belfast_harper
Guest
Aug 09, 2008
12:10 PM
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I am looking to get a new mic as I move on too ampified harp, I don't really like the look of the bullet mics and am just going go do some sort of instrument mic becasue I think they look cooler.
A few that have caught my eye are -
Audix D2 Dynamic Hypercardioid Instrument Microphone
Shure Beta57A
AKG D22/XLR CCS Dynamic Instrument Mic
With out testing them out is there anyway to know if they will be good for harp? What should I be looking for?
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thorvaldsen76
21 posts
Aug 09, 2008
12:22 PM
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Hello Belfast!
I would recommend you to check out a guy named Ron Sunshine. He's a friend of Adam I think.. He sells all kinds of great harpmics on ebay. He also puts out a video of every mic on youtube so you can check out the sound before you bid on it. I have bought two mics(Astatic 335 and a Calrad Dm-19) off him lately because I started out with a Green bullet,but since I cut off my right thumb in a work accident I have a hard time cup'ing it. His account-name on youtube is GoldenBug,and his ebay-name is Deluxe8765. And if you have any questions just email him. He'll answer pretty quick. At least that's my experience:)
Kent Erik
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Patrick Barker
113 posts
Aug 09, 2008
2:20 PM
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I've heard good things about the shure 545, one of Paul Butterfield's favorites.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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Oisin
1 post
Aug 09, 2008
2:57 PM
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Hey there Belfast harper....I'm from Armagh myself but have lived in London and essex for about 20 years. I would never have left if I knew there was another harp player in N.Ireland!
Anyway, about your dynamic mic. There are some great old shure dynamic mics you can pick up for about £15 on ebay. As well as the 545 which someone has already mentioned (and which usually cost a bit more because of the Butterfield connection) you can pic up some nice 515s or 586 dynamic mics which will give you just as good a result
as a brand new mic. For the price of say a new SM57 you can pick you 4 excellent shure vintage mics. I use them at jams and they sound great. (Just make sure you're getting a high impedance version)
When I started out I very quickly became a gear nerd and spent a fortune on gear just because I had heard it recommended on the net. My favorite and best sounding gear I use now is an extension old valve amp from a record player (£20), and a japanese crystal mic (£10). I found the best thing is to try as many different bits of kit as you can but at the end of the day it's 80% your playing and tone 15% amp and 5% mic. If you sound good without a mic, you'll sound great, no matter what gear you use.
But we can't leave the gear alone can we....??
What's the scene like in Ireland these days?. I'd love to go to a jam when I get back home now and again but I don't know of anywhere to go. I did hear a rumour that there's a blues club in Warrenpoint in Co.Down.
All the best Oisin
Last Edited by on Aug 09, 2008 7:31 PM
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belfast_harper
Guest
Aug 09, 2008
3:17 PM
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Oisin,
I don't know if there is much of a blues sceen in Belfast, I have only been playing for a few months yet and still have a lot of woodsheding to before I start looking for people to jam with. I was lookig for a teacher to get me started, but as far as I know there are no harmonica teachers in the country.
There is a jazz and blues festival on next week, but I really know any of the bands, it would be good if someone can have a look and tell me if there are any good harmonica players in the line up that would be worth seeing.
http://www.bigriverbluesandjazz.com/musicians.htm
They did have a blues festival at warren point, but I missed it this year.
Even though I said i don't like the look of bullet mics I do have astatic JT30 shell in the house, does anyone know if it would be an easy job to to build my own mic if I could find a doner mic? What would be the best doner mic to use?
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shaneboylan
40 posts
Aug 09, 2008
4:00 PM
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Alright Belfast_Harper! - whats the craic? Good to see another Irishman on the forum - you'll occasionally also see posts from NG who also isn't too far away i believe.
I'm from Coleraine originally but live in Belfast most of the year - I'll be back up around September time and am interested in the blues scene.
Unfortunately I'll not be able to make the Big RIver festival because of work - maybe just one day - but if you're interested in the harp - check out mark feltham from NBZ - he's formerly played with Rory Gallagher and also, strangely enough - Oasis.
At a more local level - you mite wanna check out Mike Wilgar - he's from somewhere around belfast and plays a great blues harp. the harpist from the Rab McCullough band (also called rab, i think!) plays well too. I've heard some good things about Lee Hedley as well.
Meanwhile - Keep in touch - my myspace url is www.myspace.com/shane_boylan
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"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window."
-Steven Wright
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guest user
Guest
Aug 09, 2008
4:09 PM
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[URL=http://www.youtube.com/user/christellester]Cristelle[/URL] uses an Audix Fireball V, in case you like her sound.
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belfast_harper
2 posts
Aug 09, 2008
4:35 PM
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Shane, it is good to see a few mare harpers in belfast, there are probably more of us in belfast than what I think.
Maybe if things ever start comming together for my playing we can arrange a jamming session some time int the future.
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Oisin
2 posts
Aug 09, 2008
5:49 PM
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Belfast harper, next time I'm coming over I'll give you a few weeks notice and see if we can meet up.I know a few guitar players back home and we could set up a jam.
You were asking about making your own mic? It's very easy to do with a bit of practice and there's plenty of stuff on the net to show you how to do it. The JT30 shell is a great start and there are any number of elements you could stick in it. If you are just starting it would be better to buy a cheap crystal element and try and fit this in it. Once you get the hang of it you can move on to more expensive elements although to be honest you probably won't hear a huge difference in the sound. As you get more experienced, hear more microphones and play through more amps you will get to learn what sound you like and what mics and amps give you that sound.
http://www.planetharmonica.com/ph2/VE/TMI-micUK.htm
Try this link which shows you how to build your own mic using bits you can buy at a Maplin shop(or off the net)
You don't need to be an electrical genius, you just need to know what wires go where and be able to solder (takes a bit of practice but easy once you've done it a couple of times). Don't let fancy language and technical jargon put you off. If there's something you don't understand just ask and someone on this forum will be able to tell you about it.it can be quite scary reading an article by some electical genius telling you how to repair or tweak a mic or amp. However most harp players I know over here are as thick as me and can muddle through changing elements in mics or valves in amps.
Experiment as much as you can. It's great fun and you will be amazed at how quickly you'll pick up the technical stuff on the way.
There is nothing like playing your harp through something you built yourself.
Finally, although you'll hear loads of opinions on different harps, mics, amps, leads, tongue-blocking, lip pursing and everything else to do with blues harp, at the end of the day that's all they are, peoples opinions. It's exactly like cars, everyone drives different makes of cars, some swear by the one they drive and would always buy the same thing, some have to buy a new model every year, some drive a car into the ground, but the one thing in common is they all drive. So it doesn't matter what or how you play, just as long as you like it! (though it does really help if other people like it too).
All the best
Oisin
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NG
31 posts
Aug 11, 2008
8:48 AM
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Hey fellas
If you are looking for places to hone your skills in Ireland I'd recommend Blues jams in Bangor (Imperial bar first Tuesday of the month), Dublin (JJ Smyths again first Tuesday) and Monaghan (last Thursday of the month) in McKennas Bar. It can be hard to hear yourself well but great practice and loads of fun. I used to play with the band at the Bangor Blues Jam but musical differences ended that for me ;-)
I'm just going to the Dublin one at the minute since I've made contact with a few great players down there.
As for lessons, I took 12 lessons from Michael McInerney 2 years ago at the Walton School in Dublin. He's a great teacher and one of the best players in the country. I have one beginner student at the minute but don't have time for any more. That might change in the future. If you have questions, come along to a blues jam I'm going to and I reckon I could answer any of your questions about playing up to advanced intermediate level.
You can contact me at myspace.com/noelgrimes
Cheers
Noel
Last Edited by on Aug 12, 2008 10:31 AM
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belfast_harper
3 posts
Aug 11, 2008
1:58 PM
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Oisin,
Cheers for the advice, hop I will see you over here some time in the future.
Ryan
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belfast_harper
4 posts
Aug 11, 2008
2:00 PM
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NG,
I will try to check out the Imperial night the next time that it's on.
Cheers, Ryan
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Warbleman
26 posts
Aug 12, 2008
7:01 PM
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Ok, so how do I know if the mic is "high impedence"? And how is this good for harp playing?
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Oisin
4 posts
Aug 12, 2008
11:48 PM
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The technical stuff about impedance is a bit above me but apparently it is a measure of resistance and harp mics and particualrly crystal mics, use high impedance. I'm not sure why but it is true as when I try and play a low impedance mic through my amp the volume is very low.
I'm sure there is someone on the forum who can explain this a bit better.
One thing I have noticed about hi-z mics and cables is that a lot of them seem to pick up every little sound you make, including the cable!! However when you're playing with others it's not such a problem as this gets drowned out but when playing on your own you can sometimes pick up your breathing noises etc.
As for recognising which mic is hi or lo-z, well I was told that on the whole, most lo-z mics are fitted with XLR connectors and most hi-z mics will have a jack plug,
but there are some exceptions to this rule.
Hope I've got this right!
Oisin
Last Edited by on Aug 12, 2008 11:49 PM
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Oisin
5 posts
Aug 13, 2008
8:07 AM
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Hey there Belfast Harper, here's a nice little Shure dynamic mic I spotted on ebay today. I have 2 of this same model and they sound great to me.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SHURE-UNIDYNE-B-MODEL-515SA-VINTAGE-MICROPHONE_W0QQitemZ120293110596QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item120293110596&_trkparms=72%3A638%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14.l1318
Oisin
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Scoltx
17 posts
Aug 13, 2008
11:42 AM
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I have a Shaker Dynamic mic that sounds pretty good and is light and doesn't look like a bullet mic.
http://www.shakermicrophone.net/
They make a crystal model as well if you want a JT-30 sort of sound with a bit more bite. I like the look of a Bullet Mic but prefer the sound of dynamic vocal type mics so ended up buying a Superlux D112/C harp mic.
You should check them out as well.
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LittleJoeSamson
18 posts
Aug 13, 2008
1:04 PM
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I, too have a Shaker mic that is great playing with my old tube amps: a 1941 Gibson EH-125 and a Traynor YGL-3 ten tube monster.
I was able to get a decent sound thru my gig rig...a Crate GXT-100, but it was always challenging getting levels right in different environments. I was never quite satisfied.
I have had a BluesBlaster, but it is hi-z and never worked well except in studio where I ran it straight to the board and the sound tech could make adjustments. The end sound is totally different than live.
Today, I use the BB with XLR to a line transformer that converts to lo-z and 1/4 jack. That goes into the Roland micro where I set effects, and then that is patched to the Crate, which is either lined out to the mains or mic'ed to the mains. Best sound I've ever had: tone, volume, note definition but without picking up annoying side noises ( slurps, clicks, unintentional breathes ).
The Crate I bought new, but switched the original pre-amp tubes for better quality. Big improvement.
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oldwailer
147 posts
Aug 16, 2008
6:35 PM
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OK--I followed the advice from Oisin earlier in this thread and I went out and bought the parts
to make my own mike at Radio Shack--except they didn't have the "Dynamic Microphone Capsule"
that the recipe called for. Well, I bought two of everything else since
everything there only comes in two-packs--cost me 22 dollars--then I went shopping
online to get the capsule.
I found three thingies at Maplin Electronics in the UK--but the export charge on this 14 pound
order was 42 pounds! I don't even know how to make the pound sign on a computer--
don't really even know how much a pound is--but I figured I would be spending way more than
the cost of a Shaker Mike by the time I got done with that. . .
Does anybody know where I can pick up a couple of good dynamic microphone capsules from an
American company? Not that I'm a bigot--I just don't
want to pay that much for being American!
Also--why do some of these threads go all out
or whack with the line wrapping and get two
screens wide?
Last Edited by on Aug 16, 2008 6:39 PM
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Oisin
6 posts
Aug 18, 2008
11:24 AM
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Here you go Old Wailer,
http://cgi.ebay.com/DYNAMIC-MICROPHONE-ELEMENTS-5-PCS-NEW_W0QQitemZ260274439374QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116
You can use a crystal element as well...you can pick these up pretty cheap too.
Oisin
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oldwailer
149 posts
Aug 18, 2008
8:25 PM
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Thanks, Oisin--I actually finally figured out the problem--I was using the word "Capsule" to search for these parts--once I discovered the word "element" as in "dynamic microphone element," then the search could happen in America--I found them online for .45 each and a bought a couple. I also put a bid on a crystal element on ebay--so I'll try them both. . .
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