Citizen Jones and Tim Douthit session – playing a Silverfish High-Z through a Bugera V5
Tim Douthit plays his Silver Bullet at gig in Michigan and YouTube Review
This is Tim giving his new Special III Standard harp mic a blast the day his mic arrived in the post – at a gig in Michigan:
A YouTube review of a Silverfish Special III Standard harp mic and some cool riffs
Tim kindly endorses Silverfish Harmonica Mics in a post on Modern Blues Harmonica!
Keith Parker (harp player of the British Blues Band the Untouchables) – reviews Silverfish Harp Mics
Keith Parker reviews Silverfish Harp Mics in the Harmonica World mag (Aug-Sept 2020):
” I was expecting a sound reminiscent of a Shure Green Bullet, but no, WOW! I was not expecting this – a glorious fat crunch with good bass and very very hot, I couldn’t put it down I had to keep playing and I even had to turn it down a bit and you don’t hear electric harp players say that very often. I know I shouldn’t compare mics and players from the past – but just think Paul Butterfield and the Pistol 545″
The new Silver Bullet Dynamic | Standard Harp Mic – Dirty 50KΩ and Clean 4KΩ sounding models
The new Silver Bullet Dynamic | Standard Harp Mic – Dirty 50KΩ and Clean 4KΩ sounding models
There is the new “Standard Harp Mic” which is modelled after the vintage mics featuring a terminal “chunky” volume control and angled base-mounted jack-socket with a low form-factor.
This superb handmade, artisan harp microphones is rich in tone, robust and comfortable to hold for long periods of practice or gigging. Coupled with a full rich sound this new harp mic continues the Silver Bullet theme of unique rugged heavy-duty construction yet light-weight small design. Silverfish harmonica mics provide musicians with an alternative, unique artisan microphone that has proven outstanding reliability to stand up to the rigor of practice and touring!
Available in clean and low-fi (dirty) models or, if you fancy something quite unique, check out the switchable model that offers both contrasting dynamic elements in the same “Standard Harp Mic”.
Great feedback from harp players who use Silverfish mics
Silver Bullet Dynamic Special II Dirty/Clean switchable harmonica microphone
The Silver Bullet Dynamic | Special II – Dirty 50KΩ/Clean 4KΩ switchable (with volume control) is a light weight, high performance mic that offer the ultimate in flexibility for amplified harmonica with two separate and contrasting dynamic elements within one mic.
Even if you play mainly dirty blues or rock (for example) being able to clean up the sound at a touch of a button is very appealing and provides you with an arsenal of sound potential and scope for a new range of amplified harmonica sound. The tone from both elements are warm, responds to cupping and pressure changes and the high-Z element breaks up nicely to produce some great dirty and fat blues sound. Both elements are rich with full harmonic content and great bass.
Artisan quality and custom-built this mic is definitely a keeper! – when you hold the mic it feels small, solid, industrial and rugged. The bullet mic is neatly finished with a leather wrap and lovely dark hardwood fascia. The mic’ is exceptionally light in your hand and is easy to hold with a harmonica while performing so you don’t get hand cramp after a long practice or performance. Weighing about 20% of the weight of a Green Bullet you wont notice you are holding it!
The Silverfish switchable mics are probably the only harmonica mic available that offers the choice of two separate dynamic elements within the same microphone allowing relatively seamless change between powerful dirty Lo-Fi or clean sound performance.
Here is some terrific feed-back from players who use Silver Bullet Switchable Microphone as part of their amplified rig:
Richmond Chadwick, USA
“Hi Rick
Brother, I thought the last one [Silver Bullet Mic) was the best thing ever…. and you improved it. Blown away Rick, blown away. Thanks, Rich”
Trevor Llesley, Hampshire, UK
“Hi Rick, received my mic. It’s bloody gorgeous to say the least. Just had a blast on it, flicked the switch [from clean to dirty] and wow, different gear. Love it. I hope you sell many because they sound great and look fab. Cheers Rick”
Jonathan Lee-Stokes, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
“Hi Rick , had the mic a good few days now and I’m very happy with the sounds available and the build is great and very different from conventional mics which I really like. Thanks again for the extras, all the best and a happy new year.
All the best Jon Boy“
Mick O’Neill, Kent, United Kingdom
“Rick. Had a bit of a jam, through my old fender tube amp no compression or reverb settings on this amp still sounded gritty and dirty just how I like my blues breaks, picks up all stages of bends well, very pleased with this mic.
Mick”.
Holger Hagen, Germany
“Hello Rick, I must admit, I am not the harmonica Player in our duo. He is 76 years old, who never learned to speak English and he hates to buy something on the Internet But anyway, I want to tell you about the shine in his eyes (and in mine as well) hearing the full sound of the dirty version of the mic. And when he has to do some background vocals, he easily switches to “clean“.
That is good enough for that and keeps him mobile with his wireless system. Last but not least, he is really pleased with the smooth feeling in his hands. He likes the design, the size (in his small hands) and the leather wrapping. So we are looking forward to our next gig on 6. December. Kind regards Holger Hagen”
Clive Ellul, Barcelona, Spain
“Rick, played my first gig this weekend and as you say, it´s lovely piece of gear. Bit bigger than what I thought but even with my small hands it doesn’t get uncomfortable as it is light and grips well.
I´m using it through a VOX AC4TV which I was intending to mod, changing capacitors and valves, but now I don’t think I will bother, because with this mic I get the crunch that I like and feedback doesn’t seem to be an issue. Via a cheap Chinese spring reverb pedal, the tone is great. Clean has also a great tone. Sometimes it´s worth paying a bit more. Great mic very happy and please keep me posted on the new gear you bring out. Cheers, Clive”
Joseph Markey, NY, United States (US)
Rick, I received the mic and really like it. It is very light and easy to hold. I’ve been playing it directly into an 8 watt Z amp (tube with 15 inch speaker). The sound is great. The difference between the high and low impedance is really cool and very noticeable….
I played the new mic at a three hour jam session in NYC Saturday night and received a compliment on the sound quality from one of the guitarists. This guy builds amps so has an appreciation for sound and electronics. You’ve got a great product!
Thank you! Joe
Keld Marple, Frederiksberg, Denmark
“Hi Rick
Just wanted to let you know that after having owned and played the silverfish microphone for some time now, and I am very pleased with it. I have used it through my PA and a little Pignose and recently through a Dynacord JAZZ and it always sound as great as I hoped. So I am very pleased with the purchase.”
Regards Keld
Adding grip and ergonomic features to a Silver Bullet Harmonica Mic
Some simple improvements to significantly increase grip and that essential seal to maximise tone. Adding a rubber gaiter and an oversized o-ring just behind the head of the mic really makes a difference for a customer who has trouble with his grip.
Also a tidy job of fitting self-amalgamating tape creates a very positive feel to the gain. Notice that all Silver Bullet mics use a minimalistic approach of a simple gain knob – but this now has a neat inset red marker to help gauge levels and set-up during EQ Sound-Check – and during practice and performance.
This is the ergonomics improvement to the neat little Silver Bullet Special I – amazing value (£99.85 + postage) for a professional standard high-Z dirty blues sounding harmonica mic
See the following link for technical details:
http://www.silverfish-harmonicas.com/product/silver-bullet-dynamic-special-i-dirty/
The rubber ergonomics features are free of charge when you buy this mic – just ask Rick at point of sale
Facebook Group: Review of Silver Bullet
The main points from Richard Hunter’s (and others) Blog Review of the Silver Bullet:
Facebook Group: Harmonica Techniques, Custom Harps and Harp Gear
Richard Hunter
I’ve had the pleasure of testing two mics this week: the Blowsmeaway Bulletini and the Silverfish Silver Bullet. I recorded some audio of both mics last night, and I’ll post that to my site soon. In the meantime, a few impressions.
The Bulletini costs about twice as much as I’m used to paying for a harp mic. I’m a pretty cheap guy when it comes to gear, and it took me a long time to get off my cash and buy a Bulletini. I shoulda done it sooner. It’s a very solid piece of gear, apparently carved from a block of aluminum–I might be able to break it with a hammer and chisel, but it would take a while. It seems heavier in the hand than it looks, like a dwarf star that packs a lot of matter into a (cosmically) small space. The signal it produces is high (meaning lots of headroom) and wide (meaning a broad frequency response, with plenty of bottom end), and there’s great breakup on note attacks when you crank the gain. Ergonomically and sonically, it’s about the best mic I’ve ever used for amped blues and rock where you want the character of the mic in the sound. (The Audix Fireball remains tops for situations where you want the mic to be transparent, for example when you’re stacking multiple harp parts, as I so often do.)
The Silverfish Silver Bullet sells for less than half the price of the Bulletini, so you’d expect something lesser. What’s surprising about the Silver Bullet is how good it sounds at that price point. The tone of the mic is less broad than the Bulletini, in particular in terms of bass response. But the Silver Bullet produces lots of headroom and a very satisfying blues tone with plenty of screech and growl. Ergonomically, it’s small, lightweight, and built to take plenty of abuse. In short, the mic offers high value for money.
If you’ve got the money, the Bulletini is in my opinion the best mass-produced modern harp mic on the market. (Let me note that I’ve used dozens of mics in my time, everything from tape recorder mics to a range of vocal mics, and I am basing that statement on that experience.) If you’re short on cash, the Silver Bullet will do yeoman work until you can save up the money for a Bulletini.
Great choices at two different price points. It’s a good world for harp players.
Shaun Freke
I’ve had both and gig a Silverfish, I just prefer the tone I get from it through my rig..I guess its kinda subjective and personal.
…….
Greg Heumann
Great review, Richard – thank you for doing it. I should point out that the Bulletini’s bass boost makes a really big difference when playing through small amps, which typically have plenty of crunch and tone, but are very weak in the bass range.
Richard Hunter
I should note: I paid for both mics. My opinion is mine. This is a good time also to thank Rick Park at Silverfish and Greg Heumann at Blowsmeaway for their helpful advice and support.
Rick Park
I appreciate the honesty of the review – the Silver Bullet is not aimed at competing with Greg’s mics [which produce a darker tone at a different price bracket] -The Silver Bullet offering a range of features over a number of models. I receive some great review for these mics as well as constructive criticism on occasion – I aim for a qulairy mic that is also affordable. However they can kick out some great fat tone – with lots of crunch when properly set-up – for both practice and gigging – Rick
Richard Hunter
The silver Bullet is a very good mic and high value for money.
Liam Ward Demo of Silver Bullet – Dirty 50KΩ Harmonica Mic
Liam Ward is an award-winning harmonica player and teacher – well known for his harmonica lessons, blues band, song studies and inspiring videos – supporting absolute beginners, intermediates and advanced players alike.
Liam takes a look at Silverfish Harmonica’s Silver Bullet Special 50Kohm (Dirty) – listen to his review and some cool playing on this terrific high impedance (50KΩ) harmonica mic by Silverfish Harmonicas!
CLICK HERE – for the video review and demo.
Silver Bullet Wireless Rig
Cotton (FL, USA) uses this setup and provides advice on integrating a Silver Bullet into a neat wireless setup: “It is a “Stage 5” five watt amp, a Joyo digital delay, Xvibe U2 wireless system. I play mostly acoustic duos and the amp is plenty loud. It has a line out for larger venues into the PA. The Joyo pedal is a great value at under $40.00. Xvive U2 wireless is about what your mic costs [i.e good quality]. Carry everything – one trip, including my leather briefcase of harps.
“As you mention, it [Silver Bullet | Special High-Z 50KΩ – Dirty] looks a little Steampunk, which I like. Sounds real good with my small easy to carry setup. High Z is what I need with only a 5 watt amp. It is nice that I do not need any adapters for my cordless setup”.
Cotton
Green Bullet vs Silver Bullet comparison
Silverfish-Harmonicas’ Silver Bullet is arguably as good or better than the classic Green Bullet for amplified blues harp!
Every harp player knows about the Green Bullet and many use this mic as their mainstay for amplified harmonica playing. Silverfish Harmonicas’ “Silver Bullet” is arguably as good or even better than this classic Blues Mic! Certainly, the Silver Bullet is a lot smaller, lighter and neater than the green Bullet so in that respect you will notice a much easier hold and seal – the latter essential for good tone. The Silver Bullet also enables a much wider tonal range (controlling sound and tonal fidelity via the variable gain) than the Green Bullet which is an all or nothing distorted sound.
The Green Bullet is a high impedance mic with high output and good response over a range of 100-87000 hz using a controlled reductance element 99A86. The best match to the Green Bullet in the Silver Bullet range is the two dynamic 4K-Z and 50K-Z. The 40K-Z is the hottest of the two with a fairly low head room for distortion. The range of the mic is a terrific 40-16,000 hz with no annoying mid-tonal honk with lovely creamy mid and low tones in particular. The 4K is slightly less powerful and sensitive but with a wider response of 20-20,000 hz and a slightly higher headroom to distortion. Both Silver Bullet Microphones enable you to dial in the sweet spot by using the gain to play clean sound or to dial up the gain and (with a touch of reverb) achieve great distorted sounds.
Check out this great independent review by Tim Douthit of MI, US – comparing the Silver Bullet and Green Bullets.
Rick
Silverfish Harmonicas
Silverfish Harmonicas at the NHL – International Festival
Silverfish Harmonicas will be at the NHL – International Festival at Hartpury College Campus in Gloucester UK (Aug. 16th – 18th, 2019). There will be a small stand show-casing the range of harmonica microphones with an opportunity to try these and a chance to win one as part of the Gala raffle. All Silver Bullet mics will be offered with a free leather case during the festival for those who fancy buying one of these top-end handmade harmonica microphones.
The NHL International Festival promises to be an exciting weekend with the usual workshops, contests, shops and International Gala Concert. In addition to the artists headlining the concert there will be other well-known artists taking part in activities around the festival with performances from Joe Powers, Will Pound, Liam Ward, Palomino Bros and John Cook.
To book a place at the festival and evening concert go to: http://harmonica.co.uk/festival.htm
Silver Bullet Dynamic Special – Dirty/Clean switchable harmonica microphone
Even if you play mainly dirty blues or rock (for example) being able to clean up the sound at a touch of a button is very appealing and provides you with an arsenal of sound potential. There is no trade off in having two microphone elements in in one mic and this is a pretty unique piece of gear for amplified harmonica!
Play both the clean and dirty with a tight cup for maximum tone – helped by the ergonomic design feature of a gnarled ring for grip and a rubber O-ring and gaiter for optimal hand seal. The clean and dirty elements are both perfectly sensitive to low breath playing and the power of the dirty high-Z element takes you up a gear and blows your socks off. You can back-off from a tight cup to clean up the high-Z a bit or switch to the medium-Z for clean and pure sound that particularly suits chromatic, folk or Jazz harp. The small brass micro-switch enables silent and relatively seamless switching between elements during your performance. Check out this mic and benefit from a free leather case and leather wrap finish until 15th January.
For sound samples of both the clean and dirty elements (all be reviewed or played as separate clean or dirty mics) see: The Reviews Sound Samples page of this website
Here is some terrific feed-back from players who use Silver Bullet Switchable Microphone as part of their amplified rig:
Richmond Chadwick, USA
“Hi Rick
Brother, I thought the last one [Silver Bullet Mic) was the best thing ever…. and you improved it. Blown away Rick, blown away. Thanks, Rich”
Trevor Llesley, Hampshire, UK
“Hi Rick, received my mic. It’s bloody gorgeous to say the least. Just had a blast on it, flicked the switch [from clean to dirty] and wow, different gear. Love it. I hope you sell many because they sound great and look fab. Cheers Rick”
Jonathan Lee-Stokes, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom
“Hi Rick , had the mic a good few days now and I’m very happy with the sounds available and the build is great and very different from conventional mics which I really like. Thanks again for the extras, all the best and a happy new year.
All the best Jon Boy“
Mick O’Neill, Kent, United Kingdom
“Rick. Had a bit of a jam, through my old fender tube amp no compression or reverb settings on this amp still sounded gritty and dirty just how I like my blues breaks, picks up all stages of bends well, very pleased with this mic.
Mick”.
Holger Hagen, Germany
“Hello Rick, I must admit, I am not the harmonica Player in our duo. He is 76 years old, who never learned to speak English and he hates to buy something on the Internet But anyway, I want to tell you about the shine in his eyes (and in mine as well) hearing the full sound of the dirty version of the mic. And when he has to do some background vocals, he easily switches to “clean“.
That is good enough for that and keeps him mobile with his wireless system. Last but not least, he is really pleased with the smooth feeling in his hands. He likes the design, the size (in his small hands) and the leather wrapping. So we are looking forward to our next gig on 6. December. Kind regards Holger Hagen”
Clive Ellul, Barcelona Spain
“Rick, played my first gig this weekend and as you say, it´s lovely piece of gear. Bit bigger than what I thought but even with my small hands it doesn’t get uncomfortable as it is light and grips well.
I´m using it through a VOX AC4TV which I was intending to mod, changing capacitors and valves, but now I don’t think I will bother, because with this mic I get the crunch that I like and feedback doesn’t seem to be an issue. Via a cheap Chinese spring reverb pedal, the tone is great. Clean has also a great tone. Sometimes it´s worth paying a bit more. Great mic very happy and please keep me posted on the new gear you bring out. Cheers, Clive”
Joseph Markey, NY, United States (US)
Rick, I received the mic and really like it. It is very light and easy to hold. I’ve been playing it directly into an 8 watt Z amp (tube with 15 inch speaker). The sound is great. The difference between the high and low impedance is really cool and very noticeable….
I played the new mic at a three hour jam session in NYC Saturday night and received a compliment on the sound quality from one of the guitarists. This guy builds amps so has an appreciation for sound and electronics. You’ve got a great product!
Thanks Joe
Ben Hewlett Reviews and Recommends the Silver Bullet
Ben Hewlett, United Kingdom
(Silver Bullet Dynamic | Clean (gain) – lime green and Special Edition Dirty
Bens name and terrific harmonica playing will likely be familiar to many of you! Ben compares the Silver Bullets which he likes very much and recommends
Check out his video review comparing the Clean and Dirty Silver Bullets – which includes some cool playing showcasing the lovely tone of both these microphones when played by an expert!.
Silverfish harmonicas and the Oklahoma Tulsa Harmonica Summit 2018
It’s a privilege to once again help support this years Tulsa Harmonica Summit by providing a couple of the stunning new high impedance harp mics’ (dynamic 4kΩ an 40KΩ) for the “have a go session” and as a raffle prize – along with a lovely holster style pouch to keep them looking shiny.
The summit is set in beautiful Tulsa on Route 66 in Oklahoma on Saturday 21st April 2018.
The Summit has a line-up of some of Americas top harmonica players including performances by Charlie McCoy and Tim Gonzalis.
Activities include Blues Harmonica Workshops, an antique harmonica collection, harmonica care and repair classes and amplified harmonica techniques and you can also Jam along with some of the pro’s.
The event is also sponsored by the Blues Society of Tulsa and Hohner.
The poster and web-site are still in prep so this is one of the old fliers to whet your appetite.
Rick
Silverfish Harmonicas
Jamming with a Silver Bullet Ceramic | High-Z (wood/gain) – Georgia US
Jamming with a Silver Bullet Ceramic | High-Z (wood/gain) – Georgia US
Richmond Chadwick, Smyrna in Georgia US enjoying his new Silver Bullet Ceramic – High-Z
Jamming with his mates using a 10W Vox tube amp – and lots of soul!
Video review of the Silver Bullet Medium-Z Dynamic harmonica mic
Jakub Svoboda from the Czech blues band “The Weathermakers” reviews the medium-Z dynamic silver bullet harmonica mic. Jakub uses Silverfish dynamic (Low and Medium-Z) and ceramic microphones as part of his rig and recons the silver bullets have taken his playing to “another level”!
Check out his sound sample and video review of the new Medium-Z Dynamic harmonica microphone: video review
The Silver Bullet | Dynamic Medium-Z mic is a powerful new harmonica microphone with a strong rich and full sound. Adapted from an acoustic dynamic element this is a flexible microphone with a really “hot” signal that is fat – packed with full harmonic content and great bass. The mic has perfect mid-sound without treble – with clear intonation. A high-fidelity sound that can be used as both a powerful performance harp microphone and a vocal mic – perfect for blues and country singers.
The dynamic element provides some headroom to enable you to drive the mic’ and produce a classic “blues” harmonica sound – with a little help from your amp. The dynamic element has proven reliability and this ruggedly constructed mic’ is perfect for practice or gigging – especially mixed (harp/vocal) performance.
Dynamic Medium-Z: Bullet-proof dynamic element, high power microphone with higher fidelity, medium impedance, rich-full sound characteristics (cupped and un-cupped), also suits rig with pedals and splitters; can also be used for vocal so ideal for mixed performance. Requires a medium or high impedance amplifier.
See the listings for more details and the full range of Dynamic Medium-Z mic’s which are available in mini, midi and standard (with gain control) version – in a range of styles.
New powerful medium-Z silver bullet
Silver Bullet Dynamic – medium impedance harmonica microphones
The Silver Bullet Dynamic | Medium-Z is a powerful new harmonica microphone with a strong rich and full sound. Adapted from an acoustic dynamic element this is a flexible microphone with a really “hot” signal that is fat – packed with full harmonic content and great bass. The mic has perfect mid-sound without treble – with clear intonation. A high fidelity sound that can be used as both a powerful performance harp microphone and a vocal mic – perfect for blues and country singers.
The tailored dynamic element provides some headroom to enable you to drive the mic’ and produce a classic “blues” harmonica sound – with a little help from your amp. The dynamic element has proven reliability and this ruggedly constructed mic’ is perfect for practice or gigging – especially mixed (harp/vocal) performance.
The mic has a double foam and mesh build to avoid breath sound and enhancing vocal-sound quality when pronouncing plosive consonants. However, the mic can be upgraded for greater vocal performance with a separately purchased foam pop-filter/windscreen for effective reduction of wind noise and “popping” which is perfect for outdoor performance.
Like all silverfish harp mic’s, the unit can be stand-mounted and fits snugly in most small (fitting a 30mm barrel) microphone holders.
See link for vocal rig including: foam pop-filter/windscreen, enlarged mic case and rubber microphone holder
You my like to check out a sound sample and video review of this superb new harmonica microphone at: Link soon available
This silverfish harp mic’ is an awesome, powerful little microphone with technology and craftsmanship that delivers a compact design with many of the features a harmonica player wants and needs and is very technique sensitive.
Features:
- Volume control
- Full bodied tone with harmonic overtones and high fidelity
- Great feedback rejection
- Lightweight/small bullet
- Robust construction for rigor of touring
- Choice of gain or no gain control
- Steel mesh grille with choice of fascia
- Two-stage mesh & foam to reduce breath noise
- Shock-mount design reduces handling noise
- Rubber sleeve to improve hand-seal
- Quality electronic components and connector
- Holster-style case
- One year guarantee
Specification:
- Type: rugged dynamic
- Functionality: performance harmonica and vocal
- Impedance: Medium, unbalanced/powerful (hot) signal
- Polar patter: uni-directional
- Connector: 1/4″ (6.3mm) jack
- 1/4″ (6.3mm) jack-plug socket
- Case: anodised alloy
Tomlin Leckie – YouTube “Harmonica Microphone Blowout”
Tomlin Leckie – YouTube “Harmonica Microphone Blowout” Check out this great independent review by Tomlin of the Silverfish Bullet Ceramic Microphone alongside his other top favourite harp mics
Jakub Svoboda reviews the Silver Bullet Harmonica Microphone
Czech blues band “The Weathermakers” record their new EP with a Silverfish Harmonica Mic
Jakub Svoboda, harmonica player in the Czech blues garage band “The Weathermakers” uses both Silverfish Dynamic and Cermaic microphones and recons the silver bullets have taken his playing to “another level”!
Check out Jakub’s video review and sound sample of the Ceramic silver bullet harmonica microphone
Jakub provided some terrific feedback on his review of a Silverfish Harmonica Blues Bullet Microphone.
His feedback on his use of a dynamic (low-Z) silver Bullet harp mic when recording his latest EP with the Weathermakers was:
“…it is absolutely stellar. Not only is it super-light, which really saves my back after a long gig, but man does it play! I have used it at almost all our shows and it took my playing to another level. Compared with classic harmonica mic’s such as the Shure Bullet and Superlux, the level of player comfort is simply incomparable. We have recently recorded a new EP with our band “The Weathermakers”, where I used the Silverfish exclusively: the studio guy was genuinely impressed with what the mic is capable of”
Jakub Svoboda, The Weathermakers blues band