Getting Started With a Harp Mic
In a previous post I gave you 3 reasons you should learn to use a harp mic:
For the bluesy, distorted tone we all know and love
To be heard among a crowd of people, and
To be heard among musicians
There is a learning curve with playing amplified, because playing with a mic, especially a bullet-style mic, requires some changes to your technique compared to playing acoustic.
In order to get that nasty, distorted, chicago-blues style tone, you want to get as airtight of a grip around the mic as possible. The airtight grip is part of what overdrives the mic giving that distorted sound. This takes practice.
Hand wah effects are greatly limited. We have to rely much more on mouth position and much less on hand wahās to get the tonal variations we want to play.
Feedback - that squealing moaning sound that makes everyone cover their ears and grimace - is something that we are always trying to avoid. Finding the balance between a GRITTY tone, yet NOT FEEDING BACK is challenging and takes time and experimentation. Sometimes that balance requires us to become nimble with our micās volume knob.
The MIC I recommend for beginners, if youāre on a tight budget, USED TO BE the Bottle Oā Blues, but sadly they are no longer in business, although you may be able to find one on eBay or Reverb.com.
But thankfully I just got turned onto a host of vintage Japanese mics that are suitable harp mics for under $50! 
You can check them out in this video, and please do not hesitate to post any questions you may have about them here in the forum.
Otherwise, if youāre not on a tight budget, hereās my recommendations:
The Hohner HB-52
The Bulletini
Shaker Mad Dog for those with small hands or only use of 1 hand
But what about the all important AMP?
Hereās a low-budget solution to consider: Low Cost Battery-Powered Amps.
All battery-powered amps share these benefits:
Lightweight
Relatively Inexpensive
Donāt take up too much space at home
Able to be played anywhere - even camping in a remote place!
To put these prices in perspective, a regular amp that harmonica players might use on a gig, like a Fender Bassman runs about $1200.
I checked out 4 super-cheap amps, and here are my takeaways.
Honeytone N-10 ($25)
Runs on a 9V Battery
As with most things in life, you get what you pay for. But at least the Honeytone can get you playing amplified.
Itās most effective to use with headphones, as itās hard to get it at a nice volume without feeding back.
Using this amp with one of the vintage Japanese Mics can get you into the amplified harp game for as little as $50.
BUT it doesnāt have an aux input, to be able to listen to songs or backing tracks to play along with, which makes it less fun and useful for headphone use.
Orange Crush Mini ($75)
Runs on a 9V Battery
This 3 Watt amp has the nastiest, most nasal tone of these amps. Its big drawback is that itās prone to feedback and it doesnāt have a big bottom end.
Since it has an aux in, itās great for headphone use - plug in your phone or computer using an ā ā cable and jam along with your favorite songs or jam tracks.
Blackstar Fly 3 ($75)
Runs on 6 AA Batteries
This 3 Watt amp has a bit more bottom end than the Orange amp, and itās a bit easier to get the volume up on it without excessive feedback.
This is the only amp that has an onboard echo effect which can be a LOT OF FUN.
It also has a āblues powerā button which distorts things more, getting nastier tones, but making it harder to avoid feedback.
Also like the Orange amp, it has an aux in, so itās also great for headphone use and jamming along with other songs or jam tracks.
Pignose 7-100 Legendary ($125)
Runs on 6 AA Batteries
This is a 5 Watt amp with a 5ā speaker and so itās just a lot easier to get it to a nice reasonably loud volume without feedback. If you are wanting to use a mic to jam with others and/or to be heard in small gatherings, this is definitely your best bet.
However, it has neither an aux in jack NOR even a headphone jack, so this baby is NOT good at being quiet.
Final Verdict
On a shoestring budget a $25 vintage Japanese Mic into the $25 Honeytone amp gets you up and running with playing amplified for 50 bucks!
To be able to play in headphones along with recordings, and have an inexpensive entrance into playing amplified without excessive feedback, Iād probably go with the Blackstar.
And if you donāt care about use with headphones, and itās affordable for you, Iād DEFINITELY go with the Pignose.
And if you can afford $250 or more, check out the bigger Pignose options, the Hog-20 or Hog-30.
A great riff to first practice with an amp/mic would be any of the 5 Killer Harmonica Grooves, or:
The I Want Candy riff, punctuated with a -45 trill (because it sounds badass and requires no bending).
Hereās the tab:
-123 -123 -123 234 -123
-45 Trill
(Anything to justify my GAS!)
