Laurence B
7 posts
Oct 14, 2009
1:59 AM
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I would just like to thank Issacullah for his great youtube tutorials on making your own mic. I've just finished mine and it sounds great. I'm sure with better parts I can make it sound even better but not bad for a first attempt!
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DutchBones
313 posts
Oct 14, 2009
4:25 AM
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That's great! Howzabout a picture.... or even better.... a (video) clip?
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DutchBones Tube
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jawbone
113 posts
Oct 14, 2009
6:15 AM
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Issac and Xharp had a chance to try out my "Blues Rocket" at our Parking lot jam last week and I think we all agreed it had a warmer sound than the Green Bullet. If I can just figure out a good volume control. It's fun when stuff like this works out isn't it. But yeah - post a pic!!!
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by on Oct 14, 2009 6:17 AM
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Laurence B
8 posts
Oct 14, 2009
8:07 AM
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I'm hoping this'll work as I've never posted any picts before... I won't be posting a vid however as I need to get a whole lot better before I do!! I just love tinkering and making stuff ;-)
Last Edited by on Oct 14, 2009 8:11 AM
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jaymcc28
165 posts
Oct 14, 2009
10:16 AM
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Laurence, looks good. I'm working on rewiring and finishing my first mic. I used a spice bottle. What did you use for the casing?
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isaacullah
393 posts
Oct 14, 2009
12:07 PM
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Hi Laurence. That looks great! I'm glad my vids are helping people to do this stuff. I find it very rewarding... Good on ya!
Cheers,
Isaac
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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jawbone
114 posts
Oct 14, 2009
12:22 PM
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Ah ha - looks like those plumbing fixtures are catching on - looks good, Laurence
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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XHarp
193 posts
Oct 14, 2009
12:53 PM
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Hey Laurence, that i-mic is cool. I want to hear it. post a clip playing through it as soon as you can.
The one that jawbone built had a nice tone and was comfortable to hold. Way better then the 520DX mics I've been using.
In fact now I've got the bug to build my own and get better tone.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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jawbone
115 posts
Oct 14, 2009
2:33 PM
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I'll do some more searching around here and find the exact cartridge that I used.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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DutchBones
314 posts
Oct 14, 2009
5:41 PM
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Cool looking mic Laurence. Aren't we lucky to have people like isaac around?
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DutchBones Tube
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Laurence B
9 posts
Oct 15, 2009
1:04 AM
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Thanks. For the casing, I used a deodorant cap (main body), a mustard cap (rim) and a sieve (grille). As for the components, I used a ¼” mono jack socket, a 10 kohm b Potentiometer as per the tutorials on the web. The cartridge spec is as follows: Freq. 100-10kHz, sensitivity 2.5mV/Pa/1kHz , Impedance 200?. It was the only one I found at the time, hard to find electronics shops in the UK other than Maplins. Either they are not readily advertised on the web or they don’t stock what you need so I was pretty limited.
The only thing with the sound of the mic is that it’s too clear and I’d like to get a grittier/rougher sound out of it, any suggestions on how I can achieve that?
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Dog Face
2 posts
Oct 15, 2009
1:38 AM
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That's pretty cool Laurence. It reminds me of my dad. He would always say, "I could make that." No matter what it was he was just that cheap and sure enough he made alot of stuff. Sometimes it didn't work as well as the real thing and sometimes he just got frustrated and went out and bought what ever it was he was trying to make. The mic looks good! I'd be interested in hearing it.
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jawbone
117 posts
Oct 15, 2009
5:49 AM
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I apologize Laurence - it looked like you used plumbing slip nut like I do - is a mustard lid similar to a mason jar lid?
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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Laurence B
10 posts
Oct 15, 2009
6:48 AM
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That's it, although had to google 'mason jar lid'! I just cut a large hole in the middle to create the rim then sanded it with fine sandpaper to remove the paint and logo etc...
On a seperate note, just bought aceramic element off ebay which will hopefully give me a more interesting sound.
Last Edited by on Oct 15, 2009 6:49 AM
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jawbone
119 posts
Oct 15, 2009
7:46 AM
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Hey Laurence - you have to remember I'm a colonial! ;-) My big problem now is finding a decent volume control that will work with my lo-z dynamic cartridges. I bought an Ernie Ball pedal, but everything is in the last 1/4" of sweep, basically on and off - any hints would be helpful.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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congaron
182 posts
Oct 15, 2009
9:06 AM
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This is my primary mic now. It is a cut down samson r21. The xlr connector is epoxied into the remaining aluminum tube. The the mic capsule is removable as original. The mesh ball is hammered square and flat on the top to be within 1/4 inch of the mic capsule. I made this with a cheapo mitre box and hand saw and some black krylon paint after sanding and epoxying it together. Of course i tested it first using tape instead of epoxy. There is no volume control because I use an expression pedal for that.
These mics are inexpensive and sound good. I am not concerned with cosmetics, but there is a machinist in my band who could make my next one if I was.
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congaron
183 posts
Oct 15, 2009
9:25 AM
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Here's my grit mic. It is a license plate light fixture severely altered and a CB mic element and volume control. The adhesive foam ring keeps the harp off the metal, In case i lose track of which mic I have in my hand. I have a tendency to do that.
Last Edited by on Oct 15, 2009 9:26 AM
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congaron
184 posts
Oct 15, 2009
9:31 AM
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this shows the rest of the license plate mic and a custom ring mic made from another CB mic. It is a tip of the ring finger molded right to me. It fits perfectly and sounds great too. I am kindof a mic experimenter. I am currently messing around with a wireless electret ring type mic of my own design and it will probably debut on the 25th at our next gig. The samson and the electret allow me to sing on songs I play harp to. I also sing DURING one of my harp solos in between some of the phrases, so I need clean as well as dirt for our material. Homemade mics are awesome! Good job on the i-mic!
Last Edited by on Oct 15, 2009 9:32 AM
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isaacullah
396 posts
Oct 15, 2009
10:03 AM
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hey, to grit it up, you need to make an airtight gasket around the mic element to isolate the front of the element from the back. There needs to be an isolated acoustic chamber behind the element to get the most out of it. Check out my instructable for an easy way to make a nice airtight gasket in your mic: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-quotbulletquot-style-harmonica-mic/
Then you need to learn how to get a really tight cup on the mic with your hands while playing. This is not easy and will take time. Check this out: http://www.harpgear.com/atone.html
Cheers,
Isaac
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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tookatooka
640 posts
Oct 15, 2009
1:51 PM
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@ Laurence B @ Where in the UK are you? I live in North London where there are a number of £1 and 99p stores. They sell nice plastic (Toy) karaoke mics which are ideal for bastardising. They have reasonably good 600 ohm dynamic mic inserts in them which sound surprisingly good through my Roland MicroCube. I'm currently experimenting with some and will post my results and findings here when I'm done.
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jawbone
123 posts
Oct 15, 2009
3:12 PM
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Be sure and save the screen and foam from those mics - you can flatten out the screen to reuse in your new mic.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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tookatooka
643 posts
Oct 15, 2009
3:26 PM
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Yes the screen is quite good quality. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the mic inserts were not fitted into more expensive mics with heavier metal bodies.
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Laurence B
11 posts
Oct 16, 2009
12:43 AM
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@tookatooka, I'm in Essex and to be honest, I never even thought of £1 shops!!! Lack of common sense here :-p @Issac, I have all the bits as per your youtube vid incl the airtight gasket, guess I need to work on my cupping technique. As I said, I'm still a beginner, I just wanted to have a go at something different but practice makes perfect!!
Last Edited by on Oct 16, 2009 12:45 AM
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congaron
186 posts
Oct 16, 2009
8:43 AM
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I am really wanting to try the $13 First Act mic at walmart. It has an on off switch, and may be a very usable harp mic right out of the box..you never know. Since I use a pedal for volume and just run the pedal to the off positionwhen I'm not playing, the switch would give me one more little way to control it with instant on if i was not near thepedal. i could leave the pedal up and just turn off the mic. Cheap elements seem to do surprisingly good things. Let's face it, the "classic" sounds we are after are really because of poor equipment when the recordings were made.
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tookatooka
644 posts
Oct 16, 2009
9:16 AM
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@Laurence@ Further to our discussion I attach an image showing the mic I bought for .99p It don't look bad for less than a £1. The one on the left is one I have modified and I have named it "The DB" because it is the dogs bollocks and it sounds really very good. I'm still mucking about with these and will post some sound sample files later. I can use the DB with or without the mesh ball and they both produce differing sounds. I didn't need the on/off switch or any sort of volume control because I'm never that far from my amp.
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congaron
187 posts
Oct 16, 2009
9:27 AM
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That's awesome. Why is it terminated in a mini plug? just curious.
Oh I see. I think.
I left mine balanced with xlr..i use a matching transformer at the pedal to make it guitar level impedance.
Last Edited by on Oct 16, 2009 9:29 AM
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tookatooka
645 posts
Oct 16, 2009
9:30 AM
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They come with the miniplug and the 1/4 inch converter plug congaron. I suppose it's so it can be plugged into a variety of devices?
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isaacullah
398 posts
Oct 16, 2009
10:16 AM
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Tooka: Sweet find! Just a word of caution though. FYI If you ever come to this side of the pond, I would not call that mic the "DB" mic. In America and Canada, "DB" stands for "Douche Bag", which has pretty much the exact opposite connotation from what "Dogs Bollocks" means in the UK! :)
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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tookatooka
650 posts
Oct 16, 2009
1:24 PM
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Nice one isaacullah. What is a "douche bag"? I've heard it before but never really understood what one was. Anyway if anyone wants to hear a mic sound check of my douche bag. There it is.
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isaacullah
400 posts
Oct 16, 2009
2:09 PM
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Well, technically, a douche bag is the bag that holds the douche fluid a woman uses to clean out her vagina. In common parlance it has quite a different meaning.
Cheers,
Isaac
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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tookatooka
654 posts
Oct 16, 2009
2:43 PM
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Oh!
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