| Gear and stuff You won't find much technical information here. I've just included it some basics because people (only blokes actually) ask about it. Harps - I really like the Lee Oskar harps. They're comfortable, sweet sounding and have a long life. I play the standard diatonic and bugger the blues harp purists, I love playing the Lee Osakar natural minor keyed harps. I was given a Hohner Polyphonia No. 7 by a dying man. It's a 25 hole chromatic all blow notes whopper of a thing. I guess it was used for the bass notes in the German harmonica bands. I like to play the bottom notes didgeredoo-style. I have a chromatic harmonica. It was a gift also. It's a Hohner Larry Adler Professional 12 in C - a fine harmonica I'm sure but I've had it for years and can barely manage a tune on it. I can get away with playing a bluesy-style thing in Dm and a few simple melodies. I think I need a teacher to get me started... Amp - I started off with a little Ampeq. It was nice but didn't have enough grunt. I've now got a Fender Blues Junior. I mic it up for most gigs. It has a real warm tone. I wind the highs down, the bass up and press the fat button in. Sometimes I wind the reverb up for the moody songs. Compared to many harp players I reckon it's a fairly clean sound. Before my operation, I could carry this amp myself. Mic - I started off with a green bullet but was looking for a different sound. A friend bought me a second-hand Shaker (from Drew Wimhurst of The Groove Kings). I really like it - it's easy to get a good cup and it's light. Sometimes I like to play straight into the vocal mic for a few bars of something different. Harp Case - This important fashion accessory was another gift I received. It's a gorgeous little Fender harp case in tweed with red lining. It holds about 25 harps plus my mic, a kazoo, business cards, bull-dog clips, screwdrivers, earplugs and an old love letter from my sweetie. I use the lid of the case to hide my cheat sheets. The case is grubby and scuffed. It's got 2 stickers on it 'magic happens' and 'Lee Oaskar Harmonicas'. I'm very fond of it and it's contents and it doesn't matter how tired I am or how inconvenient it is I never leave it in the car or out of my sight. |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| singer | songwriter | blues harp player | breast cancer survivor |
gear and stuff | influences etc | quotes | listen