[Harp-L] Re: how do you set the kinder afb?- even more questions/ ME TOO



Well put, John.

Totally agree, especially regarding playing an amp without mods.

When I taught alongside Dennis Gruenling at last year's Jon Gindick Harmonica Jam Camp, Dennis traveled with his harps, his mics, and a Kinder AFB+. You can catch a video of him playing through the amp I had then, a boutique Bassman, no mods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8XidmqNmcM

Man, does this guy kick butt, or WHAT?!?!?

Best money I've EVER spent on gear. It's absolutely PRICELESS not having to worry about feedback in any way, shape or form. Am I standing in the right place, am I loud enough, do I need to adjust my tone controls to fight feedback? That last one is especially nice... I don't have to compromise the tone of the amp in order to quell feedback. Get the FULL TONE of the amp, and let the little blue box do the rest.

I like to run the box as transparent as possible. (Ever feel like if you could get just ONE MORE twisty on the volume, you'd be good? That's me.) Yet even at it's lowest settings, it's fighting feedback, and "supercharging" the sound for more projection. That's the "plus" in AFB, I think. It's a kind of tightening up of the frequencies, focusing of them, sort of. Hard to describe. But it's a tough sound that is, no doubt about it, FULLY road tested and ready for the stage. Some harp-related gear works good in the living room, but you can rest assured the AFB+ has gone through YEARS of development and "has your back" on stage.

Ray.
--
My Music - www.resgraphics.com/music


On Sep 11, 2008, at 8:42 AM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:


Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:48:24 -0400
From: "John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] how do you set the kinder afb?- even more
	questions/ ME	TOO
To: "Monsterharp" <Monsterharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:
	<F38163487B9C674E8EF6A3C1701AFB02033A6B3D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I have tried an Alesis "feedback eliminator". It was a little box-type
thing, similar in size to the Behringer Shark (which I have not
tried...but always wanted to...)
I ended up returning the Alesis. The problem I had was the "lag time"
between the time it "located the feedback frequency" and the time it
eliminated the squeal. It worked, but a slight squeal every ten seconds
or so was just not gonna cut the mustard for me. That was some time back
(1989?), and technology may have caught up with that issue by now. But
in any case, the device would still have to go through a "learning
period" in each venue until the problem frequencies were identified,
filtered and "memorized" by the device. Okay if you have the luxury of a
preliminary sound check, but not always doable in a jam or a spontaneous
situation.


Since the Kinder AFB+ does not "locate" problem areas, it does not have
a lag time. It works on a totally different principle.


I think that the biggest issue with the AFB+ is the price. It is hard to
part with $360 for something sight-unseen; or at least thing-untried.
Yet, we do it with $1000+ amps all the time. I've said it a hundred
times and I'll say it again: The AFB+ is the best piece of gear I have
ever bought. Period. I would give up my amp before I gave up my AFB+,
even though I paid $900 for my amp. When I go out of town, on vacation,
etc., I take my harp case with two mics and my AFB+ in it. If the
opportunity ever arises to share the stage or join a jam, I feel assured
knowing that I can plug in to whatever amp is available and just wail
away. That is something I could never do with a 50lb,
"customized-for-harp" amp. That flexibility has no price tag, in my
opinion.


In addition, I believe that most tube amps work great for harp with no
modifications. The problem has always been that we (harp players) have
never been able to get the volume up into the "sweet spot" before
feedback occurs. Guitar players get to experience this as a matter of
course. You read all the time of guitarists like Page, Clapton, et al
going into the studio and plugging into an old tweed Champ with the
volume knob pegged. Harp players can't just do that; even with tube
swaps. Let alone do that with a Bassman. The AFB+ gives me confidence,
total freedom and the ability to choose the right amp for "my tone".

I was so nervous when I sent the $360 away for the AFB+ that you could
have sharpened a pencil in my butt. But I am so glad I did it. I can do
nothing now but think of all the money I could have saved
"experimenting" with so many amps over the years. Once I got the AFB +, I
went and bought the amp I WANTED. Before, I was relegated to buying an
amp that "worked best". That, too, has no price tag.


John Balding
Tallahassee, FL




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