Popculture Chameleon
152 posts
Mar 24, 2016
9:58 AM
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When customizing harmonicas one of the most important choices is choosing the kind of comb you use. I have been thinking of snagging a few combs for some marine band deluxe or regular marine band harps. I was thinking of getting a few wood combs but with a few choices on blue moon harmonicas site I was wondering if any of you had a preference in the kind of comb or wood comb you use and the reason's why- on a side note I saw a choice of Hogany comb as well and wondered what opinions are out there on that type of comb as well
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Diggsblues
1997 posts
Mar 24, 2016
10:07 AM
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Andrew makes some great combs to.
Blue Moon is a good choice also.
Rockin' Ron's has Andrew's and their service and prices are great.
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Killa_Hertz
796 posts
Mar 24, 2016
10:31 AM
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Pop .... I have bought a couple different combs.
I have two from andrew zajac. Both for Marine Bands. Brown and Gray. They are nice combs. Sound Good. Kinda Dark sounding. I like that. very flat. They are made of some type of composite. it seems almost like that trek deck fake wood that you would make a porch out of. and they are cost effective. the front of the tines are rounded outward slightly and coated in a liquid glass type finish.
From Tom @ Blue Moon I have 2 aswell.
I bought one Acrylic Lava which was for a crossover.
I like this comb alot too. Its Got a nice sound. Looks great. Feels good.
The other was the Hogany Comb for a Manji. Holy S@#$. This comb is just Amazing. It is NOT wood, but in my opinion is far better. The feel of this comb is unreal, both in the mouth and in the hand. It adds a great feel in the hand by adding a bit of weight to the harp that just makes it feel like an official instrument. It's not as heavy as an 1847 noble. its just the right weight. (i feel anyway.) The tines are nicely shaped and feels really good while playing. The solid factor is felt all around .. in the mouth, in the hand, and in the sound. I cant say enough about this comb. like the others, It is also flat and seals the harp up nice. I will most likely ONLY buy this comb from now on, but everyone is different. That Manji is now my favorite harp to play. I have a few other manjis, but that one takes the cake.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Mar 24, 2016 10:37 AM
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Crawforde
86 posts
Mar 24, 2016
1:43 PM
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@Khz How much heavier is the Hogany than one of Andrew's combs?
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Mahcks
66 posts
Mar 24, 2016
2:14 PM
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Personally, I can't tell a difference in tonality across different materials. I'm a sucker for brass combs though. I like the weight.
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Popculture Chameleon
153 posts
Mar 24, 2016
3:47 PM
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Killa- did you have toget them to drill into the reed plates or the comb that you got from andrew in order to fit I saw a you tube video where he actually did that with marine bands
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Owen Evans
124 posts
Mar 24, 2016
3:54 PM
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I have one of Andrew's combs and I use it to measure reed plate flatness.I used it in a Crossover & it kept irritating my tongue so I took it out.
I have two acrylic combs from Blue Moon which I use in my D and F harps. I love the tone which comes from these keys with this material. They don't sound as good with any other material. I use a brass comb in the A harp and it is 10 cents sharp when I play it. Sounds really good when it cuts through a heavy mix on stage. I have one Staron ( Corian) comb for the C harp and it is exactly like a bamboo comb in tonality only livelier. The other 6 harps are now sporting anodized aluminum as I love the sound of this material. It makes the harp very playable and is a smidgen thinner than the others. It has a really nice weight and is the easiest to play while tongue blocking, in my opinion. All my harps are Crossovers. I have a few T-birds but they sound so good I haven't installed any new combs therein. Hope that helps.
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SuperBee
3532 posts
Mar 24, 2016
4:35 PM
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I have:
2 blue moon corian
A blue moon wood comb of some type on a golden melody
A hetrick corian
Several hetrick bamboo
About 15 Zajac combs for marine band/sp20/Suzuki/hohner ms
The hetricks are no longer available but I like them.
The blue moon combs have all been included on harps I bought.
The Zajac combs are all good.
I can't say of any of these combs that one maker or material is outstandingly superior in terms of function of the product. It just comes down to price and personal preference.
For instance, many people like the metal combs. I don't. Passionately. That's personal.
I also don't care whether my harp feels hefty. If anything I'd prefer it to be light. I don't understand the heft angle. To me, that's a negative.
So metal is out for me.
Corian is a material that appealed to me but now not so much. It's brittle, and a bit cold. But it can be quite aesthetically appealing, depending on how you see these things. To me there's nothing aesthetically nicer than timber, but that's personal again.
Price puts blue moon out of the game for me at the moment. That's out of my control. Exchange rates and postal charges make dealing with USA too expensive while there is a competitive alternative with which I'm completely satisfied.
The combs Andrew Z supplies do exactly what I want. They look good to me, they are consistent quality, available in thicker/thinner versions, sufficient colour choice for me and I like the material. It feels and looks similar enough to timber for me to feel good about it, waterproof, smooth, resilient. And well-priced. All the other aspects of the business are fine too.
I'd be happy to deal with Tom at blue moon. From what I've seen of his product, and what I know of his personal approach to business, he is an outstanding contributor. I'm sad really that international economic factors make it impractical for me to patronise his business.
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Todd Parrott
1362 posts
Mar 24, 2016
7:02 PM
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I have tried combs from Blue Moon, Chris Reynolds, Hetrick, Andrew Zajac and Randy Sandoval. I like them all. Randy Sandoval and Hetrick are no longer making combs as far as I know, but Chris Reynolds has recently opened his site back up for comb orders, and has a lot of wood options. I have a bamboo comb from Andrew that I like, and lots of Blue Moon combs also - love the Special 20 combs, and he had a few of those in wood at SPAH.
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Killa_Hertz
801 posts
Mar 24, 2016
7:03 PM
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Crawforde .. its not HEAVY. If holding a stock manji in one hand and the one with the hogany comb in the other its barely noticeable. Its more of a SOLID feeling. Here maybe this will help .... OOTB Manji: 65.8 grams. Hogany Manji: 71.7 grams. So almost a quarter ounce.
And i can certainly tell the difference in materials as far as sound/timbre.
Pop. .... The only time you have to drill anything is if your putting a comb on a 1896 (with nails) because you must convert it to screws.
1896 not 1847 sorry i fixed that.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Mar 24, 2016 7:14 PM
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florida-trader
889 posts
Mar 24, 2016
9:08 PM
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First - thanks to everyone who has said nice things about my Blue Moon combs. Much appreciated. As you can see from the comments, guys like different materials and I try to accommodate everyone as best I can.
Wood is a challenge to work with. I started my business making wood combs and have experienced every nightmare you can imagine. They can warp. They can split. They can chip during the milling process. They are a lot of work to get right. With that said, I will be launching a new line of wood combs in the very near future - we are talking mere weeks from now. I have discovered a process called "Stabilizing" which I am confident will solve all the problems I have experienced wood. Stabilization involves removing all the air and gasses from wood by use of a vacuum chamber and then replacing the air and gas with a resin, which is then cured under heat. The resulting wood is denser, will mill better (without flaws), is impervious to moisture, will not warp or crack or split and will finish nicer. I have invested in some pretty expensive equipment. The resin alone is $85 per gallon. I've been buying some very nice pieces of exotic hardwoods to use. So all the ingredients are in place. I hope to produce some of the finest wood harmonica combs ever made. It is really just that simple.
Thanks again for all the positive comments. I'll keep you posted when the new wood combs are available.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Mar 24, 2016 9:09 PM
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Killa_Hertz
803 posts
Mar 24, 2016
10:16 PM
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Wow. Im excited to check them out Tom.
Any protype pictures?
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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Rubes
968 posts
Mar 25, 2016
3:39 AM
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Yep ive a nice array of custom combs mostly from Blue Moon....just today receiving a cupla fancy coloured acrylics, and a hogany for my MB deluxe in F....Yeharrrr don't they just sing!!!!!
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
Last Edited by Rubes on Mar 25, 2016 3:40 AM
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Killa_Hertz
807 posts
Mar 25, 2016
8:42 AM
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I just glazed over this thread again. I think i was perhaps a bit unfair to Zajacs combs.
Let me just say my two favorite harps to play out of all the harps i have:
1) Manji Bb with Blue Moon Hogany with a good bit of work done to it.(by me. Not pro work.)
2) Marine Band 1896 C with Brown Zajac Comb. I also put ALOT of work into this harp.
They are both very tight and Really responsive. Its like OOTB you ve got a great performing car. But its stock. A little bit of work and you ve got a Race Car that steers tight, great throttle response, and performs fantastic. Not sure if at my level i NEED this. But it's hard to play stock harps when you know what you could be playing. And as far as the price..... the combs will surely last thru quite a few harps. So buy new reedplates or even a new harp and have spare parts, but the comb will still be solid and the core of your new harp. Well worth the investment.
My advice. Do what i did. Buy one in different materials n see what YOU like. Like I said Hogany is my favorite, but it doesnt make me regret buying any of the others. They all work great. The look aint half bad either.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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J.A.Harmonicas
1 post
Mar 25, 2016
1:40 PM
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Hello Everyone,
finally after years and years of preparations I have now launched my company. When Dick Sjoeberg retired I bought he's concept for custom combs, which is to me a really really great comb concept. So these days Im the one who are making the Original Sjoeberg combs.
www.jaharmonicas.com
Regards,
Joel Andersson
Sweden
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poitouharpin
31 posts
Mar 26, 2016
12:33 PM
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This thread has come along just at the right time. I was going to make a post to publically thank Tom Halchak at Blue Moon Harmonicas for his service and products. Recently received an order for a brass comb for a Seydel session steel. The finish and quality is first rate and gives the harp a really solid feel. The standard harp weighs in at 74g with the brass comb it comes in at a meaty 197g. The crispness of the sound is greatly improved over the standard plastic comb. Tom inadvertently sent an extra comb and after contacting him he suggested I kept the comb with his compliments. Thank you Tom for your help service and products.
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Killa_Hertz
821 posts
Mar 26, 2016
12:43 PM
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Man you lucked out on that one. I want to try a brass. Maybe one day.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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florida-trader
892 posts
Mar 26, 2016
2:09 PM
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poitouharpin - you were supposed to keep that a secret. :)
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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poitouharpin
32 posts
Mar 26, 2016
2:20 PM
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Sorry Tom. But good service should be celebrated !
Tim
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Killa_Hertz
831 posts
Mar 26, 2016
2:35 PM
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Hahaha. Guess you blew that one. 8^)>
Hey Tom I'm ordering some Hogany Manjis soon. *Wink* (j/k)
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Mar 26, 2016 2:36 PM
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Rubes
971 posts
Mar 27, 2016
2:18 AM
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......PS........I've also had good combs/service from Randy Sandoval.....Sjoeberg.....and Harpdude here in Australia!!!!!
...(and wouldn't mind trying one of Arzajacs!)
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
Last Edited by Rubes on Mar 27, 2016 2:20 AM
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Garlic Breath
46 posts
Mar 27, 2016
5:46 AM
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I recently had Tom make up a brass comb, double reed plate Golden Melody in D. The harp is unbelievable in every way! Bright tone, extremely responsive, and airtight. The solid and flat brass comb contributes to the bright and tight qualities, and Tom's craftsmanship makes it all come together beautifully. Since I started playing standard production harps back in the 70's I have never played a harp like this. It actually causes me to play differently, in that I can now focus more on expressiveness and fluidity without having to exert much physical effort. I've actually noticed my mouth and throat feeling somewhat more relaxed, leading to a more pleasurable playing experience. The only possible drawback is that I'm now spoiled, and want all my harps to play like this. You know what? You get what you pay for, and good tools don't come cheap.
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