Blues Asia Network

The “Chicago Blues” sound,  that has so influenced western popular music, often featured the amplified harmonica.  Marion Walter Jacobs, otherwise known as “Little Walter,” and also “Big Walter,” Walter Horton, together with many others, helped to take “The Blues” out of the Mississippi Delta, and into Chicago “Juke Joints,” the bars and clubs in what was, at that time, one of the great manufacturing bases of the United States.

But how did those harp players achieve that sound?  They used whatever amplifiers they could get hold of.  Back in those days, amplifiers were “tube” or “valve” amplifiers.  And they used the mics of the time.  This resulted in an “ovedriven” sound for their harmonicas.

The microphones were often “Crystal” Microphones, such as the Astatic JT-30.  During World War Two,  microphones used  by “Tanoy” PA systems, in warships and factories, were very often the Astatic JT-30.  So in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were lots of these microphones available from second hand stores, and “surplus shops,” and at very low prices — and the musicians of that time bought them!

The blues singers and musicians who traveled north to find work in places like Chicago were far from wealthy, so they got hold of whatever mics that they could afford.  Back then, JT-30s were very inexpensive — and they made truly excellent harmonica microphones.

But there were many other microphones in use of course. I have been told that Little Walter favoured the Astatic Model 30 “Biscuit,” but I understand he used various other microphones over the years.   Shure produced the “Green Bullet” mic, another excellent tool for the blues harp player.  And quite honestly, the list is endless.

Now in the 21st Century,  we have even more options. There are many custom mics available, designed specifically for the blues harmonica.  Hohner is still marketing a version of the JT-30, that they call the “Hohner Blues Blaster” although that has a different crystal element to that used in the original.  Shaker also manufactures and sells various models of dedicated harmonica mics, and there are various other companies selling mics specifically designed for use amplifying harmonica as well. Many harp players like to use the Shure SM57 or SM58. Others prefer the Audix Fireball microphone.  Any of these options can work very well with the blues harmonica.

So what do I use myself to get “my” harmonica sound”?

Just now I have 3 harmonica  mics. For general use, my favorite mic is a Shure 588SA Unisphere B dynamic microphone. I bought it new back in 1971 and it is excellent, either through a modern PA system, or with a guitar amplifier. My mic of choice to use with a guitar or dedicated harp amp is a modified JT-30 crystal mic. I bought 2 of these “Crystal Balls” mics, from “Kevin’s Harps”, back in the 1990s.  Complete with a volume control, it’s an excellent harmonica mic.  The third mic in my case is a really inexpensive Chinese-made “Cayser DM-889” dynamic mic. It cost me the equivalent of about $10 USD, brand new, last year. It will fall to pieces before too long, but provides a fine blues harp sound. It is not essential to spend a lot of cash on a mic to get a decent blues harp sound.

Just one word of warning about crystal mics. These use a salt crystal. This is very sensitive to the effects of the climate. If you chose one of these mics, it’s sensible to have a spare microphone, just in case the crystal fails during a performance.

johnwalden@aol.com

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