RE: [Harp-L] Good cheap microphone

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

<<<Hey all.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm either an advanced beginner, or an intermediate player (whatever that
means).

I've been playing, studying, and practicing pretty seriously for a little 
over a
year, going to weekly blues jams since January, and just recently have been
asked to be the harp man for a newly forming local blues band.  So I'm not a
complete novice, and I'm also not consistently good enough to play
professionally.

I've been using a Shure 520DX with a Fender Pro Jr. for a while, and I've 
never
really liked the green bullet.  I have pretty normal sized hands, but I 
really
struggle with maintaining a tight cup all night.  When I get a good tight 
cup, I
have difficulty moving fluidly up and down the harp, and when I don't have 
it,
you just don't get that tone.  After about an hour my hands start cramping.
When it gets right down to it, I prefer to play acoustically for the better
ergonomics and the variety of tone you can get with hand effects.

So, I've been wishing for the money to buy a harmonica honker or Shaker 
Madcat
or something similar.  A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a tie-clip 
microphone
from Radio Shack for about $25 - the type a presentation speaker would use.  
The
microphone is a little bigger than a pencil eraser.  I threw the tie-clip 
away
and hold the microphone between the middle and ring finger of my left hand,
winding the thin cord around those two fingers once or twice to help hold 
them
together.  There is about 4 feet of thin cable to a tiny power supply with a
switch, which fits in your pocket or clips on to your belt, then some more 
cord
ending in a 1/8" jack.  I bought a 20' cable with a 1/8" female at one end 
and a
1/4" male at the other, and plug straight into my amp.

I love it.  You can play acoustically.  When you seal your cup you get great
crunchy compression.  When you open up you play clean.  More to the point, I
don't have to think about the microphone when I'm playing, and my playing 
feels
a lot more fluid.  In addition, it is a lot less feedback prone than the GB. 
 I
can turn my Pro Jr. up to 7 or 8 instead of 4 or 5 before feedback.

Anyway, if you are out there struggling with a bullet mic, you might want to
give this a try.

Best regards,
Mike Holcomb>>>

This is uncanny.  I've had exactly the same experience.  I have arthritis in 
my finger joints and wrists, and there were nights with my green bullet when 
I had to give up in despair.  I tried a stereo tie-clip mic (£30) that I'd 
originally bought for my minidisc recorder, and after a bit of adjusting I 
found it to be fantastic.  I do exactly as Mike describes.  Same level of 
control over tone that Mike describes too.  I've just bought a mono one - 
even cheaper at £20 - as a backup and it's just as good.  As Mike says I 
think you need one with its own power supply. The battery (cheap) lasts 
forever.  The only slight hassle I find in my own situation is that I miss 
the volume control, but that's no big deal really.  I can even use my 
open/closed cup as a volume control to some extent - agreed, Mike?  The 
whole thing including its power unit fits into a tiny bag - ideal for 
travelling light/busking.   It's a great backup for your regular mic in case 
anything should go wrong.  This is no compromise - it's a solution!

Steve


Want more than the blues?  Try Irish!
http://mysite.freeserve.com/trad_irish_harmonica

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