This is a really old trick that many players have used over the years. By taping off the low notes especially, it helps to push those notes out when using amplification. As it's at both ends though maybe Carey had lost the cover plate screws for that Super 64 and decided to hold it together with some tape. Who knows! :-)
What's more interesting by far though is the mic that Carey is using. It was made for Carey by someone in Scandinavia. I believe it's a 545 cartridge put into a shorter barreled body to make it easier to hold. . Could this have been the inspiration for the Ultimate series of mics that Greg Heumann makes?
It doesn't look like Carey had taped over the low notes? Tape doesn't seem to extend far from the LH end of the harp? Perhaps as you say a "get you home" fix.
According to Scott Dirks the mic was based on a SM57 element. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Mar 23, 2012 2:54 AM
5F6H - Yes you're right Mark. The tape also appears to go over the slide assembly. So I guess it's holding it all together. Thanks for the info on the mic. I couldn't remember if it was a 57 or a 545.
@Kingley: once upon a time i read somewhere that Carey's "custom" mic was an EV (not a Shure). And it sorta sounds like an EV, but I don't really know for sure.
A lot of the Big Name Pro diatonic players are very proficient at playing the Chromatic and will slam the hell out off the whole range of the Chrome if the song calls for it...
