Re: [Harp-L] Chris Michalek plays Sax? T

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Venk wrote:
<Does anyone know customizers that can make my harps sound like the Sax or should
<I go for the HOG?

No matter how a harp is customized, it's not easy to make it sound like a sax, mainly because a sax puts out a lot of energy in the low frequency range, and most harps don't.  The exception is the low-pitched harps like low F, low E, low D, etc.  I've heard Dennis Gruenling make some very convincing bari sax-style sounds with a low pitched harp.  So the least expensive solution is a good amp and a low-pitched harp. 

Otherwise, to get a sound that has the impact of a sax--notice that I did not say "sounds like a sax"--all you need is to double the note you're playing one octave down.  For that purpose, the HOG and POG are overkill.  There are now lots of good pitch shifters out there for $100 and down, about 1/3 the price of the POG and 1/4 the price of a HOG.  I'm very fond of the pitch shifter in my Digitech RP200, and those units sell used in good condition now for about $70.  I decided to go through all the presets on my Yamaha Magicstomp the other day, which I haven't done for a long time because I bought the thing for its reverbs, and I was plenty surprised to hear that it had a very capable pitch shifter (and a pretty good tape delay emulation too).  (I was amazed to see that the Magicstomp is selling now for about $250 on eBay--I got mine for less than $100 new.)  Almost every amp modeler on the market has a pitch shifter in it now.  You can also buy a dedicated pitch shifter from Boss for about $100.

The HOG and POG are great devices, no doubt about it.  But if all you want is a sax sound, they're pretty expensive solutions, and they're not exactly sax-like.  If you listen to Wade Schuman with Hazmat Modine, the sound he gets is more like a super-big-accordian than a sax per se.  But if you want to make a sound as big as Godzilla, it's tough to beat the HOG in particular.   Double your note an octave down, a 5th up, and an octave up, play your first note, and watch the wall opposite your amp fly into the parking lot.  Powuh, mon. POWUH.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp