TheFanHead2
11 posts
Feb 11, 2009
11:25 AM
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Who here actually has a back-up mic for gigs? For a touring musician I understand but do we really need a spare mic? I've always thought the backup was the in house pa mic.Some of the best harp I've ever played was third position through the pa. So is this just an ego thing?
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Oisin
113 posts
Feb 11, 2009
2:50 PM
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Fanhead....the audience might not be able to tell the difference between your mic played through a tube amp and the PA mic but you and any other harp player will.
I usually use a green bullet but I ALWAYS carry an old Shure 515 with me too just in case. Sometimes it's nice to play with the other mic as it gives a different tone too. It's not an ego thing but if you've got 2 mics then why not bring them along.
Now I did once meet someone who had about 8 mics in his case, a couple of them very expensive, and at our
jam you only get to play 3 songs.
However we all love to ogle gear and it was the first time I got to see JT30 in the flesh so I didn't mind.
As a final thought....do you bring a spare harp to jams? I know I do.
Oisin
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MrVerylongusername
141 posts
Feb 13, 2009
2:53 AM
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As the singer, the vocal mic is my emergency standby. I prefer to play through an amp though, so I do carry a backup Shure 545 in case something goes wrong with my green bullet (only happened twice that I can remember) and I can switch out when there's a break in the set.
The guitarist and I share a backup amp too (Peavey Classic 30). This gets used more than the backup mic. Amps seem to be less reliable than mics. (Tubes, fuses transformers - a whole world of things to blow when you least want them to).
In all I have about 6 different harp mics, but most stay home - especially the JT30 - at over $150 for a nos MC151 now I keep that baby wrapped in cotton wool.
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jbone
16 posts
Feb 13, 2009
5:15 AM
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i sometimes bring 2 mics esp to an actual gig. and lucky thing, we played a joint where the house p.a. was one sm58 and stand. fortunately i had a spare stand and a 545s in my bag, so we both could run our own vocal mic.
for a jam i bring one mic and my amp, or rely on the house harp guy's rig, even sometimes i just play thru the p.a. and vocal mic.
different mics/amps/p.a.s do give you more different voicings for harp work. i wouldn't say it's an ego thing for me, but i like to have my bases covered.
some of my favorite times out playing are street gigs, no amplification of any kind. but it's nice to be free standing with an amp and a mic or 2 on stage also.
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Bluzdude46
18 posts
Feb 13, 2009
6:25 AM
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I've been playing for over 25 years. Never missed a gig, never started late. I have back up Harps, mics and Amps.
Once when I was with the early acoustic version of Done with Mirrors our PA went out on us, we broke early for the 1st set and I ran home and picked up my 24 channel mixer amp as a replacement!!! Got back played an extra long second set and everyone was happy. It was a brand New Peavey PA head that went up, just one of those fluke things. But it happens.
I'm also chronically 1/2 hour early for everything so I may be compulsive and you should ignore my rants.
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Buddha
48 posts
Feb 13, 2009
6:31 AM
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I have two of almost everything. I have a particular sound and like to keep it that way. I've been through the process or trying this and that and know what I like so to me there is no point in having Good stuff and lesser back up stuff in case the good stuff fails. Everything fails at one time or another, so I have duplicates of the most important stuff.
As far as harps go, I always have 2 of every harp and for some keys I have 3-5 duplicates. Why? Because I've had three harps of the same key fail on me in one night and I'm going to be prepared for that.
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