mylittleeye's Amp Rig

Beginners will be drawn to the whistles and bells of modern portable digital modelling amps but Pro's will appreciate the pignose's zen like simplicity and the warmth of it's old school analogue transistor circuitry. The Pignose is now my go-to portable amp despite the fact that I already have the popular Roland Microcube and Vox DA-5. Besides my guitar, I primarily use the pignose for filthy Chicago style harmonica, which my digital amps just can't seem to process without nasty dissonant overtones. The pignose handles the crazy harmonica signal waveform effortlessly, and delivers a presentable harmonica honk directly from my Bottle o Blues harmonica mic. Distortion is controlled by balancing the ratio between the mic (input) volume, and amp (output) volume, just as with guitar. It also plays well with my preferred effects pedals; another reason to choose it over the generic built in effects of modern portables. A final bonus is that the Bottle o Blues stows neatly inside the case along with 5 harmonicas and a 2 meter instrument cable.

My other amps may go to market but this little piggy will stay at home!

I can't be arsed with 'booteek' gear and harmonica gear seems to occupy a whole other realm of snobber-geekery. I'm just not up for some Indiana Jones like adventure to the hidden vaults of some forgotten Chicago taxi rank to seek out the precious Astatic Crystal Element used by Little Walter to play Juke, because it, and only It can possibly deliver the sacred sonic signature sound!

Instead I just wanted a consistently well regarded mic that can at least approach the famous Chicago Harmonica Honk sound that we all know and love.

The Bottle 'O Blues does just that. It may look like an improvised crack pipe but it is widely well regarded throughout the harmonica forums and many pros, or semi-pros at least, keep one as a backup incase their 'precious crystal' mic packs up, as they are wont to do.

The Bottle 'O Blues meets my expectations entirely, delivering just what I need, great Chicago style harmonica tone in a simple and robust, if not so pretty unit. It also benefits from a volume knob, essential for controlling feedback and balancing the distortion through my pignose portable amp. A bonus feature is that the mic fits neatly and snugly inside the amp, along with a 2m cable and 5 gob-irons. Can't ask more than that!

For it's cost the mic really deserves 'nearly 5 stars' and I feel a little bit mean in giving it only 4. It's a fine sound but not 'great' inasmuch as I am still left wanting a little bit more,

If, like myself you are in Europe, consider that postage adds considerably to the cost and there are other good cheap and perhaps 'better' microphones available. I'm thinking of the well regarded Superlux D112C in particular which is both cheaper and better looking and supposedly shares the same circuit (chinese made) as the ubiquitous Green Bullet harp mic.