Comparing

Harp Commanders

           When I designed the first Harp Commanders in 2001, I had tons of input. Harp players told me what they wanted to achieve with their sound and their set-ups.

 

           Over the last 50 years, harp players have used all sorts of sound gear. Old mics, crystal mics, mics like Shure Beta 58, Shakers, ring mics, piezo mics, old PA paging mics, mics from cement delivery trucks, dynamic mics that look like helmets, guns and alien space weapons, Magnetic mics, Controlled Magnetic mics, ceramic mics, carbon mics, electret mics and so on.

 

           I put my studio condenser mic design experience to use in the design process. Professional performers had been using PA reinforcement mics and systems for years. It became clear to me that harmonica players could benefit from using PA systems as well. How to do it? And how to fight that old enemy feedback?

 

With the dual goals of being able to use almost any harp mic and the ability to play through the PA system, the original Harp Commander was born in 2002.

 

It was my first effort to make something compact, RF noise and electrical interference resistant that could use almost any “harp mic” to play and drive both an amp and a PA at the same time. You could push it into distortion. It had tons of gain. As it turns out, too much gain. Players found it hard to totally clean up their sound. Players told me they wanted the biggest distortion range possible.

 

As I built the first 300 units, I gradually improved the sonic quality, decreased the gain and compression and lowered the top end and tried to extend the lows. The first 300 units gradually had at least 30 design changes. The grade of parts quality and cost increased with every revision.

 

The first units lacked a built-in battery, so the HCII had space for two 9-volt batteries inside. But its narrow case required a removable bottom cover so you could change the batteries. It was awkward. The II had a larger PC board and top-facing knobs. The parts had to be compact, but the best sounding capacitors were big physically and wouldn't fit inside the box. A dilemma!

 

Field Effect Transistors (“FETs”)—which I like and use—come in a broad range of tolerances. I started testing and screening my own to the specs I wanted and needed to make the Commanders sound good. I found out that only a fraction of the new ones and only certain brands sounded right. I had to toss expensive FETs that didn’t meet my numbers. So the first Commanders and the early HCII units had a big range of variation in sound from unit to unit. The sound of the HCII became cleaner and more detailed than the first HC units. I also decreased the gain.

 

There were a few early HCII units that could act weird under some conditions. Their PC board was too small and compact and at high impedances the FETs could become unstable. I re-designed the PC board several times to solve that property. The unstable units were returned to me and I fixed them at no charge.

 

I needed a larger enclosure, bigger boards, bigger/better-sounding capacitors, all 1% precision resistors and an easy-to-change battery compartment.

 

The HCIII and the HC Junior evolved from the HCII. Some players wanted sophisticated features like pro mic input-fully balanced, low Z input and preamp, balanced, transformer-driven line out on both XLR and TRS jacks for PA boards, recording boards and long cable runs. Other players wanted only the most basic version I could build.

 

Both were built around an English-made battery drawer, a heavy 18 gage steel enclosure and a nearly indestructible baked powder-coat finish. Built with all Class A single rail FET preamp circuits and designed to be highly musical. I finally had the room I needed to use the large capacitors.

 

To sum up: the later the model, the lower the gain. The III and Junior have a softer, less distorted compression and crunch. The III can be adjusted for a clean, detailed and airy sound. Both can be pushed into compression, but not as extreme as earlier models. With separate gain and output knobs, the musician can easily adjust how much compression and its quality. The Junior is slightly darker.

 

The final III and the Junior are more sonically open and detailed than the earlier models. The III is linear and very HiFi unless otherwise adjusted. It is perfect for studio use or live performance. The low or bass end is even lower than previous models. The tone circuits and bandpass of preamps are solid down to 20 Hz. Lower than earlier models. This called for big film and foil and Tantalum capacitors and precision resistors-now that I have the room.

 

The III can also be used for any brass, string, wood or reed instrument.  The Junior is a simplified sonic version of the III, but uses old tube-era boost and roll-off tone circuits for that old-time vibe. Lots of knobs or 4 knobs.