Ham Mic
Will a Ham mic aka Radio Mic work nice with a harmonica?
The Pre owned Ham Mic I saw for sale was most prbably not pre 1970. What commonly available element would you suggest for a Hohner Bluesblaster shell? Thank you.
Hi again
Just about any element will fit in a BluesBlaster shell. However the volume control may be an issue. Original BluesBlasters had 500K ohm pots which will work with dynamic elements, vintage Shure CM and CR's, my "The Heumann Element". Those elements prefer 250K or even 100K, so the 500K pot will compress the useful range to the 1st 1/3 or so of the knob's rotation.
Newer BluesBlasters have 5 Mohm pots. These will not work with dynamic elements - they will function like an on-off switch. The bad news is that it is very difficult to find pots with the extended shanks like the one that's in there now.
Many times I've convertedBluesBlasters for customers by getting rid of the XLR connector, installing a screen-on connector in the rear hole and a volume control in the front (where it is easier to fit a standard pot.) However that's nearly $100 of work and that doesn't include an element!
SO - while you can fit just about any element in there, (and I manufacture gaskets to fit most common elements to the BluesBlaster shell) it may not be cost effective to do so. I sell elements as do other mic builders. If you're interested in my services please email me at greg@blowsmeaway.com
Hi there
There's no reason you can't use any microphone for harp. But chances are good that the mic has a connector on it made for a specific radio. That connector usually has extra pins, as both audio and the"push to talk" switch. So at a minimum it is likely you'd have to put a new connector on the end of the cable in order to connect it to your amp, effects pedal, a PA, etc.
The mic might be high impedance, especially if it is older - or low impedance if newer. Depending upon what you want to connect it to - you may also need an impedance matching transformer in the circuit.
Many great harp mics started life as radio mics. If yours is old - like made before 1970 - it might be a great harp mic. But a modern one? Porbably not worth the effort.
if you can send a picture or two I would be able to give you a better answer!