I say relatively new because I’ve been playing What I Like About You and a few other simple things out of nessesity for years. Vocal mic into PA.
That being said, I’ve always loved that greasy grimy gritty Chicago blues Harp.
Lately I’ve gotten the itch to actually develop some chops. I bought a bunch of Lee Oskar harps, all the standard guitar keys: E, G, A, D…etc. I even bought a minor key Harp and a green bullet mic. What I still need is some kind of maintenence/cleaning tools and an amp.
I have guitar amps but they are too much for my Harp needs. I want to get something for practice and recording. I don’t want to over spend but I don’t want crap. A few I’ve been looking at are the Monoprice 5 watt and 15 watt amps. Also the Fender Super Champ X2, Champion 20, Laney 6 and 10,
Probably a million I missed.
I like the idea of keeping it simple. I would record without effects and add them post but I like the idea of a little verb or echo for practice. It’s not super critical.
That is one I hadn’t considered. I’ll definitely check it out. Good brand, not over powered, etc.
I’ll bet that guy could play through a tin can, still full of soup, and it would sound spectacular! That’s how easy it is to sound good when you’re him. I’ll probably need to work a little harder at it!
Poking around on ebay, I see a champion 600. Would that be a thumbs up or a thumbs down? Also I see a Vox ac4tv.
I hear tell they release some of that mystical magic that can only be reached through a swirling electron cloud captured in a softly glowing glass tube.
I also see some Champ kits out there. I have tools. I can probably put one of those together without electrocuting myself or burning the house down. The cost is reasonable as long as I build it in a home grown box.
The concept is pretty simple. Magic goes in one end, and more magic comes out the other end!
I see a few Blackstars out there too, a ht-1r and a debut 10.
I do see some cubes out there for very reasonable prices.
The more videos I watch, the more I get the sense that people have a tendency to use too much distortion when the great players are getting the lions share of that awesome tone from the way they play the instrument.
As @RussSkyman says a Roland cube is a great little amp with balls, it has a crunch button so you can get as distorted as you want on that if you get the model with reverb it’s sounds like a monster. But if your using your bullet I would play with the controls gradually because feedback can be an issue with them if it’s up too loud
Thanks, so to conclude the story, I visited my local GC. I looked at the the Street, they didn’t have a cube on hand, a Champ x2, a Frontman, a little Vox, a spark go…
I went a little crazy and bought a Vibro Champ reverb. It was crazy expensive but it sounded like a freaking dream.
I thought, it Will be weeks before it’s paid off, but I didn’t care. I thought, my wife is going to kill me, but I didn’t care. I thought this is way over kill, but I didn’t care.
So now I have a shiny new amplifier! I’ll be the envy of the neighborhood! Or not, but I don’t care!
You threw down the big bucks and bought a winner right out the gates huh!?!? Sick. How many watts is?
I’ve got a Monoprice 15W that I bought last year when I was looking for cheap amps to recommend for people. It’s a bit harsh. But I finally bought a couple of 12AY7 tubes to replace the 12AX7 - I’m curious to see what a difference that will make.
The Kalamazoo II is a beloved amp by harmonica players, I’ve been thinking of picking one up at some point.
Also the Fender Pro Jr. IV is commonly played by many.
I’m talking about smaller amps of course. For bigger amps, the Bassman is one that’s mentioned all the time.
I know you already got an amp, I’m just throwing this on the thread for anyone else who is in the same boat.
As far as Fender’s go, these are the amps that seem to be cherished by harmonica players:
- Champion 600 - Eric Clapton Vibro Champ - Pawn Shop Special Greta - Vibro-Champ XD - Blues Junior III - Pro Junior III - Eric Clapton Tremolux - '57 Bandmaster - '65 Princeton Reverb reissue - '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue - Pawn Shop Special Excelsior - Super Champ X2
