Choosing a Distortion Pedal for a Harmonica Microphone

One of the most important parts of playing the harmonica in a bluesy or cross-harp style is choosing a good distortion or overdrive pedal. A harmonica distortion pedal gives you that raw, rugged sound that you're familiar with from blistering blues recordings, not the much less aggressive tone that that harp gets naturally.

If you're trying to find a great harmonica distortion pedal, here are a few tips to keep in mind while you shop.

Using a guitar distortion pedal for your harmonica. Many harmonica players decide to use a guitar distortion pedal, which can be an effective way to get a good tone.

You'll want to find a distortion pedal that effectively recreates the sound of all of those old classic amps that harp slingers like Little Walter used, so you should stay away from the heavy metal pedals and pedals designed to be played in punk and heavy music. A little tinge of warm distortion is all you need.

Your harmonica's distortion pedal might be the single most important part of your sound, so be ready to spend a hundred bucks on something like an Ibanez TS-9, a classic distortion pedal that emulates the sound of a tube amp. Push this thing through a good amp with a good harmonica microphone and you'll have a great sound with a lot of control.

Specialized harmonica mics. If you spend a few more bucks, you can get pedals designed specifically for use with harmonicas and harmonica mics. These pedals are a great choice because they accent the frequencies that are most important to harmonica players, not the frequencies that are important to guitarists. My favorite in this category is the Lone Wolf Harp Attack and Harp Break, which are available here. They're seriously awesome pedals for an experienced harmonica player, and if you're looking for a specialized harmonica distortion pedal, this is your best choice for about $155.

Trying your harmonica distortion pedal. Before you buy a distortion pedal for your harmonica, grab your microphone and your amp and go into a music store. Try out a few guitar pedals and see what you like. You can also find plenty of demonstration videos online that can be very enlightening, although of course it's best to actually have the pedal in front of you if you're trying to see what it can do. Playing a harmonica mic before you buy it is a good move, because you'll cut down on the risk of buyer's remorse and you'll learn a bit about tone, too.

Do you have any other tips for buying a great harmonica distortion pedal? What do you use? Post in our comments section below.