Ant138
164 posts
Oct 20, 2009
3:41 AM
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Hi everyone, im just wondering if any of you have tried or bought a Hohner BluesBlaster mic?
Im asking because i've found one on line for around £60.00 Here in the U.K. they usually retail for around £130.00.
Should i buy it?
any info you guys have on it would be most gratefull.
At the moment i have an Epiphone valve jr amp and im using a cheap superlux mic (green bullet copy). I dont play too much amplified harp but i keep meaning to do more. Is this an oportunity to buy a decent mic for a low price? it sure does look the business!!
Thanks again.
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 4:14 AM
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tookatooka
665 posts
Oct 20, 2009
4:17 AM
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Not sure this is the same one Ant but there is some info and a review here for a re-issue 1490 Blues Blaster Mic.
http://www.jt30.com/jt30page/reblues/
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Tryharp
250 posts
Oct 20, 2009
4:30 AM
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Gday Ant,
If its a newish one I wouldnt go for it. I had one and ended up selling it, they have a cheap crappy crystal element. It sounds OK until you compare it to a good mic.
Tryharp
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Ant138
165 posts
Oct 20, 2009
4:32 AM
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Thanks tookatooka,
the review is good and in depth but its left me more confused, i think it is the same mic but the review is sort of mixed really. I still can't decide weather to get it or not???? decisions decisions!!
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Ant138
166 posts
Oct 20, 2009
4:35 AM
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Thanks Tryharp, your not the first person to say that. I was kinda hoping that wasn't the case because it looks so cool and they cost quite alot of money. Maybe im rushing into it.
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Shredder
19 posts
Oct 20, 2009
6:59 AM
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Ant,
I've had one for 15 years. I play a Green bullet 99%of the time but the Blaster is my back up mic. They are both good mic's but they each have their owne personality. I know another good harp player that builds custom amps. and he likes the JT-30 mic, he says the blaster is a copy of the JT's. The only problem I ever had with the Blaster was a ground wire came loose inside the housing. It was a simple fix. I gave around $ 90. US when I got it.
Mike
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LIP RIPPER
125 posts
Oct 20, 2009
7:11 AM
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Here's what I did with mine. I bought a 99b86 element from Ron Sunshine. Then I bought the proper mounting gasket from Jeff spoor. This is a very nice retrofit.
ron@ronsunshine.com
jeffrey@harpmicgaskets.com
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Ant138
167 posts
Oct 20, 2009
7:14 AM
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Thanks Mike, ive been looking on e-bay and there's some nice original JT-30's on there at a decent price. Some have been customised and thats reflected in the price. Some are sold as seen and look pretty old, but it can't be that hard or expensive to get one working can it?
I might wait a few days and see how much one goes for.
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 7:15 AM
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Kingley
454 posts
Oct 20, 2009
7:18 AM
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Ant, Don't touch it with a bargepole!
This deal looks to good to be true and it is!
If it's an old one then at that price the element will either be shot or have such a low output that it will be useless. If it was in good nick it would be going for around £150GBP
If it's a new one then the elements are pure garbage!
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 7:30 AM
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wallyns10
35 posts
Oct 20, 2009
7:29 AM
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Back when I was in the market for mics, everything I heard and read about the bluesblaster was that it wasn't worth buying
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wheezer
119 posts
Oct 20, 2009
9:04 AM
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I have a Blues Blaster with the later Astatic element and even that is not great. Mine is about 12 yrs. old and apparentley later models have a different element again which is of even lower quality.
I have a Green Bullet 520dx about 4yrs old and that is a much better mic. IMO. There is a GB 520dx for sale on ebay U.K. The sale is due to finish in 2 days and it is at £5.50 at the moment.
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Chinaski
23 posts
Oct 20, 2009
10:09 AM
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Ant,
I'm not a big user of bullet mics these days, but I did pick up a Blues Blaster in good condition and then sent it to Keith Parker in the UK who can modify a mic to your specification. It now has a cool black paint job, a hot Shure element and sounds great - all at a very affordable price.
kparker184@btinternet.com
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 10:28 AM
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LittleJoeSamson
90 posts
Oct 20, 2009
10:22 AM
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I have an older one that is fine, but only sounds marginally better than my other mic's with my Gibson EH-125 amp that is too rare and valuable to haul to gigs.
The mic also has XLR connections, so you will need a XLR to 1/4 converter, and then you may as well get the lo-z/hi-z transformer, but that will add $30-$50 US to your cost.
I tried running straight into the PA, using a fairly long XLR cable, and it did not sound good at all.
I'm also thinking that the BB might not be a great match to use with your amp.
130 GBP would be awfully expensive ballast for your gig bag.
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isaacullah
403 posts
Oct 20, 2009
11:47 AM
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IMO, these mics are not really worth the money. I've played through a couple of them, and I really prefer the sound of a good quality dynamic mic over these newer crystal or ceramic mics. IMO, your money is better spent on a Shure SM57 or a high end Audio Technica dynamic mic. You can buy any of these brand new for your 60GBP, and I think you'll be happier with the result. Any unidirectional (cardioid) dynamic mic that specifies that it's good for mic'ing instruments or for spoken human voice (as opposed to vocal mics that have a boost in the singing vocal frequency range) will sound really great for harmonica,a nd if you invest another 10GBP you can get an inline impedance transformer that will ramp up the output of these mics, and let you overdrive your amplifier in the same way as hot crystal/ceramic mics do. These impedance trannies also convert from the XLR style plug of the dynamic mics to the 1/4" TRS style plug of your amp.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Last Edited by on Oct 20, 2009 11:48 AM
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Kingley
455 posts
Oct 20, 2009
12:01 PM
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Isaacullah makes a good point there. If you decided to try a bullet mic or just changed to a different dynamic mic in the future.
You could also use the SM57 to mic up your amp, sing through or even to play acoustic harp through on a stand.
It's a workhorse mic which has many applications and therefore would be a wise investment.
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phogi
95 posts
Oct 20, 2009
12:12 PM
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Does anyone put a dynamic element in a blues blaster style body? Just curious.
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isaacullah
404 posts
Oct 20, 2009
12:34 PM
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Phogi: Yes. Take a look at my harp mic instructable where I do just that. I think it sounds really good. There are sound clips at the end of the instructable, so you can decide for yourself.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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congaron
189 posts
Oct 20, 2009
6:37 PM
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I second the instrument dynamic mic. The samson r21 i cut down is a very close performer to the sm57. It sounds great with the inline transformer like Isaac said. I play mine through a digitech rp80 (discontinued) for delay and a volume control. I am going to take it wireless soon, but essentially the same otherwise.
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jbone
172 posts
Oct 20, 2009
9:07 PM
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the blaster is in fact a copy of the jt30's with a lesser element. i had one withb a very sorry tone through every amp i tried it in. therefore the mic has a good shell but is not worth much really.
for a valve jr you'll want a hot element like a shure 99a86 or b86. i have a 99b86 in my backup shure 707a shell. lots of bottom end, good mids. the silvertone amp i use a lot has a tone control and i can run the tone up to get a cleaner sound also. those little epi heads can put out great tone and decent volume with say a 2x10 cabinet. but when you're getting into tube tone, a cm element like the ones i mention are best suited for the fat warm tone that brings a tube amp to life.
i used a custom bullet for years with a shure crystal element and it was great for its warmth and clarity but had very little bottom end. i still use it sometimes but my latest is a military nos electrovoice m43u dynamic mic. i had greg heumann install a transformer to bring it up to high z and do a couple other nice mods to it and it's seldom far from me these days.
so if you run across say a dead blaster or a jt30 shell, then you find an element that suits you and it's really not so hard to put it all together. otherwise i'd say look for a bullet mic with a cm element or a dynamic element but beware the impedance- a tube amp need high impedance!
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Ant138
168 posts
Oct 21, 2009
12:12 AM
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Thanks for the advice guy's. I'm gonna give the BluesBlaster a miss i think, it sounds like Hohner have indeed bowed down to cost cutting again and made a sub standard mic. I watched a youtube video of one being taken apart and it was shocking just how cheaply they are put together. You guy's have given me much food for thought, thanks again.
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Ant138
169 posts
Oct 21, 2009
1:40 AM
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I put a bid on the Green Bullet Wheezer and currently the highest bidder(just hope it stays that way)
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Shredder
22 posts
Oct 21, 2009
10:17 AM
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Just a note, I also play thru a Audix FireBall,5 lo/ imp. I use it mostly for clean harp but Iv'e used it thru my tube harp amp. and gotten some good distortion&Tone out of it but nothing like the Bullet. I use the Audix XLR to 1/4 high imp. line matching transformer with great success.
Mike
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wheezer
120 posts
Oct 21, 2009
2:57 PM
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Good luck on the GB on Ebay. I'm watching but not bidding.
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