What do you think of a Harp Amp Taste Test and Jam?

The trouble with buying amps through eBay or a mail order music houses is that you have no idea what the amp will sound like. Amps vary in sound and quality from amp to amp, even in the same brand and model. Since personal harp styles vary so much, matching the right player to the right amp is a difficult job. Harpers can go through several amps, mics and effects combinations before they decide on the amp that's right for them.

I have been talking to a number of my friends who collect or build Harmonica Amplifiers and we came up with the idea of a Harp Amp taste test. It started with Carlos Colina and a couple of friends trying out a half a dozen amps at my brother's house and now has out-grown the back yard.

This fall, I am planning to rent a hall for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and invite all of my amp buddies to bring their amps and all of my Blues harp friends to bring their harps and spend 5 or six hours taste testing amps. I want there to be about 30 amps and a dozen mics and as many effects, stomp boxes, reverb tanks and feedback killers as possible.

I will invite amp makers like Sonny Jr. and Holland Amps to provide a few high end amps. I will dust off my personal collection of tube amps for under $100. I will bring a good variety of Mics from my collection and maybe even let one or two go for door prizes.

I will hijack some of the best Blues musicians in the area to provide backup so that you can jam with the amps until you get the idea which one you like best.

I am looking for a venue where I can legally get a keg of beer and a good Barbeque pit and they won't complain about the noise if we stay all night.

I expect there will be a nominal cover charge (I am thinking $2) to get in (good drummers don't play for free!). I may sell a few vendor tables if anyone is interested. I have to find what the costs are and then do the math.

Here are the ideas I've been hit with so far.

There is a local Elks hall that has a liquor license and a good kitchen and is cheap. I might be able to get this.

There are a couple of bars that would welcome the chance to host this kind of thing, but I need one with a stage and room for jamming.

A local park has a gazebo with electricity only no beer allowed. I would have to do this before the weather gets too cold.

The Garden State Harmonica Club is renting a hotel for a weekend in October. They might let me rent a room or even use the ballroom for a blow off with separate admission for Saturday or Sunday afternoon. You would be able to buy into all the Club events or buy a special ticket for the taste test. This event is mostly for chromatic players and not Blues Harpers - yet some of those "Peg Of My Heart" cats can rock! (This is very interesting...)

What do you think! Email me and "Let Me Know!"

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