Hi everybody,

Today I'm tone-testing a Sonny Jr. 1 custom harmonica amplifier.

The amp was designed and sold by Gary “Sonny Jr.” Onofrio, who had it built by Cotton Amps in Connecticut. This amp has serial number #013 and it was built in 1996, though in the video I mistakenly say 1995.

Gary has produced and sold a number of different harmonica amps, including the “Four-Ten”, the “Super Sonny”, the “Cruncher”, the “Super Cruncher”, and the “Avenger”. His amps have lots of loyal fans and I’ve always wanted to try the first amp he produced, so when I got the chance I made sure to take it.

The amp has four 8-inch speakers and I love its simplicity… it has only one input and one volume knob and one tone knob. Quite easy to dial in a vintage Chess Records-like harp sound.

I tested the amp with a bunch of different mics, with crystal, controlled magnetic, controlled reluctance, and dynamic elements, and I used A, C, and G harmonicas so you can hear a bunch of different tones.

Hope you enjoy!