From cybermon–(at)–ybtrans.com Sat Nov 2 10:08:30 CST 1996
Article: 26332 of alt.guitar.amps
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From: cybermon–(at)–ybtrans.com (Cybermonk)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps,alt.music.harmonica,rec.music.makers.guitar
Subject: List of small tube amps for harmonica and stuff
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 1996 10:36:33 GMT
Organization: Cybernetic Transcendence
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Tube Amps Under 20 Watts
For a few details, refer to the 96-97 Guitar & Bass Buyer’s Guide by Guitar
Player magazine
These amps are good for harmonica, fiddle, lap steel, keyboards, and other
instruments. The proper mic for harmonica is supposedly the Green Bullet.
I saw a Chicago blues band with vintage equipment. The harp player used a
green bullet and a 15 watt Champ. They totally blew me away, especially the
harp. The guitarist played through an ancient Fender television set. Stand
up bass. They were white trash and really smoked that hip little cafe. The
singer and harpist praised Little Walter, I think the name was.
I hope we hear a lot more harmonica through small tube amps. It really
seems to bring out the roundess of tube amps even more than guitar does. I
don’t like the tonality of plain harmonica — it’s really thin and raspy.
The harmonica is one instrument that completely turns into a monster when
put through a little tube amp — a real Jekyll and Hyde tonal
transmogrification.
This list is sorted by watts, then list price. Street price is
significantly less for some models, so the sorting by price is rough.
Generally, the expensive amps are hand-wired, using retro techniques.
The Hughes & Kettner Blues Master (aka Crunch Master) rack-mount scaled-down
power-tube unit is a several-watt tube amp, perhaps 4 watts. It’s been
discontinued, but probably just due to lack of awareness — it was
premature.
======== Under 10 watts ========
Kendrick 118 5 watt 1×8 tube combo. $590
Kendrick Roughneck. 6 watt 1×8 tube combo. Includes volume control.
line-level output. $690.
Hi-Mu 7 watt tube amp — this is not listed.
Holland 8-watt class A tube combo. No price.
========= 15 watts ===========
Laney 15 watt 1×10 tube combo. Class A/B 5 or so controls. $300.
Peavey Classic 20. 15 watt 1×10 tube combo. 3-band eq. master vol.
headphone out. $330.
Fender Pro Jr 15 watt 1×10 tube combo. Black tolex. Review: guitar
player June 94. $340
Crate VC2110 15 watt 1×10 tube combo $350 punch button, headphone jack,
external speaker jack
Crate VC2112RB 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. Class A. Tube reverb. punch
button headphone jack external speaker jack. $450
Ampeg Jet. 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. Reverb. tremolo option. $490.
THD. UniValve. 15 watt tube head. power attenuator, line out, 6L6. $650.
Hi-Mu 15 watt tube head. Tube rectifier. Half-power switch. Black or
tweed. many tone controls. $800.
Hi-Mu 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. Tube rectifier. Half-power switch. Black
or tweed. Celestion G12M. reverb, many controls. $900.
VOX AC15TB. 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. Class A . 2 EL84. 5Y3 tube
rectifier. 2×10 avail. $1000.
Matchless Hurricane S/C 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. $1500. celestion. vol
tone trem speed trem depth. EL84s.
Matchless Lightning S/C 15 watt 1×12 tube combo. Celestion. tone swtich.
volume. line out. external spk jacks. EL84s. $1500. Review: Guitar
Player April 95.
========
Soldano Atomic 16. 16 watt 1×12 tube combo. Controls: preamp, bass mid
treble volume presence. 3 12AX7, 2 EL84 $500.
Wizard – 17 watt tube head or 12″ Greenback combo. 3-band eq. presence and
bright controls. gain. $1700-2100.
========
Also of note:
Demeter SSC-1U 1×12 silent speaker chamber speaker not included $500
mike adapter, wiring, hardware.
Egnater DT100H dual tone tube head . variable output power 10-100 watts.
$1550. various options.
Micro Room speaker isolation cabinet with 6″ guitar speaker – not found. I
have this on file elsewhere.
I’m also researching the Ampulator and other low-wattage power tube
saturation gear. Check antique.radios for tube radios. You can patch the
guitar into the volume pot and route the speaker output to a guitar speaker
cabinet. Of course, I’d prefer something more like the Blues Master or a 5
watt Champ reissue.
— Cybermonk, acid rock guitarist & theorist of self-control cybernetics
