Re: Dialing in that " Tone " Thang

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, 

All this talk about James Cotton using a vocal mic
direct to the PA reminded me of when I saw J.C.
perform last year when he came through Colorado
Springs.

James spent a lot of time dialing in his sound.
Even after his set began he kept shaking his head
at the poor Schmoe running the sound board, 'cause
the sound guy just didn't quite 'get it.'

After about the 4th song James's harp was all
dialed in and his sound was front and center where
it belongs. Such a great show!

The part that relates to this thread, however, was
late in the last set when James called up a sit-in
player, a local harp slinger who, I guess, often
played in that club. (I don't know the guy. It was
NOT Magic Dave Therault, however. Dave's band
opened for James.)

Anyway, James gives this wonderful introduction for
this sit-in player, and starts up a song. James
played the first solo, then hands his harp mic to
the sit-in guy, but when he started playing, the
sound just dropped out. 

The sit-in player simply didn't have the tone-power
to deliver the levels that James was giving. The
poor Schmoe sound guy ~tried~ to boost the signal
on the fly, but only pulled in feedback... 

I felt for the sit-in guy because he had some fair
chops, but no one could tell because he was buried.
At stage sound levels, he could hardly be heard.

James laughed the whole thing off and grabbed the
mic back to finish the number... his big, powerful
tone just oozing out all over the place. 

Shows ta go ya. It ain't the mic, it's the man.

Which brings me back to the old, old, old thing
that gets repeated ENDLESSLY around here... (here
it comes...)

Accoustic tone is what you really need to develop.
Amped tone is great, but it ain't nuthin' without
good acoustic tone. Good accoustic tone will make a
fair amp sound GREAT. Great accoustic tone will
make ANYTHING sound great. 

Harpin' in Colorado,
- --Ken M.


- ---  <party_man1@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> rainbowjimmy:
> 
> >The time we opened for Cotton, I witnessed first
> hand just how >serious these guys are when it
> comes to their sound, even when using >a simple
> vocal mic.
> 
> >We ran through a number where I did some vocals.
> I noticed a perplexed >look on the soundman
<<snip>>


=====
"When you speak of Walter Horton, the first thing you think of is his tone, that big, fat tone."
- ---Li'l Ronnie Owens

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