Yea I'd like to try one too. Even though Bruce emailed me (before advertising it) that it had no relationship to any of his previous harp voiced amps I can't help having a prejudice. Once upon a time I owned a 1 10'' he created for the Thunderharp.com mike creator that I liked a lot. It didn't work for me on stage unless miked (so I sold it and bought up) but it had some nice tone that worked well for me. d ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
No fight from me. Reread the guy's comment, GermanHarpist - "passive aggressive"? WTF? When nerds attack.
Joe/BigD: I thought the first crystal mic take was sweetest. The amp has a lot of that smaller amp Class A bump and grind that makes for a great studio amp. These clips certainly do it more justice than the jam clips that were up earlier, where a lot of that tone character seems to get lost in the mix.
Ev630 - I agree. I thought some of the other clips sounded kind of muddy. I would have preferred a bit more clarity on the notes. I would be surprised if the amp didn't deliver that.
I think these clips were presented the amp in a better light than some of the youtube clips from the jams. No knock on Rick or his videographic abilities. It can be hard to get good clips at jams. The mix is usually too chaotic. If I was still visiting Colorado regularly, I would have tried (and possibly) bought one of those amps.
For the price, the versatility of this amp is phenomenal. A bias switch? That is GENIUS ! To go from the tonal monstrosities that 6L6's usually are to the subtle and pleasing soft distortion of 6V6's should be a harper's dream.
I can't wait to see the reviews of the 2X10 and what it sounds like.
It's a beauty, too....in the classic blonde tweed. Only thing I would suggest is solid spruce cabinetry instead of pine. Pine warps in time...even kiln dried. Spruce lets sound project out the cab.
Yeah, Joe...I remember the 'what we have here is...a failure to communicate' series of threads on the forum, haha. I'll drop Rick a line and report here when I get an answer.
@ LJS-I had a locally-made boutique amp in a birch cab for several years-held up well & sounded good. Maybe another option...although my amp was HEAVY, and not sure how much the birch ply contributed to that. ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 7:52 AM
GermanHarpist/EV, I'm not fighting, or wanting a fight. When a person says: The amp sounds great, it says one thing, (they think the amps sounds great). When a person says "the amp sounds like a great recording amp" they are implying it sounds like a good recording amp and would suck as a gigging or jamming amp. I personally think that is a passive aggressive post. I've been following the various posts in here regarding the Mission Amp and it seems to attract fire from particular people, which I find amusing since they haven't played through one. I'll stop finding amusement in this. By the way, I own one of these amps. Pluto
So Pluto: Give us a breakdown please. Have you hit the stage with a band with it? Do you have the 12''. Have you compared it to others (admittedly I have never formally compared harp voiced amps on a forum site other than volume because that indeed seems very "subjective" and contextual and could hurt other builders- but i can ask!) Any sound files of you with it? Thanks. d ---------- Myspace: dennis moriarty
Pluto - No offence intended, but I think maybe you're reading into things too much.
To me Ev630's comment was a fairly valid one. I agree with him it does sound like a good recording amp. What I mean by that is, it sounds good in those clips. Far better in my opinion than the YouTube clips that have been posted of it. This was also the opinion of Joe L (if I'm reading his posts correctly). Both of those guys know a heck of a lot about amps in relation to harmonica.
Regarding various recent threads/posts about the Mission amp. You have to bear in mind that they aren't always going to be ultra positive.
I'm glad you have a Mission amp and like it. It's also good that some people like yourself are 100% behind Bruce Collins and the Mission amp. All products need that. Any product though should also be viewed openly and honestly by people. Sometimes that involves natural amounts of scepticism on the part of those who haven't tried it. That is human nature.
Recent examples of this natural scepticism are the B-Radical, JT30 Roadhouse, Manji and the Crossover. Now they aren't "bad" products. They are simply "new" products and therefore naturally attract questions and opinions both positive and negative.
It's one of my all-time favourite amps. If you asked me, I'd say "it's a great recording amp" but a not so hot amp for some bar gigs. Even when driving a 4 x 10 cab. (I'm thinking of a nightmare gig next to a Bassman RI blooz rock guitarist I had to endure in April).
It's a BEAUTIFUL amp for a stripped down drummer with brushes, and acoustic piano and a sympathetic guitarist through a Harvard.
In other words, a great recording amp.
I listened to the Mission clips. The crystal stuff has all of the slop and grit and rumble that I personally really like. I am an experienced player in all sizes of gigs and working in the studio. Those clips sounded like a Class A amp.
My comment is what it is, no "kidding".
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 9:53 PM
Hey, if I order a Mission amp will I suddenly become edgy and hypersensitive to comments regarding the amp? Or does that cost extra? I'm a prospective customer, but I don't want to loose my playful, easy-going demeanor.
Just kidding...lighten up.
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Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 11:49 AM
bigd, I haven't had a chance to put the Chicago through its paces yet. I've only briefly played it at home. My initial feeling is that its quite like an old Fender Deluxe. And that is exactly why I wanted it. I own both Meteors, and love them both, but needed something a bit cleaner. I also wanted something that I could easily take to quieter jams. I have a couple of PA heads with speaker cabinets, but what a hassle. And to you Kingly. I never said I liked the "Chicago" amp, nor did I ever say I was 100% behind Bruce or Mission. I am merely making an observation on how some have chosen to have an opinion on something they've never played through. Pluto
Pluto-I understand that you might have just gotten the amp, but have you had time to play with different mics thru it to note the differences to your ear? If so, what have you tried thusfar? I'm interested in how responsive it is as well. ----------
Crescent City Harmonica Club Todd L Greene, Co-Founder
EV- so bottom line,you're saying it's just not loud enough for a typical gigging scenario? 32 watts seems like it would be fine for a medium size room.
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 3:05 PM
Pluto - Which Mini Meat do you own? The Mini or Mini 15? Is it louder before feedback than the Mini when you're plugged into the Meat channel?
I used to own a Mini Meat. I used to run it with 5881's and it could hold it's own in most situations. It sounded great, but it could be buried by a very loud band.
Some of the claims have made people curious. Honestly, I think we all want to know about it. If everything we have read about the amp is true, Bruce would have a ton a orders. Unfortunately, none of us have first hand experience with it. You do. Please share it.
Who doesn't want a portable, toneful, loud, feedback resistant amp?
Last Edited by on Jul 26, 2010 9:54 PM
I own the new Mission and love the sound of it. I am an average player who plays out 1 or 2 times a month in a 2 guitar band. I was looking to go to a mid size amp and did not want to go much more then $1000. When one amp builder never got back to me with a turn around time and a shipped price I looked elsewhere. I did not set out to buy this amp, but was intrigued by the features and it also was within the size and weight range I wanted yet had more power and versatility. Bruce answered my emails in plenty of detail and he got my $$$$. The amp is great looking and performing, does not break the back or bank and I love the tweaking features. I will not compare it to other amps that I have not played or name the ones I have owned, but I will say I have stopped watching Ebay looking for the next amp to try.
Kingley - voice of reason, couldn't have said it better myself.
I certainly didn't take "good recording amp" as a negative. I would say the same thing about the Kalamazoo. They are GREAT recording amps. They are not loud enough for jamming or other than very small venue gigging without sound reinforcement. That doesn't make them good or bad. It's just fact. ---------- /Greg
Greg? Damn, I told myself "let it go, let it go", lol, but I can't. You just supported my claim. "It may be a good recording amp but not loud enough for jamming" This is exactly what I meant. The fact of the matter is, the amp is loud enough for jamming and gigging, not just recording. Spending $1000 on an amp that is only good for recording might be considered a waste of money.
Dude - you need to chill and stop taking peoples comments so personally. I own a Harpgear Double Trouble. It's a good recording amp. It can be drown out when playing with a loud band. That doesn't make me less of a person.
Greg, Joe, Drew - All good points which I agree with entirely.
Pluto - I'm sure that the Mission is a good amp, but it has yet to be tried and tested by the harp community at large. Until it has been people will naturally have doubts/questions. Even after it has been widely tested and reviewed it'll still come under flak from some fans of other amps. That is the nature of the beast. My advice to you is to just relax, chill out and be happy that you have found an amp that you are happy with. That is a very good place to be. Because it means you can now concentrate on the more important aspects of playing this wonderful little instrument.
Since I bought my Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue (I also have a Bassman LTD for bigger gigs). I never look at any amp now with a view to buy. I merely view it from an interest perspective. ----------
