Hi, What would you guys suggest for a good starter mic and amp setup? When I say small I mean for practice sessions and small jam sessions... Doesn't need to be loud, just want to play around with tone more than anything I guess. For amps, I've seen the battery powered ones on eBay but I would like something that has mains power too. Mics... I haven't a clue. The more reasonably priced the better! Thanks...
Last Edited by Ian on Jun 13, 2015 4:37 PM
Some people will argue against this, but the Bottle 'o Blues is a great sounding mic for its price. For $99, you can get the mic AND a small portable amp. You wouldn't be able to use this at a jam-- the guitars would drown you out-- but it's a good starter setup, for at home. http://www.bottle-o-blues.com/
If you want something more conventional, and something that would work in a jam setting, Dave Barrett says that "the Fender Blues Jr. is a nice inexpensive amp with a Shure green bullet mic (520DX)." Green Bullets are dicey, though (the cheap element in the new ones doesn't sound very good). I don't like the feel or size of the Green Bullet, so I would suggest a Blues Blaster. It's an inexpensive starter microphone, and it has the same body as the JT-30, so you can upgrade with a better element when you are ready. Hope this helps and it wasn't too much information. ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
Since i manufacture and sell the Bottle 'O Blues mic, I won't comment on it - conflict of interest ;-)
If you're looking for a small amp with mains power, a couple choices come to mind.
For small tube amps the VHT Special 6, Epiphone Valve Jr, and the Fender Champion 600 (in that order in my opinion) are inexpensive and sound pretty good.
Another excellent choice in the solid state world is the Pignose Hog-20 (battery and mains). These sound great for harp and are surprisingly loud for their size. If you get one, turn the tone down to 1/4 - its a really bright amp.
Of the two mics mentioned, I would go with the Green Bullet over the Bluesblaster. I try not to comment negatively about other mics, but in the case of the Bluesblaster I feel compeled as a public service to mention a couple things. The sound is very harsh and shrill and will not get you the tone you want. Also the cable is a non-standard wired XLR to 1/4 and it breaks easily. I've fixed a lot of them for friends and customers. Because its wired non-standard you can't just go to a music store and pick up a replacement cable. I usually open them up and move the wires to the standard positions.
Another avenue to consider if you can afford: Vintage Fender Vibro Champ. 5 watts, 8" speaker, lots of tone. Volume/treb/bass plus trem speed and intensity controls. Clean and overdrive channels. Coupled with a hi z mic- green bullet, JT30, etc it's a fine amp and mic combo. I use mine with a Shure 585 mic mostly and switch to an Astatic 332 crystal or a E-V dynamic. You can dime this amp and get some serious overdriven stuff without breaking windows or eardrums. May be a bit pricey depending on the current market but well worth it if you have the scratch. Great setup for duo work, small bands, or small jams and can be fed to a p.a. for medium to large venues.
Your tone acoustically will hugely impact the tone of a mic/amp combo. While I do love an amp/mic, I never hesitate to play a street or picnic kind of setting. This is where I learned to communicate with partners and with the crowd and to loosen up and enjoy the whole thing. It's way cool to be inside the show and not just at it! ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
Well you're going to get lots of conflicting advice on what to buy. Here's my advice and some reasons why I think they are a sensible choice.
My advice would be to buy the best you can afford.
If you have the money an amp like the HarpGear HG2, Fender 5F1 Champ or a Memphis Mini are all great choices for a small amp. My advice if you have the money for a good mic would be an Astatic JT30, Shure 520D or a Ultimate SM57 or 545 from Greg Heumann wired to Hi-Z.
If you're on a tighter budget then the only amp I'd advise is the VHT Special 6. For a mic I'd suggest a Shure SM57 secondhand from eBay and an impedance converter.
The reason I suggest those rigs is that they are all good quality classic valve (tube) amp rigs that will last you a lifetime and never outgrow their usefulness. They are all capable of creating 'that sound'. So therefore if the sound coming out isn't the sound you want, then you know for certain that the fault is your playing technique and not the amp/mic combination. Those rigs will not only allow you to grow as a player, but they will also allow you to do small to medium sized gigs and are also perfect amps for studio recording.
Personally I'd avoid any amp with bells and whistles and multi effects. As for pedals if you wanted to go down that route I'd suggest a delay pedal. The Lone Wolf harp delay is good, the Boss DD3 is also popular. There are also budget option ones like the Belcat which are very cheap, but built like tanks and ideal for the purpose. Other than a delay pedal though I wouldn't bother with other pedals until you have a good handle on using a mic/amp and are comfortable using them and can get the sound you want from them.
Hope this helps.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jun 14, 2015 1:01 AM
I have a SM 57 and 520DX. They are both hellishly expensive in my country but much cheaper in America. Those two help me get a range of sounds. I'm on the way one day (when my playing warrants it) to splashing out on some more awesome mics, but in the meantime, those two give me good acoustic & cupped sounds.
---------- My YouTube Channel - Any Likes or Comments appreciated. :)
Kingley is on the money especially if your in the UK but a while back I picked up a Fender Champion 600 and an Astatic RH mic for nearly £100.00 for both and honestly if your just starting out it's a super cheap set up that would let get used to holding the mic and starting out with an ok small amp. Plus they always seem to be on Ebay cheap as chips!
I don't even really know why I bought them, I guess they were there and very cheap I dunno!;-) ----------
"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
Last Edited by marine1896 on Jun 14, 2015 7:19 AM
I will second the bottle o blues mic as a good starter mic. I would also recommend the Roland micro cube for a battery powered amp or the VHT special 6 for a great tube amp at a really great price. You also can't go wrong with an SM57 mic, but you will need an impede nice transformer for that mic.
In the SS world, the roland cub15 and 30 are great amps, and they are cheap compared to any tube amp.
As for mics, yo want a bullet type of mic or a stick mic?
Those superlux mics are good for the money, and you can always find a shure 585 on ebay. ---------- Sorry for any misspell, english is not my first language.
Vox mini 5 SS modeling amp. Inexpensive and helps you experiment with some effects, different sounds. Battery or "shore power", light weight. I pair it with a Bottle o Blues, SM57, or cheap Shure vocal mic, depending on mood. Works for me as a practice amp in the back bedrroom, and yes I understand its limitations. Ultra portable. ---------- Phil Pennington
I personally use a Roland micro cube amp. It's a very friendly harp amp. I want to get my hands on a harptrain 10 for my next amp. as for mics- I started out with the 520 green bullet then went with Shaker mad dog mic- the mad dog is a little over 100 bucks but I love the sound it has. Currently I graduated to the Bullitized 545 mic from Blows me away productions. if you are looking for a decent mic try looking a shaker microphones for a start- they are good quality and even guys like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith have used them. going the pedal route you will just have to explore all you can before you buy. I only have three pedals so for- Harp Tone- RV5 boss digital reverb and a sonic stomp bbe pedal. I entend to add another 3 more pedals before My set up is complete.
Today I A/B ed a new VHT Special 6 against my '68 Fender Bronco w/ a Weber 8F125 speaker. It would be hard to pick a winner. The VHT had a little more mid honk but you could make them sound nearly identical by tweeking. The VHT has a little more flexability due to triode/pentode sw and tone stack defeat, I didn't care for the later. Down side of the VHT was it came with a cracked baffle and a rattling tube. (cheep tubes). It will be returned under warranty. Did anyone mention the Kalamazoo Model 1 and 2? Awsome tone from these little beggers! No advise on mics because I build my own. See Greg Heuman at Blows Me Away. I think Kingley gives very good advise here. Good luck...BN
I would recommend the Harp Train by Lone Wolf for sure for the amp. For the mic, you really need to decide what type of sound you want. There is a big difference in the sound depending on whether or not you use a vocal mic or bullet style mic. Here is a link to a video that will demo the Harp Train with both a vocal mike (sm57) and a Bullet.
Hi Ian. Loads of good advice here. I'm with Kingley on this. Buy the best you can afford, and don't delude yourself that it'll be your last gear purchase. As for the specifics, I suspect your final choice may well be dictated by where you live. Here in the UK we have limited access to some of the suggestions eg Kalamazoo amp, and then there's the import duties payable. Whatever choice you make please try to find the time to post back here and let us know how you get on.
Hi guys. Thanks for all the great suggestions and words of wisdom! I expected lots of differing opinion so, but there are some repeated names and models in there so I'll check those out first. I have seen the bottle o blues mics and I really like the look and concept, the sound files on the site sound like what I'm after... So that maybe a good start. In general though Im not sure what shape mic I'm going for, I guess at this point it's trial and error with that... Maybe bullet style as they just seem kinda cool! Has anyone had any experience with the 'robo-hobo' mic? http://www.honkin-harmonica-shop.co.uk/robo-hobo-harmonica-mic/ . It looks pretty neat at least?! Anyway.... I'll be sure to update you all as to what I go for. Thanks!
Last Edited by Ian on Jun 15, 2015 5:01 PM
Ian: I was in the same spot as you about 10 years back... so here's what I did (and what I would do then knowing what I know now).
Starter rig back then: 520DX and a solid state but inexpensive modeling amp. Approximate cost at the time in the US: maybe like $250?
Starter rig I would get now: Any mic that is NOT a 520DX... and a cheap-ish amp with batteries/AC adapter (Honeytone, maybe a Pignose).
But I would spend my money on the mic! For maybe twice the price of the 520DX (which is total, total trash), you can get a GREAT, pro-level mic, which will last for life. That makes the biggest difference--and, unlike the amp, you'll never need to upgrade.
So, then you have to decide: stick mic or bullet? Are you going to be singing, too? Do you want a cleaner, more versatile sound, for different amps and styles? Go with the stick--and go right to Greg Heumann's stuff from BlowsMeAway. Since you're sounding like you're into the bullet thing, go with an Ultimate 545, or maybe the S57 (very similar). It can play clean, it can get pretty dirty with a cup (and the right amp/pedals), it can be a vocal mic, it's got a great volume pot, and it's built like a brick.
But if you really, really want to just play filthy old-school blues, nothing is the same as a real bullet. If that's your thing, you can explore the various eBay options (I have), and get something in the same price range; but I would recommend going with a more known option, like SimpleMics, or someone else who's on this forum. Bullets are great--but they tend to be hotter, need a better amp, and don't have nearly the versatility of a stick mic. (If you go this route, avoid bullet mics with crystals--you want something more stable, and less risky to start with.)
When you're ready to upgrade your amp--which you will be, if you keep playing--you'll have a better idea of what kind of amp you need: bigger, smaller, portable, etc.
But you'll already have the perfect mic. (Or, more likely at this point, mics!)
ian,are you in the UK? if so,which part? i can probably put you in touch with some good players.i am sending aan astatic 200 with a shure CM to the uk this week.
the site you linked,has a JT30and a hohner blues blaster but ,the real value on that site is probably the shure 560 he has listed.i have one and could demo it if you need. ---------- www.shakeylee.com
As one who is perpetually short on folding green, I've got a Bottle o' Blues and a Pignose 20. Then again, I'm not a pro . . . just an enthusiastic amateur. I'd say it's wise to base the $ amount of your purchases around your harp goals
If you can find one on Ebay (I regret ever selling mine) the discontinued Crate TX-30 was one hell of a portable amp. The "Lunchbox" line of amps also look intriguing (at a decent price).
---------- America's foremost Demotivational Speaker. Co-Founder of the Demotivational Organization of Missouri (D.O.O.M.)
@fatjesus definitely not anything to sing through, I wouldn't want to put anyone through that. I've got the pignose pretty high on my list at the moment. Thanks for the insight on the bullets pros and cons. @shakeylee yes I'm in the UK, the south West. @rontana my cash situation is never amazing either so I'll be sticking to the more budget options or eBay deals where possible.
Ian - for completeness, check out the Akai DM-13. I found out about it from this site and it's worth searching the forum for opinions. They seem to come up on ebay in the UK quite often for around £30.
Re the small tube amp, I found it too loud for long practice sessions at home. If you live on a farm, that won't be a problem. I found it necessary to have a small modelling amp to practice whenever I want.
Ok.. So I'm still hunting... I missed out on one mic on eBay that I had my eye on, only as I was at a party... Damn beer. One more question. Are the stick mics that can be found in eBay any good? Remember I'm just testing the water here. I don't need the best. Terms like... Uni directional, cardioid, and dual impedance keep coming up. These mean nothing to me. Basically if I go stick, go cheap and go eBay.. What should I look out for? Thanks team!
Last Edited by Ian on Jun 22, 2015 5:02 PM
Ian. If you want to get a great cheap mic off eBay I would give real consideration to what MindtheGap has said. The akia dm 13 is one of my favorite mics. I liked it so well I bought a spare. I got my first one for like $15 with shipping in the states. It even already has a chord so you are good to go. High impedance so you can just plug into an amp and play. The chord is short but it works well for playing at home. I have mics that I have spent a couple hundred bucks on that I don't like a well as the dm 13.
This is probably not exactly right, Ian, but if you're going for the cheap stick off eBay, the kind of mic you want is probably something that would work better to mic an instrument--drums, acoustic guitar--and NOT a mic that is a real vocal mic.
It's not that you can't play through a vocal mic--but if you're searching the eBay bargain bin, there will probably be a LOT of vocal mics that don't translate well with harp (and definitely wouldn't let you cup them without feeding back). Some may need to be powered as well.
"High impedance" or "Hi-Z." "Unidirectional." "Works with drums." "Cardioid."That might help your search.
Luck to you!
Last Edited by FatJesus on Jun 23, 2015 6:54 AM
Ok...update. Just bought a couple of akai dm-8 's for a total steal. https://youtu.be/2XEzIO1bLC0 They seem to be a smaller version of the dm13, and from the video they have a nice enough tone. With the two, I can always sell one anyway.... Next up is the amp......
Seems like I saw a Shure 533 on the for sale page here -- that's a fine harp microphone at a great price. Oops, I see now you already bought microphones -- get the 533 anyway!
Last Edited by TetonJohn on Jun 23, 2015 3:24 PM
