Frequently Asked Questions about the
Bottle 'O Blues microphone

INSTRUCTION SHEETS

Q: What kind of cable do I need with the Bottle 'O Blues microphone?

A: The mic has a 1/4" jack on the bottom. Any good quality instrument (guitar) cable will work fine. I recommend a cable with a right angle end so that the cable exits the mic toward the floor. Check out the pictures of the mic to see an example of this.

Q: Is the Bottle 'O Blues microphone high impedance or low impedance?

A: The microphone is high impedance (about 500 ohms). It will plug into any high impedance input like a guitar amp or PA system and put out a very strong level.

Q: Will the Bottle 'O Blues microphone work with my amp?

A: In a word ... yes. I've personally played the mic through many, many amps and its always worked great. I've played through everything from new, cheap solid state amps, to very expensive vintage tube amps. I've sold hundreds of them and have never had a customer tell me they had any problems with the mic and their amp.

Q: Will the Bottle 'O Blues microphone break if I drop it?

A: No, the mic is made from a strong plastic shell and is very lightweight.

Q: I want to get a down and dirty vocal sound. Can I sing through the Bottle 'O Blues microphone?

A: Maybe ... you be the judge. Check out my sound samples page. I talk through the mic on one of the demos.

Q: I'm getting feedback with my amp and mic. What can I do to reduce this?

A: Feedback with any mic and amp is a problem. The Bottle 'O Blues feeds back less than typical bullet mics like the Green Bullet, Bluesblaster, or Astatic JT30. But it can still be a problem.

The first thing to consider is the amp setup. Start with your gain and tone knobs turned all the way down. Slowly bring them each up one-at-a-time to see where feedback starts. Remember that its gain that causes feedback and a tone control is just a frequency selective gain control. Most feedback can be controlled by turning down the "treble" or "high" tone control.

If you're using a tube amp its very common for harp players to change the preamp tubes from the typical high gain 12AX7 tubes, to lower gain 12AU7 tubes. These amps were designed for guitars and not microphones. Changing to a lower gain tube allows you to turn up louder and with more distortion before feedback occurs. Tubes are available online or at your local music store. They are easy to change but if you're not comfortable doing this, take it to a local music store and get them to do it for you. Remember to ALWAYS turn off and unplug your amp before touching anything inside it. Tube amps contain LETHAL voltages.

If you're trying to use an inexpensive solid state amp you may have to follow the instructions above on setting up the amp, and in addition you may have to turn down the volume control on the mic to control feedback. Most of these small practice amps have VERY high gain becuase they are designed for guitar.

Q: I'm getting a buzzing sound through my amp.Whats going on?

A: This is almost always caused by a bad cable. Usually it means that the ground wire in the cable is broken. Try another cable to see if thats the problem. If the cable isn't the problem, try turning the mic all the way off using the volume knob. If the buzzing is still there, then you may have a problem with your amp.