Dex came into Ziggies Blues Jam last night carrying a little Fender Frontman 15 solid state amp and a Shure 520DX Green Bullet mic. He found the amp for $30 used at Guitar Center. Check out the tone! It was totally loud enough for the jam. I was impressed.
If you can get a sound whit more bass (maybe is the mic, maybe is the eq setting, maybe is how the player like it) that would be a perfect beginer combo or a cheap portable option for any one.
$30 for the amp $22.99 for a 520dx element from www.harpmicshop.com --------- $52.99
Is a great deal!
Any one has one of this amps so you can try it a whit other mics and settings?
The description: "I am using a Hohner Meisterklasse in the key of A (second position), a Fender Frontman 25A amp, and a Shure Greenbullet 520DX with a made in Mexico Controlled Magnetic element."
I once owned a fender Frontman 15r briefly. It was a fair little harp amp. With a better speaker it was even better. A fellow harp friend of mine used to use one all of the time for open mics and small venues, until his son bought him a SF Champ. I think the Frontman with the steel mesh grill cover is better than the ones with cloth grill covers. You will only get so much out of a small 8" SS amp.
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 10:13 AM
I checked out his settings after his set. He had the tone as you would expect (all bass, no treble), with the volume all the way up and the gain all the way down.
That would make sense Rick. The distortion on these little amps is usually not very pleasing at all. If you want dirt on an amp like this, use a Blues driver or Harp attack.
That's about the same settings I use on my Vypyr. Always works well for me regardless of what mic I'm using. I've kept my eye out for a Frontman 25R ever since I heard one with a guitar about 4 months ago. Every once in a great while, you come across a solid state that can capture some pretty good harp tone. ----------
Hawkeye, If you have luck finding the Frontman 25r, My suggestion would be to look for the model with a steel speaker grill. I have owned both types (Steel and cloth)and found the model of this vintage is the better vintage of the Frontman amp. http://www.bazaar-world.com/uploads/amp/999/17059-1.jpg
