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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 6:05 pm
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Awesome

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 6:23 am
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Aspiring Musician
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de Melo wrote:
Screamin Armadillo wrote:
Welcome to the harp-players club, de Melo...it's a fun and funky instrument, and it's nice to be able to have one on you all the time (portable).

I play harp better than I play guitar.

I really enjoy the harmonica, but guitar is more of a challenge and a tiny bit cooler, so I devote more time to learning and practicing guitar...However, I'll never quit playing harp--it's a cool "secret weapon" and it can (interestingly enough) get butts out of chairs and onto the dance floor quicker than most other instruments.

Image

I mainly use Hohner Marine Band model 1896 harps, but also have a nice selection of Lee Oskar diatonics and a few Hohner Blues Harps. I prefer the sound of a wood comb (Marine Band and Blues Harps), but the feel and durability of the plastic combs (as found in the Lee Oskar and Hohner Pro Harp model) makes those an attractive alternative for certain applications (especially for more classic rock songs).

I really like the 14-hole Marine Band model 365 as a backing instrument on a slow track (it also makes for a cool, fat and breathy lead break in a song).

Image

I have a half-dozen harp mics, but my favorite by far is the 1940's Astatic 200s I bought almost 20 years ago for $20! (It's the brown one in the picture below...)

Image

I put a (lower-gain) 12AY7 tube in the NORMAL Channel of my Vibroverb, to prevent feedback and make for a warmer, fatter, creamier tone.

Lone Wolf Blues Company makes some great low-gain harmonica pedals...they're durable, hand-made and reasonably priced. I recommend them whole-heartedly.

Demo of the Lone Wolf Blues Company Harp Break pedal (Lee Oskar diatonic harp, 1940's Astatic 200s mic, '63-reissue Vibroverb amp):
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Another demo:
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VERY cool stuff, man! Thanks for sharing!

Thank you, sir! 8)

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 6:24 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Fender Strat Brat wrote:
Great demos, Matt. Good on ya.

FSB

Thank you. I guess my misspent youth wasn't a total waste. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 6:30 am
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Aspiring Musician
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SKcoppertele wrote:
I have a half-dozen harp mics, but my favorite by far is the 1940's Astatic 200s I bought almost 20 years ago for $20! (It's the brown one in the picture below...)

Image

Drooling over those microphones SA. Im not a harp player (I dabble a little bit) but I do have a thing for vintage microphones. you can get some really cool vocal sounds with them. Those screw ends are pretty neat too, maybe a little impractical compared to an XLR or 1/4, but definitely cool! :D Nice Demos too. 8)[/quote]
Yep, vintage mics are cool. Some of these are better for vocals than harp, but all of them have really cool/funky tones...

...and the best part? With the exception of the Shure Green Bullet (my first harp mic), I bought all of them used, and paid little-to-nothing for each of them!

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:15 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:18 pm
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Location: Tucson
arth1 wrote:
mh2000 wrote:
Thinking the same. What's $10 to try it out? Even if it has crappy Blues Band reeds, it will hardly be a disaster! :)

Yep. Anything sub-$30 isn't going to be the greatest, but also no big loss if you bend a reed. But just a little practice, and before you know it, you'll be like this guy:



Hahaha! Yeah, right! I'm too freaking old to get good at anything new at this point! :)

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:37 pm
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Professional Musician
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Welcome to the world of harmonicas, my thoughts are just play it everywhere. I play it as I drive my 45 minutes to work everyday, and I play to Hooker and Heat cd most song are in the key or A use a D harp, and the key of E use an A harp. I have also been playing the thing since 1971, my first was in the key of E and the first time I got it to bend I will never forget. My advise play often and have fun
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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:22 pm
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Thanks again! Will do!

I'm already picking up lots of blues riffs on the C, especially Bo Diddley and Bob Dylan stuff.

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 5:24 pm
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Btw I'm about to order a Hohner Marine Band in A!

Tgese little tin thingies do grow on you!

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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 9:29 pm
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I also bought a Hohner Marine Band recently, and could relate to your thoughts very well. I didn't think too much about the scale before buying it, as pretty much everyone, including this guide, had featured only C-scale harmonicas. C models also flooded e-commerce sites like Sweetwater, Musician's Friend and Amazon, so I thought C is sort of the 'default' scale when it comes to harmonicas and I shouldn't go with anything else. But it's definitely not the case, as I can understand after reading a few posts in this thread.


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Post subject: Re: Harmonica
Posted: Fri May 03, 2019 5:36 pm
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Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 7:13 pm
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Location: Illinois, USA
Welcome to the Forum cathista! Alan (blind owl) Wilson was probably the best overall and he liked to change harps (C, G, F) while playing in the song for an effect no-one has ever achieved before or since. Charlie Musselwhite is my favorite saw him in 1970 at the Aragon Ballroom with his Southside Band and they rocked the house. Then again in 1991 with his new band from Ace of Harps. Another rocking show. I saw Alan 3 times in 1968 at Aaron Russo's Electric Theater/ Kinetic Playground with Canned Heat the worlds greatest ever boogie band man could they cook. I saw them one last time in London 1973 at White City Festival. Alan had passed on and Henry was replaced by Harvey Mandel. Not the same band. I loved seeing/hearing the Bear and the Mole and Fito though Alan and Henry were unique in the sense the band couldn't find anyone that could play at their level in blues. Have fun here cathista!

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