ZymanFreeman
2 posts
Mar 18, 2014
12:26 PM
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Hi everyone. I wanted to post a few of my thoughts and see what other people have been saying.
The harps I like best are Special 20's and Seydels. The Seydels seem to have a really rich, full sound, but the S20's have better playability out of the box. Plus, you can add 'Turbolids' to S20's from Turboharp.com, and they are quite nice for tone and bendability. Very worth $10 and they can transfer to your new harps when your old ones are shot. Suzuki's have disappointed me with their tone and playability. I have had three or four by now, including a Promaster and a Manji.. and they all needed serious tweaking on the first couple of holes. The Manji is still a great harp, however. The stainless steel Seydel's are on a whole 'nother level!
My favorite mic's are dynamics so far. I have yet to play with a really good crystal mic, but enjoy a custom bullet with a Shure CM element in it. I got an Electro-Voice 635a, excellent midrange and crunch, but lacking in the bottom end. Then tried a USA Shure DY45 pistol-grip (relabeled 545)and liked that even better. I was able to make my own "bulletizer" with Sculpey- an oven-bake polymer clay. Not only is it ergonomic and reduces fatigue, but channels the sound a lot! I will post a pic when I can.
My advice here, is spend a LOT more on harps than anything else, at least for a few years. During that period, collect some nice mics. THEN, get a good 5-10w tube amp made in the USA (so your amp tech can actually work on it easily). Try to avoid anything from overseas as who knows what parts they have in there (Epiphone.. cough cough). I went ahead and blew a lot of money on a '67 Bassman head and 4x10 cab from Mojotone.. had the tone stack upgraded by the amp tech and the thing sounds great!! However, when going to more mild gigs where I sit in with people, I have been bringing an SS Crate 30w 1x8 and it does fine, it just could sound much better. Things can get ridiculously expensive, so do a lot of research, and watch youtube videos that demo the gear you are interested in. Ebay can be cool, but if deals seem to good to be true then they probably are. Find harp players that sell stuff online.. avoid those with bad feedback or who just sell any crap to make a buck.
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ZymanFreeman
3 posts
Mar 18, 2014
12:32 PM
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Also, a simple DOD eq pedal reduces feedback to a great extent.. just roll off the treble end a bit. The Lone Wolf Harp Break, a delay, and that EQ can make almost any amp acceptable if you fiddle around with it a bit. You NEED an on/off switch or a smooth volume control. I'm about to buy an inline control from blowsmeaway.com because it seems to be the only legit place to get a quality one. If anyone out there knows where to get great volume controls and/or cables, let me know! I'm about to drop about $120 on just a control and a cable, but it'll be stuff made in the USA with pride that may last a lifetime.
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LSC
612 posts
Mar 18, 2014
1:06 PM
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@ZymanFreeman - your comment that you're dropping $120 on just a control and a cable but that they are made with pride and may last a lifetime is spot on. And I don't think there is any "may" about it. I have purchased both a volume control and a cable from Greg at Blowsmeaway, as well as a custom mic. His engineering, construction and attention to detail are flawless. I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere. You will find cheaper but you will not find better.
These things are tools and the cardinal rule from plumbers to carpenters to musicians is, "Buy the best tool you can afford." Why? Because the quality will make the job easier not harder and because way more often than not it will cost less money in the long run.
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LSC
Last Edited by LSC on Mar 18, 2014 1:07 PM
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ZymanFreeman
4 posts
Mar 18, 2014
2:00 PM
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Thanks LSC, I keep hearing good things about Greg's products, I don't think I'll be sorry!!
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cliffy
77 posts
Mar 18, 2014
4:58 PM
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I second those comments about buying quality items... I have the screw-on volume control that Greg makes and I have been really happy with it. It was easily worth the money and you can use it with multiple mics. It's a piece of gear that is not at all expensive when you think about how long it will last.
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jbone
1545 posts
Mar 18, 2014
8:40 PM
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For a really decent but not pricey crystal mic, the Astatic 332 is generally under $50 and I like mine a lot. Crystals don't have bottom but the mids and highs are sweet and clean.
Another great- to me- and inexpensive mic is the Shure 585 ball mic. Good repro all across the spectrum.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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ZymanFreeman
5 posts
Mar 19, 2014
8:52 AM
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Cool, I will definitely pick up a 585 sometime.. Ebay has a ton of them for a decent price. The 533/PE53's are great too and super gnarly I wonder how those compare. The 545 type mics are awesome but lack a little in the bottom end.. right now just looking for the most gritty and bassy tone possible! Haha.. obsessions
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jbone
1546 posts
Mar 19, 2014
6:41 PM
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A 99 class cm element or a high impedance element is where you will find the most grit.
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7La7yYYeE
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