Posted Thu, 10/26/2017 - 07:07 by David Barrett Admin
The introduction videos to the new Small Amp Reviews lesson in the EQUIPMENT section is now up. I'm editing my first amp review and it will be up shortly. I hope everyone enjoys this ongoing series... this has been, and continues to be, a fun project.
Posted Mon, 10/16/2017 - 09:20 by David Barrett Admin
Amps are on order for the new small amp trial (single-speaker design, commonly 10"). Some have already arrived, and I have to say, I'm REALLY impressed with some of them. Please go to https://www.facebook.com/bluesharmonica/ to see my trial checklist and make suggestions before I begin if you see something I can add. Each amp will be demonstrated with multiple mics.
Here is the list of amps we will try. If you don't see an amp in there you would like tested, let me know on that post.
Posted Mon, 10/09/2017 - 13:24 by David Barrett Admin
I’m going to do a NEW, SMALL AMP (not vintage) trial/tutorial for BluesHarmonica.com. The focus is small (generally 10” and preferably tube) new amps that are less than $1K and are easy to get in the marketplace. continue reading...
Posted Fri, 07/10/2015 - 08:32 by David Barrett Admin
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-...
Posted Fri, 06/26/2015 - 07:22 by David Barrett Admin
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...
Posted Thu, 06/25/2015 - 07:39 by David Barrett Admin
Once you've dialed in your amp to sound great for performance, turn the treble and mid up half a number. The tone we prefer is often too bassy and lacks the cut needed to be heard in performance. By bringing your treble and mid up half a number it provides a boost in the frequencies that make our sound more intelligible without sacrificing too much of the bassy tone we dig.
Posted Mon, 06/22/2015 - 07:47 by David Barrett Admin
Yesterday I was communicating with an experienced player that recently began studying at BluesHarmonica.com. He sent in a study song submission and one of my suggestions was to play softer. He sounded good, but I could tell he was pushing the harp louder than he needed to. He replied that he's been playing with a band for a while, which is what I expected. Here was my response. These points are important for amplified players to keep in mind.
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Yes, playing with a band tends to bring your “default” volume up. Here’s how Little Walter did it... continue reading...
Posted Wed, 04/22/2015 - 08:00 by David Barrett Admin
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.
Posted Tue, 09/30/2014 - 14:59 by David Barrett Admin
In our last installment of the Masco Chronicles Mark Overman and I talk and demonstrate speaker and cabinet options. Thanks to Mark Overman and all the others that helped to make this the fun and informative series it turned out to be!
Videos Include:
Submission #5 – Speakers, Part 1
Submission #5 – Speakers, Part 2
Submission #5 – Cabinets, Part 1
Submission #5 – Cabinets, Part 2
Submission #5 – Cabinets, Part 3
Submission #5 – Breaking in Speakers
Submission #5 – Cabinet Sizes
Submission #5 – Playing the Cabinets
Submission #5 – Closing to Masco Chronicles Series
Posted Thu, 07/17/2014 - 07:18 by David Barrett Admin
The next time you find yourself in the studio, bring two amps to play through. Using a splitter or A/B box does the job to send the signal of your bullet mic into both amps. You can also plug in the Input 1 of one amp, and then with an instrument cable run out the Input 2 or Line Out of that amp into the input of the other. The studio engineer will mic each amp separately and will place a third mic in the room to pickup the ambient (room sound) of your rig, especially if it's a live (reflective) room. continue reading...