Thanks for the heads up: The more the better to choose from. Can't wait for more videos to exploit the amp(s) as they enter the market. I think I just spent nearly 7 out of the last 24-30 hours on stage. for these shows I used a Premier B160 with a 15" and I'm gratified to say "It worked" terrifically. My best. d ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
Yep, a 2x8 version is now available. Same amp, cab and features, with a different baffle. The price will be slightly higher than the 1x12. Contact Bruce Collins for details: www.missionharpamps.com
Also, Mission Amps announced on its website that the Chicago 1x12 and 2x8 are both compact enough to be carry-on luggage on most airlines.
It would be ideal if you could set them BOTH up - it is really hard to tell much from youtube videos because you can't calibrate volume in your head. But you can tell between two amps if the player switches back and forth between them. ---------- /Greg
Greg, good suggestion. I'll produce a video with both amps side-by-side.
Drew, LOL. None of those guys have thin tone. In fact, they sound a lot like you. That's a big compliment, my friend. BTW, in Al Chesis' video he was playing an F harp. Still sounds fat.
@Rick, I'm sure he would, but I don't want to experiment, or take a chance. I assumed he's done some testing with different speakers? So my question is, what 8" speakers does he really like in the MHA?
Not all 8" speakers are going to sound great in that amp.
Ah, I see what you mean. As far as I know, Bruce is planning to offer Webber, Eminence, and Jensen speakers. I'm sure I and other harp guys will have a chance to play the amp and make suggestions. I'll put up videos of it soon.
But as I said, I haven't played it yet. I'll pass along details when I learn them.
As you know, it can be a real crap shoot with speakers as far as tone, and then there is the feedback issues that certain speakers contribute to more than others.
No doubt in my mind, the Weber's would be the best choice for "8's.
I don't know exactly which speaker would be best for that amp. I'm thinking a 8F150 25 watt for punch and bottom end, and a 8A100, or a 8A125-0 for crunch, and warmth. I really like the Jensen RI P8R's too.
If I were testing for speakers in that amp, I would start with the 8F150 25 watt, and then try to find a good match for it. The P8R may be the ticket? Or 2-P8R's?
I have two twin 8 amps (Kay 505, DT) so I've done a lot of experimenting with 8" speakers, every amp is different! I have found the P8R's to be great in both amps as a set, or with any other speaker that I've tried. C8R, Mod 8-30, and four different Webers. The problem is, you can't put a P8R on the top of a DT.
A Mod 8-30 and a P8R in the DT sounded better than the stock speakers, so you never know. Feedback can be a huge factor when trying to find the right speakers.
IMO, the MHA is lacking punch, and presence in a couple videos,(not Nic playing 1st position) More than likely, it's the recording quality, or the compression of the video to youtube, but I don't know that for sure.
IMO, most youtube videos of harp amps cut low end, they seem brighter, and lack presence. Occasionally a YT vid will compliment an amp, but it's rare.
Last Edited by on May 21, 2010 7:44 PM
harpaholic, good thoughts. Do you have any YT vids of you playing these speakers?
EeeVee - Bruce Collins has tons of stuff in inventory, which is not surprising since he sells LOTS of amps. What goes in the amp is what sounds best. Same way (I presume) with Clark. Do you think amp makers buy one part at a time? That is dumb. You sound peevish.
I don't have any YT videos of the speakers. It would have been a good idea to do that, but that would only help DT owners.
YT videos are not going to help determine anything as far as the right speakers for the MHA. You have to pop them in, and play. Look at the speaker cabinet Wezo uses for testing speakers.
I sold the DT with the Mod 8, and P8R, and kept my other DT. I'm running a Sig 8, and Chicago 8 in the DT now. I just ordered a new cabinet for the Kay, so it's disassembled.
Last Edited by on May 22, 2010 8:31 AM
6SN7, It certainly does show Ronnie to be a great player! But the same could be said for many YT harp amp demos with other good players, eh?
What this video shows is a small amp getting excellent tone unaided by any PA support in a loud blues jam situation. All for only $999.
Harpaholic, so you want to be a speaker tester?? Great! Just send me your detailed musical CV with references, and include links to a Youtube video of you playng a small amp in a live setting. I'll get back to you.
Harpapholic- I didn't give up harp after hearing my friends Ronnnie Shellist and Nic Clark. I doubt your playing exceeds theirs. Why do you refuse to post videos of you playing? Hmmmm?
I know you are anxious to hear uncompressed audio of Ronnie Shellist's clip. Here it is. The video was shot using a Zoom Q3 with uncompressed PCM 44.1 16 bit CD-quality audio. YouTube may indeed compress the audio during their processing, so this is a clip of uncompressed WAV audio from the original video. It has not been edited in any way except for length. When I shot the video I didn't use any kind of auto-gain or level control; everything was set manually. This is how it sounded in the room.
There will be studio recordings of the amp up on the website soon. One of the best features of the amp is that it has great tone and is powerful enough to stand up to a loud blues jam, for only $999. These live videos show that off very well.
I can tell you don't have a sense of humor Rick, so I'll go easy on the joking.
The amp sounds good. What setting is he using? Is the amp being pushed hard in that audio file, I don't hear it? Personally I'd like to hear the amp in all four modes pushed to the point right before feedback in an uncompressed audio. I know that's asking for too much.
With the right 8" or 10" speakers, the MHA could be a serious harp amp.
I'm not a great player, so why would I post videos for the whole world to see? A large majority of harp players think their better than they really are, and feel a need to post their earbleeding compositions on Youtube. I don't get it?
I'm a realist when it comes to my skills.
Anyone that is a member of Harmonica Space can hear my playing anytime they want, so I'm not hiding anything!
"What this video shows is a small amp getting excellent tone unaided by any PA support in a loud blues jam situation."
If that's a loud blues jam, then I'm a world-class blues harp player. So it's true--the Mission amp made me better already, like Rick said it would. Imagine if I actually played or bought one.
Rick- The best harp amp videos on YT are the ones with no bands, just the harp and amp and the player.
And buying the amp because it cuts thru a blues jam for the unbelievable price of 999 sounds so stupid, I can't stand it.. I am sorry for Mission if this amp is becoming too much about you and not the product. Please note, I have said many positive things about the amp and the its niche it fills. Rick, sorry I forgot you have nothing to do with the product, Bruce ought to have Ronnie do some clips a la Ryan Hartt and Lone Wolf delay pedal and put them up on YT.
Gary Onofrio-AKA Sonny Jr does a great job on his vids-he has some of his biggest endorsers-Gary Smith,Sugar Ray Norcia and others-then just Gary demoing the Super Sonny and Cruncher one on one.
Bro's all this talk about getting someone to demo this amp, you do know a used car salesman can drive his own cars, whats wrong with the builder playing his amp ,now if you tell me the builder can't play harp to demonstrate his amp, i would realy be scratching my arse thinking how could you know what a Harp Player wants, if you are going on what other players want in a Harp amp from there demos not every player wants the same from the same amp:)
Nasty said: "now if you tell me the builder can't play harp to demonstrate his amp, i would realy be scratching my arse thinking how could you know what a Harp Player wants"
Man, I couldn't agree more. The same goes for mic builders!!!
@Greg/Nasty, I thought about what Nasty said and it certainly sounds logical, yet Micheal Clark and Skip Simmons both build great harp amps by simply listening to their customers. Of course in Skip's case having Rick Estrin for a friend and customer for two decades surely helps. And in Clark's situation there is a harp player that comes in and tweaks the amps. Just a thought. ---------- (:o
Last Edited by on May 26, 2010 4:39 PM
@JDH - That is true - a good builder makes up for their weaknesses by finding others to fill in- but for sure the optimal situation is a builder who uses his own products in real performance settings. Not only do they understand the problems and goals the best, they are also better able to communicate with their customers. ---------- /Greg
"if you are going on what other players want in a Harp amp from there demos not every player wants the same from the same amp"
So, what you're saying is, if Bruce can play harp, he'll build it to suit his taste.
Same problem. Not everyone wants the same.
Learn to tweak your own, then you can buy almost any tube amp and dial in the sound YOU want.
Bruce is a respected amplifier builder who knows how to voice and design an amp. So, he listens to various players and designs an amp and tone stack with a range of sounds to accommodate as many as possible. eg Fixed and cathode bias. Fat switch. The range and sweep of the tone pot.
He can dial in, bass, treble,middle,compression,crunch,distortion etc ,etc just by changing a few,resistors or caps to change frequency response or voltages.
Another thing, many people drive cars,but don't know how they work or how to maintain them. If they want to go faster they take it to an engineer who tunes it for them. The engineer might not drive a car, but knows how to do it.
Or the moto gp engineer, who cannot ride a bike. Given the feedback from the rider tunes the bike, dials in the suspension etc,etc
Most people have heard a Bassman, so it is a good amp to use as a base line to compare any other amp with. ----------
@Greg, I strongly, and respectfully disagree, Skip and Micheal are much easier to comunicate with, and WAY more willing to LISTEN than the three harp player amp builders I've had communications with. I do play guitar also, but I'm quite confident that I would feel this way, if I were only a harp player. The other thing is I believe most harp players think there is only one good tone, where most real amp techs realize there are many. Our needs are not all the same. ---------- (:o
In either solo or band demos, Mission needs to drop the magic microphone approach. If the Front & Center mic's tone is so distinctively different and lets you run an amp so much harder before feedback, then *don't* use one for demos. Use the "feedback magnet" garden-variety CM/CR, 545, MC-151, etc. such as the potential buyer is likely to have. If they really believe in their amp, then they should do some demos with cheap current mics like Superluxes or BluesBlasters too.
