Re: [Harp-L] Hohner Hoodoo Box 5W amp and Madcat shaker mic or Ultimate mics

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<Thinking of pairing the Hohner Hoodoo Box 5W amp with a Madcat easy to
<grip Shaker mic. Now is this a good idea? The other thing I wanted to
<know was if the Ultimate 57 or 58 mic would work with this amp? Any
<pointers in this direction would be highly appreciated

My first pointer may be too late, but here it is: there are much better 5W amps available than the Hoodoo Box for FAR less than the $300-plus dollars that a new Hoodoo box costs.  Among other things, the Hoodoo box circuit is hardwired to introduce distortion into the signal, and not the right kind of distortion (the nice, fat, harmonics-laden distortion produced by overdriven vacuum tubes), either.  In short, if you haven't bought the Hoodoo box yet, don't. 

Whether or not you bought the hoodoo box, a Madcat Shaker or Ultimate mic are good choices for different purposes.  The MadCat is generally designed for Chicago-style blues harp, while the Ultimate 57 and 58 are more general-purpose mics.  I recommend the MadDog Shaker over the Madcat, because the former has more bass response, which you might want someday.  (You might not hear the difference so clearly with an 8" speaker, but you'll definitely hear it with a 12" speaker.)  

The Ultimate 57 or 58 will give you wider frequency response than either of the Shakers, and is a good choice especially if you play something besides (or in addition to) blues on your harps.  If you plan to sing as well as play through the mic, I would absolutely recommend one of the Ultimate mics over the Shaker.

Regards, Richard Hunter





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