Years ago Jon Atkinson gave me an EV630. I was intrigued by it, tried to use it as a vocal mic but was told by another band member that it sounded gimmicky. I didn’t really like it as a harp mic so put it away (after spending around $40 on an adaptor) Probably that was early 2018. I don’t know what moved me to start using it again but I took it to rehearsal and played it, and the next week I saw it in my case and screwed it onto my lead again. I think I heard them discussed as good mics for chromatic harp. Anyway at the end of the session I realized I’m very pleased with the sound I am getting with this mic and a Sonny Jr 2. Straight in, and I’m not feeling the need for any other processing. So today I gigged it like that. It’s a bit heavy with the big switch section still attached, but it is ok. And I a loving the sound, better with this amp, and I’m not missing the effects board, so for now that’s it. EV630, straight in.
I had one some 20 years ago or so. At the time I was very much about the warm round cm or crystal powered tone with tube amp, and the 630 was not that so much. I sold it off. About 12 years ago I saw an EVM43U, NOS, brand new in the box from 1955, for a deal. I bought it. It was a military build for use in tanks, very tough and solid. It had the wrong end of a 3 prong xlr cable built in and was low z as well. I had this one modded to high z, a new screw on connector installed, and a volume pot, and it's been a very good mic for that warm tone ever since. Similar to a cm bullet mic but with a very compact shell.
A few years later I ran across a Shure 585 mic, high z, ball type mic, sort of a forerunner to the SM58, and I tried it. I like it a lot for its very good mid range qualities, but it also breaks up pretty nice. This is definitely a mic I use or chromatic. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
I have 2 high impedance and one low impedance EV630s. They are decent mics. Being omnidirectional mics you have to be careful about managing possible feedback.
I posted a video a while back demoing a one of a kind amp using an old push-pull power amp section of a Webcor tape recorder extension speaker with 12AB5 beam power tubes and a pre-amp built by a friend. I demoed the amp with three mics: 1) Astatic Brown Biscuit with a 520D Green Bullet element (I since bought a regular CM element that is smoother); 2) EV630 Hi-Z; and 3) Shure 585SAV.
The video suffers from low voice volume and high harp volume. Also, it is not my best playing since I was just trying to get the sound of the amp recorded.
I quickly recorded the demo in response to a request to hear the amp after I had asked about whether others had ever encountered amps with 12AB5 power tubes. The "video" is cued up to the EV630 mic.
I did gig with this mic with other amps, but don't have any recordings up on YouTube. ----------
Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Feb 22, 2020 8:44 AM
I have an EV638 that I got from Tom Ellis back in 2005. I like it a lot -- enough to gig with it (sometimes). I would be happy to gig with it more, but I'm fortunate to have a number of great mikes. I've not the pleasure of trying a 630.
Last Edited by TetonJohn on Feb 22, 2020 9:03 AM
Interesting, Doug. Even in my phone i can hear the difference there, and it reflects how I think my 630 sounds, and why I initially rejected it. I’m at a loss to explain why I’m suddenly taken with it. Perhaps it’s the novelty, or perhaps I just like the way it hits the mix with my band. There’s a sort of edge to it which is not immediately attractive to me. The stage was quite loud yesterday as it was outdoors and slightly gusty. The guitar amp was a Hotrod Deluxe and as usual i was relying on being able to hear my amp with no harp in the monitor. The PA was quite hot, I was standing around 40-45cm off the mic when singing, and I had a lot of vocal monitor. I wondered how I’d get on hearing the chromatic, as it’s sometimes been a problem in the past, but it was fine. Can’t say it was due to mic choice
My first vintage mic was an EV630 that I bought from Tom Ellis many years ago. It's a fine mic for chromatic, but I do prefer a Shure 585, because it's lighter and I can shape the tone better with it. I think that's an old video of the late William Clarke playing what seems an EV630 and getting a HUGE tone, and I mean HUUUGE (even better than his good tone).
I used it again tonight and again eschewed the pedal board. I got the board out thought about hooking it up, then decided it was an unnecessary distraction and put it away. Again had a really good gig, with great audience engagement. I like the mic. Seems a great match for the sj2.
What is the element in that? I used a crystal mic ala Ruskin in my Bassman along with a cm powered bullet. Both were hell on wheels as I recall. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
It’s just the old electro voice dynamic, Jbone. I’m hypothesizing that my attraction to the mic may be less to do with a particular sound and perhaps more related to physical characteristics which have a positive effect on my state of mind, or at least reduce a negative effect I’ve experienced with other mics.
I also could be making it up, because I don’t really know.
I do know that played in isolation there’s nothing about the sound I’m getting that impresses me over other mics, but I think the general potato-ness of the shell is quite easy to hold, and even though the attached bit of metal beyond the hinge appears as if it should be unwieldy, it gravitates to a fairly natural ‘best’ position and stays there with minimal input. The thing also plays quite well one-handed, without losing load of volume. This leaves me worry-free to use my right hand for other things as needed. Some of my other mics don’t play so nicely.
I think ‘perhaps’ that’s allowed me to focus and not fiddle (physically or mentally) with the mic all the time.
I’m probably just thinking like this because of the feeling I had when I was thinking about using my pedals last night. Looking back, I can see that when I have the pedals hooked up I’m always, to some extent, thinking about tweaking the sound rather than exclusively focusing on what I’m doing and I think maybe I’ve been doing that with various mics also.
I get you about the shape. My EV m43u is a very similar shape and while it came as a low z mic, I had it modded with a small xfmr inside the shell so it's been hi z for years now. It's a compact solid little mic that should outlast me and another generation or two. And the sound is solid too.
Mine has a boss welded on for mounting as well and the placement of the added volume pot makes sense.
I have never relied on pedals bar one delay that once set I forget about. It just fats the sound some. So I've been lucky I think, having most of my attention devoted to the next note to match the next guitar chord. I hear guys using pedals and getting cool effects but it's just something I left behind early on. ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
I periodically set up pedals and even picked up a small pedal board last fall. I have sometimes used delay and occasionally chorus with an amp testing things out at home.
When it comes time to play with a tube amp at a gig, I almost always end up playing straight from the mic to the amp.
I like the EV630 mic except for the weight and lack of a volume control, though it has a switch, so you can kill feedback if it arises.
I like to be able to adjust volume at the mic for different keys of harps or for switching to chromatic.
A while back I picked up a couple 1/4" guitar cords with volume control sliders built in. While they work with that EV630 that I had to put a 1/4" jack in (threads for the adapter were mangled when I got it), it is not as accessible as the volume controls on those other two mics in the video.
Without the volume control and weight issues I like the sound of dynamic element in the EV630 just fine. It has its own sound, different from the CM element biscuit, the 585SAV, or even my Turner 22x with ceramic element and Greg Heumann's extra hi-z volume control.
A good tube amp with a good mic really doesn't need effects pedals. You just focus on using playing techniques along with the mic and amp to manipulate the sound and distortion.
A tight slap back delay can work with an amp to fatten the sound, but generally I just like the sound of a good tube amp.
A while back I adopted the "KISS" principal for playing gigs. I keep it as simple as will meet the needs for the particular gig.
If you play through solid state amps or the PA, pedals can help some, but I still like to keep it simple and play.
Outside of blues band gigs I usually just play through my Ultimate 58 to the PA. ----------
Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Mar 04, 2020 8:06 AM
