Greg Heumann
1541 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:20 PM
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I try not to blow my horn so I don't post pics of the mics I make here very often - but this is a cool story. I just completed this mic today. The owner is a surfer with fond memories of the boards he used in Hawaii in the 80's. He wanted a mic done with the same style. We conversed over many weeks - he sent me photos of surfboards and drawings - I sent him photos of different wood choices and mockups. We probably exchanged 50 emails.
We ended up with this scheme, which has 9 pieces of wood laminated together, from 3 continents. The white wood is American ash. The medium stripes are Brazilian Cherry, and the thin stripes are East Indian Rosewood. It is finished to my "Piano Finish" level - basically its a mirror. And of course to go with the surfing theme, he chose the "Waves" pattern grill - done in brass. This mic has a 1952 black label CR element and stealth volume control.
I really enjoy projects like this - customers participate heavily in the design and it ends up being meaningful to both of us. Every time I make a mic, I send photos of every step of the construction process so the customer knows exactly what went into it. There are a lot of hours in this mic - and I'm very proud and pleased with it!
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/Greg
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HawkeyeKane
800 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:22 PM
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VERY beautifully done Greg!
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Hawkeye Kane
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Jfllr1
214 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:23 PM
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Gawjus. It's easy to see the many, many man hours in that beauty.
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"Blow as thou pleaseth"
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Jehosaphat
202 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:23 PM
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Greg that is seriously a work of pure Art.
Bootiful!
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schaef6o
83 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:30 PM
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Blow your horn Greg,that is one sweet lookin mic
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HTrain
63 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:34 PM
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"a work of pure art" sums it up completely!! I love mine Greg but as I see your latest work my drool buds start working!! Congratulations on continuing to advance your artistry!!
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tookatooka
2849 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:38 PM
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Absolutely superb Greg. Must be so satisfying to have made this beautiful piece of art.
Just think, in years to come people will be fighting to get hold of one of your special unique mics. As if they aren't already.
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peduarte
43 posts
Mar 20, 2012
2:42 PM
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Greg that is amazing! Looks like it will be slippery though! But it doesn't matter, it's beautiful!
Can I ask you how much a mic like this would cost?
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Cheers,
Pedro
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nacoran
5412 posts
Mar 20, 2012
3:07 PM
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Beautiful, as always.
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Nate
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easyreeder
260 posts
Mar 20, 2012
3:11 PM
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I think I"m in love.
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tookatooka
2850 posts
Mar 20, 2012
3:39 PM
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@Greg. It would be a great marketing tool if you could have a short video made for YouTube (or Vimeo) showing you turning one of these on your lathe, making the grill, testing the mic with an amp, a look around your workshop, and then showing the customer using it at a gig.
It would make fascinating viewing for us harp nuts and it would be a great marketing tool to embed into your website.
You may have to take on extra staff though to cope with the demand.
It's a shame I'm so far away, I'd love to get involved in something like that.
Whoops! Just been to your site and seen all the customer videos and reviews. First class.
Last Edited by on Mar 20, 2012 3:53 PM
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MJ
394 posts
Mar 20, 2012
4:03 PM
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Beautiful Greg.
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blueswannabe
129 posts
Mar 20, 2012
4:47 PM
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Greg, you do excellent work- attention to detail and quality. I know because I'm a customer. That mic is a work of art.
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MP
2106 posts
Mar 20, 2012
6:02 PM
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beautiful! those wood strips are called stringers in surfer parlance.
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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yonderwall
17 posts
Mar 20, 2012
6:10 PM
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That really is a great background story. What a cool theme for a mic. Nicely done Greg!
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Greg Heumann
1543 posts
Mar 20, 2012
8:36 PM
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Thanks, guys. I'm a lucky guy who gets to do something I love to do for a living!
@tooka re: "It would be a great marketing tool if you could have a short video made for YouTube (or Vimeo) showing you turning one of these on your lathe, making the grill, testing the mic with an amp, a look around your workshop, and then showing the customer using it at a gig. "
I've thought about it. But I ask my customers not to share in public forums the photos I send them. I have lots of special tools, processes and setups that I've developed over the years. A video would probably give away too many secrets. There is no rocket science involved in what I do - but there is great value in experience. As for my shop - you would probably find it underwhelming. It is in my garage, and it is packed to the gills with equipment and inventory and cardboard boxes and stuff to recycle and sawdust and - it is NOT photogenic!
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/Greg
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bonedog569
492 posts
Mar 20, 2012
8:57 PM
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Damn that's pretty.
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Rubes
489 posts
Mar 20, 2012
10:37 PM
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Nice work Greg!! I also surf here in Oz and it's a big part of my culture, so it does it for me too..
I'm enjoying one of Greg's creations I received around Xmas, and it is absolutely fantastic!
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One of Rubes's bands, DadsinSpace-MySpace
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tookatooka
2851 posts
Mar 21, 2012
4:58 AM
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@Greg. I understand greg.
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ianharpo
87 posts
Mar 21, 2012
12:46 PM
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As a woodturner myself i have previously admired your work Greg. I love the stealth volume.
Do you CNC the grills as well ?
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Greg Heumann
1544 posts
Mar 22, 2012
9:09 AM
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@Pedro - My mics are all priced based on options chosen. There is a base price of $279 that includes a completely serviceable, complete mic with a very good single impedance high-Z CM element - and options add up on top of that. You can see the option and their prices in the "design your own mic" section of the Custom Wood Harmonica Microphones page of my web site.
@Ianharpo - Yes, I CNC the grills myself. The blanks are turned down from solid bar on the lathe, then the slot pattern is cut with the CNC milling machine.
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/Greg
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Steamrollin Stan
320 posts
Mar 22, 2012
9:40 AM
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Sure beats my ten buck lapel mic.
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rharley5652
622 posts
Mar 22, 2012
2:26 PM
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Mello ,.Nice work Greg!!
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The Stick
1 post
Mar 22, 2012
9:10 PM
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Greg, I am going to have a blast with this mic. Thanks for all your work, and for making the whole process personal and significant. I will make you proud with it, I promise.
For those of you who are thinking about venturing into this realm, be aware...there are no substitutes or parallels to Greg's mics. They are the standard by which all others will come to be judged. Impeccably clean wood craftsmanship combined with incomparable aural crispness and tone.
-Nathan Usrey
Last Edited by The Stick on Oct 06, 2013 11:08 PM
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