Martin
1085 posts
Nov 07, 2016
3:26 PM
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Any pointers for a total klutz on how to easily bulletize a stick microphone? (SM 57 copy.)
It´s gotta be dirt cheap and terribly easy -- and preferably removable. (I know Greg H sells this stuff but it´out of my league.)
I pondered a beer-can for a while (or those even smaller for "energy drinks") but it will look to damn ugly and I don´t wanna come off as cheaper than I am.
Tough demands, I know, but I find that those small mics tend to get a bit slippery and then be on their way.
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2chops
546 posts
Nov 07, 2016
3:32 PM
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Go to a hardware store plumbing section. A clear vinyl tubing with an inner diameter of 1 1/8" I believe it is. You'll need about 4 - 6 inches. Slides on easy and is snug enough that it'll stay on. I used this for a year and a half till I ponied up the $60 for a Bulletizer. Works just dandy.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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hvyj
3159 posts
Nov 07, 2016
5:15 PM
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I didn't do it to "bulletize" but you can get a 1.25" nylon/plastic shaft collar and attach it just behind the mic element, You may need to file or sand to a slightly smaller diameter depending on the mic.
I did this to my 545 Ultimates to enable me to hook my little finger behind the shaft collar to hold the mic in order to change my grip so that it would be less likely to interfere with my embouchure. But if you wanted to grip the shaft collar around its circumstance it could function sorta like a bulletizer.
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Harp Study
221 posts
Nov 07, 2016
6:35 PM
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I've made a couple for odd mics out of styrofoam balls or cones that you get from craft stores. Basically after you have carved it you cover it with elmers glue which then sort of hardens like plastic. They worked; not as well as my bulletizer, but they worked.
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Martin
1086 posts
Nov 08, 2016
5:02 AM
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Thank you guys. I appreciate the input.
However, I fear that language abandons me to some extent here (the real trickiness for us armchair English speakers comes when you talk about technical details, tools and what have you, way outside of the Academe and the humanities) but as I take it:
@2chops: is that simply the kind of tube you use for a hose; or is it that sort of tube that can be used to carry electrical cables and so on?
@hvyj: "1.25" nylon/plastic shaft collar". I try to visualize this but comes up with ... not a whole lot. Could you please hint what kind of usage this material/gadget is intendend for?
@Harp Study: "Elmer´s glue" -- is that a very specialized form of glue, or more of a standard variety? (I get the point with styrofoam!)
Sorry to sound so demanding but I´ve got a few other mics to work on as well and am willing to look for the best solution.
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gmacleod15
280 posts
Nov 08, 2016
5:42 AM
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Maybe modeling clay from a craft shop.
You can shape it into a ring and slide on the mic. Then adjust the shape to match your grip. Then slide the soft clay off the mic being careful to keep the shape. You then bake the clay in your oven at low temperature until it hardens. Maybe some light sanding and paint and glue it on. Draw back is that it might be heavy if you make it too big.
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MBH member since 2009-03-24
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Greg Heumann
3289 posts
Nov 08, 2016
8:28 AM
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Lots of good ideas here. For the record, a Bulletizer isn't $60. It is $49 by itself or $39 when purchased with an Ultimate mic. Shipping for one in the U.S. is $3.50.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
Bluestate on iTunes
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2chops
547 posts
Nov 08, 2016
9:18 AM
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@Greg...sorry about the mis-quote on the price. I was in a hurry and it was an off the top of my head guess.
@Martin...the hose I used was a clear tubing that was being sold as a drain hose of sorts. No fittings attached. It was on a bulk reel and cut to length by the store. It fit perfectly on my SM57.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
Last Edited by 2chops on Nov 08, 2016 9:19 AM
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Harp Study
223 posts
Nov 08, 2016
2:30 PM
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@Martin... elmers glue is just a standard glue mainly used for glueing paper together. It is used by school children a lot here (US) for crafts. Some glues will eat Styrofoam (such as super glue), so as long as the glue doesn't eat the styrofoam I imagine that any glue would work. Without the glue the foam breaks down quickly due to contact.
Last Edited by Harp Study on Nov 08, 2016 2:31 PM
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htownfess
294 posts
Nov 09, 2016
2:09 AM
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Neoprene tubing used to insulate air conditioning conduits is very useful for this purpose. I grab scraps of it around construction or repairs, both of which are terribly common in Houston, to the point that I've never bought any of the stuff, just scavenged it--25mm ID is usual. Thick neoprene is sometimes used for canned drink insulators and can be cut and then glued into a ring using flexible silicone-type glues. With the neoprene tubing, I usually cut an additional wedge of the stuff and glue it on to fit between the heels of my hands, even gluing a little cloth bicycle tape onto that to keep it drier, sometimes. An historic thread from 2010 w/ pictures on this subject over at the Lone Wolf forum can be seen at
Neoprene Stick Mic Helper Thread
Historic because you might perceive the genesis of the Bulletizer therein ;-)
Last Edited by htownfess on Nov 09, 2016 2:12 AM
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Killa_Hertz
1877 posts
Nov 09, 2016
4:15 AM
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The Bulletiser is GREAT! I have one on my Ulti 545, which is also fantastic.
I know your trying to do this on the cheap. I have used sections of bicycle inner tube wrapped around the head of the sm57. Works pretty good. (For the 57 look for small inner tubes. Like a 10 speed tire.) This will get you the cupping sound, but not the size. Not sure if thats important.
(didn't have time to read the whole thread, so sorry if this is already up there.)
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Martin
1087 posts
Nov 09, 2016
5:48 AM
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Many thanks to all for the pointers (though some of you vastly exaggerate my artisanal proficiency: sadly, it simply can´t get worse) and I´m right now tying my tie and soon on my way to a local hardware-store, microphone in hand, to see what they might have to offer, in line with the comments above.
Of course, the easiest strategy would be to simply buy a Bulletizer, but it would cost more than my microphone, and I´m very hard pressed for expenses.
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Barley Nectar
1269 posts
Nov 09, 2016
6:01 AM
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Hello htownfess, Goose here. Good to see your still around. Take care
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Joe_L
2675 posts
Nov 09, 2016
2:59 PM
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If you work on your cupping technique, you won't need one.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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Greg Heumann
3291 posts
Nov 10, 2016
9:59 AM
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@Joe_L - even with good cupping technique, cupping such a small diameter can give some people hand cramps after a while. It does to me.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
Bluestate on iTunes
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Martin
1088 posts
Nov 10, 2016
5:30 PM
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@Joe L: We´re talking about an SM57 here. What is it, about 5 cm in width, slippery surface. Introduce some hand sweat and there you go.
Also, I occasionally tend to get the harmonica in contact with the microphone ... what is it called, head?, and that produces some irritating noise.
A bit sloppy there, I know, but I think bulletizing such things is a great idea.
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htownfess
295 posts
Nov 17, 2016
3:58 PM
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@Barley Nectar--hey there Goose, thanks for saying hi. I am barely here, too little time, glad you're still at it.
@Joe L--this time I'd agree w/ Greg and Martin. Some hands do not interface well with some types of mics and while one can improve cupping technique to get the most within the limitations imposed by the interface, cupping needs to be as absolutely relaxed as possible, as Greg says; and most people want at least the option of a really dark, sealed, fat tone at one end of the spectrum, which is physically impossible for some hands on some mics without artificial means like Bulletizing a stick mic. I remember RJ Mischo ten years ago saying he'd learned to get the best he could out of an SM58 into the PA, but out of necessity; he set aside his dislike of the limitations it imposed on his playing and just got on with the song.
I carry around that neoprene French Harp Tickler Ring I made any time I think I might sit in on somebody's 545 or an SM58 because it's easy to stash and I will absolutely sound like myself & quite possibly get more hand effects out of the borrowed mic than the owner does.
If you think about the difference between Kim Wilson's baseline amplified tone with part of the harp sticking out of his cup @ all times and Dennis Gruenling's baseline tone w/ everything sealed up at the dark end of the spectrum, people bulletizing a stick mic may do it to get more of the latter because it can't be done with their hands alone. Kim gets lots of variation thru hand effects, but within a less expansive tonal range than Dennis. They're both great, just as LW and BW both exploited different cupping approaches to great effect; but like I said, many people, especially with small hands, would like to have the full potential tonal range available, and bulletizing opens that up for them, while helping their hands relax as well.
Try to understand the plight of those born w/o massive mitts, just as they should strive to control their envy of players born w/ big hands :-)
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Joe_L
2679 posts
Nov 17, 2016
4:58 PM
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Martin - I use an SM-57 as a vocal mic and to play harp frequently. Personally, I would just buy a Bulletizer from Greg. It's easy to install and it's not outrageously expensive. If you find a mic too slippery, put a thick rubber band around it. This works great on chrome plated bullets, too.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by Joe_L on Nov 17, 2016 5:00 PM
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hvyj
3167 posts
Nov 17, 2016
8:30 PM
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I am perfectly capable of getting an adequately tight grip on my 545 Ultimate without cramping, but my hand position tends to interfere with my embouchure as I move to the high register. The shaft collar allows me to change my hand position and maintain a more consistently deep embouchure everywhere on the harp whether keeping a tight cup or loosening my grip to alter tone/timbre. Not claiming this is better than any other method but it works very well for me.
Last Edited by hvyj on Nov 17, 2016 8:33 PM
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Martin
1093 posts
Nov 18, 2016
9:39 AM
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@Joe L: I´m sure there´s nothing outrageous with Greg´s prices. But the dollar is expensive now and I´m poor (and *always* in need of new harmonicas) so my aim was to come up with something close to a nil expenditure.
Thanks to some of the advice above I´ve managed that now: a hose/vinyl tube that I´ve cut and messed with a bit.
Will have to see how this works in a longer perspective, but as of now I´m at least quite happy with the cost situation: Nil.
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Greg Heumann
3296 posts
Nov 18, 2016
9:54 AM
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@Martin - just be sure NOT to block that silver screen "vent" all the way around. That is there for engineering reasons and blocking it will reduce feedback rejection and change the mic's frequency response.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
Bluestate on iTunes
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Martin
1094 posts
Nov 18, 2016
3:52 PM
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@Greg: Eh, you mean that part at the very top of the 57? That one´s free. But I put styrofoam at the *inside* of the tubeing, along the black screen, just to stabilize it some -- maybe that was stupid?
Haven´t tried it yet so don´t know if anything´s changed.
Right now I´d say it looks a little bit like one of your bulletized mics ... -- if you hade let a drunken monkey do the handiwork. But I can´t afford to be picky about aesthetics.
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