29 replies to this topic

[Soul Man]

Just to let anyone that is going to purchase a harmonica (a.k.a. "harp") microphone, the one microphone that was the most common among harmonica players was called the Green Bullet.

This mic looked like a curved-at-the-bottom coffee mug painted copper green. Along with metal trim, it was reinforced by a 20 ft., 1/4 inch phone cable, and a volume adjust knob located on the bottom of the mic.

Now... Shure has made the same mic (along with tech advances) since it came out in -- God knows when it came out. But the best place to go is on Shures' website and look under Products, then onto Performance Microphones and then under Classic Microphones.

NOW -- PAY ATTENTION...
Now because Hohner makes probably THE best harp out there, they also have tailored a microphone, called the Blues Blaster, to accompany the craftmanship of their harmonicas, so you don't have to purchase a harp from one company and buy a mic from another company and that mic makes your harp sound like junk. By this, you can get a harp and a mic from the same company that engineered them to work the best with each other.

The only major difference between the two, the Shure Green Bullet and Hohner's Blues Blaster mic, is that the Green Bullet has a 20-ft. 1/4 inch plug attached to it. The Blues Blaster has no cable attached and has an XLR input directly on the mic, so there is absolutely no cable that comes out from the mic itself -- you have to provide your own.

Anyway, I hope this helps all you future harp players... Thanks for your time!!!

[harpoonman]

yea dude the green bullet is awesome, comfortable and clean sound.
but the blues blaster has similar feel but i think it looks cooler!

And u right, HOhner do make the best harps!!
AMEN

[Soul Man]

Amen Mr. Harpoonman, Amen...

So you think they are both great? All that I know comes from technicians and audio engineers who praise highly of anything Shure makes. They say, "if it has the Shure logo name on it, it's bound to last and serve 'ya well!"

I believe them, as I believe you. You think they are good, huh? I as well think that the Blues Blaster looks better, that's why that is my user name!!!

[madmatt]

Green Bullet, well I love that mic, and its one of my best sounding. But recently various vintage microphones have come into my possession. I have a vintage Crystal Microphone and it sounds better then my green bullet, I have a vintage Asiatic that has the best sounding blues I have ever herd. I also got a newer vintage bullet crystal mic and although I am in the clean up posses I will get it working and it will sound good. The only major thing about the green bullet I like is that it has a volume control and works good in all situations but if you ask me vintage is better.

[harpoonman]

Yah dude vintage are better I played one a few weeks ago, but down under they are very co$tly, more than a bluesblaster or bullet

[madmatt]

not when you buy 'em off eBay or get them from old clubs that closed down. :D

[harpoonman]

Ya cool, good point well made!

[b0roryjfok3]

I've played Hohner 532 harps in all keys possible to play, and it's childsplay to bend a note on 'em. Hands down, they're the best harps on the market for blues.

As for the mics, my buddy has the Shure Green bullet, and it has a wicked hot response, and gets clean electric sound. The Hohner Blues Blaster gets that gritty, low impedence muddy sound of the Chicago blues era... I guess it depends on your taste, or the song, but both are excellent.

--

A side note, if you buy ANYTHING from Shure most of what you're paying for is the name on the product. AKG, Nady Systems, Hohner Instruments, Sony, Livewire Sound, and others have just as high-quality mics.

[FatJim]

b0roryjfok3 said:

As for the mics, my buddy has the Shure Green bullet, and it has a wicked hot response, and gets clean electric sound. The Hohner Blues Blaster gets that gritty, low impedence muddy sound of the Chicago blues era..

To get the Chicago sound you need a hot High impedance signal and a tube amp with the power stage working to the max (power tube saturation). Both Green bullets and JT-30 / Bluesblaster mics will do this equally well (see comments below)

Soul Man said:

The only major difference between the two, the Shure Green Bullet and Hohner's Blues Blaster mic, is that the Green Bullet has a 20-ft. 1/4 inch plug attached to it.

First up, there is a world of difference between a Shure 520 Green Bullet and a Hohner Blues Blaster.

They are both good mics, but in both cases the modern versions are not generally thought to be as good as vintage. The similarities between the two mics are really only in the bullet shape. The important part of a microphone is the element that translates the sound into an electrical signal.

Neither was designed for harp - don't let the Hohner badge fool you.

Both were originally low cost mics and found a multitude of uses commercially and in a few cases within the military.

It was because they were cheap and easy to get hold of that harp players started to use them and found they sounded good with harmonica.

The Shure 520 series are dynamic mics. Shure's Controlled Magnetic element works in a very similar way to an electric guitar pickup.

The Hohner Blues Blaster is a rebadged version of the Astatic JT-30. It has a crystal element. Crystal elements are fragile and susceptible to extremes of hot and cold; dropping one or leaving it in hot sun can reduce the rochelle salt crystal inside it to dust.

So which is best? Neither! It's like comparing apples and oranges - depends on what you like. Since I own (amongst others) a vintage JT-30 and a vintage Shure 520 I thought a list of my pros and cons might help you choose:

1. Weight. The Shure is a heavier beast than the Astatic.
2. Size. The Astatic is smaller; this is important if you have smaller hands. A lot of the classic Chicago tone comes from having an airtight seal with your hands around harp and mic.
3. Durability. Like I said crystals are fragile. You could hammer nails with the Shure. I'd never do an outdoor gig in the UK with my JT-30!
4. Tone. The Shure has a pronounced midrange response and has a much stronger output too. This can make it a feedback monster unless you know how to tame it! the Astatic is more even, but not as hot.

As for the Hohner Bluesblaster and the Shure 520DX, these are 'modern' versions of old classics. They look pretty much the same on the outside, but both the mic elements are weaker with a thinner sound.

There's a JT-30 on eBay right now with a buy it now price of $90 US - That's vintage Astatic with a vintage US made element. Bid for one and I'm sure you'll get it for less - especially you lucky folks in the USA where you can pick these up at yard sales.

Hohner retail price for a new Bluesblaster with a tinny Japanese element is $109.50 US

Let's imagine someone offered you two guitars, a genuine '59 Gibson Les Paul or a copycat mass produced model. Which would you choose? Now thank your stars that in the harp world, the vintage tone monster is the cheaper option!

[madmatt]

hail to my loardship!! O great fat jim teach me the ways of the harmonica!!

[FatJim]

from what I've read, you're doing OK on you own

[madmatt]

Fat Jim has spoken that you O great one *bows

[Jaybird]

Soul Man said:

Just to let anyone that is going to purchase a harmonica (a.k.a. "harp") microphone, the one microphone that was the most common among harmonica players was called the Green Bullet.

This mic looked like a curved-at-the-bottom coffee mug painted copper green. Along with metal trim, it was reinforced by a 20 ft., 1/4 inch phone cable, and a volume adjust knob located on the bottom of the mic.

Now... Shure has made the same mic (along with tech advances) since it came out in -- God knows when it came out. But the best place to go is on Shures' website and look under Products, then onto Performance Microphones and then under Classic Microphones.

NOW -- PAY ATTENTION...
Now because Hohner makes probably THE best harp out there, they also have tailored a microphone, called the Blues Blaster, to accompany the craftmanship of their harmonicas, so you don't have to purchase a harp from one company and buy a mic from another company and that mic makes your harp sound like junk. By this, you can get a harp and a mic from the same company that engineered them to work the best with each other.

The only major difference between the two, the Shure Green Bullet and Hohner's Blues Blaster mic, is that the Green Bullet has a 20-ft. 1/4 inch plug attached to it. The Blues Blaster has no cable attached and has an XLR input directly on the mic, so there is absolutely no cable that comes out from the mic itself -- you have to provide your own.

Anyway, I hope this helps all you future harp players... Thanks for your time!!!

I know this is a really old post, however it is the one that brought me to this site and made me a new member. There is a great difference between the Shure green Bullet and the Hohner Blues blaster. The Green Bullet is a Controled magnetic element and the Blues Blaster is a crystal element. That alone is a big difference. Earlier Green bullets were made with bettter quality CM (Controled Magnetic) elements and have deeper, richer tones to them. The early Blues Blaster was made with an Astatic Crystal element and was a very ballsy mic. It is now prodiced with a cheap little Japanese crystal and is passable but most would replace the element with a more substantial one. I have heard it said that the best mic for harp is the one you order a cheeseburger through at the drive in window!!

As to who makes the best harp there is a question that can be debated as long as you have time for. Lee Oskar, Seydel, and others have been making harmonicas that equal an sometimes surpaass the Hohner. It is like Ford or Chevvy? Toyota or Honda.

[harmonicatunes]

The "best" harmonica and "best harp mic" debate is endless. The only thing for sure is the mileage will vary between users.

For more than you would every want to know about harmonice mics, visit The JT30 Microphones - Amplified Blues Harmonica - Mics, Amps, Tab

[Dauber]

I shared my thoughts before, and I'll share again...well, not mine exactly...but....

Back when I started taking Chicago Blues Harp classes, the first instructor I had also recommended the Green Bullet, and he brought one to class a lot and passed it around so we could blow some tunes with it. I asked him about Hohner mikes, and he called them, and I quote, "a piece of ****." While they have Hohner's NAME on them, they're actually outsourced to a company in China that does some pretty low-quality work.

Basically, one thing I learned about Hohner from the guy is that if a Hohner product -- ANY Hohner product, be it a mic, a harp, etc. -- that's not made in Germany is suspect...

[Chauncey]

So, I have a Shure bullet.

the volume knob seems to need cleaning, sometimes the mic cuts out and when I adjust there is a bit of static. something is not consistent.
How hard is it to take these things apart and clean up the pot (as if I know what that is)?

[Jaybird]

Dauber said:

I shared my thoughts before, and I'll share again...well, not mine exactly...but....

Back when I started taking Chicago Blues Harp classes, the first instructor I had also recommended the Green Bullet, and he brought one to class a lot and passed it around so we could blow some tunes with it. I asked him about Hohner mikes, and he called them, and I quote, "a piece of ****." While they have Hohner's NAME on them, they're actually outsourced to a company in China that does some pretty low-quality work.

Basically, one thing I learned about Hohner from the guy is that if a Hohner product -- ANY Hohner product, be it a mic, a harp, etc. -- that's not made in Germany is suspect...

The Green bullet is nowhere near being what it once was either. The elements they now install in the 520DX harps are in my humble opinion, pieces of waste. The search for a good mic can be long. Every mic has its own voice, and through every amplifier the same mic can take on a different flavor. Bon apitit.

[FatJim]

Chuncey - the pot on the 520dx is a sealed unit. They are really prone to crackling. Best solution is to replace it. If you are handy with a soldering iron, it's pretty easy. Just unscrew the mic grill to get at the guts of the mic. You can call Shure's Service Centre to order a new pot. In the US the number is 1-800-516-2525. The part you want is Volume Control Pot 90A4487.

[Chauncey]

Wow, thanks for the reply.

Take care,
Chauncey

[Jaybird]

Before you order a new pot and do a costly replacement why not try cleaning the pot? Most contact spray cleaners for electronics will work for you. They come with a small straw and can be shot into your potentiometer,at the shaft and where the contacts enter the body. You may have to remove the grill of your mic to see it, but no soldering is needed. spray in the cleaner, turn the shaft back and forth 10 or 12 times and repeat if needed. Here is a site for some caig.com - Home of DeoxIT - CAIG Laboratories, Inc. I bought a can of similar stuff at the local hardware store. It evaporates quickly, just make sure it says for use in pots, sliders or electrical equipment.