps.com
Thanks for all the posts Rick: Here's a question for you that would be very helpful to me per se to ask Bruce: Once upon a time he created an amp (1 10'' speaker without a line-out in a tweed cab) for Steve Warner of Thunderharps.com that Steve marketed and I bought (in fact my review is still up on Steve's dated website) and enjoyed very much tonally. It could not compete with the East Coast guitar volumes so I sold it and "bought up" in volume. I would Love to know what Bruce feels about the two amps comparatively: his older 10'' vs. the new 12'' relative to Playable Volume, and Tone. His answer would really have pragmatic heft for me. Thanks again for all your amp related efforts. dennis ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
Maybe this is just something I observed but I tend to believe - PART - of the difference in tone between AL and NIC is their grip. AL has a very distinct (less traditional?) grip which may allow for more leakage. THe difference could be that the kid just has a different (and I think great!) tone; however, I suspect AL's grip may play a role in the tonal difference.. just my 2 cents...
looks like a neat amp...
KURT www.kurtcrandall.com
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 8:11 AM
I thought Al's clip still sounded great compared to Nic in regards to tone. He is using a much higher harp, but it still sounds really thick. ----------
Rick, how much volume 'ceiling room' (before the normal feeback point with the subject microphones) was left on the amp in these clips? Did you check that during this night, or was the amp deemed loud enough without seeing how much further it could go in that room before squealing? Just curious. In my shopping of 'large' amps, if I don't need a 50 watt backbreaker of an amp, I surely won't get one. An amp of this power rating and size really appeals to me, if it gets the job done. ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 8:58 AM
My bad... This was the clip I was referring to.. I fairer comparison for sure.. I agree with your point about different key harps in the previous videos... My observation was based on this clip...
Kurt www.kurtcrandall.com
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 8:46 AM
geordiebluesman, I think making personal remarks like that is inappropriate. You (and I) know nothing about him except how he plays. I find it hard to believe that your remark could be anything but hurtful. ---------- Tin Lizzie
Dennis, I forwarded your question to Bruce. Maybe he'll join in here and discuss. Either way, I'll get you an answer.
Todd, when I played the amp that night I had it on 4 and it started to ring at 6 (where it gets it's rated power of 30 watts). In the video where Al and Nic are trading licks you can see Nic turn down his mic toward the end of the clip. I don't know where they had the amp set at that time, but I can tell you it was very loud. Even in a loud blues jam it was totally loud enough at 4 or 5.
Of course, feedback is a demon shape shifter... it changes form at will. Any little change in gear or room or technique or anything can change your feedback potential.
Or do what Stephen does, open the baggie a crack and toss it in your rival's harp case. He'll be scratching his noggin' all night wondering what happened to his boutique harp amp, while you're chillaxin' with the ladies that are digging your fat tone.
haha, I like that. Tomorrow when I take my lunchtime stroll thru the French Quarter, I'll hit one of the Voodoo shops and see if they have any feedback gris-gris for sale. ---------- Todd L Greene. V.P.
Tin Lizzie, are you kidding me or what!, maybe someone needs to say something hurtfull, that kid is going to have a drastically shortened life span if he doesnt radicaly reduce his weight and that will be the fault of the adults in charge of him. Kids will stuff themselves with tasty stuff with no thought of the consequences and in my opinion any adult allowing a 14 year old child to get that fat is guilty of child abuse, so yes telling a fat kid that they are fat will be hurtfull but it is also a damn site more courageous than sitting back and saying nothing as yet another child blights there present and there future by eating crap
Not kidding. This is a harmonica forum. Do you think his parents read this? If some guy said something to you when you were 14, would you listen? Would it hurt your feelings? For that matter, if you were a parent would you listen to some guy on a harmonica forum? Stick to the subject MUSIC.
This isn't the place and you don't know enough about the situation to say what you are saying. So shut up. ---------- Tin Lizzie
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 3:07 PM
Hey guys... #1. I'm really a bit uncomfortable talkin' and hawkin' my wares in open, self help forums like this. Many of you probably know me from the old AMPAGE and the new Electronics Forum and I don't do it there either...so please bear with me this time. To answer Dennis, Yes I've helped a very large number of other amp builders design and tweak their guitar and harp amps. Many of which were smaller 10-25 watt amps with single 10's or 8"s. This is a different animal. The Chicago 30w amp is totally new one (some tweaks never revealed to my other amp building friends) and this amp is a step up from any 10-20 watt 10" amp I've done. It is especially a big step up with respect to those amps done for or with other builders who've asked me for vintage vacuum tube amp guidance over the years. The Chicago amps are full on, Pro gigging amps... I didn't really design them to be particularly attractive to living room or bedroom players, although I can't see why it work for them too, while giving them something to grow into. I'm building the new 1x12 amps for the players who want to elevate themselves into a professional big wallop, fat tone amp with lots of drive but in a smaller package that weighs around 32-33lbs at a reasonable price. Of course it won't be all things to all players. It's been my experience that when you try to do that, you end up with something does everything equally mundane instead of a few things great. I do have plans for the same amp to be placed in cabinets with 2x10s, 3x10's 1x15" and quite possibly a combination of a 12" and 8" or 10" and 8" etc. As to the other question asked... yes I'm only about 6 weeks away from receiving my new power transformers that are wound for 120vac North America and 240vac for Europe... I know there are lots of great players across the pond that would like to have dedicated harp amp too. OK enough of that... thanks for your patience with me.
Bruce Mission Amps
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2010 3:52 PM
sounds like a cool amp. I always thought there was a market for a 1x12, tweed deluxe like amp. the "guts" as described are pretty impressive, though i am less than crazy about the speaker. I think some of the recent use of combinations alnico/ceramic and 8/10/12's has proved sonically excellent, i do like the idea of the 15 watt/30 watt switchability. good luck with your amp.
i agree that the first vid showcases a nice tone. you can hear the harmonics and overtones of the amp in the playing by nic, and my first impression based on the first video on the other thread was not as good as these made it.
it is possible that the recording gear used at higher volumes is losing the ability to pick out the low ends... have noticed that with medium quality recordings that when things get loud the limiter kicks in and the bass drops out, that may be part of why al sounds less thick to me.
Walter, no limiter was used on the recordings. On the Zoom Q3 I used the low gain setting and adjusted the volume from there. The Zoom records in PCM stereo at 44.1 24-bit, better than CD quality.
The amp sounds different with different players because, well, they sound different.
6SN7, we tried lots of different speakers over several months. The Eminence Cannabis Rex was certainly among the best sounding. That surprised me too, but you need to remember this:
"If it sounds good, it is good."
I had to break away from the conventional wisdom about speakers, which ain't always so wise. And who wants to be conventional? You gotta admit, Nic's tone is outstanding.
