[Harp-L] Audix Fireball (V) vs Blues Blaster

["Klein, Steven \(DSCP\)" <Steven.Klein@xxxxxxx>]

Hello, Jim

I have an Audix Fireball, a JT-30 with the Rod Piazza mod and 2 custom
Green Bullets made by Dave Kott . One GB has a CR element and the other
has a CM element. Since I use it for gigging I have 2 of everything just
in case something goes wrong I have a back up. I use the mics for 2
Kalamazoo Model One amps. I thought that they would sound the same but
they do not. Even though both are "identical" amps the sound is
different from each amp. I am told that the reason for this is that the
older amps were not made to exact specs but were only checked to see if
they were within a general tolerance and would be passed as acceptable
if it hit the right area in the meters they used to verify general
compliance with the specs. That's why identical vintage amps can sound
different. Matching the mic to your particular amp is very important.
Also, as has already been stated, it's YOUR ear that counts so ideally
you should try out different mics with your own amp. The Fireball does
have a cleaner sound than the GB's; however, with a tight cup and the
harp centered on the mic, I get a very pleasing distortion from it. I
play blues, rock and soul so for me the Fireball allows me to play clean
and distorted with the same mic, which is helpful if you don't want to
swap between 2 mics at a gig. If you are strictly looking for the
traditional Chicago blues sound then I would recommend the GB's
customized by Dave Kott [email: grbullets2@xxxxxxx]. Once I started
using Kott's GB's I preferred them over the JT-30 since they have more
bottom end and sounded darker in comparison. The element is the critical
part that affects the sound, so, if you wish, Dave can use your blues
blaster mic and put in a different element. 

Steve Klein
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 09:28:10 -0700
From: Greg Heumann <greg@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Audix Fireball (V) vs Blues Blaster
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID: <895EF0A3-3C0E-4336-A293-6BAAF32580FA@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Hello, Jim

I have been playing for many years now and I've tried a lot of  
different mics, including both Blues Blaster (older and newer, see  
below) and Audix Fireball and Fireball-V. From your post I suspect  
you're learning to play blues. In my opinion the Audix Fireball is  
not what you want. It is a perfectly good mic, but it is very one- 
dimensional in sound - it will NOT allow you to get a warm, dirty,  
thick Chicago type sound. It will NOT exhibit a large difference  
between cupped and not cupped. As a new player, trust me, cupping  
technique has WAY more to do with good tone than any other factor and  
it takes time to learn. You should learn it with a mic that is more  
responsive to cupping technique.

The Blues Blaster comes in the same shell that the famous old JT30  
did. Hohner took it over when Astatic stopped marketing it. The  
original Blues Blasters were sold with an Astatic MC-151 element - a  
very good element. But then even Hohner couldn't get a supply of  
these elements any more. The later ones were sold with a really cheap  
element and frankly, they are pretty awful. I don't know which one  
you have - you can easily open the mic to find out. But I say this  
because you shouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater - i.e.,  
don't assume all "traditional looking" bullets sound like your Blues  
Blaster - they don't.

If I'm right that you're looking for good traditional blues tone,  
then I would recommend you either replace the element in your blues  
blaster with an MC151 or Shure Controlled Magnetic element (get a  
gasket to make it fit from harpmicgaskets.com) - or buy a mic with  
one of these elements or a comparable one. FYI - learning to cup well  
takes a lot of practice - and if your hands are small it can be a lot  
harder. I just put one of my custom mics on eBay, one specifically  
designed to help people with smaller hands. The auction listing is  
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130026583657

regards,

Greg Heumann
http://www.blowsmeaway.com