What makes an amp the best Harp Amp?

[bob p]

There's a good argument for using a multi-channel PA amp and scaling each of the channels differently.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

How much output power does the Fat Dog have?

They certainly are priced well....

[bob p]

Single ended 6L6 in Class A pentode? Gotta be around 10-12 watts.

[bluzmn]

Yeah, bob p is right about the Fat Dog amp - 10-12 watts.

[thumbs]

Will you be using a choke or a resistor in it's place? What about a switch between them, or between two different value resistors? It might be nice to be able to "brown" the amp out a little. By the way, thanks for your help sorting out the Proluxe. It's sounding really good.

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Single ended 6L6 in Class A pentode? Gotta be around 10-12 watts.

Probably but, that depends on the actual size of the output tranny, how much current is available through the PT, frequency chosen to measure and whether or not the preamp stage is set up right for class OP with no preamp distortion.
Regardless, using regular SE OTs, made for guitar amps, I've never been able to get more then 10-12 watts out of a single 6L6s.
I don't know what OT is the the Fat Dog.

[wainemaine]

I don't play a harp but 2 ppl I know have a old Magnetone amp , maybe 8-10 watts , with that strange tremolo set up( actual pitch changing ) only Valco/ magnetone/ and clones used , they both swore by them, and I see them cheap on Ebay sometimes.

[Hurricane]

3M Wollensak Reel To Reel Tape Recorders

So here it is .... The Ugly Duckling ...... Un assuming as could be .....Awkward now to the eye ....



Retro Thing: 3M Wollensak T-1500 Reel To Reel <===<<<-Clic

To many this will be over looked and passed on by as nothing of any significance - -

But - - -

To a real harp player and or electric guitarist who is experienced it will make them drool with excitement .

The one above is one of two models I am aware of . This one is the 100 watt issue I believe , there is a 15 watt too and it's just as killer as well .

I have owned , repaired them and sold them , I have one now in the closet broken down to just the preamp and amp assembly with it's input and speaker outs in a home made set up , it's killer .

Review ebay now < eBay - 3M WOLLENSAK Reel to Reel Player Recorder TUBE, Similar items search > for a whole bunch to choose from , only check out the URL first on this list prior to thinking on getting one because there are some on that ebay URL that are not what I am posting about .

Repeat : Check out the First URL prior to thinking on getting one .

These are tops in many a tube hungry musician list of must haves when one comes around that's working and in great shape .

There are many still around in great condition . Check " Thrift Stores - United Way - Good Will " these types of stores are where you can consistently find them as well the occasional yard sale .

Also ----

It's a " green " thing to recycle these days so get with the program peoples

I have mine pumping into a Pignose and what a nice set up too for the home and or a private affair with just a few friends or a small night club room .

The Pignose's amp failed and when I hooked the Wollensak amp ( a 15 watter ) to it ..

- - WOW --

It sounds like in my book like a "classic - vintage " and all those other superlatives tube amp .

This personal judgment comes from a Blues man with 56 years of harp playing . Yep no foolin around at all I am for real .

Easy Breatheren Of Breath Bombastisism "

Hurricane Ramon

[Hurricane]

12&quot; W/ 8&quot; drivers Cabs &amp; My Polutone P . A . / Harp / Guitar Amp

Excerpt :

Well, Rick (Davis) who has been giving me some input too, also wants me to try a 12" and 8" combo in the 5F4 cabinet as soon as I get the chassis up and running.

==================================================


Bruce :

A single 12" and an 8" are a really wild and great combination . He may want two cabs though ......

Because when I used my Polytone SS P . A . / harp/guitar amp ( work with me blood ) I just got from a Thrift Store ( I know this will pi$$ off some tube men cause I am also a tube amp person since the 60s) a few weeks ago with a 100 watt output and some really cool circuitry ( ala MusicMan type compression ) with two cabs sporting a 12" and an 8" driver .

I took this set up to test it out in a real performance type environment at a rehearsal . The band :

P . A . 500 watts

Drummer through P . A .

Keyboard through P . A .

Bass player through a 400 watt bass amp .

Head banger metal guitarist with a Marshall single stack 4X12" with celestians and a Marshall 100 watt head with a Strat and a LP.

The keyboard my man Chan Romero ( Hippy Hippy Shake 1959 ) was saying that I had captured the 50s sound with that amp/speaker set up , he was all smiles as I dug in deep with a Paul Butterfield type harp solo sound of squawking and punching hard and then a guitar solo that Chan said had a B . B . King feel and sound .

Can't get better comments like that even if I paid for them .

The head banger guitarist was totally floored with it's tone too . I did not try to play along side his rig without both of my Polytone cabs since I know too well what a single stack 4X12" sounds like already since I have also owned Marshalls too .

Bass player could not believe the sound of it or the tone too when he realized it was SS and not tube .

Now at 60 it's easier to tow along those smaller lightweight cabs too !

And - -

That Polytone weighs out like a feather , no fooling I can not believe how light it is .

Anyways man my respect to you , what you do is really amazing stuff that needs to be done . Best wishes and success to you and your workmanship .

Sincerely :

Hurricane Ramon

[Alex R]

I have a small SE combo with one of Weber's 6x9 ellipticals, with his 'harp dust cap'. It sounds lovely. Dark overdrive sound with a bit of twang left in the tops. If you know what I mean. I've often thought of cramming two or three of them into a 30w+ combo. Maybe one ceramic one alnico. Like the old early 60s Brit Bird Golden Eagle guitar amps, three ellipticals in a row, that's got to be the maximum cone area per square foot of baffle. Or maybe this is just some kind of strange macho fantasy.

[RybCage]

Yes these are a poor musician's wet dream. I was wondering who else out there had stumbled onto these little gems! I have a few of these that I stripped out much of the unnecessary hardware & soldered the slider switch connections in place & made a little cab to house it. I hate to destroy the cool old tape drive mechanism but some sacrifices are necessary to reduce the weight & bulk. These also have the option of pulling the 1/4 in input plug out just a little resulting in overdrive distortion that will melt glass! Eventually I want to replace the caps & try to clear out some additional extraneous parts to make it easier to service. I have used the T-1500 models with great results, but stay away from the SS models that look identical!
I think they are about 10 watts using 12ax7, 12at7, & 2 ea 12ab5 power tubes.

[Hurricane]

¡ Right ON !

except :

Yes these are a poor musician's wet dream. I was wondering who else out there had stumbled onto these little gems!

, but stay away from the SS models that look identical!
I think they are about 10 watts using 12ax7, 12at7, & 2 ea 12ab5 power tubes.

===========================

Cool RybCage :

They are a trip huh ! I have mine for use around my music room / studio at home with all the [ guts ] exposed so to speak .

As a rule I stay away from ss save for a really good P . A . direct with DSP and the like .

I have a old Polytone Mini Brute that is killer for my harp , you have to know a little about the unit's unique EQ in the final and the EQ for each channel and you have it whipped nicely .

The Polytone is a triple threat in that it's fortes include :

#1 : High Hz 100 watt 3 channel P . A .

#2 : Harp Amp

#3 : It's sweet as it gets for a nice guitar amp , has that classic 50's spring reverb too with a real Hammond B3 spring reverb OEM .

George Benson is a Polytone amp user to name just one of the hitters who use these .

Easy Blood :

Hurricane Ramon

[Bruce / Mission Amps]

Well, I'm about +20 amps into the Chicago 32-20 product and I've just about run out of 1x12 tweed cabinets... so far so good... I'm still a little surprised how long it takes to build one from the ground up... even with all this practice.
I got a little behind with respect to my larger 6L6 chassis and their bigger cabinets but I still get requests for it, so, my New Years Resolution is to get off my ass, get the new chassis done, get INK on the them and get the amp made up into the 2x10, 3x10 and 1x15 cabinets.
The 3x10 will probably fit the 12" and 10" combination if there is enough interest in it.

Mission Harp Amps - Blues Harmonica Amplifiers - Home

[Hurricane]

Went to your site

Well, I'm about +20 amps into the Chicago 32-20 product and I've just about run out of 1x12 tweed cabinets... so far so good... I'm still a little surprised how long it takes to build one from the ground up... even with all this practice.
I got a little behind with respect to my larger 6L6 chassis and their bigger cabinets but I still get requests for it, so, my New Years Resolution is to get off my ass, get the new chassis done, get INK on the them and get the amp made up into the 2x10, 3x10 and 1x15 cabinets.
The 3x10 will probably fit the 12" and 10" combination if there is enough interest in it.

Mission Harp Amps - Blues Harmonica Amplifiers - Home

I really would like to sit in your sound room and play through your different combination's with the different arranged speakers your proposing , what wild and great imagination you have .

Happy new year man .

HR

[kurtdaniel]

I have all old Fenders that also share with guitar. Several builders make amps specifically for harp. HarpGear, Sonny Jr, and Kinder are three of them.