vintage

Gary Smith called me yesterday to say that he purchased some 7189 tubes as drop-in replacements for the stock EL84 tubes and he loves the results and recommends it to any Blues Jr owners out there to give it a try. He purchased a matched pair for $66 at TheTubeStore.com http://www.thetubestore.com/Tubes/EL84-6BQ5-Tube-Types/Preferred-Series-...

Yesterday I shared some reasons of why I don't like volume controls. Here are some reasons why a volume control can be good...

1) Set your volume control to 10, and the amp as loud as it can go just before feedback. Now drop your volume on the mic to 8. This 8 will be your normal volume, even for solos (remember to play softly as your normal playing volume... you want to have dynamic range so that you can play louder for your solo). If the band gets too excited and plays too loudly, then you know you have two more notches on your volume to get louder. continue reading...

Why I don't like about volume controls...

1) The harmonica is a wind instrument... you control your volume with how much you breath through the instrument. Why do you need a volume control to control something that's part of the nature of the instrument? continue reading...

I often get asked where to purchase replacement tubes for an amp. Here you go: https://tubedepot.com
Thanks to Mark Overman for sharing this website with me many years ago.

You're probably watching the footage that we recorded yesterday at Skip Simmons' place right now. Many times throughout the day we talked about an amp being more or less distorted. Your simple, but important, tip today is to match opposites. An amp that you feel is too distorted should be matched with a mic that you feel isn't distorted enough, and vice-verse. Don't disregard gear that's "too" this or that... there's a match out there for it.

Join Mark Overman and myself as we present a series covering the usage of vintage P.A. heads for amplified blues harmonica playing. Our series starts with a visit to the innovator of P.A. head customization, Skip Simmons. In this installment Mark and Skip take us on a tour of Skip's vast warehouse of vintage gear. Our next installment will include an interview with Skip.