H-Clamp Light Upright Bass and Cello Microphone Mounts

It obviously depends on the music and the venue -- but nothing sounds more natural, when amplifying or recording your bass, than a microphone. Upright Bass pickups were, essentially, a compromise - developed for situations when a microphone wasn't practical due to feedback and bleed-through issues.

When you are able to use a microphone, it can arguably deliver the most "real" of all amplified sounds. I'll repeat, though -- it's not always practical. While I use a mic whenever I can, I will always have a pickup as a "Plan B," or to mix in with my microphone signal (to firm it up or otherwise enhance the sound.)

The next challenge has always been where to put that mic. If you've ever put one on a stand in front of the bass, you know the frustration of trying to stay exactly in one place; moving your bass around can cause drastic unwanted changes to tone and volume (and feedback!). And who can -- or wants to -- stay completely still when playing the bass!?!

The H-Clamp is a very sophisticated adjustable instrument microphone mounting device, with models available for Upright Bass, Cello, and Guitar, all of which may be suitable for other, similarly sized acoustic instruments (review size specifications here or elsewhere on the site to compare to your instrument).

This clever, well-made unit solves the problem, using a clamp that echoes the design of the traditional luthier's edge clamp (cramp). This anchors the microphone firmly in place using the edge of the instrument as the contact point, to avoid damping the instrument's natural vibrations. You can use just about any mic (while lighter is better, the manual offers suggestions for safely using larger/heavier mics) be it large or small diaphragm, condenser or dynamic -- the H-Clamp is compatible with any standard mic clip or suspension mount. The maneuverability of both the clamp and arm allows virtually any preferred placement, as well as the ability to locate it so as not to interfere with the player's motions.

The "space age" construction materials result in an extremely light yet secure mount. The "Spirit" model features construction of aerospace grade aluminum. The disk material on the lighter-weight "Black" models is a special lightweight aerospace polymer, a high tech material developed to be machined instead of moulded, and it's as strong as aluminium but lighter and essentially inert acoustically. The shaft, boom and screws are all aerospace grade aluminium. Silicone and other material inserts and sleeves are used for all the contact points to avoid damage to your instrument, and, presumably, to minimize vibration.

Placement of the H-Clamp is up to the user. Note the differences between where the clamp is placed in the photo above (on Mark's bass) and from the photo at left. There's no reason that the clamp cannot be placed on the other side of the bass, from down below, or on the upper bout, if that is what works for you!

Please note that the photo of Mark's bass effectively illustrates the clamp, but aiming the mic directly at the f-hole or front of the bass is not recommended.

A very thorough User Manual is included. It offers instrument-specific, detailed recommendations as well as general information.

H-Clamp BLACK Multi 'Pro Studio' Mic Holder (includes four shafts) - This is the "DELUXE" unit, which includes FOUR different sized shafts, which -- by mixing and matching -- allow you incredibly flexible width of space between the clamps. Various combinations of the shafts allow you to use this model for almost any mic-able instrument: Regular Sized Upright Basses, OVERsized Upright Basses, Cellos, Standard-depth, "Baby" and Oversized Acoustic Guitars, Mandolins, Ukuleles, Small Combo Amps, and just about everything else in-between.

This top-of-the-line model features the ultra-lightweight composite disc components, and it is fully anodized in a matte black finish for a subtle appearance. This special product (the "Pro Studio" designation is ours, not ExplorAudio's) is perfect for a musician with a home studio, or for the gig-bag of a live soundman for mic-ing just about anyone on the stage.

The LiveMount Standard Muti-instrument H-clamp model has a seamless adjustment range of 43mm to 278mm. This model therefore covers all the applications for which the H-clamp was designed.

Optional Short Boom

The optional add-on short boom is exactly that - it's a shorter mic boom part, about half the length of the standard boom. It will allow for close mic-ing with a little bit of a tidier setup; while the standard boom is adjustable for length and can be set very close, the other end of the boom might "stick out" and get in the way depending on your mic setup. The shorter boom can be substituted for the standard one to reduce the amount of leftover boom that might be an obstruction.

Use of threadlocking compound (Loctite) to prevent loosening of the mic clip/adapter

The H-Clamp is made in the UK, so they've made the boom arm with a "European Style" mic thread. Mic clips in America use 5/8" threads, while in Europe the 3/8" threads are more common for mic clips and accessories. So a mic clip adapter is included with the H-Clamp to allow the use of either style of accessories/clips/etc.

This metal-to-metal adapter/boom combo can be difficult to make tight enough to be secure; meaning that heavier mics may cause the adapter to loosen and slip during use - between uneven loads and vibration, it's only natural to expect that! But it's no fun if the mic won't stay put where you want it - or worse yet, "flops" over and bangs against your bass.

The solution is easy! We recommend the use of threadlocker (Loctite is a popular brand) to keep the connection between the boom, adapter (and mic clip!) secure. It's a tube of "glue-like" goop; you put a small drop directly into the threads before tightening the adapter down. It cures and creates a bond, preventing the threaded item(s) from loosening unless you want to. (Get the NON-PERMANENT version - the permanent grade may as well be superglue, and you'll never get those screws to move again!) 

You can source it locally at most any hardware or home improvement store. We also now offer a small tube of Loctite as an add-on item. The .5ml mini bottle is more than enough for several applications (you only need a drop or less for the bond to be effective.) Just another way we're looking out for you!