BOTTLE 'O BLUES
TESTIMONIALS

Send me your comments on the Bottle 'O Blues microphone and I'll post them here.

  This is just a SAMPLE of the many delighted
fans of the Bottle 'O Blues !

 Got the BoB today, and I have to say its the best harp mic I have ever used. I tried the cheap and expensive, from Green Bullets, to old EV ptt mics, Shakers, and a little wooden mic somebody on eBay made. This thing honks! Its cool looking too ... a fellow band member asked if I was playing thru a KT66 output tube ... LOL. Thanks again. I may have to get a back-up soon, just in case. Thanks for a great product!
                                  Don  
 Dear Jim,
The Bottle 'O Blues came yesterday and I absolutely LOVE this product ... its provided me the sound I have been looking for, for ages!!! I used to play through an Ibanez Tube Screamer to get half that sound, but it was always very "tinny". I am so pleased that I bought it, and more so from my dealings with you. The customer service was the best I have dealt with in a long time.
Thanks for everything,    Michael  
 

Jim,
Got the BOB from Marijn last week and test drove it on Saturday. An delighted with it. Combined with my Marble Max amplifier it is totally the dog's danglies. Am gigging Saturday and the BOB will be there; hooked up to my Sonny Jr. Four Ten. Oh boy, oh boy ...
                                 Ruurd fron The Netherlands

 
 I'm totally floored by this mic! I didn't know such a huge tone could come out of such a lightweight package. Thanks a million for fabricating such a wonderful piece of equipment.
Regards,   Nicholas

This baby is just soooo cool! Thanks for the great service.    Bruce

 
 Hi Jim,
I just received your fantastic Bottle 'O Blues in the mail today, and I want to let you know that I simply can't remember when I've bought something this genious. Thanks a lot! And keep inventing ... (I'm playing with a Litle Smokey Amp outside!)
Warm Regards,    Dan, France  
 

Jim,
I just wanted to let you know that I received the microphone and I've had a chance to play it a couple times so far -- once at a gathering of a couple hundred people. It has a great sound and its so light-weight -- almost like nothing in my hand. It is a very good product and the other musicians were quite intrigued with it. Thanks for the prompt service and easy transaction, too.             David,   North Carolina  
 

Hey Jim!
I have truly enjoyed my Bottle 'O Blues, Hog-20 amp, and Smokey amp. As a rookie harp player they have made practicing so much more fun and productive.
I sat in with a local band and they loved the way the Bottle 'O Blues sounded through their system. They could not believe how much better it sounded than the vocal mic I had been using. The band thought the Bottle 'O Blues was clean, smooth, and nasty all at the same time!Thanks again for a great product and a great value.
                                 Duane, TN  
 Jim,
Too tired from blowing my ass off tonight to tell you in many words what I think about these mics, but I'll try.
I've got quite a collection, but never thought anything could take the place of a bullet. I did expect the "bottle" to be a hard plexiglass thing, but as I said, once you start wailing with this mic, it does not really matter. The sound is exactly what I've been after and it does feel very comfortable and sturdy while playing. In fact ... I LOVE the light weight! I dropped my bullet on my foot a couple weeks ago (true story) while practicing at home with just some socks on (and sweats) ... the purple is just now starting to go away. I'm noticing that I can jump higher with this great little lightweight mic!
I just bought a little Ampeg J-20 tube amp and the combination is unbeatable. The bass response is great. So much so that I can even plug into the bright input on the amp and STILL not push too much treble and get yet a different kind of funk out of the mic and amp. Just thought I'd tell you what I'm thinking right out of the gate ... Nice, Very nice. Everything is new again!  
         Thanks, Bill.  

 The package arrived today, and it's awesome! The Bottle 'O Blues mic is amazing! I had no idea it would sound this good. It's become my 'go to' microphone - a nice fat, mellow sound with just a hint of distortion. And because it is so light-weight the sound kind of resonates through the body and becomes an extension of the harp.
                                          Daniel,  Sydney Australia

 
 Wow that was quick shipping (got it yesterday). It sounds great! I have been playing about 40 years and know a great mic when I blow through it. My little Mississippi Saxophone never sounded better. I can't wait to break it out Friday night. And the little Smokey amp is just too cool.
I'd like to say to prospective customers If you don't have one get one, if you have one get another one if you know a harp player that needs one. Get one if you like the sound of Paul Butterfield.
                   Antonio  

 Just an email to let you know how much I enjoy your Bottle 'O Blues mic (I'm sure you already know that though) and to thank you for fixing the one I sent back for repair a while back. I realize I am not the best player around, but know what I like! You are doing all of us harp players a great service making such a quality product at such a fantastic price.
No matter what kind of amp I am using it sounds great and folks are blown away by the materials used. Hope you are doing well!!
A VERY satisfied customer!
                                            Steve Harvell

Hi Jim,

The mic arrived today and I gave it a workout tonight! That baby is SWEET!
Thank you for a great mic, great service, and especially the customized CD with the message and demo of my mic on it! That was an unexpected and awesome personal touch that is greatly appreciated. I love the concept and design of your Bottle 'O Blues. Rest assured, there will be much word-of-mouth and web forum publicity from me! I've left very positive feedback on eBay, and I'm showing it off to everyone. Thanks again, Jim!
Robert from Austin TX

Hi Jim,

Got the mic today, and yup, she's a keeper. I A/B-ed with my Shure Green Bullet, and the low end is much more pronounced and smooth - I like it a lot! Thanks for putting together such an affordable and funky mic for blues harp! Cheers, John
Posting on a forum dedicated to the Akai DPS23 recorder mixer by Robert C. ...

Don't know how many blues harp players are lurking out there, but since most good harmonica microphones cost hundreds of dollars, I was thrilled to discover an odd contraption called the Bottle 'O Blues mic, manufactured by hand by Jim McBride. He makes them out of bottles and they have that real, distorted, dirty, Chicago blues sound. The incredible part is that they are cheap. You can snag one off eBay for $40.
Mine came 3 days after I ordered it and included a custom CD with an intro and sound demo of Jim McBride playing my exact mic before he packed it for shipping. Can't get better personalized service than that! I love these homemade grassroots inventions!
And yes, it sounds great. I paid more for a cable for it at Guitar Center than I did for the mic!
Loping Buzzard - Noisician
didjeridu, danmo, gopichand, berimbaum cuica...

Jim,

Got the mic and Smokey amp today. Quite fast delivery, and no customs to pay, for once. They're incredible. Incredible the mic can sound so good through that tiny amp! Exactly as you say, it gives a beautiful, distorted electric blues sound, anywhere. Really pleased with it. Feels like you could charge double, to me. Sounds great through my Marble Max (a really nice Dutch made harp valve amp) too. Liked the CD demo.
Thanks again, Peter from Belgium

Jim,
The mic arrived today. It does exactly what you say - gives a great Chicago blues sound.

Many thanks, John

Jim,
Finally got a chance to play today. Best Bullet type mic I've played. I love the set up with the chamber in front of the element so its recessed, the quality volume pot, and small size. Makes sense to me and sounds great out of the Harp Gear 2 amp. Terrific little mic. BTW, the CD is a nice touch, you sound great. Best, David.

Hey Jim,
G'day from Larry in Oz. I got your mic and hooked it up to my Pignose Hog-20 and its got an awsome tone. I put the mic on my Fender Blues Jr. and guess what? Talk about Chicago honk! I've never had the fat switch or the middle or treble knob on at all but now with the Bottle 'O Blues I can have the middle on 5, the treble on 5, and the fat switch on. For that fat sound I have the volume knob on the Bottle 'O Blues on two-thirds and no feedback! Thanks Jim for an awsome mic. I'm playing in Melbourne tonight with your mic. Thanks again, Larry from down under.

Hey Jim,
I got my mic in the mail today and I just had to let you know I am impressed! I've been playing harp for 40 years and I've blown through a lot of mics and amps - the Bottle 'O Blues ranks right up there with the best of them! I have a vintage Green Bullet, a JT30, and various other mics and, while they all have their strong points, your mic can hang with all of them. I recently had the good fortune to acquire a cherry silverface Vibro-Champ and I immediately loved it's sound with my JT30. The Bottle 'O Blues with its great bass response makes it sound like a HarpKing! It isn't as hot as some of my other mics, but I need to mic that amp into the PA anyway, and the tone is AWESOME! The super reasonable price just makes it sweeter. Thanks for a great product!
Sincerely, Jeff D.

I ordered one of your mics this last summer ... around July/August. I've been using it every week at a regular blues gig. I love it..! ! ! It performs every bit as advertised. It is light-weight, easy to hold, the volume control is easy to use and gives good 'control' of the volume. Being 'symetrically' shaped it's easy to position the volume control where it is most easily used And, the mic *seems* quite rugged ... as its been dropped and knocked around without any noticable damage.

One of the initial reasons I bought it, was that if it got 'trashed' at a gig, it wouldn't be a catastrophe and costly. As it is, it is a killer mic that I'd replace in a heart-beat if anything happened to it. I hope that you can continue to make them at the very reasonable price you ask ...
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..! ! !
Thanks again .. !!  
Gene