[Harp-L] Re: Fireball

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've tested an Audix Fireball for several days now, and in general I
think it's an impressive mic, though not the only mic a harp player
could want.  But no single mic does everything, any more than a single
amp does everything, and a mic with its own sound is a great tool,
especially if the sound is flexible enough for lots of different
purposes.

I've tested this mic head-to-head against a Labtec AM-22, an AKG BT330D
(similar to a Shure SM58), and an Astatic JT-30 with volume control
through chains that include straight into my Peavey keyboard amp
(essentially a self-contained PA amp), into my Digitech RP200 and
through the Peavey, and through my blues amp (a modified Crate VC508
with 12AT7 preamp tube and Weber 8" speaker).

My comments are as follows:
1) The Fireball produces a much louder signal before feedback than any
of the other mics, especially straight into the keyboard amp.

2) It's very comfortable to handle, particularly because of its light
weight and small size.  It looks very cool, and the finish says "pro." 
(Not that that matters a lot to me -- I'm the guy who carries an $8
computer mic that looks like something Fisher-Price made to his gigs.)   

3)  It produces little or no apparent proximity effect, i.e. the bass
boost that one commonly gets from being right up close on a dynamic mic.
This is good, or not, depending on whether you like proximity effect. 
Some players might prefer the proximity effect.  

4) The overall tone is clear, clean and full. I find that I don't have
to work as hard as I do with the AKG to produce a strong tone with lots
of cut.  It handles sudden, hard attacks very well, without distortion. 
This mic will undoubtedly cut through a loud band better than any other
dynamic mic in my collection.

5)  For many kinds of rock, jazz, country, "acoustic" country blues, and
other styles, the Fireball is a strong contender for first choice.  For
Chicago-style blues, this mic would not be my first choice, though I'd
rather use it than many other dynamics if the first choice (Labtec AM-22
or Astatic JT-30 in my case) wasn't available. The very high volume the
Fireball produces might tip the scales.   

In short, this is a mic that many harmonica players would find to be a
very useful addition to their collections.  The retail prices listed in 
some other recent posts -- in the neighborhood of $129, only a little
more than a Shure SM57 -- make it worthy of strong consideration for 
anyone who plays anything other than 100% amped Chicago blues. 

Final comment: one reviewer commented that he was upset that the mic
required an add-on Lo-Z to Hi-Z line transformer in order to be used
with a 1/4" guitar amp input.  Many players currently use Lo-Z vocal
mics like the Shure SM57 or SM58 for harp, and most of those players
already own such a transformer.  For those who don't, they're readily
available at any musical instrument store or Radio Shack for about $20,
and they're easy to use: just plug it into the female end of an XLR
cable, then plug the cable into the amp.  If you're interested in the
mic, it's not a show-stopper. I carry one of those transformers to every
recording session, just in case a recording engineer decides at the last
minute that he really wants to hear the harp through a guitar amp, and
they don't have a single hi-Z mic in the place.  (It's happened.) 

Thanks, Richard Hunter
hutnerharp.com