[Harp-L] Re: Audix FireBall

[Spschndr@xxxxxxx]

Sorry this is late, but it was being treated for logorrhea ;-).  One thing I 
missed in the FireBall discussion was what I think is the fundamental physical 
point--unless one has larger-than-average hands, I think you're going to have 
trouble getting a truly good Chicago tone out of the FireBall, bass boost or 
no bass boost, amp on 10 or not.  Charlie Musselwhite and Richard Hunter have 
got big hands; I don't.  I can wrap up the head, just about, but there's no 
room left inside the cup for depth between the harp and the mic, and the lower 
edge of the mic ball where a lot of the bass sneaks in is wholly sealed off by 
my fingers.  I can't compress the tone up front, and it changes little when I 
open my hands; combine that with an element that really does resist distorting 
at high spl, and ~in my hands~ it's lacking fundamental tonal components up 
front, so that it doesn't matter what I play it through or how far I turn the 
amp up or how well I play into the mic.  For potential buyers seeking a 
reference point: if your hands (and harp playing) aren't big enough to make a 
properly EQ'd SM58 or other largish-ball-type mic straight into the PA sound a lot 
like a bullet mic through a proper tube amp (the way Musselwhite and James 
Cotton and Kenny Neal have done for years), then I'd guess you've got small odds of 
really making the FireBall produce a highly authentic Chicago tone.  Just my 
opinion, mind you, but I didn't see anyone address that point explicitly, and 
I think it's what potential buyers ought to consider in that issue.

Other thoughts on the Audix: The Shure AF95U inline transformer adds little 
to the length of the FireBall when plugged in and offers Swithcraft-style 
screw-on connection that a lot of us are already equipped for, or 1/4" connection 
with the (supplied) standard Switchcraft screw-on adapter, though for me the 
latter is starting to be a bit much leverage on the end of the mic.  I don't 
mind having the Shure adapter because I'd been needing one anyway, but I expect 
the Audix transformer will be both well-matched for impedance and cheaper than 
the Shure.

The wand part of the FireBall V is much skinnier than usual and requires the 
use of the mic clamp that Audix supplies with it, or a spring-loaded universal 
Radio Shack-type clamp; it's too small for the usual SM58-sized clamps found 
onstage.  Got that?  If you take the FireBall onstage to sing through or play 
at, it ~ain't~ gonna stay put in the average mic clamp.  I keep a mic stand in 
the car anyway and put the Audix clamp on it for vocal purposes.  I've 
already finished jam sets by pulling the mic off the stand, rolling off its volume, 
and doing a clean-toned instrumental.  It's really a useful mic in that regard 
if you don't sing loudly, and I'm using a windscreen on it for vocals, may 
help cut that plosive effect one poster mentioned.  Seems to resist distortion 
of vocals to a ridiculous degree too.

I'll also second the effectiveness for blues chromatic that one poster 
mentioned.  I think it's not unusual for experienced players to use a somewhat 
cleaner sound for blues chromatic, or to wish they had a cleaner sound available 
sometimes, and the full-bodied clarity the FireBall V brings to chromatic 
through a good amp means I would use it for that when I wouldn't use it for 
diatonic.  I can't use hand effects much with chromatics anyway, so I don't miss them 
there.  

I'm quite happy with my FireBall V so far--it is expanding what I can do 
musically, and it wasn't ~that~ expensive.  It immediately won a place in my gig 
box.  If one can only have a single microphone to do absolutely everything, it 
probably still ought to be something like a Shure SM57 & transformer or 545S; 
but if you already have a good bullet mic, then get a FireBall V and you have 
a whole lot of options covered.  This is a musical tool I wish I'd had all 
along.  

Stephen Schneider