Questions wanted!
Hello Everyone- Since most of you may be fairly new to amplified harp, I don't want to bore you all with bypass caps, tube biasing, and transformer specs! Feel free to ask me any gear-related question. Even a very simple question that I might not think of could be very valuable to other members, so please, fire away!
UPDATE: Keep those questions coming. Please start a new thread for your post, so that it will show up as a new subject and your question isn't buried here.
Skip Simmons
Hello Jon- I think that Fritz and the other serious mike guys would be better to ask. I can tell you that the pros I know have all types of elements in their mikes, but it seems that the early Astatic crystal is preferred overall, not just for use with the Masco amps I have built for them.
Skip Simmons
Hi Skip is the super champ xd and the vibro champ xd the same amps
thanks Ron
Hello Ron,
I'm just not familiar with new, entry-level amps like the XD Champs. You could try them out at the music store. I'd also like to mention that a REAL hand-made Champ from the seventies is still around $400 or less.
Skip Simmons
G'day Skip, i just scored this B&H 285. its a 14w 6V6 amp from a movie projector, about 50 years old. its made for US power supply. i am in Australia, so need a step down transformer to run it. the tag on the amp says "110v - 0.9 amp"
would a 200w step down be plenty power for this?
apparently these things are quite difficult to work on due to the wiring being very crowded. obviously i haven't powered it up yet. the previous owner told me it was functional but volume was unsteady. he suggested it needed new tubes. does this seem a likely cause of such an issue?
Hello Dave- The 200 watt stepdown transformer is fine for this amp. It is quite likely that the tubes are fine, but it will probably need a few capacitors replaced and some good servicing. I seriously doubt that new tubes will fix your problem. Take a peek "under the hood", those B&H amps are very crowded inside. It will be a challenging project for even an experienced person.
Skip Simmons
G'day Skip,
took a bit of doing but i have identified this amp is actually from a British licence-built version of the B&H 179...somewhere between '47 and '52. that 110v power supply led me to think it was american, but apparently they kept them that way because there were no available projector lamps suited to operate at 240v.
i've taken it to Barry Young here in Tas, who knows the old stuff...though mainly he is a radio guy. "this wont be any problem" , and suggested i should aim at keeping it as original as possible. although he also suggested i could change the PT and run it from 240v, which would be nicer than lugging a step down around with it.
i'm hopeful it will make a reasonable harp amp, but who knows...an adventure anyway.
i've just been checking out what you have to say on your site about modified PAs...i'd love to get one of those out here, but i guess that hop across the pacific is probably way too $$$
cheers,
Dave
Hi, Skip, can you talk about the subject of matching wattage of speakers to amps? I recent acquired a 62' pro, it came with what looks like a Utah 15. I see that Jensen made a P15r for the tweed deluxe rated at 18 watts, they are relatively cheap compared to, say jbl150, if I hook up that 18watter to a 40 watt amp, could I melt the cone? Thanks, I see plenty of speakers out there, but different thoughts on the subject.
Hello Special20- Thanks for the question. We could spend quite a bit of time on this one!
Yes, you could certainly blow up an 18 watt speaker by running it with a 40 watt amp, but not if you kept the volume fairly low. It would certainly sound great!
The P-15R was never used in any Fender. The P-12R or P-12Q was used in the tweed Deluxe. I have heard small 5-10 watt amps driving a P-15R and they sounded fabulous, but if you crank up your Pro, you will risk blowing it. Most 62 Pros would come with a Jensen C-15N, but I have seen Oxfords as well.
Skip Simmons
Skip, I'm still kicking around the Masco amp models and seem to have more questions than answers. Can you give me your feedback on the MA-17 • MA-17N and ME-18?
Hello Jon- The MA-17 and ME-18 have different preamp tubes, but otherwise use a similar (but not identical) circuit. The MA-17N circuit is very different, with separate treble and bass controls, along with two mike channels. However, I should mention that the Mascos I build for harp use a different circuit than any stock model.
Skip Simmons
i've found this amp on a garage shelf. What little info I've gleaned indicates it was intended for HiFi music would it be suitable for a harp amp project? There were some old tube radios and also I think a tube type ham radio or two. There are also some extra tubes in some boxes. The stuff belonged to father in law who passed away a couple of years ago. I did spot 6L6 . I'm considering building my own or trading the collection for a suitable working working Masco. I would appreciate your comments and/or advice.
I purchased this used 5 watt amp which sounds quite good as my first amp. However when turning the Amp on or off whether using the power switch or stand by, there is always a pop. i have had this only a few weeks so, like other new amplified players, I know very little about a general cause of this annoyance. I am reluctant to mic it at the jam fearing amplifying that pop through the PA accidentally. However the band gets louder and louder it seems and mic ing it feels like a requirement.
Perhaps new tubes help both of these scenario's?
John
Hello Doug- Thanks for writing. Well, you didn't find a good amp to convert to a harp amp, but you DID find a really high-quality vintage hi-fi amp! In the big picture, it should be restored and paired with a mono hi-fi preamp to make a system that would make you toss your modern stereo into the garbage can. Give me a call some time (days) and we can yak about some options. And get back into that garage and get ALL the tubes. Some may be worthless, but you can figure that out later!
Hello John- Thanks for writing. New tubes won't help. Just turn the AC on then turn the standby to "play" a few seconds later. At a gig there will be no reason to mess with the switches again, so no problems!
Hello Mr Skip! I just have a quick question:
I´m just starting in the blues world. I don´t have the ideal equipment yet, but I´m saving some money to buy a decent amp.
Right now I have a Marshall G30R CD (I know, but i´m poor). What should I modifie in this amp in order to get the minimum feedback and the best performance? I can´t even set the volume on 7 wihtout having feedback. I´m using the treble on 2 , mid5 and bass 10! Thanks you
At last weeks Jam I didn't mic the Amp is intended.
Again the wrong move I think as many comments from on stage and the Audience that more volume is required.
My question is on the back if the Amp is a jack labeled 'External Speaker 8 Ohm'
Can this be used as a Line out to the PA??
John
Hello John- Thanks for writing. The external speaker jack can not be connected directly to the PA sytem. It is made to connect another speaker, not another amplifier.
You would need what is called a "direct box" or just go ahead and mike the amp.
Hello Elmo- Thanks for writing. Here are a few thoughts:
Musical (and harmonica!) history is packed with people who did their thing well without the traditional gear. They had an amplifier and they learned to work with it to get a sound they liked. Oftentimes, players today want to buy gear hoping to find a sound!
Controlling feedback is part equipment but mostly technique. Super-experienced players can get away with amazing volume without feedback.
Don't modify anything on that Marshall - it is very unlikely to work out in the end. Put the bass on 10, the treble and mids on zero, and do your best.
Practice playing with the mike even though you aren't plugged in to an amp- that fat tone you are looking for starts in your head and your hands, not in the amp.
Thank you Mr Skip. But I have just one more question: Most feedback I get, comes when I cup the microphone very tighly. Amp settings B - 10 M - 3 H - 0. Should I "loose" my microphone grip a little bit in order to get less feedback? Is that one the modifications that you are talking about?
Thank you very much again, I´ll always remember your words of encouragement.
Hello Elmo- Tight cupping will produce more sound which equals more feedback, but cupping will also get great tone, just keep working with it! Where you are standing in relation to the speaker also has a BIG effect. Stand way off to one side at first. Actually, there are lots of other contributors here at BH.com who could answer your question much better than I can.......
Thank you very much!!
Skip: Do you have any insight into harp mic elements that would work well with Masco PA's?