Ask Harp Mic Expert Greg Heumann

Recently I saw a Universal Microphone, serialnumber 5465.

What are your thoughts about this mike? And what would be a reasonable price?

I just found one for sale in a local classifieds, went and got it and so far in love with its sound..

anyone else have an opinion on this mic?

Man, the weather up here in the Great Northwest has been an ongoing sog-a-thon! continue reading...

Hello, Fritz.

Is there anything useful that can be done with a dead Shure 777S? (Other than using it as a historic paperweight)
Can the element be removed without tearing it up?

Thanks.

Hey, Fritz!

I have a pair of Shure Omnisphere PE 588 B microphones.
They are low-Z mics with XLR connectors, as I'm sure you know.

The mics sound pretty good with a matching transformer at the amp end. A little tough to cup well, but when the cup is tight, they break up nicely.

I 'm thinking about leaving one low-z and changing one to high-z.
It appears that the elements (the replacement element for this mic is the R8, if that tells you anything) appear to be high-z. continue reading...

...And the element of CHANGE. continue reading...

So I've covered how to remove a mic's grill screen, cloth, or silk and how to rinse it out. Let's put it back in... continue reading...

I'm currently rebuilding a half dozen mics for a client that all have one thing in common: Their grill clothes are FILTHY! continue reading...

Hi, Fritz.

I've got an Astatic 335 H-7 mic, and I'd like to replace the hard-wired cable with a screw-on connector.
Can you tell me the least traumatic way to remove the silver cap? There are two holes on the sides, and it looks like one either has to push the "tabs" out of the way through the holes in order to clear them and unlock the cap, or else somehow pull the whole thing off with brute force (which never seems right). I don't want to put the first scratch on this mic if I can help it.

Thanks again, for everything!

Within the past two weeks I spent many hours in the company of an experienced local amp builder who's embarking into the realm of HARP AMPS. Several different mics and harp keys were run through several different amp examples and prototypes which in turn were run through several different speaker combinations. By the end it was clear that while a few of the mic and amp combinations were more pleasing in general, there was no single formula that performed all tasks equally well. continue reading...