Ask Amp Tech Expert Skip Simmons

If you are thinking about attenuators, power scaling, or other methods of reducing the power of an amp, do yourself a favor and consider a smaller amp. Good tone and distortion at low volume just come naturally to a good 5-watt amp!

Skip Simmons

Skip Simmons Harp Amps

A common problem with vintage amps is a loose or dirty input jack. This problem often causes crackling or signal drop-out. It also sounds just like a bad mic cord, causing you to keep trying different cords in an attempt to get rid of the problem. The jack can be cleaned using a small brush designed for cleaning a .22 rifle bore. These brushes are available at most sporting-goods stores or anywhere that sells ammo, and are just a couple of bucks. They fit a standard 1/4" jack perfectly. Push the brush in and out of the jack a few times and you are done. It can make a big difference! continue reading...

When trying out a new amp, mic, speaker, or even a tube, try to give it a little time before you decide how you like it. Different surroundings can make a huge difference in how something sounds. An amp that sounds great in your living room can sound pretty small when outdoors or in a big room, and a 12AY7 tube that helps with feedback when practicing can sound thin when jamming with a group. Give yourself time to listen and hear before deciding that you do or do not like a new piece of gear.

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This tip is a re-run, but it deserves repeating. I often hear people say "I sure wish I could try some amps before buying one, but where can you try out a bunch of amps?" The answer is at a guitar and amp show in your area. These shows are held in BIG rooms that are filled with amps (and yes, guitars too). If you bring your mic, harps, and plenty of patience, you can learn a lot about how amps sound in a couple of hours. SF Bay Area people have a show coming up January 8th and 9th at the Marin Civic Center. continue reading...

This week I'd like to mention the fact that amps can be VERY directional. The way this comes up is usually something like "I can't hear myself but the guitar player says I'm too loud!" continue reading...

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If you need a LOUD harp amp for outdoor gigs or too-loud guitar players, Fender's re-issue 4X10 Bassman is a modern classic. In production for twenty years now (has it really been twenty years?), it has proven to be very reliable in spite of its printed circuitboard construction. What's the reason? All of the tube sockets, pots, and jacks are bolted to the chassis and hard-wired to the circuitboard, unlike almost all new tube amps under $1500. An awful lot of good players have gotten great tone from these amps over the years with just a few simple tube swaps. continue reading...

Most of the affordable modern amps use plastic input jacks that are soldered directly to a printed circuitboard. Many of these amps, like the Fender Blues Junior, actually sound great and offer good value for the money, but the input jacks are a real weak link. All it takes to break one is a good hard yank on your mike cable, so always loop the cable through the handle, under the amp, or any other way you can think of to create a "strain relief" for the cord because it sure is easy to trip over a cord on a crowded bandstand!

Skip Simmons

Be extra careful when soldering leads to a vintage Jensen speaker. On most popular models, the solder terminals are isolated from the speaker frame by a thin fiber washer. I often see excess solder bridging the gap between terminal and frame. This will cause an odd fuzzy tone or make the speaker completely dead, so look closely at those terminals!

Skip Simmons

If you can play a few different styles, you'll have more chances to play! Straight-harp styles can be incorporated in country, bluegrass, and other roots styles, and if you could play like Lee Oskar with War or Magic Dick with the J. Geils Band, rock bands would be more than happy to let you sit in. The blues is king (!), but don' t be surprised if not everyone wants to hear your best Little Walter licks. There is a lot of great music that can use some tasteful harp work, so don't limit yourself to just your favorite styles if you really want to play in front of people.