Music – Hobbies Hobo

A part of my life, from a long time ago, lost for reasons even I don’t know.
Mike

The Gig Gear!

The Guitars
The Harps
The Amps
The Mics
The Extras
The Music

The Guitars!

Sunburst Epiphone Dot (Sunburst)
Ivory Mako (Jap Strat Clone)

Sunburst Epiphone Dot (Semi – Hollow Body – Electric)

Ivory Mako (Solid Body – Jap Strat Clone – Electric)

There isn’t really a lot of information to be found on the “Mako”. I do recall reading somewhere online that it was a Japanese clone of a Fender Strat but I really don’t know.

The Harps!

Hohner Diatonic
Hohner Chromatic
Hohner Piccolo
Bluesband

Diatonic Harps (Hohner – Marine Band & Others)

The “Bluesband” harp below is one of the cheapest & amazingly “Best Sounding” harps I have. The small “Piccolo” is also a great harp, but in a much smaller package.

Chromatic Harps (Hohner)

Hohner Chromonica
Hohner “Super” Chromonica

Hohner Chromonica

You gotta be really “Skillful” or really “Drunk” to play one of these. I packed this one around for about a dozen years before I realized I still couldn’t do it justice!

Hohner “Super” Chromonica

A jumbo variation of the smaller one that I can’t play worth fuck all!

The Amps!

Fender Blues Deluxe
Roberts 1040 (1962 Production Reel to Reel)
Sony (Reel to Reel)
Unknown Maker Portable
Pignose Portable

Fender Blues Deluxe (Modern Tube Power – 40 Watt)

Roberts 1040 (Reel to Reel, Tube Power – 20+ Watt)

1962 Roberts Engineering (Tube Power). I got this at a “Give & Take” event that I went to many years ago. These Amps were made by “AKAI” in Japan for Roberts.

Sony (Reel to Reel, Transistor Power – 55 Watt)

Unknown Maker (50’s Portable, Tube Power – 15 Watt)

Pignose (Battery Portable, Transistor Power – 5 Watts)

The Microphones!

Performance Mics
Vocal Workhorse Mics
Harp Mics
Repurposed Mics

Performance Mics (The Big Daddy’s)

Shure 55S
Shure 55SH
Shure PE 566

Shure 55S

Unidirectional
Unidyne Dynamic
Multi-Impedance (H-M-L)
Proprietary Screw Type Cable Connection
Stage Vocals Performance Mic

This Mic has a label on it with Model #55S & Serial #5832V. The label also specifies the impedance for each setting, “L” 30-50 Ohms, “M” 150-250 Ohms, “H” HIGH

Shure 55SH

Low Impedance (Lo Z)
Integrated On/Off Switch
XLR Cable Connection
Stage Vocals Performance Mic

Modern version of the 55S above. A “Plug & Play”, XLR compatible, performance mic. Works well, not to expensive and looks good!

Shure PE 566

Omnidirectional Input
Unisphere I Dynamic
Multi-Impedance Marked (H O L)
XLR Type Cable Connection
Mic Stand Mountable? (Unsure)
Stage Vocals Performance Mic

Vocal Workhorse Mics

Shure 585SAV
Shure 585SB
Shure 588SA
Shure 588SB
Shure PE53

Shure 585SAV

Omnidirectional
Unisphere A Dynamic
Hi Impedance (Hi Z)
Integrated Volume Control
Proprietary Screw Type Cable Connection
1970’s Vintage Workhorse Vocal Mic

Shure 585SB

Omnidirectional
Unisphere A Dynamic
Lo Impedance (Lo Z)
Integrated Lockable On/Off Switch
Proprietary Screw Type Cable Connection
1970’s Vintage Workhorse Vocal Mic

Shure 588 Mics

Omnidirectional (Both Mics)
Unisphere B Dynamic (Both Mics)
588SA – Hi Impedance (Hi Z)
588SB – Low Impedance (Lo Z)
Integrated Lockable On/Off Switches (Both Mics)
XLR Type Cable Connection (Both Mics)
1970’s Vintage Workhorse Vocal Mics

Shure PE53

Unidirectional
Spher -O- Dyne
Hi Impedance (Hi Z)
Integrated On/Off Switch
Proprietary Screw Type Cable Connection
1970’s Vintage Workhorse Vocal Mic

Harp Mics

Shure 520DX (Green Bullet)
Shaker Madcat

Shure 520DX (Green Bullet)

Omnidirectional
Dynamic
Hi Impedance (Hi Z)
Integrated Volume Control
Integrated Cable W/Std. 1/4″ Connector
1970’s Vintage Workhorse Vocal Mic (Made in Mexico)

Shaker Madcat

A purpose built “Harp Mic”
Allows holding harp, mic & adjusting volume very easily.
Has a cool name too! haha

Repurposed Mics

Shure 50AC Telco Tap

Originally designed for “Tapping Telephone calls”
Attached directly to telephone handset , patched into reel to reel tape deck for recording.
Fits really well into palm of hand, volume control by foot pedal.

The Extras!

Mic Stands
Volume Control
Cables
Other Stuff

Mic Stands

Straight Mic Stands
Boom Mic Stands
Custom Mic Stands

Straight Mic Stands

Great for pure vocalists or just a place to leave your mic. Big, wide, heavy bases prevent the stand from being tipped over too easily. Especially nice if you drink too much. Small, narrow, lighter bases allow the mic stand to intentionally be leaned over for performance purposes. Your choice!

A few spare straight mic stands in reserve are handy to have in case the “Groupies” come by. Give them each a stand with a microphone and let them sing backup. The mics don’t need to work, it just gives them something to stand in front of. Trust me, it’s a good investment to have a few sitting around!

Boom Mic Stands

Here’s a “Boom Mic Adapter” for a straight stand sitting on the coffee table amid a bunch of other misc. accessories like, stopwatch, horn, guitar tuner & wall mount guitar hanger. You’ll want a boom mic adapter if you want to do vocals with a guitar. They’re also handy if you want to amplify saxophones or drums!

Custom Mic Stand (Multi-Mic, Multi-Use)

Here’s some detail on the custom mic stand!

Drink holder w/easy access “Straight Razor”, Stop watch holder in middle, Ashtray on the Right! Below the watch holder you can see an extra copper, cable holder!

My “Custom Stand” is a straight pole with a boom on top in the center. There are two additional mic holders on both the left & right side of the boom. In the center position is a Shure 55SH for vocals or acoustic/electrified harp. The mic on the left is a Shaker MadCat with a Shure 50AC in reserve. On the right I have a Shure 588SB, great for full electric harp or more movement oriented vocals.

Under the microphones there is an ashtray, drink holder, multiple cord hooks, stopwatch, knife & the lock mechanism for adjusting the overall height of the stand. The drink holder has a small removable folding mirror at the bottom where the can sits. Under the ashtray is a small cloth that holds 2 shot glasses, ready for use at a moments notice.

Bottom of the stand is equipped with a small shelf that turns 360 degrees on wheels. This is where I used to leave my harps and sometimes my smokes.

Volume Control