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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
MesaBoogie Walkabout Scout
MesaBoogie Walkabout Scout
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rabbit
58 posts
Nov 29, 2009
6:48 PM
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Yeah, it's a bass amp.
Anyone have one?
Comments?
Any general comments on bass amp for harp?
Thanks
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hvyj
1 post
Nov 29, 2009
7:58 PM
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I play through an SWR Baby Baby Blue bass amp and i love it. Best harp amp i've ever used. It allows me to get very close to the sound I hear in my head. The semi parametric EQ gives you almost total control over shaping your tone and the Walkabout also has semi parametric EQ. I can get as loud as i want/need to and won't feedback. Deep, dark, thick, ballsy, but basically clean tone. However, responsive enough that I can get grit when I want it using mic handling and breath techniques. I've never played through a Walkabout, but it appears that it would have similar characteristics. I have played through other bass amps, though, and i generally like bass amps for harp.
If you are looking for an overdriven dirty tone, a bass amp would probably not be the best choice. But, personally, I don't set up for distortion or "crunch" and i don't use bullet mics. I really like the deep, dark, thick tone I get from a bass amp, especially if it has a tube preamp.
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rabbit
59 posts
Nov 30, 2009
10:33 AM
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hvyj,
Welcome!
Thanks for your reply and the headzup on
the SWR , of which I was unaware. The tube
preamp section puts it squarely in category.
It's good to hear that someone is doing this
and I am not, er, entirely nuts. I also
have the idea that a bass amp might give
me a certain jazz guitar advantage.
Thanks again, and enjoy the 'Dirty South.'
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hvyj
2 posts
Nov 30, 2009
3:41 PM
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No, you are not entirely nuts by any any means. Perhaps a little unconventional, but there's nothing wrong with that. Too many harp players just try to imitate what they've heard on some recording instead of developing a sound of their own.
Using a bass amp not only lets me get the particular sound I'm after, it allows me to compete with guitar volume if i need to at a loud hard rocking blues gig, or play electric jazz using a pedal board of selected effects in a less raucous setting. It also gives me enough cut, volume and depth of tone to play with a reggae band. In any situation, the semi parametric EQ is a harp player's dream.
The only disadvantage is that a bass amp doesn't have reverb, and I don't like to play dry. So I need to put a delay pedal in the effects loop or between the mic and the amp, which many players do anyway.
I discovered the SWR Baby Baby Blue by accident one night when i was invited to sit in with a jazz band at a club that usually has a house PA. I showed up with no amp, but SURPRISE: No PA. What to do? The guitar player only had one input on his amp. The bass player had an SWR Baby Blue (2 eights and a five) with 2 inputs, and he was the one who had invited me, so he suggested that I plug into his amp. I thought it wasn't going to sound very good, but was I ever wrong. I got invited back repeatedly and I started looking forward to playing through his bass amp so much I decided to buy one of my own. At that time, the current model was called the Baby Baby Blue which has one ten and a piezo tweeter. I prefer tens for harp anyway, and I can turn the tweeter off, so I bought one and have lived happily ever after. Absolutely no regrets. 120 watts and doesn't feed back. I think it's designed for acoustic bass, but can used for bass guitar, too.
Now the Baby Baby Blue has been discontinued. The replacement in the SWR line is called the Spellbinder Blue, but I've never tried one of those. Another bass player i know plays through an Eden. I've never tried one, but it has a tube pre and 2 tens and seems like it might be harp friendly. Due to another peculiar set of circumstances I once played through a Behringer bass amp with a 15" Black Widow speaker in it and it sounded pretty good. So, yeah, using certain bass amps for harp is definitely a viable option.
Last Edited by on Nov 30, 2009 3:46 PM
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rabbit
62 posts
Dec 01, 2009
9:55 AM
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Thanks again.
Reverb, a bit at least, is always good.
I'm eager to start checking this out.
I've a buddy who also suggested trying
a keyboard amp because they are truly
full-spectrum capable. He uses one
with his guitar synth. Something about
a tube preamp/bass amp instinctively
appeals for my purposes. Just thought
I'd mention it.
Thanks.
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hvyj
3 posts
Dec 01, 2009
12:12 PM
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I seriously considered a keyboard amp, but they are generally very heavy. The literature that came w/my SWR says it could be used for keys. I've tried a few acoustic guitar amps, too, but i like bass amps much better. The acoustic guitar amps are typically too prone to feed back, and the bass amps typically have better EQ for harp. Frankly, I'm surprised that more harp players don't use bass amps.
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