[Harp-L] elements for the i-mic

[Jim McBride <jpmcbride@xxxxxxxxx>]

Gary,
 
Good question about the i-mic. Homemade mics are fun to make and can sound pretty darn good. I know from experience, I make the Bottle 'O Blues mic which I sell through eBay and on my website at www.geocities.com/bottle_o_blues . I also make other mics just for fun at home using different types of elements and housings.
 
(1) You do not want an electret condenser mic. These require a DC bias voltage to operate. This would require you to put a battery in your mic. Also these mics are small and tend to sound very thin. I spent a lot of time trying to design a mic very much like the Harmonica Honker using a belt pack with battery and electronics, and an electret condenser mic on the end of a wire on a rind held in the hand. Never got it to sound decent. My hat's off to the Harmonica Honker guy for pulling it off. 
 
(2) The crystal elements available at mouser sound pretty screechy and thin to me. However, they are usable and don't actually sound much different than the production elements used in the new Hohner Bluesblaster. They may even be the same ones! 
 
(3) Some of the dynamic elements from Mouser (and elsewhere) sound really good. They are a good choice for an i-mic. Choose one with as high of an impedance as you can find. 500 ohms or higher is good.
 
Now to your impedance question...
 
You can use a dynamic element with a 500 ohm impedance and connect it directly into any high impedance input, guitar amp, PA, effects pedal, direct box, whatever, and it will work fine. Some people will tell you that you need an impedance matching transformer but you do not. You can buy one if you want but it isn't necessary. I build these mics all the time and play them through every high impedance input I can find and they work great and have a strong output.
 
Buy a few different elements and knock yourself out building homemade mics. I've build them in all kinds of bottles, in shower heads, and in tea balls (like the egg-static mic), etc..., and they all work. One thing you'll find quickly is that the shape of the housing, its accoustics, make a huge difference on the mic tone.
 
Have fun,
 
Jim McBride
www.geocities.con.bottle_o_blues
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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