Re: [Harp-L] Alternatives to an Amp (was Holmes Harp Commander III)

["Drew Ross" <spiritualpersonality@xxxxxxxxx>]

I haven't tried it with harp yet, but I have this cross between a guitar
effects pedal and an amp. It is called the Lovepedal 1/2 watt Classic amp.
It is housed in an effects pedal box. It sounds rather good with guitar, and
once I get my microphone figured out, I'll check it with harp and give a
report.
Here is a photo:
http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn282/drewross/?action=view&current=df37_1.jpg

On Sun, Nov 2, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Glenn and Debbie Woodhouse <
gwoodhouse40@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>
>
> I have stumbled across an "amp-less" and affordable setup that I am very
> happy with.  Struggling with the typical feedback issues I was getting with
> Hi-Z mics and vintage tube amps, Richard Hunter, "master of alternatives to
> traditional amplification", suggested I incorporate a guitar EQ pedal into
> my rig and use it to "dial-out" the offending frequencies.  I went with the
> MXR108 10 band pedal ($120 shipped off of e-Bay or major guitar gear web
> sites).  Immediately this solved my feedback problems but also gave me
> greater tone shaping capabilities than I could get with the Bass and Treble
> controls on my vintage amp.  The MXR pedal also has a gain control, allowing
> my to add a bit of crunch to the CM if desired.  It has a volume control and
> a hard wired bypass footswitch.  Finally, it is built like a tank with a
> cast enclosure and heavy duty footswitch. Now, here is the "amp-less" part.
>  I also play with a DanEcho pedal (also built like a tank!).  I have setup a
> stage case that house my harps, my mics, the two pedals, and a power strip
> to run the power supplies for the two pedals.  Everything is cabled together
> and plugged in ready to go as soon as I plug in the power strip cord and the
> "instrument out" cord to an amp or PA.  Because the studio where we have
> weekly practices is up a flight of stairs I decided to leave the amp at home
> for practices and plug my stage case directly into the PA to save my back.
>  The results were surprisingly good.  Good warm tone and a touch of crunch
> as desired, and of course no feedback.  So for the last few months when
> practicing and performing in smaller venues I have just been playing my
> mic->DanEcho->MXR108 combo right into the PA.  I have had several folks,
> including fellow harp players, approach me after a performance complimenting
> my tone/sound and asking me about my amp.  To their surprise, I just show
> them the pedals.  For outdoor gigs and larger venues I will play this same
> rig into my amp and then into a mic'd cabinet with Weber Vintage series
> speakers.  In this case I can crank things up a bit more and really drive
> those tubes and speakers getting a bit more punch and creamy distortion.The
> MXR108 does not provide low-to-high Z conversion or auto feedback control.
>  As room acoustics vary, you may have to tweak the frequencies on the EQ
> pedal to find the feedback "sweet/sour spot" to dial down. So this is a long
> winded way to say that for about $220 for the DanEcho plus the MXR108 you
> can conquer feedback, get a great tone with some gain and volume controls,
> and have some great delay/slap-back effects to run directly into the PA (or
> keyboard amp, or ......). Glenn Woodhouse P.S.  I credit the DanEcho as part
> of the tone equation beyond just the delay effect.  I have heard a few posts
> referring to the "tone sucking" qualities of this pedal.  There are
> impedance modification services out there for this pedal but I am playing it
> unmodified and feel it enhances/warms my tone.  I do not hear the tone
> sucking problem.  I know that Gary Onofrio recommends the un-modded DanEcho
> with his Sonny Jr amps.  This may be more of an issue with lower impedance
> mics.> -----Original Message-----> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx[mailto:
> harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On> Behalf Of robert mcgraw> Sent: Sunday,
> November 02, 2008 6:30 AM> To: GaryB> Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> Subject: RE:
> [Harp-L] Holmes Harp Commander III for Sale> > > I've heard of these before
> but can it really sound as good as like a >> > > Sonny jr or something like
> that or is it something in between PA clean> > and a custom harp amp. Please
> enlighten me.---No, the Harp Commander> does not sound as good as a Sonny Jr
> or really any good amp...but it> does sound pretty good and it's a lot
> easier to carry :-)> WVa Bob >
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