Comments on: Pump Up the Volume – But You Still Need Skill http://www.harmonica.com/blog/555-amps-mics-for-harmonica-playing.html Learning to Play the Harmonica - Made Fun! Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:14:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: JP Allen http://www.harmonica.com/blog/555-amps-mics-for-harmonica-playing.html/comment-page-1#comment-3143 JP Allen Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:01:05 +0000 http://www.harmonica.com/blog/?p=555#comment-3143 Hi Z, Wireless not sure what to recommend for you, but wired I love the Audix Fireball V. Get the impedance convertor as well. jp Hi Z,

Wireless not sure what to recommend for you, but wired
I love the Audix Fireball V. Get the impedance convertor as well.

jp

]]> By: z. Tornek http://www.harmonica.com/blog/555-amps-mics-for-harmonica-playing.html/comment-page-1#comment-3071 z. Tornek Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:54:07 +0000 http://www.harmonica.com/blog/?p=555#comment-3071 What do you recommend for small, good quality wireless mike w/vol. control. I have a Hering 64 harmonica. Is ther e something that will onnct it to the instrument so I don't have to hold it? thanks What do you recommend for small, good quality wireless mike w/vol. control. I have a Hering 64 harmonica. Is ther e something that will onnct it to the instrument so I don’t have to hold it? thanks

]]> By: Frank http://www.harmonica.com/blog/555-amps-mics-for-harmonica-playing.html/comment-page-1#comment-1083 Frank Mon, 06 Dec 2010 22:08:26 +0000 http://www.harmonica.com/blog/?p=555#comment-1083 What are your feelings about playing through effect boxes. phase shifter, delay reverb chamber, etc etc. I got 20 years of harp playing under me and liked your choice of amps @ mica. is "the honker" mic. Any good? What are your feelings about playing through effect boxes. phase shifter, delay reverb chamber, etc etc. I got 20 years of harp playing under me and liked your choice of amps @ mica. is “the honker” mic. Any good?

]]> By: jpallen http://www.harmonica.com/blog/555-amps-mics-for-harmonica-playing.html/comment-page-1#comment-521 jpallen Mon, 12 Apr 2010 08:28:34 +0000 http://www.harmonica.com/blog/?p=555#comment-521 I generally like this article. I will say that tone is VERY important. I agree that it may be premature for a beginning harmonica player to buy a rig but at the same time, for an advanced player TONE IS HALF THE GAME. What's a harmonica rig? The simplest version is a mic a cable and an amp. I sometime play with pedels but the mic and amp are the key! The last paragraph of the above article seems to imply that a mic and amp are only about playing loud. I want to be polite but this is not even close to being accurate. The mic and the amp I play with makes all the difference to the tone and thus the emotional quality my playing. I personally love small old amps. My favorite is the pre CBS Fender Champ. I believe they were last made in 1958 or 1959. The key is to find one with the original speaker or buy and insert and original old speaker. The reason for this is that the old original speakers are thinner than most of the new speakers. Thin speakers are very desirable or harmonica player because they create a rich natural distortion that gives the harmonica sound a huge body. How do you know a thin speaker? Stick your hand in the amp and just feel and look at the speaker. If you compare it to a new speaker you'll notice and old fender speaker feels more thin and flimsy to the touch. Why did they start making thicker speakers? Modern guitar players tend to like them better and Fender is selling to guitar players (there's more money in it for Fender). MICS: I like the JT 30 mic. My favorite harp mics have volume knobs. I like the Hohner Blues Blaster with the Volume knob...and of course the Sure Green Bullet is great too...they now make one with a volume knob. Why do I like a volume knob? Because I can turn the mic off when I walk over to the amp...crank up the amp with out creating feedback...and then walk away from the amp and put my body between the amp and the mic (this helps to prevent feedback)... Then I slowly turn up the mic... I love it when my amp is CRANKED UP AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE and is on the edge of feedback...That's why I love the having a volume knob...if feedback begins to creep in, I can quickly cut the volume on the mic to stop feedback immediately before it kicks into that high harmonic screech that hurts everyones ears. It's late and I'm tired but I hope my feed back helps. Warmly, JP Allen I generally like this article.

I will say that tone is VERY important. I agree that it may be premature for a beginning harmonica player to buy a rig but at the same time, for an advanced player TONE IS HALF THE GAME.

What’s a harmonica rig? The simplest version is a mic a cable and an amp. I sometime play with pedels but the mic and amp are the key!

The last paragraph of the above article seems to imply that a mic and amp are only about playing loud. I want to be polite but this is not even close to being accurate.

The mic and the amp I play with makes all the difference to the tone and thus the emotional quality my playing.

I personally love small old amps. My favorite is the pre CBS Fender Champ. I believe they were last made in 1958 or 1959. The key is to find one with the original speaker or buy and insert and original old speaker.

The reason for this is that the old original speakers are thinner than most of the new speakers. Thin speakers are very desirable or harmonica player because they create a rich natural distortion that gives the harmonica sound a huge body.

How do you know a thin speaker? Stick your hand in the amp and just feel and look at the speaker. If you compare it to a new speaker you’ll notice and old fender speaker feels more thin and flimsy to the touch.

Why did they start making thicker speakers?

Modern guitar players tend to like them better and Fender is selling to guitar players (there’s more money in it for Fender).

MICS: I like the JT 30 mic. My favorite harp mics have volume knobs. I like the Hohner Blues Blaster with the Volume knob…and of course the Sure Green Bullet is great too…they now make one with a volume knob.

Why do I like a volume knob?

Because I can turn the mic off when I walk over to the amp…crank up the amp with out creating feedback…and then walk away from the amp and put my body between the amp and the mic (this helps to prevent feedback)…

Then I slowly turn up the mic…

I love it when my amp is CRANKED UP AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE and is on the edge of feedback…That’s why I love the having a volume knob…if feedback begins to creep in, I can quickly cut the volume on the mic to stop feedback immediately before it kicks into that high harmonic screech that hurts everyones ears.

It’s late and I’m tired but I hope my feed back helps.

Warmly,

JP Allen

]]>