MindTheGap
2210 posts
Apr 07, 2017
4:06 AM
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I've been waiting for months for Realistic Highball-2 mic to come up for sale. This is supposed to be a carbon copy of the Shure mic associated with James Cotton. There have been literally tens of the low-impedance version of this mic on offer during this time, then finally two dual-impedance mics came up for sale at once.
How to switch between hi-lo impedance without an instruction manual? After trying to find a way in to the cable end of the mic body, and failing, I worked out that the cable has two inner cores. One for high, one for low. So you rewire the 1/4" jack plug. On mine, the second cable had been cut right back so wasn't visible until I stripped the casing.
Anyway, it's got a good strong output, and responds to cupping to some extent. But it's not like a bullet mic, it doesn't give that very compressed sound.
I may well use it as my routine mic just because I like the simplicity of it. Basically you pick it up and play things on the harp, rather than focussing on faffing around with cupping-effects. Does the audience really care about that harp-sound-tricks, the same thing in every song? I don't know.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 07, 2017 4:06 AM
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MindTheGap
2211 posts
Apr 12, 2017
12:19 AM
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This is what it sounds like. It's not that warm, crumbly bullet sound, more angular, nasal and bitey. I know from experience that's what can be heard over a band without having a massive amp. And fine for the kind of things I actually play with them. I do miss the big variation in timbre between open and closed cup. But on the other hand it does have a 'voice' unlike an SM57 which always sounds a bit straight to me. I found all that big bottom end, which sounds so great playing solo at home, gets disappointingly lost in the mix, without some big speaker area to push it out.
So it's £10 vs £100s for a vintage mic. You pay your money and you take your choice. It appeals to me to play a £10 Easttop harp and a £10 mic.
On a technical note, because it doesn't have the big signal increase from cupping, it won't overdrive an amp so easily. It doesn't work all that well with a Harp Break. On the other hand, it works better with your typical guitar amp which tends to have too much gain; hence all the valve-swapping that goes on.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 12, 2017 10:10 PM
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SuperBee
4618 posts
Apr 12, 2017
5:15 AM
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Sounds pretty good to me.
You wouldn't really want a lot more break up than that would you?
When I was sharking at pool we always used a rack cue. Of course we knew exactly which rack cue to use, but there was a certain appeal to taking money off well-heeled characters who carried their own 2piece stick in a little box. It's not about the stick!
I've just come home from 3 hours in the practice room. We're doing that weekly now, with our new drummer, who is going from strength to strength. Really good tonight, playing some of my favourite jr wells things. I used a Princeton Reverb and a shure CM-equipped jt30. Quite the equivalent of the guy with the carbon-fibre pool cue, but as we left the bass player gave me a nice compliment about being particularly on song tonight.
There's just really no substitute for practice but we all still love nice gear. I think it's good though, to be able to get good results from basic stuff. It's good to know what the good basic stuff is
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MindTheGap
2212 posts
Apr 12, 2017
6:56 AM
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Glad to hear the band is going well. It's all about the drummer you know! :)
Greg Heumann makes an excellent point when pushing his mics on MBH, which is that you don't need to wait to be great to buy great kit. If you buy the best kit, then you know that the results are down to your skills, not the kit. I think that's a great marketing angle, partly of course as it gives a licence for more people to buy from him without worrying about looking like the 'newbie with a carbon fibre cue'. But mostly because it hits home, I think he's right.
Same argument goes for custom harps IMO. I'm glad that MBH generally isn't anti beginners buying good equipment any more - it certainly used to be.
I have a concept of what might be a perfect mic now - one with the practical aspects of e.g. a bulletini, and responds strongly to cupping in timbre and volume, but also has a characterful and pleasant 'voice'. It wouldn't cost £10. I'm not going in search of one, but I can understand why people do that.
But the idea of needing a perfect mic - sounds like a bad idea. There's the stories about The Greats playing though whatever was to hand, and still sounding good. True or not, that seems like a good thing to aspire too. Personally I'm more inclined to believe that pro musicians are fussy about every aspect of things, but we'll never know about how it was then.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 12, 2017 10:15 PM
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MindTheGap
2213 posts
Apr 12, 2017
7:14 AM
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I should add a conclusion that I wouldn't particularly recommend this mic to a beginner. Because it doesn't respond to cupping in the way that has become the orthodox way of things in harp-land. You know, the David Barrett sound. So you'd be out on a limb.
However some of the tracks I listen to, there are a wider variety of basic sounds in play.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 12, 2017 8:31 AM
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Tuckster
1560 posts
Apr 26, 2017
7:33 AM
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I'm a big fan of 585 mics. It's my main mic. It breaks up enough for my tastes and is easy to hold.
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MindTheGap
2227 posts
Apr 27, 2017
3:08 AM
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Really? That cheered me up.
In honesty I have to say that my Akai DM13 sounds 'better' in that it's more variable in timbre. But since they have been identified as being 'awesome harp mics' now, they are getting expensive at least in the UK.
I do like this mic, although the captive cable is going to be the same problem as the DM13. Hard to fix when it breaks. I can't find a way into it. With the DM13 I was planning to convert it to a 1/4" socket when the lead breaks - but not before.
IMO there is a musical advantage to this mic: because it doesn't respond strongly to cupping, I spend more time focussing on the notes and less on trying to coax different sounds out of it.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 27, 2017 3:10 AM
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Tuckster
1565 posts
Apr 27, 2017
6:22 AM
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Captive cable? I have 2 and they are both screw on connectors. I have lousy cupping technique,so I don't really notice that. They are more resistant to feedback than any of my other mics.
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MindTheGap
2228 posts
Apr 27, 2017
8:32 AM
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Mine isn't a real 585. It's the copy: Realistic Highball-2. From what I read, it's supposed to sound the same but I don't have the two to compare. I read somewhere that they were both made by Shure, but that's hearsay.
Having a screw on connector would be a good reason to have a real 585 actually, but they sell for many times more in the UK.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Apr 27, 2017 8:32 AM
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Killa_Hertz
2313 posts
May 01, 2017
6:31 PM
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I have a 585 and personally... I'm not a huge fan.
Mtg the mic you want is the 533SA. I'm telling you. Very similar in looks to the 585, but has a solid bottom half of the ball. The SA is HiZ. It's got great bass response and responds well to cupping.
One of the mics that has THE MOST cup sensitivity is the Sonotone CM10A or CM11. I prefer the 10a,but they are both very good. And they can be had at around $10. People TRY TO sell them for upwards of $100. But I have a few of each and I never paid more that $10.
In fact I bought 2 cm11 mics for $12 free shipping.
Killer mics out there to be had. Unfortunately some of them (like the akai dm13 and Sonotone cm10a) are corded. That's kindof a pain. I really want to make my own Ultimate version of both of these mics. With a screw on connector and a VC.
Anyways, rambling again.
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Havoc
64 posts
May 13, 2017
1:27 PM
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Hey MTG,
i just picked one of these up for $10.50+ shipping. I'm hoping you could recommend a source to find the ¼” Jack plug to rewire the mic. Also, are they all default wired to low?
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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MindTheGap
2262 posts
May 13, 2017
11:23 PM
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Is yours the 'real' 585 or the 'Realistic' one? I can only speak about the 'Realistic' one. Is yours definitely dual-impedance? Only the early models were dual-impedance, after that they were only low.
Does it not have a 1/4" jack plug currently? I did see one on offer that had a DIN plug attached.
As to the default wiring, I don't know I'm afraid. Of the two I bought, one was wired HI and one LO.
In terms of this kind of thing, Killa's your man I think.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 14, 2017 1:26 AM
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Havoc
65 posts
May 14, 2017
8:27 AM
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Khz?
It is the realistic. Yes certainly the dual impedance, it's still in box and labeled as such.
No plug currently just an odd male threaded end, that is about a ½" diameter. I suspect at some point there was a ¼" Jack female portion that fit to what's on there, but that was not included in what I received.
Just googled Din plug, it doesn't look like the DIN images that pulled up.
Thanks MTG.
KHZ?
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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If you don't cut it while it's hot......
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