Re: [Harp-L] still need to decide on a mic

[Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>]

John-

If your goal is "Chicago blues sound" I'm not sure the Vox DA5 (or any small
solid state amp) is your best choice.  Since you aspire toward the old
school Chicago tone you will no doubt be attracted to tube amps as your harp
journey progresses and your skill and ear improve.  The tone you admire was
produced with tube amps.  My suggestion would be to start out with a small
tube amplifier.

There are several compelling reasons for this:

- You are not likely to outgrow it.  Every blues player needs a small tube
amp for practice, recording, and gigging.

-  You will learn techniques that are peculiar to tube amps which will serve
you well later when you graduate to bigger tube amps.

-  And -- very important -- you will learn a lot about how tube amps work
and how they sound.  You will probably begin tinkering with various tubes
and speakers, and form your own opinions about what sounds good.  Armed with
this knowledge you will be less likely to be confused (or misled) by
the various claims made by amp sellers and owners when you upgrade to a
bigger performance amp in a few years.

There are lots of good choices; some have been mentioned in this thread.
The Epiphone Valve Jr Half Stack is a very good starter amp.  The Harp Gear
HG2 is an excellent amp, but costs a bit more (well worth it).

Used vintage gear is great.  My small amp is a 1971 Fender Champ.  The old
Kalamazoo amps are good if you like a more distorted tone.  Richard Hunter
has a post on his website about small 508 Crate tube amps that sound very
good.  Any of these would be a good choice.

As far as microphones, I suggest you stay simple for now and get a new
Hohner Roadhouse mic.  It will respond to your mic technique and give you
the sound I think you are after.  When you upgrade to a performance amp in a
few years you probably will be ready to choose another mic, too.

Good luck and have fun.


-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
http://www.bluesharpamps.blogspot.com/



On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 10:53 AM, John Dekker <jdekker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> Thanks to Richard Hunter and many others on this great list, I have decided
> to go with the Vox DA5 as my first amp. However,  I'm still in a quandary
> over the mic to go with it. I'd like to keep the cost under $100 if
> possible. There are a lot of choices out there, and, due to my inexperience,
> I'm having a hard time making a decision. I realize that as my abilities
> improve (I hope), my needs may change, but I'd like to get a versatile mic
> that will serve me for some time to come. I am looking for a Chicago blues
> sound primarily, but I am practicing playing melodies of familiar songs.
>
> Again, I would like to thank all that responded to my first request, and I
> ask your indulgence to help me with the mic question.
>
> Warm regards,
>
> John
> Sacramento
>