Microphone Choices:

WHAT'S THAT SOUND? THE EFX BRANCH...

Swinging through the branches of the STOMPBOX TREE can be educational, exasperating, rewarding, and downright dangerous! Don't believe me? Have you ever been in the same room (or building) when a harpmic was plugged into an effects pedal (especially a DISTORTION PEDAL) with its dials in full clockwise rotation-while it was connected to a live amp or sound system? Hell hath no fury...

So... With the HARPMOBILE waiting far below, let's move out from the legions of guitarists who seem Velcroed to the FUZZY BRANCH of the STOMPBOX TREE that we visited last time out. Let's move through the canopy and search for other more specialized branches that will support the weight of the Great Tin Sandwich and its apostles: THE EFX (effects) BRANCHES. You minimalists (Harp/Mic/Cable/Amp, period. NO outboard volume controls, NO switches, NO dials, NO boxes) are welcome to investigate, too. It's wise to arm yourself with the knowledge, if not the weaponry... We'll also do a safety reminder or two along the way on how to best approach the shiny new fruit that seems to continuously spring from these branches.

WHADDYAWANT? SHOPPING EFX... Imagine a sound -or sound modification- and there's probably a STOMPBOX on the menu that could at least partially fit your appetite. Scan any musical instrument shop or website and you'll see a vast array of (often) 9V battery-powered rectangles both new and used (or vintage) that change the electronic information that flows through them.

First up: BIG SPACE FROM LITTLE SPACE...In the HARPWORLD there are the favorite STOMPBOX sons, of course, and they would be the non-identical twins, REVERB and ECHO (In brief: REVERB is audio source/decay; ECHO is audio source/repeat or reflection). Designed as a way to make even more portable the illusion of expanded space created by their older/larger brothers, some of these micro-monsters retain the quaint cheesiness of the past while others surpass the performance of their hulking ancestors by producing studio-grade spatial expansion. Contrast the inexpensive Danelectro DJ4 Corned Beef Reverb (List: $49) with the studio-grade T.C. Electronics' Vintage Delay Pedal, successor to their TC2290 (List: $545). There are hybrids on the retro/techno front including the Guyatone Tube Echo TD-X, which is a spatial modeling pedal that's tube driven! (List: $320). There are reverb and echo-producers-both analog and digital-from longtime favorites Boss, Electro-Harmonix, Ibanez, Digi-Tech, and Line 6. You're more likely to find deals on the more common used analog pedals than the more refined studio gear-which seem to keep their value like a fine vintage car... Speaking of which: What's that racket coming from the HARPMOBILE?

GETTIN' SQUIRRELLY! - Next time we visit... THE MICBENCH

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED (Email them to me at HARPMICMAN@earthlink.net)
Next time, on THE MIC BENCH.

For pictures and descriptions of most of the microphones listed visit http://www.harmonicamasterclass.com/vintage_collection.htm