Re: [Harp-L] Santa got stuck up the chimney!

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Stephen Jennings" wrote:
<For yours truly, a Boss FBM-1 pedal (allegedly a '59 Bassman emulator - and
<a sight easier to lift than the "real thing") Anyone here got any
<recommendations for settings etc??

Stephen, the EQ controls (middle, bass, treble, presence) should be set to taste; in general, for harmonica, you want to be careful about using lots of treble and presence, because harmonica already puts out a lot of energy in the high treble range.  Low mid-range to mid-range frequencies (250 hZ to 5 kHz) are where the harmonica has the most punch, so start with the middle and bass controls, then bring in treble if you want the sound to cut more.

The GAIN control is what provides crunch, and you want to spend some time exploring the different tones you get when you increase or decrease gain.  Higher gain = more crunch, but it also means more potential for feedback.  I find that in general many harmonica players go for more crunch than they really need; when you increase distortion, the harmonica might sound better by itself, but it might also be harder to hear against a wall of guitars.  Make a point of writing down your favorite settings.

The FBM-1 is a good-sounding device.  I strongly recommend that you use it with a delay pedal, and be sure to try the delay both before and after the FBM-1 to see which you prefer for different situations.  Putting the delay after the FBM-1 will give you clean delays of the FBM-1's sound; putting the delay before the FBM-1 will give you delays processed by the amp modeler.  Both are great sounds, and they're not the same, so you want to try both.

Regards, Richard Hunter

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