Re: [Harp-L] mic. advice

["James D Hoskins" <jameshoskinz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

HiZ or LowZ  has nothing to do with using the mic for harp. You should use a 
HiZ mic (or an inline transformer) if you are plugging in to a guitar amp or 
a PA with a HiZ input, in turn you want a LowZ mic for a typical balanced 
XLR input in most sound reinforcement equipment. It is a matter of matching 
signals, not the mics function. Your 545 can be used for both, 545's are 
switchable. Stock factory 57's and 58's are LoZ only, but you can use an 
inline transformer if you need to plug a LowZ mic in to a guitar amp or 
other HiZ input  (some really old PA's are HiZ). A 57 would also work well 
for playing off mic, I prefer the wind filtering of a 58. The counterfeits 
are because they can build a counterfeit in China for very cheap and sell it 
for Shure prices. They are supposed to be quite common on eBay, I would buy 
from an authorized Shure dealer or an individual that you trust. 545's and 
565's were the 57's/58's of the 60's and early 70's, I've played off mic 
with both, you could just wire your 545 LowZ, plug in to some clean 
amplification (like a PA, but there are bass and acoustic guitar amps with 
LowZ inputs, along with the Quilter amps), put the mic in a stand and play 
what you have, you might be surprised how clean it would sound, likewise you 
can take a 58 out of the stand and cup it and you would still get some of 
that cupped mic sound. Experiment, find out for yourself. If you watch the 
video on YouTube of Butterfield at Monterey, if I remember correctly he is 
playing off mic through a 545, the same model mic that he typically used 
plugged in to a Super Reverb for the cupped blues sound. I have no personal 
experience with the Fireball, but have heard great things from many about 
those mics.
James D Hoskins

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John" <johnatjumpjiveandswing@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 7:14 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] mic. advice


> Hi. James & other advisors, thankyou very much for your advice based on 
> your own experience, the only reason that I have not so far bought
>                                                  a Shure SM58 is that I 
> thought that mics. for harp had to be High impedance and for vocals low 
> impedance and that
>                                                   the SM58 was a vocal 
> mic. am I wrong in this train of thought?or is it not as critical a 
> requirement as I believed ?
>
>
> regards -------------- John
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "James D Hoskins" <jameshoskinz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "John" <johnatjumpjiveandswing@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 11:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] mic. advice
>
>
> > my 2cents-> Shure SM58
> > James D Hoskins
> > jameshoskinz@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> > 425 760 3694
> > ----- Original Message ----- 
> > From: "John" <johnatjumpjiveandswing@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 3:15 AM
> > Subject: [Harp-L] mic. advice
> >
> >
> >                             Hi. could subscribers recommend a microphone 
> > suitable for use with a group of musicians who play a variety of
> >                                   musical styles including a few irish 
> > tunes some country style songs and a few early 70's rock style tunes,
> >                                   I have a shure 545 that I use for blues 
> > but I am looking for a mic. that I can put in a stand and play may be 
> > 2"-3"
> >                                   away from it I want the harp to sound 
> > like it should just as an amplified sound not distort ed like it does 
> > with Blues.
> >
> >                                       thanking you in advance---------  
> > John