Ask Harp Mic Expert Greg Heumann

Hi

I have got a Shure Brothers 533SA mic and need a screw on connector to a mic cable. - Any idea where I might get one, or what specifications I might need to quote to order a compatible one?

please also e mail response to

kevin.molloy@btinternet.com

If you have any yourself would be happy to purchase

Kevin

Although I never met you in person, I got to email back and forth and chat with you on the phone. You were also extremely responsive and helpful in responding to everyone's questions. That, along with watching your videos gave me the sense of feeling like I knew you to some small degree. What I knew I liked. If there's a heaven hope you're up there doing harp mic maintenance with the greats. You will be missed.
-Taylor

Mr. Hasenpusch,

recently I got this Astatic R-3 with new old stock vintage crystal turner-element. When I use it with a danelectro echo-unit the output is lowered drastically and all the tone's gone. I have other mics with dynamic and cm-elements but they don't lose output. The pedal does changes the sound in the way it takes off some of the high end of the mic. With the turner-crystal the output is just almost gone. Is this normal? What can I do about it?

Und zoh, we were dealing with physical problems found in CM & CR mic elements. Because they contain magnets, a whole different sort of trouble can dog these pups. I'd stated: continue reading...

What's the best way to open up a Turner CX Challenger to see the element, it has no screws in the grill to take out like on the Shure bullets.

If you play amplified harmonica, sooner or later you'll encounter unwanted noise in your sonic signal path -no matter how carefully you've chosen and matched your gear and your wires. Very often the source / cause is INDUCTANCE.
INDUCTANCE is the influence of one electromagnetic field upon another. The culprit in this case is the interaction between your gear and A.C. (Alternating Current) electricity -common household power.
The best way to avoid the negative effects of A.C. INDUCTANCE on your D.C. (Direct Current) gear is to know what NOT to do... continue reading...

Hello Fritz,
First of all, I am of the understanding that a high impedance mic cable should be limited in length to 18- 20 feet.
I also understand that when using a low impedance mic, that the cable can be of much greater lengths.
Therefore, does it follow suit that if you are using a low impedance mic .... plugged into a high impedance amp... by way of a "low to high" impedance matching transformer..... that the section of cable between the mic and the transformer is considered low impedance, and can therefore be of much greater length, if necessary? continue reading...

I know to some harpmics seem to be held together by magic, prayer, and duct tape. Some, like the TURNER "Challenger" series, actually do rely on a snug 'PRESS FIT' -like the lids on Tupperware - to keep their grills in place. While there are many specialized nits and chiggers of hardware involved in the fit and finish of some mics (drift pins, threaded rings, etc.) the most common I've encountered are SET SCREWS of one sort or another. continue reading...

As I'd said in "POTENTIOMETERS: BY THE VOLUME", volume pots of the same correct value can effect a mic's output response in very different ways due to their designed-in response curves -or "TAPER". The most typical examples are "A" pots and "B" pots. Find the resistance markings on a given pot and often the designation of "A" or "B" will be present. "A" taper pots are logarithmic (sometimes called "log"), to match with our logarithmic perception of sound. Thus, "A" taper pots are commonly called AUDIO TAPER. continue reading...

This MIC MORSEL will deal with potentiometers, volume controls, 'pots'... We're pretty much talking about the same thing when we use these words. Its a variable resistor, its function is to control the amount of signal that goes through it. In the case of LORD MICROPHONE its purpose is to regulate the volume produced by the mic at the source prior to being sent on for amplification -most typically by an amplifier dedicated to that purpose. continue reading...