Martin
962 posts
Feb 11, 2016
9:24 AM
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It seems to me that most of the blues harmonica players, here on MBH and elsewhere, are in pursuit of that One sound – preferably the same as their heroes have achieved. Generally bassy w/ lots of distortion.
But there´s a possible minority, those who maybe venture outside of the blues parameters, and who are striving for several sounds, quite possibly on the same gig.
My question is how you go about?
As for me I´ve tried the RP Huntersounds solution, but it hasn´t worked out live (it´s been great for recording though), and now this last gig (w/ a small tube amp) only left me with the “more or less reverb” option. (And yes, I´m very much aware that cupping to a certain extent affects your sound. To a certain extent.)
Listening to some clips from that performance convinced me that I need more versatility. I have a Joyo American Sound pedal coming, but I´m not sure to what extent it will give me what I desire.
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toneguy86
15 posts
Feb 11, 2016
9:40 AM
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I'm not sure exactly what you are asking. I really have worked on getting a lot of different sounds out of my normal rig--a Green Bullet mic straight into a 70s Fender Vibrolux plus my vocal mic. There is a lot you can do with this that the pedal will not necessarily give you. I can get that monster, bassy, overdriven sound, but if I relax my hands and the seal on my mic, or back off the volume on my mic or just release one hand form the mic altogether, the sound changes. I also use my vocal mic, sometimes in combination with my bullet mic for another texture. Tons of options...several sounds...one rig.
I actually so use a similar Joyo pedal for some solo shows though. I play guitar as well and have a set up that attaches to a conventional mic stand that has a magnetic piece that holds a harp in front of the mic. What I do is have a second mic stand next to my vocal mic just for harp and run it into a Joyo British sound for grit. It is honestly a one trick pony though. Once you set the pedal, you are locked in with that sound. You don't have the advantage of your hands (if you're also playing guitar anyway) to do all that I do with my regular rig...at least in my situation. For variability on certain songs I also have a neck rack that I use with my vocal mic. It is admittedly a pretty unique situation though as I'm compensating significantly. It works though...
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www.bigroadband.com
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orphan
452 posts
Feb 11, 2016
12:30 PM
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"But there´s a possible minority, those who maybe venture outside of the blues parameters, and who are striving for several sounds, quite possibly on the same gig."
Here is what I have used for 20+yr: http://assets.peavey.com/literature/manuals/80301573.pdf
I don't use the pre amp, just the Effects Processor. I like to have presets that are easy to get to on the fly. Peavey doesn't make it anymore. They went to a rack processor that IMO is hard to change on the fly. I got me a back up off Ebay last year because I don't want to try to find something that would work as easy for me. All the effects are harp friendly.
Other effects I've used with good results are the Boss CE20. Boss Harmonist 2, and the EHX Hog. I had bad results with the Boss OC2, Line 6 Pod 2, and the EHX B9, but ymmv.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
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HarpNinja
4211 posts
Feb 11, 2016
12:46 PM
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I prefer a Joyo American sound to the PA over any smaller amp. I generally play totally clean, with the Joyo set to a clean Blackface, or, on the rare occasion I want distortion, use a HarpBreak.
I have a THE mic from Greg, but never use it. I think I've gigged it twice. I use a SM58 99.9% of the time.
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Mike
My Website
My Harmonica Effects Blog
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toneguy86
19 posts
Feb 11, 2016
2:58 PM
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HarpNinja...I do like the Joyo stuff with the speaker emulation. Really makes small gigs in small spaces work. I play some very, very small bars where amps just won't work. My Joyo gives me the feel of an amp...without the amp...for $35.
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www.bigroadband.com
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hvyj
2960 posts
Feb 14, 2016
10:41 AM
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Whaddya want to sound like? What is it you hear in your head that you want to make come out of your harp?
Last Edited by hvyj on Feb 14, 2016 11:09 AM
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dougharps
1162 posts
Feb 14, 2016
11:44 AM
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@hvyj
That is exactly the question!
For me, it depends on the music and the band I am with. I choose gear that works for the sound I want with that group. These days on rare occasions I use different effects for different songs, less often than in the past. On my amplified blues gigs I like distortion and break up based on my playing, but not massive constant fuzziness. Most of my playing to the PA has nothing but a touch of reverb, if anything.
But everyone has a sound or sounds in their heads that they want. And that is a GOOD thing!
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Doug S.
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hvyj
2961 posts
Feb 14, 2016
11:59 AM
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@doug: "But everyone has a sound or sounds they hear in their head that they want." It would be nice if that were true, but I have my doubts. It seems to me that most harp players have a sound they heard on a recording that they want to imlitate.
I mean, that's ok as far as it goes, but chasing that "one tone" involves about as much creativity as the average Elvis impersonator.
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dougharps
1163 posts
Feb 14, 2016
3:38 PM
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@hvyj
Well, I guess we may disagree on the issue of lack of creativity in chasing certain tones. I find it perfectly fine for people to pursue whatever sound they want. It just needs to complement the music with which it is played.
I think harmonica is like voice in that in addition to harmonicas, we all use our bodies to make the music. I support every player in going for the sound they want, whatever it is, effects, distortion, etc.
I like the sound of acoustic harmonica these days, and am trying to get the best sound I can with me and the harps using techniques.
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Doug S.
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Barley Nectar
1134 posts
Feb 16, 2016
4:13 PM
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For a wide palette of tone you need a clean powerful amp. Something like Toneguy86 is using. I much prefer tube amps but a PA will work also. Clean amps will take pedals well as will a PA. You know about mic technique so I will not go there. Setting your tube amp on the edge of distortion will give you the ability to play clean----dirty by simply changing your attack. One common mistake with amp setup is not cranking up the tone controls. I use 4 as 0 on tone knobs. You need to crank up those controls because if you do not, you throw away a good part of your signal.
Mics on stands will give you a whole nother world of sounds. You can use a bullet in hand then run a stand mic into the other channel of the amp. Or run the stand mic into the PA. There are a zillion variables.
If you spend your formative harp years copying licks of dead players, you will sound like a dead player!...BN
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