When I opened the box, I was sure that Ultimate 57 was the last mic I would ever need to buy and Moon Cat's endorsement certainly confirms it, but I just can't seem to stay away from ebay. It's like some kind of sickness. My favorite mic? The one that's in the mail.
I think some people have the idea that a closed/sealed cup around the mic should be the default mic technique. If you look at the top pros, however, I find that most of them use a somewhat open cup as the "default" mic technique, then they either open the cup further or close the cup to achieve certain musical effects. This results in clearer articulation through the amp and a greater range of tonal effects.
I have a jt30 style mic, but fitted with a shure element. I never liked it much, although it looks real good. I bought it from a fella in Maine I think. It's got a nice hammer tone grey finish, I think a replica...has an astatic sticker instead of s rivet label...anyway, the element is a 99H86, codes make it out to be from '59. I never really use it because I found it to be a bit thin-sounding...but today I plugged it into my hot rod deluxe...an amp I've never used for the harp...and I found I really liked it... If my story had a moral it would be that some amp/mic combos can be better than others...you may have a mic that's best with one amp and think it's your favourite mic...but love can be fickle
Didn't intend to denigrate Gary Primich's tone at all, it's just that in discussions of amplified harp tone I don't recall ever seeing his name mentioned. I only meant to bring up the one-handed grip on the mic in context of statements I've read here that insist a tight two-handed grip is the key to good amplified tone.
I'm very much with harpoon_man on this where he says that the one-handed method can still achieve a great amplified harp sound.
Last Edited by Dr.Hoy on Nov 06, 2015 4:18 PM
My favorite microphone it a mid-80's JT30 shell with an old T3 crystal element and a hi-z connector and volume control installed by Greg Heumann. It seems to be ideally suited to my old Fender amp.
I know that crystal elements are considered to be a somewhat dicey prospect, but this one really has it so I'm sticking with it to the bitter end.
Last Edited by Dr.Hoy on Nov 06, 2015 4:21 PM
I have been using a sm-57,sm58 and 545,mostly 545 since 1968.i got one of those bulitizers ,tried it on the sm-57,great ,but it does wonders on the 545,so that's where it will stay...
I got a brown bullet with a 53 CR and a 1950 Green SL with 1950 CR...I was told it was '49 but as far as I can tell the first SL was 1950 and the element code looks right for that. Anyway...they both have nice even response across the range. the brown is nice to hold and a bit darker, and a little hotter. I like it plenty. For a while it was all I'd use...but then I discovered the less hot, lighter-sounding, not quite as easy to hold green bullet sounded better for vocals and I grew to really like it. No doubt one of those is my favourite. Except I like a sm58 sometimes...especially if I'm out busking with the mouse amp..those bullets sound too rough with the mouse...
I like spaghetti with thick, sweet tomato sauce, ground beef, hot sausage, lots of onion, green pepper, celery, garlic in big chunks, and spices. How do you like yours?? (:>)
@Barley Nectar, eating that whilst playing through your harp into you fave mic! Dunno if it would work but would love to try the meal though!;-) ----------
"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
What I find interesting, now that I think about it, I almost never play amplified!
I would say perhaps 95 percent of my time spent playing the harmonica is acoustic. I play in my car on the way home from work, if I stay late at work I’ll play the same, acoustic. I could play there amplified but what’s the point. I will if I need to check to see if the mic is working or for a bad cable.
I do play out almost every week end And yes it is amplified.
So what I am trying to say is this,
When I play acoustic it is obvious I am not cupping a mic. Heck fifty percent of my un-amplified playing I am not even cupping the harmonica. I quite often just hold it in my left hand.
BN, I don't know exactly how you make that sauce, or what it's called but I've just shut the lid on a big pot full of something I made up based on your ingredients list...dinner tomorrow...hot sopressa.
To my ears, james cotton always sounded best when he used a crystal jt 30 into an amp. And while the 585 mic he used also sounded pretty good Thru an amp, I never cared much for his playing straight thru to the p.a.
here he is playing thru a re-issue bassman the only thing he changed was the mic. some sort of shure vocal mic. it does not sound bad at all just not the same as the earlier version
The photographer chooses the shot. Shots of harp players with both hands obscuring their face are not as interesting. So they shoot when the hand is town. William Clarke and Gary Primich had their hands up most of the time. ---------- *************************************************** /Greg
But let's take Kim Wilson, who I think has an almost iconic amplified tone. I must have seen him perform at least a dozen times and he alway goes to playing one-handed so he can sway about and move his right around, it's kind of a signature thing he does, but his tone remains dead-on. This tells me that it's more a matter of the microphone and amplifier than it is of maintaining a tightly-gripped cup on the harp and mic, and I don't see how anyone could find fault with Kim Wilson's amplified sound.
@BN I always chop up a chorizo into my spag sauce for extra oomph. I add a few mushrooms and a carrot too. On the side, home made pesto and grated parmesan cheese. And I cup the bowl so it all goes through my digestive tract for that full meat sauce flava!
Yep BronzeWailer (i wonder how many of us get the brilliant pun) For sure it's all in the cupping... As soon as tomato is involved i chuck in some smoked prapika..... Ooops... favourite Mike,depends on the Gig but the Akai Dm 13 is hard to beat for an all rounder imo.
Thanks Indigo. You got it. Of course, smoked p! I am new (under five years) to amplified playing so this thread is useful. I tend to just use my guitar man's vocal mic (SM58) through the PA when we are playing Delta blues, but when he gets the CBGs out I use a bullet mic. I have one of Greg's and another hand-made one with a Heumann Element in it. They give that nice gritty sound for getting down and raunchy. I have been concentrating on trying to learn to play the darn harp and how to sing so the ins and outs of various mics, pedals and amps has been more or less beyond me till now. My friend Joe has a few tube amps so I'm going to hang around his place a bit more and see what he can learn me.
ok.. someone was kind enough to let borrow their amp for one song. someone else insisted i try their mic a 57 bulletizer, it sounded good and had a nice feel.
There is nothing like a good crystal mic period! The problem is that they don't last and will break if dropped or improperly stored. So, in my opinion, crystal mics are not worth the money. The RE 10 is an outstanding mic. with great mid range emphasis and it is indestructible. THe RE10 matches really well with my mission 32-20 which has plenty of bass (too much! -I put bass and treble at 12 o'clock).
at my age, everyday is a gift. so i only need one long enough to outlast me. maybe 10 more years if i am lucky. pretty depressing now that i think about it.
