Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Snakeskin 5F2H Harp Amp is for Sale


UPDATE: This amp has been sold.

This is a one-of-a-kind amp designed and built specifically for excellent blues harp tone. It is 10 watts of vintage 6L6 attitude. I offer it for sale for $500.

It began its life as 5F2H kit from Weber, assembled by Adam at Tungsten Amps. The 5F2H harp amp circuit was developed by Bruce Collins of Mission Amps, inspired by the Premier Twin 8 amp of the early 60s. When I acquired the amp I took it to him for tweaks. It has a wonderful unique tone.

It was originally ordered from Weber with 12-inch speaker in a Deluxe-sized cabinet, while normal 5F2H amps have a 10-inch speaker in a smaller cab. It is a vintage Mojo Tone MP12R alnico speaker, their version of the classic Jensen speaker with the seamed, ribbed cone. It has the warmth and snarl of the old Jensens.

The amp is pure Class A, with one 6L6 power tube, a 5U4 rectifier tube, and a 5751 preamp tube. New spare power and preamp tubes (and fuses) are included, packed in bubble wrap and tacked to the inside of the cab, right where you need them if a tube pops during a gig.

Bruce Collins upgraded the tone stack with excellent K40Y paper-in-oil caps. He optimized the biases and voltages of the tubes for killer blues harp tone and installed a beefier output transformer. And he voiced the line out so that it is the best sounding I’ve ever heard.

You can hear this amp at my band website. Click the music player at the bottom of the web page to hear three songs featuring the 5F2H amp. I gigged this amp many times over the last year, and kept it in perfect condition. It was always covered and gently handled. There are no marks or scuffs on the amp.

It is loud enough for most gigs in small to medium rooms. I used the line out at bigger gigs, using the amp as an on-stage monitor. The amp weighs only 29 pounds.



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