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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
New guy here w/ harp, amp,and mic comments
New guy here w/ harp, amp,and mic comments
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Canerod
1 post
Jun 06, 2014
1:57 PM
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Hey all,
Thanks to those who support this site! I'm a 56 y.o. guy who about a year ago started to play music again after a 25 year hiatus. I gigged playing guitar and mandolin from the mid 70's - mid 80's. Also accompanied myself on harp, as well as a bit of solo harp playing, but was not a dedicated harp blower.
Recently, after playing guitar and mando again for the past year, I decided I needed some harps. Back in the day I played Marine Bands exclusively. While on my recent search I discovered there were now many other options. After devouring endless reviews, YouTube vids,.... I ended up w/ the following.
-Lee Oskar Diatonic: Several stuck reeds and several more misaligned. Completely unplayable out of the box. I've had it apart tweaking reeds numerous times now and have gotten it to where it is playable, but a far cry from satisfactory. Contacted Lee Oskar twice with no response.
-Hohner Special 20: Pretty good out of the box. The tone we all are familiar with. A couple reeds could use a little tuning, but perfectly usable and acceptable.
-Suzuki Bluesmaster: Incredible build quality, playability, and warm, smoky tone right out of the box! Superb harp! I'll be buying more.
-Amp: I have a '82 Rivera era Princeton Reverb II and a modern Super Champ X2. After researching harp amp recommendations , it turned out I already have two great harp amps. I really like the SCII in the modeling channel using the Tweed Deluxe Voice, a bit of delay, gain on 8, and master as low as I can get away with. Nice gritty tone like a 50's era birch Alamo or Tweed Champ. The WGS Veteran 10 speaker I put in breaks up easily and certainly contributes to the tone.
-Mic: Had the amps now what about a mic? I have a small collection of SDC and LDC mics for recording, but nothing suitable for harp. After some research I saw that the Shure PE515 had been mentioned a few times. I recalled owning one of those in the 70's and tore the house apart looking for it to no avail. Oh well, I'd just have to come up w/ something else. Then the other day I was pulling something down from a closet shelf and a white plastic box landed right in front of me. Yep, there it was. The foam lining the box, as well as the internal windscreen had disintegrated. After a careful cleaning, I plugged it in and lo and behold it worked perfectly and sounded killer!
I now have a gig/recording worthy rig! Many thanks to all those who have taken the time to give reviews and recommendations.
Canerod
Raleigh,NC
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Frank
4467 posts
Jun 06, 2014
2:12 PM
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Can I give you some advice even though you don'T need any or asked for it - when I think of some I'll get back to you - congratulations on your triumphant return to the greatest instrument to ever touch the lips of ______________________ fill in the blank :)
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Canerod
2 posts
Jun 06, 2014
2:37 PM
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Thanks Frank, I can use all the advice I can get!
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Frank
4470 posts
Jun 06, 2014
2:49 PM
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Me too, following it is the hard part...What kind of music to you prefer playing these days?
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OzarkRich
512 posts
Jun 06, 2014
3:22 PM
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Welcome Canerod. I'm back into music myself after a two year absence.
I've never had good luck with Lee Oscars but they seem to be bullet proof and if you get them playing decent they're great for leaving in the car, tackle box, etc.
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Ozark Rich
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Last Edited by OzarkRich on Jun 06, 2014 3:23 PM
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jbone
1646 posts
Jun 07, 2014
6:41 AM
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Hi Cane and welcome. The times I tried to leave harp and music alone nearly drove me crazy, it was like having a part amputated! Good that you are back.
I favor a 585 I got as a bday gift a few years ago, probably similar to the 515. I have a small herd with some variety, a couple of crystals and a cm bullet and a small powerful modded dynamic as well.
I have had a lot of amps and have pretty well settled on my 12 watt Silvertone 1482. Only other gear I use is a Lone Wolf harp delay.
Looking forward to seeing posts from you as the dust gets knocked loose!
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nacoran
7800 posts
Jun 07, 2014
7:25 AM
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Welcome aboard!
Sorry to hear about your luck with the Lee Oskar. The only complaint I've ever had with them is the cover screws are a bit short and can loosen up over time. I haven't had much luck reaching their customer service in the past (I was looking for a replacement reed after I accidentally left a harp in my jeans pocket in the laundry and the aforementioned screws came loose leading to a reed snag).
My harp set is mostly Sp20s and L.O.s these days.
Hope you enjoy your stay here at our little harp asylum. :)
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Nate
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Barley Nectar
410 posts
Jun 07, 2014
9:14 AM
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I have been playing LO's for many years. Had a bad one once. Sent it to Lee and he fixed it and sent me a spare also. No problems here. Good solid reliable harps IMO.
Welcome to the forum Canerod...BN AKA Goose
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