Dan Treanor at a blues jam at Ziggies in Denver on Tuesday night. His harp was singin'. Dan is a great blues entertainer, a true bluesman.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
True Bluesman
Dan Treanor at a blues jam at Ziggies in Denver on Tuesday night. His harp was singin'. Dan is a great blues entertainer, a true bluesman.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Bends Harmonicas
I've added a new link in the list to the right: Bends Harmonicas in Brazil. I've heard good things, would love to try them.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Al Chesis
Here's a short clip of Al Chesis on harp, Jeremy Vasquez on guitar, Kyle Borthwick on drums, John Blake on bass. Al is using his vintage Astatic JT-30 microphone w/ceramic element plugged straight into the amp; no delay or other pedals. Nice tone!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
New Feature on the Mission Chicago Amp
Bruce Collins has added an interesting new feature to the Mission Chicago Harp Amp – but it bears a little explanation:
It is a Cathode Bias Bypass switch, but you can think of it as a FAT or BOOST switch. It switches on or off a circuit that regulates the power to the preamp tube, a 12AX7.
In the ON position the amp has the same circuit as in my prototype version of this amp: The tone is tweaked for what Bruce calls a ‘chunky-modern” tone. In the OFF position the bypass is disabled, giving what Bruce calls a “politely vintage” tone.
When the switch is ON the amp cranks out more gain; say 6db more. I played an amp with this new feature at our blues jam at Ziggies in Denver last Sunday, and the tone difference was distinct. With the switch OFF, the tone was warmer, fatter, um... wider. It lost a bit of volume but took on a sound that reminded me of my 1953 MASCO ME-18 amp.
The switch is a small toggle on the underside of the chassis next to the preamp tube socket. It is not hard to reach when you know where it is. You can reach behind your amp and flick it and hear the tonal change immediately.
The Mission Chicago Amp must be the most versatile harp amp on the planet. Look at the unique controls:
-Switchable from Fixed Bias to Cathode Bias (punchy to crunchy)
-DEEP switch (changes the tone stack curve for surprisingly low growl from a mid-sized 1x12 amp)
-and now, this new Cathode Bias Bypass switch (it needs a new name)
Along with the separate bass and treble controls, these switches make the amp infinitely adjustable to your taste. Nobody else is making harp amps like this.
NOTE: I played my Mission Chicago Amp at a private party in the huge backyard of a VERY swanky mansion last Saturday. We were on a deck facing the yard (more than an acre), pool, gardens, etc. I had the amp up to 7 (out of 12) and the volume was more than enough to keep up with two loud guitars and the rest of a rocking blues band. The host loved our sound and paid us twice the agreed upon fee.
It is a Cathode Bias Bypass switch, but you can think of it as a FAT or BOOST switch. It switches on or off a circuit that regulates the power to the preamp tube, a 12AX7.
In the ON position the amp has the same circuit as in my prototype version of this amp: The tone is tweaked for what Bruce calls a ‘chunky-modern” tone. In the OFF position the bypass is disabled, giving what Bruce calls a “politely vintage” tone.
When the switch is ON the amp cranks out more gain; say 6db more. I played an amp with this new feature at our blues jam at Ziggies in Denver last Sunday, and the tone difference was distinct. With the switch OFF, the tone was warmer, fatter, um... wider. It lost a bit of volume but took on a sound that reminded me of my 1953 MASCO ME-18 amp.
The switch is a small toggle on the underside of the chassis next to the preamp tube socket. It is not hard to reach when you know where it is. You can reach behind your amp and flick it and hear the tonal change immediately.
The Mission Chicago Amp must be the most versatile harp amp on the planet. Look at the unique controls:
-Switchable from Fixed Bias to Cathode Bias (punchy to crunchy)
-DEEP switch (changes the tone stack curve for surprisingly low growl from a mid-sized 1x12 amp)
-and now, this new Cathode Bias Bypass switch (it needs a new name)
Along with the separate bass and treble controls, these switches make the amp infinitely adjustable to your taste. Nobody else is making harp amps like this.
NOTE: I played my Mission Chicago Amp at a private party in the huge backyard of a VERY swanky mansion last Saturday. We were on a deck facing the yard (more than an acre), pool, gardens, etc. I had the amp up to 7 (out of 12) and the volume was more than enough to keep up with two loud guitars and the rest of a rocking blues band. The host loved our sound and paid us twice the agreed upon fee.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Hohner's Newest Official Endorser - Nic Clark
Congratulations to Denver harp phenom Nic Clark for becoming an official Hohner USA endorser. Nic is among the youngest Hohner endorsers ever; Stevie Wonder may have been younger at the time he was signed.
Although Nic is only 14 years old, his talent and tone on blues harp are spectacular, and his fame is quickly spreading. He is friends with and has shared stages with some of the greats, such as Rick Estrin, Kim Wilson, Jason Ricci, and many others. Andy Garrigue, Harmonica Marketing Manager for Hohner USA, summed it up this way: "Nic is awesome." Andy will add Nic to Hohner's artist list soon, and issue a formal press release announcing the endorsement.
Good on ya, Nic! You're on your way.
In this last video Nic trades harp licks with Al Chesis, another blues harp master and official Hohner endorser.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Silver Champ Sighting
Tommy Knox of the Clam Daddys playing through a silverface Fender Champ, one of my favorite harp amps.
Sonny Landreth
No harp content, but GREAT swampy guitar. This is Sonny Landreth's encore solo at the Greeley Blues Jam on June 12, 2010.
Monday, June 14, 2010
It's Amazing....
...how many blues harp players spend a fortune on big boutique harp amps and sound like crap.
Then there is Kim Wilson who can use nearly any amp and sound good, even a guitar amp like the DeVille. That is inspiring.
Then there is Kim Wilson who can use nearly any amp and sound good, even a guitar amp like the DeVille. That is inspiring.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Two Fender DeVille amps for a Harp Rig?
Yep, that's what Kim Wilson was playing at the Greeley Blues Jam this year, June 12th. I've played harp through a DeVille and I thought it was one of the worst harp amps I'd heard: WAY too bright and spikey. But then, I'm not Kim Wilson.
There are two boxes on top of his amps: The one on the left is an ART Tube Preamp V3. What is that white one on the left? I looks like a pedal with no knobs. (click on the image to enlarge) I didn't get a chance to ask him about it.
Needless to say, Kim Wilson got good tone with these amps, and it was VERY loud. (watch the video) He was playing through his Astatic JT-30 microphone.
UPDATE:
This photo was kindly sent by a reader, showing Kim Wilson's rig for a show in CT late last year. It looks like the Kinder Mid Bass Cut is in the middle, with a Kinder AFB+ on the right. The ART Tube Preamp is not evident here. (click on the image to enlarge)
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