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

[Sridhar Rajagopalan <sridhara1@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Mike that was really helpful. One thing of course really got me
thinking. As i keep going along learning I keep seeing the 59' Bassman
featuring repeatedly and the Fender Mustang offers that as a preset.
Tell me would that work as well to get me started?

On 2/15/12, Mike Fugazzi <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> It really depends on needs and budget.  Are you just jamming at home?
> Will you use it live?  If you use if live, can you mic it?  What style
> of music?
>
> IME, the VHT Special 6 is a FANTASTIC investment if you are looking
> for a small amp.  I have one along with a HarpGear HG2, and you can
> dial in the VHT to get painfully close to the tone of the HG2 with
> some simple and affordable mods.  I've used both live with full rock
> bands, but miked and with a monitor.  I tried using the VHT with a
> blues band, but it probably should have been miked in most rooms -
> worked for my own monitoring, though.
>
> I love the sound of a good dynamic mic like the SM57 with a small
> amp.  I think a small amp plus dirty mic gets to be too dirty even for
> a lot of blues playing.  If you are playing mostly at home, things
> like the Fender Mustang and other tube hybrid or digital amps are an
> ok route.  They often have headphone jacks, but you'll want to get a
> nice pair of headphones if you go that route.
>
> For years, I've been a proponent of using smallish rigs for live
> playing.  I also sing and have fronted my own full bands.  This has
> lead to investing in solid PA and monitoring gear making it really
> easy for me to control what I hear and volume.  For the last year
> plus, I've used either a VHT Special 6 or HG2 as my amps.  Now, for
> the most part, I go totally ampless.  I've gigged with Tech 21 Sans
> Amps with great results, but have moved to the POD HD500.  I am not
> going to lie.  The HD sounds GREAT and can do more than I'll ever
> need, BUT there is a steep-steep learning curve.  That being said, the
> tone of the HD's and even the Zoom stuff has been really impressive.
>
> I know Richard loves the DT stuff, but it appears they are moving a
> different direction with modelling after having fallen far behind
> competitors like Line 6, Axe, and Zoom regarding options and quality.
> That doesn't mean you shouldn't go that route...I am just saying there
> is a lot out there to check out before making a decision.  The DT was
> pretty much ruled out from the start for me because I liked the HD
> tone better and found it more flexible for live playing and switching
> sounds.  It is also still being updated regularily - including an
> update last night.  In fact, this week they are releasing another
> update that will include a studio pre amp as well as a bass amp.
>
> The key with ANY of this is to really know what you want and need.  I
> started from day one loving John Popper and Blues Traveler.  I don't
> really play like John, but I love the flexibility of his rig and use
> of ambient effects as well as modulated and filtered harp sounds.
> When I started playing harmonica about ten years ago, there was very
> little info on his rig.  It was also very expensive to put a rig like
> that together.  Being that I always sang, I always wanted to just go
> through monitors as much as possible.  I spent years and thousands of
> dollars buying and flipping gear looking for efficientcy and
> flexibility (really, I've never been an amped tone snob, it has always
> been about size, volume, and feedback more than anything).  From day
> one had I been able to run a pedal board through powered speakers,
> that is the only way I should have gone.  It just took that long for
> technology and access to make their way to me.
>
> Now I can load in in one trip...I throw my pedal board over my should,
> carry a 1000w 129db powered monitor in one hand and my gear bag
> (harps, mics, cables, and DI's) in the other.  At home, I have a "man
> cave" but two small children.  I can play in the evenings through
> headphones and record direct to my laptop all night long without
> waking anyone up.
>
> I had a Bassman Ltd, HarpGear 50, and the like.  Dialing in a tone was
> never an issue unless it was me sucking, but the size, weight, and
> volume were way overkill for me even when I was gigging every week.
>
>
>
> On Feb 14, 7:33 am, Sridhar Rajagopalan <sridha...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> 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
>
>