Re: [Harp-L] Hammond B3 sounds

[Bradford Trainham <bradford.trainham@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've had limited success with some of the rotary settings on the
M-Audio BlackBox guitar processor.  But I'm glad to see the discussion
because I love the idea and if I can ever get the sound I hear in my
head, I'll be set.  
You can also get something, which not like the B-3 sound, is similar
in mood with a fast, light chorus.  I like this one because you can
use major thirds/minor thirds and it doesn't sound too novel as to
displace the other instruments. 
And the deep breaths one needs to pull that off during a slow Blues
song will certainly oxygenate the blood if nothing else.
Brad Trainham
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:40:57 -0400, you wrote:

>"Ken Ficara" wrote:
>
><I saw Paco Shipp play with Billy Joe Shaver the other night -- great <harp
><player with a wide range of styles. On a few songs he was using an <effects
><unit to get a sound that really came close to a Hammond B3. He's got <great
><tone and vibrato, so that helped, but any thoughts on what effects <might
><produce that sound? Something like a combination of octave and chorus? <I
><noticed he was being VERY careful to only hit single notes so I 
><suspected an
><octave doubler in there somewhere but I really liked that sound.
>
>There are lots of devices out there that will do a Leslie-style rotating 
>speaker effect, which is the characteristic component of a Hammond sound 
>that you're talking about.  My Digitech RP200 (now selling for about $90 
>at American Musical Supply) does a pretty good Leslie imitation, though 
>it lacks the real sense of moving air that a genuine rotating speaker 
>produces.  Line 6 produces a dedicated rotating speaker effect box for 
>about $100.  I haven't used it, but Line 6 effects in general are very 
>good stuff.
>
>A phase shifter can also produce something similar to a Leslie effect, 
>and it's a good sound in its own right, whether or not it sounds exactly 
>like a Leslie. I use the Akai phase shifter pedal, which sells for about 
>$35 new, and it works great with harp. I also like the phase shifter in 
>the RP200; it's a somewhat darker sound than the Akai.  The RP200 allows 
>you to put the cycle rate of the phase shifter under footpedal control, 
>so you can speed it up or slow it down like a rotating speaker.
>
>Finally, Craig Struble, just voted best harmonica player in Connecticut 
>in the Fairfield County weekly poll, uses a real Leslie speaker.  It 
>sounds great, but it's relatively expensive and heavy.  Motion Sound 
>also makes a real rotating speaker device, which retails for over $1000, 
>as I recall.
>
>Regarding the octave doubler, this will certainly thicken the sound, and 
>in combination with a rotating speaker effect should be very 
>Hammond-like.  The Electro Harmonix HOG and POG devices are king here. 
>Check out Hazmat Modine's web site, or some of Chris Michalek's clips, 
>for examples of what you can do with those things--it is truly a 
>monstrously big sound. Those devices sell for $300-400 new.  The 
>Digitech RP200 will also do octave doubling, but not in multiple octaves 
>at once (which is what the HOG and POG do).  Nevertheless, the Digitech 
>effect works very well on both chords and single notes, throughout the 
>range of the harmonica, and I like the sound of the octave-down doubling 
>on it in particular. But you can't use the rotating speaker effect and 
>octave doubler on the Digitech at the same time.  I suppose you could 
>chain two Digitechs together, or follow the Digitech with a Line 6 or 
>something similar.  In fact, I follow my RP200 with the Akai phase 
>shifter (and a Yamaha reverb, but that's another story).
>
>Regards, Richard Hunter
>hunterharp.com
>Latest mp3s always at http://broadjam.com/rhunter
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
>Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
>http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l