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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Equipment Wonks What you Using!
Equipment Wonks What you Using!
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Chugalug
2 posts
Oct 10, 2018
9:24 AM
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Just trying to get a feel what other people are playing on and what Harps they Love. I'll start with my self. I myself don't only play the blues, so I don't always want to honk or be muddy. I have very little Harp specific equipment, Recently i went to The Blueberry Patch, Gulfport FL, open Mic. Been playing straight through their PA on e835 Sennhieser dynamic mic. Way out preformed any Shure, even a 545 SD. Kinda pricey on my budget. But as luck would have it. The e935 and e945 went up for sale for $99.00 on Musicians Friend. I went to local Sam Ash and they sold me their floor model for $99.00. It was priced on their shelves for $219.00. Got the e945. Still available at this price. Its a steal. Now for sound, I like it. Why? It pierced right through the guitar's I was playing with. I could stand back and use hand cupping without having to be right on top of it or put into my hands. Its now my go to clean harp mic plus vocals. I got bunch of other junk I've had for years. My favorite amp is a 1979 beater Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp, Only changed the speaker to a twelve inch Blue Fender Eminence Speaker, 12 watts. Some fellow Wonks says it sounds like an extra loud Champ. I just like its 6L6 tone. Next is a 10 watt Gibson Electar 6L6 Amp. Its the one made in Korea back in the 2000's. Extremely Dirty and Honky but not so muddy that you can't hear single note arpeggios muddied up. The an old Beater Blues Deville Heavy Modified and very Loud.
Harps are a mix of Hohner SP 20's with some Blue Moon Combs, Hohner Big River's with Blue Moon Combs, Fender Seydel Midnight Specials. I tune all my own harps and use Blue Moon Combs. Check out Blue Moon Harmonicas by Tom Halchak out of Clearwater FL. He is committed through passion for customized Harps.
Mic: Sennheiser e945, Shure SD 545, Shaker original, JT30 VC stock, a bunch of broken 520 DX's. Voice of Music ceramic mic.
PA Peddle Board. Lone Wolf Blues Lil Red DI box, BBE sonic Maximizer, Keeley Phat Germanium Blues driver, Keeley Katana Blues Driver, Keeley Hooke Reverb, Lone Wolf Blues Harp Shield(noise Gate).
Tell me something I don't know. Way easy cuz I don't know that much.
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BnT
204 posts
Oct 10, 2018
12:10 PM
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Diatonic harps, all Suzuki Manji, some hand built with varied combs, all compromise just tuning done by Gnarly.
Mics:
~ Go-to mic: 1938 Astatic 200 w/1949 Shure CR black label element and built-in vc. Great for blues but also used on rock and country recordings.
~ Two special use mics - ElectroVoice 638 and Shure PE585v.
~ All mic cables created by Christopher Richards at harmonicaplanet (dot) com.
Amps - all used on stage and in studio; each rebuilt by Skip Simmons, skipsimmonsamps (dot) com:
~ 1944 Masco A-17 & custom design/build TV front '57 Bandmaster style speaker cab w/1x10" & 2x8" speakers.
~ 1947 Silvertone 1300 - 8w undistorted, 12-14w max output.
~ '59 Fender Bassman RI
Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb pedal if needed.
If I had just one amp and wanted the best tone, it would be the Masco. But at 17w it needs to be mic'd with loud bands and in large venues.
I still contend that the player brings 80-85% of the tone and mics & amps just fill in the balance.
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BnT
Last Edited by BnT on Oct 10, 2018 12:16 PM
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jbone
2721 posts
Oct 10, 2018
9:11 PM
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Long journey and likely not over yet.
Harps: Currently a mix of Suz Manji mostly for acoustic stuff, MB Deluxe and Manji along with Eastop and a few odds and ends for amped playing. I do have one custom MB which is a nice addition. Chromatics I have a few, one is a Hohner ChromonicaII, it's in reserve. Real cool look, very art deco. Working Chro's are a Hering Baritono in C, a Suzuki SCX48 in G and one in D as well. I've used LO's, Hering 1923's, Bushman Delta Frost, SP20, MB, Big River, Huang, over many years. If I had to pick 2 harps only they would be Manji and MB Deluxe. All my harps are pretty much ootb stock with a few regaps for better play.
Mics: Main mic lately is a Shaker dynamic, the original model with a IMT to boost it up some. Good sound. Some 7-8 years ago Greg Heuman modded an EV m43u mic for me, added a transformer in the case and also a volume pot, and a 1/4" input. Nice hot sweet sound. I have used Shure 585 on and off for a few years as well. I've had more mics than I can remember. GB's, JT30, Astatics, a few no names, Shure 545s, and others.
Amp: Silvertone 1482, 12w 12" speaker, with trem. Wife and I have marching amps for the duo. I've had a lot of amps over 30 years. I'm pretty well settled on what I have. I gave up the loud stage struggle years ago and my ears thank me. Working in a duo, amped or acoustic, has worked for some years now.
Pedal: One Lone Wolf Harp Delay. Had a Boss DD3 years ago.
PA: We've had a Peavey amp with one channel for guitar and another for mic. Then a Fender Passport 150 which worked for years. Now we have a Yamaha StagePass 600. Excellent 4 channel 275 watt unit. Very portable and easy to set up.
One note about mics, amps, and PA: One several songs I will leave the hi z mic and amp alone and play through the p.a. mic for a change. It depends on the song and what sound we want. At one point we tried using all 4 PA channels to play a gig through, 2 vocals, one guitar, and one harp. We really like the tube amps though so we use them when we need amplification.
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Music and travel destroy prejudice.
Reverbnation
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Kingley
4108 posts
Oct 11, 2018
5:57 AM
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Gear doesn't really bother me much these days, so I I just use Marine Band Harmonicas and play through whatever mic is available. On the odd occasion I 'go electric' I just use a Lone Wolf Harp Attack direct into the PA, usually with either a Shure 545 or a Shure Slim-X 777 and just get a little reverb from the PA. No other effects or pedals.
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Raven
140 posts
Oct 11, 2018
10:17 AM
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Started off as a kid with a $1 Hohner from the local hobby store. At 11 I bought myself an Echo in C/G until that wore out. Didn't play for many years until the bug came back. Began buying SP 20's and LO's from a client, but heard there were better models to choose from. Started researching and came across Manji...Okay, I'll try one in Eb. A little brighter than what I was used to, but played well and louder than the others, so purchased a whole set including some minor-tuned harps. They are my first choice. Also purchased one of BP's Lucky 13's in Ab, A Suzuki Baritone in C and some Seydels in keys not available from other manufacturers including a Low Db that I use to play "Music Of The Night" in 1st pos. to Match the original movie score. Also own a few low-tuned Thunderbirds. Have one Chrom-Hohner 240 in C. Was gifted a custom MB by my one son-in-law. Mics include Shure 520, Audix Fireball for clean sound and Sennheiser E-835's for my studio. Been playing through a Hartke Kicker bass amp, bought a small Line 6 modeling amp that is absolutely horrible for Harp because of feedback, but okay for guitar and a Pignose practice amp. Looking to add another amp in future other than my PA system. Pedal board consists currently of EHX Pitchfork, TC Electronic Hall of Fame, Vortex, Corona, Alter-Ego and Shaker. While other members here may like to stick to the Blues, I find it more fulfilling to run the gamut from oldies to classic rock to country, the blues and even some show tunes, classical and a little bit of jazz. Been working on Bach's Toccata and Fugue in Dm, but still have a long way to go on that one. Since I'm now retired, I like to practice in late afternoon until my lips get sore (1-2 hours) or dinner's ready...whichever comes first!
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John M G
260 posts
Oct 11, 2018
12:54 PM
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I turned into a gear addict for a while following my mantra of the time “I’m not gonna die wondering”
I’d become more than healthily obsessed with my own mortality as I approached my father’s ultimate age, 65 ½ and passing my brother who died at 64.
I’ve slowed down now but have just bought a Jason Ricci Signature mic! It just arrived in the mail and my wife has just gone out, perfect timing.
My Bullet mics; 1980’s Mexican Shure 520D with added volume control and converted to 5/8 x 27 screw cable fitting. Bulletini with volume control. Hohner Blues blaster modified with a 1970’s Shure cartridge, volume control and fitted with a 5/8 x 27 fitting. Picked up an as new Blues Blaster with the Astatic MC 127 element but haven’t got round to testing it thoroughly yet, I wanted to give a crystal element a go.
Shaker mics; Mad Dog which is really comfortable. WSB shaker that I’ve not used that was part of a bulk buy deal.
I got the WSB shaker, Blues Blaster with the crap Japanese element and a Hohner Harp case for $50 shipped!!
Stick mics; Sennheiser E835 (Bought on Adams recommendation) great for normal acoustic playing/singing, a Shure SM 57 and an Electro Voice RE 10. I bought a Blows Me Away volume control plus an impedance matching transformer. I’m waiting for the Jason Ricci signature to arrive. I really like the RE 10.
I started with a solid state Fender Sidekick 15R which had a real reverb tank in it that I swapped for the SM 57. My next amp was based on the recommendations here on the forum and I bought a 2nd hand Fender 65 Princeton Reverb reissue and put a L’il Buddy 10” speaker in it. I’d probably still have it but wound up with back issues so sold it and went on a search for the lightest set up I could find.
I have 2 go to amps now, both solid state and both Quilters. I’ve got a Pro Block 200 that sits in the Quilter 2 x 8 cab. I also have the Micro Block 45 which I run through a 10” cabinet. For big rooms I run two outlets through the Lone Wolf Terminator and use the Micro 45 and cab as foldback and the Pro Block in front of me. It’s a very friendly set up.
I went mad on pedals after a fairly sane start. I bought a Lone Wolf Boogieman and would recommend to anyone. It’s the Harp Break, Harp Tone and Delay all in one. I added a Sonic Stomp Box only because I saw Jason Ricci had one and came across one on special! It’s a keeper. I bought a Mojo pad which I haven’t really needed. I bought the Harp Attack, Harp Octave and Terminator all from Lone Wolf, then picked up one of the LW Reverb pedals. All the Lone Wolf pedals are keepers.
I’d seen Youtube clips of Carey Bell in Switzerland and bought a used Pog 2, you can get some amazing sounds out of them but it’s complex pedal and moved it on to a bass player (bass players love them!) I saw Ben Bouman using a TC Electronic Sub N’ Up which I like. The Electro Harmonix C9 I like, you can’t use it all the time but you can get some great effects from it. I bought the Boss Equaliser after reading a post about them, it wasn’t expensive but it’s not a keeper for me. The Squeal Killer works great and that’s a keeper too.
I make all my own leads and patch cables did all my own work on converting the Blues Blaster. I was going to build a speaker cab for the Pro Block but just haven’t got around to it yet.
I have 2 pedal boards. One small and the larger one. I tend to use the smaller one most of the time these days.
I don’t get to talk to many other harp players. They are far and few between in regional Australia. I have pretty much gone by trial and error and followed advice given on the forum and had some fun doing it.
I’ve been doing a bit with a Folk 4 piece band and just turn up with my harmonicas and use the house mics and pa !
I started out with Hohners 40 odd years ago and used special 20’s. Switched to Lee Oskar’s in the late 80’s and still have most of them. I like the way Crossovers and 1847’s play and how responsive they are but I’ve found them less rugged than either the Lee Oskars or Suzuki harps. I have just about every key in Manji harps and 5 custom ones. Low F, G, A, Bb and F. I’ve tried Hammonds, Olive’s, Fabulous 20’s, FireBreaths and MR 350’s. I retrospect I should have put my resources into fewer stock harps but more custom harps as they are a thing of joy to play.
I’m working hard to improve my chromatic playing and have several different key CX-12’s. I really like them. I had to have a 4 octave C harp and found a Hohner Super 64X on special which is a real joy to play.
I bought the set of Lee Oskar Melody Makers, my first steps into alternate tuned harmonicas because of the folk music gigs and have bought a full set of Brendan Powers PowerBenders. I also have one of his X reed harps, a slip slider and a switch harp.
I have harps in the bathroom, car, study and gigging set. I’m obsessed!
Up until 2014 I hadn’t bought a new harp since the 90’s when I was in Melbourne and bought a new A key Lee Oskar.
All of the stuff above has been acquired in the last 4 years since our move to Bowral.
Last Edited by John M G on Oct 11, 2018 5:40 PM
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agarner
34 posts
Oct 13, 2018
6:01 PM
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My setup is a bit piecemeal, and is the result of not wanting to break the bank and really getting what was available at my local stores. But, in the end, I really love "my" sound. I will always dream of the perfect setup, but in the end we all want something different.
At jams I have the pleasure of playing through Bassmans, Oahus, Silvertones, and a variety of stock and custom amps and microphones. Funny thing... I always wish I had just hooked my stuff up.
Harps- Started out Hohner. I like Special 20s. Marine Bands are a pain. Blues Harps in higher keys were cheap and really nice. Got one Manji and want to love it more than I do. But its still great.
Also have Easttop Paddy Richter and LO Melody Maker in c,d,g,a.. Fun for playing with the radio and escaping blues.
Amp- Epiphone Valve Jr.- kinda gutless.... but ..
Pedals- I run Joyo amp modeling pedals into my amp. Got the Fender, Mesa, and Vox... gives the amp balls, eq contol, and so much variety of sound.
Also run a PBJ digital delay. Cheap, knobs are broken off, sounds fine.
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