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Permalink Reply by JL on July 25, 2017 at 12:08am

I had run across this a little while back, quick search and found it again, DIY clip on mic for harmonica in a rack

https://youtu.be/zt-emjO5iv0

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Permalink Reply by Dustin Aurand on July 25, 2017 at 12:23pm

Regarding my electric harmonica post, I started constructing a rig to get that vintage/AM radio sound, without breaking the bank on a new mic. Hacks take skills and parts, and all I had was a dynamic mic from my old karaoke days. I wanted this for singing, talking, and harmonica.

What I did:
1. Ever talk into your hand, or a cup? Sounds similar to that sound, right? I took Solo cup, and tried to cut the bottom off. That didn't work well. Again, skills. I had a Stanley water bottle with screw-off lid and cap. I tried the mic. It worked, but the mic switch is inside. Gonna try the cup idea again later. It might sound better. You can even use a funnel, but it needs to be somewhat deep, so you can get that hollow muffle,and the bottom has to be wide enough to string a cable through it.
2. For harmonica, I've heard of folks cutting the bottoms off can koozies, and stuffing harps in them, and clipping it to S mic stand. Find a thick, foam, retro koozie, and cut out the bottom. I had a plastic NASCAR koozie with the foam around it. No cutting needed. I stuffed the koozie down the water bottle top, and inserted the harp. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. It's still a prototype, but I think it'll work. Just need a stand.

Attachments:

• IMG_2077.JPG, 1.6 MB
• IMG_2086.JPG, 1.4 MB
• IMG_2087.JPG, 1.5 MB

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Permalink Reply by A.D.EKER on July 29, 2017 at 9:24am

Kids toys hardly cost any and give great effects for recording!

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Permalink Reply by A.D.EKER on July 29, 2017 at 9:28am

This is one of those Bottle Mics Got the Pic from rick it seems to work real fine !

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Permalink Reply by Ron Hall on January 13, 2018 at 4:03am

image.jpegHey ,I've been.making hands free harp holders so I can play harp one handed since I lost my left hand years ago . I have one you mite find useful. I make them from aluminum stock and they screw onto a Shure 58. The slot has wiper blade that hold the harp and act as a seal.Here are some photos .image.jpeg

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Permalink Reply by Ron Hall on January 13, 2018 at 5:06am

Just sent a post with some photos ,but the ones displayed aren't the ones I sent ? How to fix ? Ron

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on January 13, 2018 at 12:45pm

I'd do it the same way musician's have done it for decades. Small lightweight bracket around your neck that holds harmonica and has a clip on mic. A mic like that will work so much better than a piezo. You could use the C.B.Gitty Tin Can Mic if you want that old time echo effect.

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Permalink Reply by Fergus Lester on August 14, 2018 at 11:19am

Clip on mic a few inches from the front. If too close, it will pick up the nearest holes more than others. Neil Young on 'Rust Never Sleeps' seems to have 2 mics mounted on his rack. Some sort of Piezo might work but again it might pick up some notes more than others.

or what this guy did <iframe width="475" height="267" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/66cBRiZQOTU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on August 14, 2018 at 12:34pm

Hi, Dustin

In the photo you see a harp with a contact Mic/transducer attached, I just tried it and it picks up the nearest reads ,as mentioned by Fergus, but also all the touching and extra noises.

Then I thought that this might work. Also in the photo is my Green Bullet Shure harp mic, it is normally mounted on a mic stand [you can see the modified fitting]. It is the same stand that I use for vocals, but has two booms side buy side, one for vocal mic and the other for the harp. I just swap between them as needed, but I play using my hands. If I wanted hands free I would mount my neck harp holder to the boom and then have the harp set up for best sound in front of the mic. I am constantly swapping keys so having the mic not attached to the harp is good. Food for thought.  

Cheers Taff

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