Hey dudes, looking for a good wee mic to compliment the Fender Pro Jr I'm planning on getting, Help a fella out?
Also, got a Joe Spiers Marine Band C, good wee job, but the bastards at customs cost me a further fifty pound to get it into the country. Who would be the next best harp fixer/customiser in the UK?
@DirtyDeck - All last winter I played a Bulletini at a weekly jam & it was not only a 'wee' mic but an outstanding one. At $230, it's a steal. http://www.blowsmeaway.com/bulletini.html I play its brother made out of cocobolo wood with the Heumann element and even though the size of the Bulletini is smaller, it leaves nothing to be desired. Charlie Musselwhite used one through a Bassman in a concert here in Ottawa 2 nights ago and it was marvellous. As for harp mechanics in the UK, the name I keep hearing is: Cain Hamilton http://sugarcain.co.uk
Last Edited by Owen Evans on Jun 25, 2016 7:41 AM
I'm guessing you're fairly new to amplified playing. Look no further than the Bulletini. Why?
1) small size makes it easier to cup - and good cupping is the single most important skill you can learn for amplified tone (beyond developing your own acoustic tone in the first place.)
2) Before you learn to cup (and it takes time) - a mic's high frequencies will come through more and bass will be less. This results in harsh sound. The reason people crave vintage elements is that their frequency response wasn't as "good" as modern mics - i.e., their treble response rolled off at a much lower frequency, and that helps warm up the tone.. But elements that old are pricey, finicky and fragile. The Bulletini uses The Heumann Element which is a NEW element that I specifically designed for harp - it does what the vintage elements did - rolls off the highs for you, and adds bass.
the best mic. for a vintage sound is a vintage mic.
you need to ask yourself, who's plays amped harmonica that has a sound you like the most? who are the top three players you like, that should give you a clue as where to start your search.
the pro jr is a great harp amp. and a joe spiers harp? can't get no better than that right there! the harmonica is a toy perhaps it is best to declare it only cost 10 quid.
Get yourself a generic harp amp and save yourself time and hazzle. Marble max might do the trick. And than a vintage mic or a new wood mic frow Greg Heumann or something.
Oh, and do learn how to at least gap and tune your harps, even if you buy customs...
Last Edited by FreeWilly on Jun 25, 2016 9:04 AM
I'd either get a 5W or a 50w amp, I don't see the point in 15W amps.
For mic contact Mat Walklate on facebook, he is an awesome player with a used JT30 for sale I believe.. Otherwise new Heumanns are top shelf.
Last Edited by Ofir Levi on Jun 25, 2016 9:28 AM
There are so many good vintage mics out there, and guys like Greg who can fix them up if necessary. I've been really lucky on Ebay, and have picked up an Astatic Brown Bullet, Brown Biscuit, Shure 533SA, and an EV 641. They are all great mics - some better for certain amps. A couple of them came with excellent elements and a couple I had to replace the elements (with vintage elements), and I am pretty sure that I didn't pay as much as $100 for any of them. The best one for me at the moment is the EV 641 (cost $45 and has a great element). It's small diameter has helped me to really learn how to cup properly (I do have smaller hands). It sounds awesome through my Bassman (59 reissue, early 90s) and my funky 12 watt Decca. But the real key in my mind is that I am cupping it better than the other mics. Also, I realize that I've been lucky in my finds. I guess the gist of my message is that it's mostly about technique and how the mic works with a particular amp, and that there are plenty of cool options out there.
Last Edited by Rgsccr on Jun 25, 2016 10:05 AM
I played through a Bulletini with a Blues Jr. It sounded good.
My question is: Which "vintage sound?" Shure 585, 545, Green Bullet, Astatic JT-30, Biscuit, crystal, ceramic, controlled reluctance, magnetic, dynamic, high, low, or dual impedance, loose cup, tight cup,small amp, big amp, 10", 12", etc. That leaves out the player's tone, vibrato, single note, chords, etc.
Don't get the Pro Junior. I have one and it's not ideal for harp. Ok, but not brilliant.
Re the mic, any decent mic will do the trick if you have the technique down. In any case, the Bulletini ist a good, reliable and cheapish choice. It is the only mic I own that works through all my amps.
We are doing a live recording tomorrow (video and audio) when I'll be playing the Bulletini through a Marble Harpwood. If you're interested, I'll post here.
As a die hard do it yourselfer, I build my own mics. Prefer the Shure 99A86 element myself for vintage tone. But as Doug states, there are a ton of variables. To eliminate one of these variables, get a mic from a reputable builder. Greg Heumann is one of the leading mic guys in the USA. I have played a Pro Jr and find it to be fine for harp. It's all opinion ya know! ...BN
i'm sure i dont know 'best'. i only know what i like best of what ive used. i mainly blow through either a Solid State PA, in which case itll be a Shure sm58 most times but sometimes a sm57. i'd prefer not a 57, but most people like them. maybe i'm hard to get on with...i find them prone to handling noise and i'm a bit arthritic in the hands and the ball on the 58 is easier for me to hold. i'm sure the handling noise thing is a non-issue if you spend a bit of time learning how to deal with the mic... i used a Heumann 'ultimate' mic with bulletiser yesterday and i think from that brief encounter i can say that is a very comfortable mic for me.
otherwise i use my tube amps and with those i generally like a bullet, and usually its either a shure 'brown bullet' shell (a bit smaller than the more common 520-series shells) with a vintage shure CR element or a JT30-style sell with a Astatic crystal. those two are my go-to mics, although i also have EV605, shure 520, EV630, and another JT 30 which has a shure element. theyre all fine but youre always gonna have favourites and after all that BS, i reckon i agree that you can just go with what Greg says...
i had a close up look at a friend's pro jr a few weeks back when i replaced the POS input jack. not my kind of amp i think...ok but noisy and didn't seem all that robust...crappy jacks and everything soldered direct to the PCB...but you know...my big amp is a deville and its the same kind of deal and still strong 20 years on, so maybe its no big deal
Dirty - welcome to the quest ! Each amp responds to mics differently, so if you can, try a few and see how they smoke with your amp. Heumann's Bullettini is a good all around mic, but may not be the ticket. You cant really tell till you play them through your rig. I would guess a CM would work. Dont matter what you get, if you want a fat tone make sure you get a mic that you can comfortably get your hands around and create a good cup/seal with enough room to create a hollow chamber between the grill of the mic and your index fingers and thumbs holding the harp. If you play the harp on the grill your gonna have a tone closer to Bob Dylan's.
Last Edited by Slimharp on Jun 26, 2016 10:20 AM
Thanks 47. You sounded dam fine yourself. I guess we could say playing with Rod and his set up dont get much better. Rod is a dam good dude.Now Im twisting his harps too.
I happen to love a pro junior for harp . Since you are in the UK , you might want to look up miff smith in the backwater blues band. They are in the south of England . Miff has a ton of old American harmonica mics for sale . ----------really good sounding ones! www.shakeylee.com
Cheers lads! Aye the Fender Pro Junior I just happened to hear a fella playing on one Sunday and I guess it's a whim, but it also doubles up a decent guitar amp for me so saves luggin' extra shite about for gigs. Goin' to look into a few of the vintage mics first, then I'll maybe go modern if I'm having trouble. I got big-ass hands, and a damn good acoustic tone already, even if I do say so myself, so I'm blessed with that good foundation. Still having some throat troubles -FUCKFUCKFUCK! - but it's all good, will be mixing it up TB/LP from now on, see what that does to help.
All the best dudes - keep 'er bluesey! Or at the very least - jazzy ;)
