The Silver Bullet

Shure 440SL shell with 99B86 element (June of 1959) and vintage volume control from Greg Huemann at blowsmeaway.com.  My new "go to" mic.

Last Night at the Toad Tavern

I'm playing the Bassman, and a bullet mic with Shure CM element.

Rock Block

I heard a harp player using this rig on stage recently:  A Rock Block guitar pedal/amp and a little Crate cab with an 8-inch Jensen ceramic speaker.  The pedal puts out 1 watt of power, so micing it up in the big club was a must.

How did it sound?  Like a swarm of angry bees.  Inside a metal drum.  I'm sure the pedal works very well for what it is intended (guitar distortion) but it was very buzzy and nasal as a harp rig.  That little Jensen speaker could not have helped much.

The guy using this rig played well enough, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it.   And ya know...  That's all that really counts.

Vintage Magnatone Amp

Al Chesis & Nic Clark in the Colorado Blues Society's International Blues Challenge competition for solo and duo acts.  Nic is playing through a vintage Maganatone 415 amp - four 8-inch speakers, about 18 watts, octal preamp, monster tone.

My Amps

My modest collection of harp amps (as of today, anyway).  Clockwise from lower left:  1970 Fender Champ, 6 watts;  1953 Masco ME-18, 20 watts; 1991 Fender Bassman Reissue, 45 watts, Mission Chicago 32-20, 32 watts (in fixed bias mode).  I think I have all the bases covered.

The order I acquired the amps is Champ, Masco, Mission, Bassman.  Through the years I've had maybe two dozen harp amps, but these are the ones I hung with over time.  The first harp amp I paid money for was an Ampeg B-15N flip-top full stack (used, in 1979); the most recent is the Bassman.

I cannot help myself -- All of them have been modified for blues harp except the Mission which is a custom built amp.  When I bought that first Ampeg-- and many amps that followed -- I was frustrated by the tone and didn't have the foggiest idea how to improve it.  And, I couldn't find anybody else who had a clue either.  So I dug in and figured it out myself.  The quest for tone can be a cruel mistress, but the payoff is sweet.  NOTHING sounds like a good player blowing though a great amp.  Y'all know exactly what I mean.

Harp Mic Project

This is a great sounding Shure CM element from 1959.  I've had it for years and I'm looking for a mic shell to put it in, maybe a JT-30.  I'll be adding more details about this as the project progresses.  In the meantime, let me know if you have any suggestions.

UPDATES:
I won an eBay auction for a Shure 440SL mic shell, which is probably what this element came out of.  So, it will all be period correct, for whatever that is worth.

I've never owned a vintage Shure bullet mic, so when I saw the 440 "Silver Bullet" shell on eBay I decided to go that way.  It is already machined and threaded for a Switchcraft 2501MP screw-on connector.  I need to see about putting an on/off micro-switch on it somewhere.

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The mic shell arrived.  Looks great!  The small hole in the bottom is filled with epoxy and there is a grounding lug on the inside of the shell.  I've ordered gasket and the 2501MP connector.

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The harp mic project is coming along. Lower left is the gasket to hold the vintage Shure CM element. Next to it is the Switchcraft 2501MP screw-on cable connector. Now I need to decide between a simple on/off switch and a volume control.

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Assembled and tested.  Sounds great!

New from Megatone Amps

Pedaltrain Jr. Pedal Board

At the blues jam I host on Sundays at Ziggies in Denver, some schmo dumped a full glass of beer into my pedal board and didn’t bother to tell me about it.  When I got up to play the last set my pedals were a sticky mess and the wireless was cutting out.

The pedal board I was using was the Boss BCB-60, a big plastic clamshell case with foam in the bottom. The pedals just sat there marinating in the beer all night.  (Yes, I know it was a mistake to leave it there.  Lesson learned.)

I had a complaint about the big Boss board:  It took up too much stage real estate.  So after the beer douche episode I decided to order the Pedaltrain Junior pedal board with the soft case; about $100.

This is better.  It is more compact and takes up less space.  The soft case is easy to carry and has a pouch for cables and stuff.  And any liquid spilled on the pedals will drain off.  The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2+ power supply mounts up under the board, out of the way.

In the photo above the board is sitting in the open soft case, but on stage I remove it from the case and put it next to my amp.  Anybody wanna buy a used Boss BCB-60 pedal board, complete with Roland power supply and patch cables?  Smells slightly of beer.  Make offer.

Power Supply for the Kinder AFB+ Pedal

The Kinder Anti-Feedback pedal has become an indispensable tool for many gigging harp players.  The only complaint I hear from those who use the pedal is that it does not have a provision for an external power supply, so we are stuck using batteries.  This is a pain for several reasons:  The pedal does not have a battery level indicator to warn you when it is time for a new set.  And when you do change the batteries you need to remove four small Phillips head screws and take the casing apart.  Not very convenient if the batteries go out in the middle of a set.

Furthermore, the pedal uses two 9 volt batteries instead of one.  My understanding is that the two sides of the AFB circuit  -- input and output -- must be absolutely isolated from each other for the anti-feedback properties to work right.  And I think that is the reason Kinder did not ship it with a power supply, or even include a plug for a power adapter.

David Brown posted a note on Harp-L about his solution for this, and I decided immediately I wanted to do it as well.  The key is that you need a power supply that delivers independent streams of isolated, filtered, regulated 9v DC power.  The Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus is just the ticket.  That is what David used, and I decided to use it as well since two members of my band use the same power supply and swear by it.  It sells for $169.00.  I ordered it from American Musical Supply.

The Pedal Power 2 Plus comes with a variety of cables with different connections, including one with the battery snap connector.  You will need two.  You can order one from Voodoo Lab for $3.50.  (If you decide to build your own cables, REMEMBER:  The polarity must be reversed on the battery snap connectors.)

I used a 6-inch flat file to notch a small slot in the edge of the lower pedal housing right where the batteries are housed.  Then, snap the cable connectors to the battery connectors in the pedal and reassemble, routing the cables through the slot.  Plug the cables into the power supply, making sure they are delivering 9v.  Check the DIP switches on the bottom of the Voodoo Lab power supply.  They should be switched to NORMAL for the AFB pedal.

That’s it.  I don’t have a lot of hours on this rig yet but it seems to work perfectly so far.  The Pedal Power 2 Plus now drives all the devices on my board:  Line 6 Relay G30 digital wireless receiver, Kinder AFB+ pedal, MXR Carbon Copy delay pedal, and a BBE Sonic Stomp.  The first three are pretty standard gear, but quite a few people ask me about the BBE pedal.  I like it because it gives me slightly more cut without sound shrill or bright.  The effect is subtle.

And now the only device I use that relies on batteries is the transmitter for the wireless. If I replace the two AA batteries after every second gig I have no battery issues at all.  Nice!

ADDENDA:
- I used the battery snap cables because I wanted to be able to use the AFB+ with batteries if needed.  Just unsnap the cables and insert batteries.
- From an economics view:  9v batteries cost about $3.50 each, depending on where you buy them.  So, it's seven bucks to power the AFB pedal.  For the cost of the Voodoo Lab power supply you could re-battery the pedal 24 times.  If you get every hour of life out the batteries and they last, say, 25 hours of playing time per pair, then $169 could buy you 600 hours of playing time with batteries.  But, I am also saving on the 9v batteries for the other 3 devices on my board.  It makes economics sense to me, but I admit that it is a rather steep price for a power supply.
- Dan Hazen reports on Harp-L that he has done the same thing using two standard Dunlop power adapters.  

UPDATE:
As of December 2012 I've gigged this rig dozens of times and it has worked perfectly.

For Sale - Original 1958 Bassman Amp

[This amp has been SOLD.]


Wyn Walke has a very nice amp for sale:
"The board hasn't been changed, tape label is Lily-signed, even the power cord is still original. Spkrs also all original, but the 2 left ones' voice coils are open, and need attention. Pretty common from what I understand.
Some crackly noise when amp first comes off standby, but when I plug in to Normal channel, crackly goes away and it sounds great. Bright channel works, but needs some attention. Tweed missing from bottom panel, some tear in the grill cloth. Amp was gigged in its lifetime, 3 small cig burns on top as well as the typical drink ring from having set a beer or soda on top. More pix available upon request. Amp is presently near DC area."
Wyn is asking $6700.  Contact me and I'll pass your mail along to him.

The Blues Allstars - Voodoo Child

No harp content, just my band tearing it up with guest HeXx Henderson on steel.  It's a Hendrix finale, last set of the night.

Playing my Bassman Amp

At Ziggies Famous Sunday Blues Jam in Denver, playing my modified 1991 Fender Bassman RI amp.  The amp tone is about right...

Earth Day Blues Jam at Ziggies

No harp in this one but my band is killin' it with guest bassist Curtis Hawkins.

Killer Amp for Sale - 1962 Fender Deluxe

Tony Smith is offering his vintage Brown Fender Deluxe for sale - $1500. The amp is all original except for a few caps replaced and the speaker replaced with a 1966 Jensen Gold Label. This amp has amazing natural harp tone in a band setting, as you can hear in this video.

The asking price is more than reasonable for such a great amp. If you have any interest let me know and I will pass it along to Tony.

Update from Tony: SOLD

Our buddy in Germany…Thomas, AKA. Harpsucker is the lucky fellow…
He wanted it before but needed to sell something. Sold a 2X8 premier and bought mine.

A 12+8 Harp Amp from Bruce Collins

This is the amp Bruce Collins of Mission Amps made for Al Chesis. It is similar to my 1x12 Chicago “32-20” amp, but it has a 12-inch and 8-inch speakers. It uses a softer rectifier tube to bring the power down a bit and give it a saggier tone.

I played a set on this amp last night at Al’s blues jam at the Boulder Outlook. NICE! It barks some big tone with a hell of a bite. Nice attack. I used Al’s bullet mic with a CR element… a good combination.

The 12-inch speaker is the Eminence Cannabis Rex, which still needs a little breaking in. I know these speakers well, and after they get a few hours of stage time they freaking snarl when you spank them. The 8-incher is a Jensen P8R. It definitely cuts through the mix. I polled the audience after my set and everybody I talked to said they could clearly hear the harp even during a typically raucous jam.

The cab is a bit larger than my 5E3 tweed Mission amp… I think it is a tweed Super cab. It is still smaller and lighter than the backbreakers many of us use, and it stood up to a stage full of drunk and enthusiastic guitar players. Impressive.

Contact Bruce Collins at Mission Amps for price and details.

My Other Harp Kit

My "Grab 'n' Go" harp kit: 4 Suzuki Manjis, 1 each Hohner Marine Band Deluxe, Golden Melody, and Special 20.

Hardware Notes

Line 6 Relay G30 digital wireless

I’ve now been using this wireless rig for a few months, and here is the lowdown: It is simple, reliable, and dead quiet. It sounds and works exactly like a cable. It is digital, not analog like most other wireless rigs. There is zero discernible latency. If anybody tells you there is a latency or lag issue with this rig they probably have an agenda (they want to sell you a more expensive analog unit).

It has a small body pack transmitter, so if you are in love with the idea of a transmitter hanging off the end of your microphone this is not the wireless for you. The transmitter has a belt clip, and I either stick it in a pocket or on my belt.

The effective range is said to be 100 feet, but I’m certain I’ve exceeded that distance and never lost signal. I’ve never had a dropped signal or any extraneous noise, or any coloring of my signal or anything. The thing just works every time. It is powered by two AA batteries, which last about 9 or 10 hours. I now use it for every gig.

Kinder AFB+ Anti Feedback Pedal

I’ve been wanting for years to borrow one of these for a long-term test, and I finally just went ahead and bought one on the used market. Most Kinder owners I’d talked to said it gave them about two more usable notches on their volume control before feedback. Some said it dirtied up their tone too much, or otherwise changed their clean tone in ways they did not like. Here’s what I found:

It works great. I’m not sure it changed my tone at all, except to the extent it allowed my amp to be turned WAY louder, which in turn allowed my power tubes and phase inverter to start breaking up in that cool harmonic way. Without the AFB+ my Bassman RI amp will start to ring at about 5 or 6. With the AFB+ pedal I can crank it to *NINE* without fear of howl, and the amp really begins to sing. I had never before heard my Bassman at 9.

I don’t understand the complaint that it changes your clean tone. If you want clean tone why not just play through the PA system and be done with it? The whole point of feedback control in amped blues harp is that we are walking around with an open microphone in front of a powerful amp, which is a recipe for squeal. If what you want is clean tone just step up to a vocal mic and have at it. Personally, I’d prefer some crunch and warmth.

I’ve read many comments in harp forums to the effect that the Kinder AFB+ pedal will turn any powerful guitar amp into a suitable harp amp. Uh, not really. If you plug it into a Marshall Stack or a Twin Reverb they still sound like crap and scream with feedback. This is an electronic device, not Harry Potter’s Elder Wand.

Fender Bassman Reissue Amp

The project Bassman amp has gone through a pretty extensive modification to make it more harp-friendly, without actually changing the hard-wired circuits much. The only mods that required soldering were beefing up preamp plate load resistors to deal with the 12AU7 tubes, and the installation of bias trim pots for the power tubes.

All the tubes and two of the speakers have been changed. After much experimentation, I use the tube scheme recommended for this amp by the respected author of the Green Bullet Mics website: I have vintage 12AU7 tubes in sockets V1 and V2, and a NOS 5751 tube in V3, the phase inverter. The rectifier is a vintage 5V4, and the power tubes are Tung Sol 6L6, which are biased rather cold.

The top speakers are original Alnico Blue from the Bassman (actually they are re-branded Eminence 1028). The bottom speakers are Weber 10A125-O alnicos.

The amp sounds good; I get lots of compliments on the tone. It is actually rather crunchy for a Bassman, and still retains much of the punch and brawn. It cuts through the mix all the way to the back of the room, and has tons of reserve power. The only drawback is that it is heavy.

The Kinder AFB+ pedal has made it a better, more usable amp.

If Money Was Not an Object...

A topic on Harp-L asked what amp we would use if money were no object. Here is my reply:

If money were no object I’d start with a clean slate. I’d find one of the best amp techs on the planet and huddle for months designing and building a harp amp. I’d take ideas from the Masco amps, and the Premier Twin 8, the Western Electric bassman circuit, and others. I’d let TONE be the determinant for all design decisions. I’d select every component for the quality of its tone. I’d use whatever sounded best, not whatever the conventional wisdom said was “right.”

Well… That’s exactly what I did. The result is the Mission Chicago 32-20 blues harp amp. I own the prototype, and it shows. It has some mismatched switches and funky stick-on labels. But the amp is priceless. It is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that is not for sale at any price. How many can say that about their amp?

During the development I lent the amp to pro harp players and asked their opinions and followed their advice. Do you like the fixed bias punch of a Bassman or the cathode biased crunch of a Masco? No problem; just flip a switch to select one or the other.

The amp has as much useful volume as a good 410 amp. I know, because I own a nice modified 1991 Bassman RI. It is 35 watts in a 35-pound amp. The texture and crunch from the amp are a good mixture of the more rigid 410 amps and the more compressed smaller amps. It has an amazingly rich tone I never get tired of hearing. The amp inspires me to play more and more.

But you don’t have to be a ‘price is no object” kind of player to get one. Bruce Collins at Mission Amps in Denver will build you one for $1149.00.

Mike Wezo did the same thing. His Megatone amps are also excellent. He decided money was no object and created his own line of amps that defy convention.

Mission Amps: http://www.missionharpamps.com/

Megatone Amps: http://www.megatoneamps.com/

Little Walter playing through a Masco amp

Little Walter often played through whatever amp was available. It is known that he played through Masco amps from time to time. The rig in this picture had two 1x12 cabinets driven by a cathode biased 2x6L6 amp. When Bruce Collins and I developed the Mission Chicago 32-20 amp we used my vintage Masco ME-18 amp as a starting point. The Mission amp owes much of its distinctive character and tone to the 50s Masco design. Megatone Amps has also produced a amp on the Masco theme. It's a good place to start. Little Walter knew something about harp tone...

New from WEZO

Megatone Amps has added a 10-inch version of their Masco ME-18 knockoff. It's in the center of the picture above. Compact and loud, 30 watts... I've been hearing great things about this amp.

Here is the amp next to a tweed Fender Harvard. Nice compact size for such a powerful amp.

The Delta Sonics at Alfred's on Beale Street

On Beale Street

Last night in Memphis

Blues Jam at the Rum Boogie.

Nic Clark at the IBC in Memphis

Here is the amazing part: Nic is playing a stock Fender Deville 410 amp from the backline. BTW, everybody in this band is 18 years of age or younger. They are playing in the finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis tonight.

Check this out: The G-Rig

New from Front & Center Microphones.

Sitting in with Bad Brad & The Fat Cats

I'm playing my Mission Chicago 32-20 amp. This was a very fun set.

Delta Sonics at Clark Family Benefit

Nic Clark shows us how it's done

Fantastic tone, phrasing, and discipline.

Nic Clark playing his Fender Bantam amp

A Few Good Harp Amps

This was the harp amp lineup at the Little Walter Tribute show in Denver last Saturday. L to R:

-My Fender '59 Bassman Reissue

-Dan Solem's Sonny Jr 410

-Dan Treanor's Fender Super Reverb Reissue

-Kirk Vriesman's 1960 Gibson GA-40

Which one sounded the best, you ask? The Gibson.

BTW, that's my harp kit in the foreground...

Dan Solem playing a Sonny Jr 410 amp

Southside Dan Solem at the Little Walter Tribute Show in Denver CO, Jan 7 2012.

New Pedal Lineup

With my ’59 Bassman RI amp I’ve gone back to using a few pedals. Here’s what I have now:

Boss EQ7 – I use this only when I have a feedback issue. I prefer the tone without it.

MXR Carbon Copy Delay -- My guitar player bought a new TC Electronics Flashback delay (that thing seriously rocks) so I bought his MXR pedal. So far I’m just using it for single echo slap back, with the settings you see in the photo. It sounds good, really warm.

Line6 Relay G30 wireless receiver – I gave my old Line6 wireless to my girlfriend’s son. (He plays in a very good band in Phoenix.) Having been so happy with it I replaced it with a new Line6 digital wireless. Fantastic sound and performance. It is noiseless and simple. It has no companders like the analog wireless units (Samson, etc), so the sound is uncompressed and natural. It sounds exactly like a cable.

About the TC Electronics delay pedal… I haven’ tried it, but I am greatly impressed with the tone my guitar player gets with it. It is greasy wet without being splashy. Way different than he sounded with the MXR.

New from Mission Amps

Bruce Collins at Mission Amps is now shipping some notable new harp amps. They follow the same design philosophy used in my Mission Chicago 32-20 amp (pictured above), but with a few mods.

First of all, the chassis is bigger which allows for beefier 50-watt transformers. The new amps run with slightly higher plate voltages and produce an honest 50 watts of power at clipping.

The amp shipping now is a 3x10 configuration with a Weber 10A125-O speaker on top, an Eminence Lil’ Buddy hemp cone ceramic on the bottom along with a Quam ceramic speaker. I’m told the tone is stunning.

I have not had the chance to play this amp, but I have heard from new owners after they take delivery and gig it. They use superlatives to describe its tone and performance. Here’s a quote:

“The amp is the best and coolest sounding amp I have ever played and I currently have and have had sonny jr's, Harpgear, Clark, Magnatone, Premier's, Hurricane, and some others. They're just not in the same category as this amp!!”

Bruce is shipping the 3x10 and is taking orders on 1x15, 4x10, and 10+12. One well-known pro harp player has ordered a 4x8.

I’ll road-test the amp as soon as I can and review it here. You can contact Bruce at Mission Amps.

Little Walter Tribute Show

Tony Smith at Little Walter Tribute in St. Pete.

Tony is playing a crystal mic into a Fender Bassman Reissue amp. Great tone and mastery of the instrument.

Bassman Tweed Rehab

This is a photo of the 1991 Fender Bassman RI amp after two coats of MinWax Polyshades Satin Classic Oak. The 1/2 pint can was plenty for two coats.

I tried cleaning the old tweed up with Resolve but it had little impact on the old stains and discolorations in the tweed. So, I stained over everything. It now has a very nice "Relic" look with a deep golden tone to the tweed. There are still holes worn in the tweed on a couple of corners of the amp but the poly finish will help keep it from fraying.

The project was pretty easy, and took only a couple of hours total. I removed the chassis and handle from the cab, and loosened the baffle so I could move it back a bit. Then I masked off the edges of the grill with regular masking tape and applied the stain to the tweed with a foam brush. After waiting a few hours I applied the 2nd coat of stain. I reassembled the amp the next morning.

When I got the amp the tweed was washed out, yellowish, and looked dirty. Now it looks like it has some serious mojo.

Bassman RI Harp Amp Project - Update

Here is the latest on the Bassman RI project:

-From right to left the preamp tubes are RCA 12AY7, and two JAN Philips 5751.

-The power tubes are Tung Sol new production 6L6.

-The rectifier tube is a JAN GE 5R4 brown base.

Bruce Collins at Mission Amps installed adjustable bias pots, biasing the power tubes rather cold. He also repaired a faulty tube socket under one of the power tubes. Other than that the circuits remain stock.

The speakers are two Weber 10A125-O on top, an Eminence Lil' Buddy hemp cone speaker on the lower left, and one of the original alnico blue speakers on the lower right.

We tried many different combinations of tubes in all the sockets before arriving at this configuration, which sounded best. We both like a big fat organic tone, with a punchy low end and some sparkle without being edgy. I like a harp amp to sound wide.

This amp sounds good. In Bruce's shop I could get it to 5 on the volume before it started to ring, and the sound was big with a nice warm tone. It is not as naturally crunchy as my Chicago 32-20 amp but it has it's own set of virtues. That old Coke-bottle full-wave rectifier gives it a very cool sag, and the alnico Webers compress nicely as you put some pressure on the amp. It makes about 40 watts in this configuration and is quite loud. It weighs 62 pounds.

I plan to leave it like this for a while, and I'm looking forward to flogging it at a gig we are playing Saturday night Oct 29 for a Halloween Party at a country club. I promise... sound samples will be coming soon.

Harp Amp Project - Fender Bassman RI

Today I bought a rather well used early Fender Bassman Reissue amp, which dates from April of 1991 by the production code. The amp has a tube rectifier (not solid state) and the original alnico blue speakers, which are re-branded Eminence 1028s. I paid $500.

The amp was playable when I got it home, but the tone was shrill and it had intermittent problems. A couple of the tubes were bad, so I replaced the 5881 power tubes with some Tung Sol new production tubes I had on hand, and swapped in a 5AR4 Sovtek rectifier. For now the preamp tube is an NOS JAN Philips 5751 and the 2nd gain stage tube is a vintage GE 12AY7. The phase inverter is a 12AX7.

I swapped out 3 of the 4 speakers: On top there is a pair of Weber 10A125-O speakers, and on the bottom is an Eminence Lil' Buddy ceramic speaker and one of the original alnico blues.

So far it sounds pretty good. I'm sure it will sound a heck of a lot better after I get it biased and tuned by Bruce Collins at Mission Amps in Denver. Since I tinker with amps a lot I had all the parts I used today laying around in my amp room, so there has been zero added expense on the amp so far. I was looking around for an old Bassman RI, partly because I recognized I already had a lot of the components I would need for the project.

I'll put up sound samples later. I plan to take the amp to a blues jam tomorrow night to see how it performs as it is now. I'll keep you posted.

UPDATES:

http://bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/2011/10/bassman-ri-harp-amp-project-update.html

http://bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/2011/11/bassman-tweed-rehab.html

http://bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/2012/05/playing-my-bassman-amp.html

New Cable

New cable: Fender "Vintage Voltage." My trusty old Planet Waves cable I've been using for nearly 10 years is starting to get noisy. I think I've stepped on it too many times...

UPDATE:

(I've gigged with this cable and it sounds great. Even my guitar player noticed. My old Planet Waves cable must have been farther gone than I knew.)

My purchase of the Fender Vintage Voltage cable generated some discussion on Facebook. Chris Richards, among others, said the fabric covering of retro cables rubs against the “rubber” inner sheath and creates a small electrical charge that makes the cable noisy and raises its capacitance, changing its tone.

I’m not so sure. I’ve heard that before but have never seen definitive evidence to support it. Chuck Gurney is a very well-known custom harp microphone maker who also makes and sells cables – all of them cloth covered.

I found a web page from Ovni Labs comparing and testing several instrument cables. Their top three picks were all cloth covered.

So what’s the deal? Is the story about cloth cables being inferior just an old urban legend? Chris makes and sells fine custom cables that are not cloth covered, so he may have a bit of an agenda here. I’d like to know what you think.

Walkin' Blues at Ziggies Blues Jam

Devin from L.A. dropped into the jam and blew some manic harp. Great energy. Devin is playing through a custom bullet mic with Shure CM element into a Mission Chicago 32-20 amp.

Steve Mignano on guitar, David Brenowitz on drums, Mike Wysocki on bass.

Coming up on Saturday

Ronnie Shellist will be playing blues harp with the headliners, Boa & The Constrictors. My band precedes them at 9:00pm. Should be a hell of a show...

RJ Mischo Endorses Harpgear Amps

Good move for Brian Purdy at Harpgear. RJ Mischo is a great player and a tremendous ambassador for blues harp in general.

The amp pictured is an HG50 1210 with a new look.

What you missed at the jam

Ronnie Shellist and Todd "Buckweed" Edmunds at Ziggies Famous Sunday Blues Jam last night. I put them up on stage with two members of my band, the Blues Allstars: Steve Mignano on guitar and Billy Hoke on drums.

Ronnie is playing through my harp rig: Front and Center cystal mic and Mission Chicago 32-20 amp.

Al Chesis & The Delta Sonics are on their way to Memphis

Here is video of Al Chesis and his band The Delta Sonics winning the finals of the Colorado Blues Society International Blues Challenge event. They advanced to the world finals in Memphis in February.

Al is playing Hohner harps with a vintage JT-30 ceramic mic into a 1958 Fender Bassman.

The Emotional Value of Note Relationships

Ronnie Shellist explores an outstanding topic.

"Bumkin" at the IBC in Boulder Colorado

The band "Bumkin" competes in the International Blues Challenge prelims at Boulder Colorado, Sept 11, 2011. Bill Walsh on harp.

Bill is using a custom bullet mic with Shure CM, into a Harpgear HG35 amp.

Al plays Fat Chrome

Al Chesis & The Delta Sonics at the Boulder Outlook in Colorado, Sept 13, 2011. Jeremy Vasquez on guitar, Willie Panker on drums, John Butler on bass.

Al is playing through his vintage ceramic JT-30 microphone into his Bandmaster tweed clone from Mission Amps. His collection of cool vintage harp amps is sweet. But this is his normal gig rig.

Reverbnation

Please check out our Reverbnation band page: Updated pics, songs, gigs and more. Thanks!

Power Harp

A fan at our gig last night called me "Power Harp." LOL... I think it fits. With this band (The Blues Allstars), I tend to play hard and imitate the guitar tone and lines. We trade a lot of riffs. It gets pretty far from your strict old-school blues harp style. Blues harp Nazis get the vapors at our gigs. They think I'm doing it "wrong."

Some of the Power Harp thing might be about the tone I'm getting now. I've gone back to a minimalist philosophy: harp, mic, cable, and amp. No effects, not even reverb or delay. I bought a cheapie tilt-back amp stand at Guitar Center for $19.99 to point the amp more toward my ears so I can hear myself even when I'm not in the monitors.

I'm still loving the Mission Chicago 32-20 amp. It's tone is wonderful: warm, crunchy, punchy, and responsive. The amp is relatively small and light (a 1x12 amp in a tweed Deluxe cab, 35 lbs. and 35 loud watts). It pretty much keeps up with the guitar player's Fender Super Reverb.

Power harp!

Tube Down? Why?

Here's 15-year old Nic Clark of Denver CO getting monster harp tone through a STOCK Fender Deville 410 amp. No mods to the amp; it even has the stock 12AX7 preamp tubes. Nic is playing straight into the amp with no pedals, no delay, nothing. He is using a vintage Astatic JT-30 Crystal mic.

If you haven't heard Nic and his band lately, they are sounding outstanding. They'll be in Memphis in February for the IBC competition, and I expect them to do very well.