[Harp-L] Bullet Mic Woes

[Ian Osborn]

I use a shure green bullet straight into a PA to get a cleaner brighter sound than an amp… and it has a bit of distortion that we jokingly refer to as sounding like an old timey radio announcer. It also has a volume control on the side. 

Ian

> On Dec 9, 2023, at 12:02 PM, Amy Rister <amyrister02 at xxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I'm looking to buy a bullet mic for my next piece of harmonica gear,
> specifically something clear and bright, but gritty sounding and
> lightweight with a volume control. The reason why I want to get one is for
> a song I'm doing with my band called "Train Train" by Blackfoot, which has
> amplified harmonica. I already have an amp (a Fender Champion 20 that I got
> many moons ago that still works), but I need a bullet mic to make it sound
> and feel more authentic to the original harp's sound. This idea sort of
> exploded in my head now that I discovered a video of Terry McMillan playing
> "Stormy Monday" with him using a Astatic JT-30 that I posted a few days
> ago. I already have the acoustic tone and the playing style down, now I
> just need a mic.
> Even though I would love to support Dennis Gruenling and his business (the
> guy is super nice), I don't have the money for a refurbished vintage JT-30.
> I also won't be getting the Bulletini due to some personal beef I had with
> the guy who makes it (long story short, he recommended me dirty sounding
> mics when I wanted a clean mic for playing with the PA, said I had
> "analysis paralysis", and told me to "stop whining" when I had a specific
> sound I was going for). I just don't want to support anybody that has been
> mean towards me and how I want to play. I'm currently looking at the Hohner
> Harp Blaster and the Peavey Cherry Bomb. Both have volume controls (with
> the Cherry Bomb also having an on and off switch), both claim to be
> lightweight, and are affordable mics with the Harp Blaster being under $150
> and the Cherry Bomb being the same price as a standard Shure vocal mic at
> $100. I've been looking at some clips of both of the mics in action. The
> Harp Blaster has a very crunchy sound and looks like a modern take of the
> JT-30, but it could sound very muffled or very bright depending on who's
> playing it. Every example I could find of the Cherry Bomb and its standard
> version (the Peavey H-5), are very clear sounding on single notes and have
> a little bit of crunch to them. However I don't know if they'll be crunchy
> enough for the chords and double stops. I don't know which one to get,
> which is why I'm asking for a second opinion. The harps I'm playing are
> Hohner Golden Melodies (which many players have gear shamed me for liking)
> and Suzuki Bluesmasters.
> Here is the clip of what I'm talking about with the "Stormy Monday" tone:
> [image: MP4 Video file]
> Stormy Monday with Astatic JT-30 Mic.mp4
> <https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dmpk_5MiHLYNjTfKVECCRW3DwyEPZdHP/view?usp=drivesdk>
> 
> Sincerely,
> Amy Rister