Re: [Harp-L] beginner gear?

[Ken Hildebrand <airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx>]

I don't see the harm in getting an amp and mic to
play around with (even if you do not play out).

It just shouldn't be used all the time... personnally,
playing amplified down in my basement gives me
headache after awhile, and then I enjoy just playing
acoustically after that! (plus it seems to disturb the
rest of the family members!)

But it can break the monotony a bit.

I like playing with the Pignose Hog 20, 
which has a rechargeable battery that lasts a 
long long time.  I bought this at a local Sam Ash 
music store where they sold it to me for $100 after
bringing in a website advertisement (from Pignose I
think)
that showed them on sale for $100), and they matched
the price.

A cool mic that I bought last year at the Buckeye is
the 
Shaker Retro Rocket which has a crystal element and a
volume
control, but its pretty small, so its very easy to cup
and great
for small hands.

I'm not a gear expert, but this Retro Rocket bullet
mic sounds
pretty good to me... maybe not as good as my old
JT-30, but it
has its advantages.

For a 'playing into a glass' effect, I found a large
plastic
prescription bottle that was just the right size to
use with 
this Retro Rocket mic. The bottle is about 5 inches
long (one of those
brownish-orange tube type bottles).  I actually have a
few of these
stashed away, as I always save lots of 'junk' for
tinkering projects.

I cut the bottom off which is about 2 inches in
diameter, and the 
Retro Rocket mic fit nice and snug into it.  The Rx
bottle actually has
a 'tapered' flowing diameter to it, where it is wider
at the open cap-end
than it is at the bottom.

Anyways, you can get a nice effect by playing with the
Rx bottle attached
to the mic, for another little bit of variety.

I believe the Shaker Retro Rocket mic sells for around
$120, and you will need
a cable.  It has an old-style Switchcraft screw on
connector, so you either
need the correct cable or the guitar plug adaptor
(that's what I use).

And for more added variery, add a delay effects box (I
use a Boss DM2 analog delay).

I also have a Shaker Madcat mic that works well with
the Hog-20 amp.

Gear is fun to play and experiment with, and you don't
have to spend too much,
as long as you make a pretty good purchase from the
start.

But as others have said, work on your acoustic tone! 
I try and work on mine
every day, and very rarely play amplified... only when
I feel the urge to play
and experiment (and nobody else is home!).

Ken H in OH



 
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