harmonicanick
131 posts
Feb 09, 2009
2:52 PM
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There is so much talk and money changing hands about this subject....why???
I have been playing for many years...golden melodies actually..and apart from the basic Adam type stuff there is no need for any other expensive modification.
Believe me beginners and intermediates don't spend the extra money just play as it should be played not too hard and relax and enjoy....:-)
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2009 2:57 PM
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MrVerylongusername
136 posts
Feb 09, 2009
3:10 PM
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I couldn't agree more.
All you tinkerers, by all means tinker with your harps as long as you like, but remember that a lot of beginners read this forum. If I was a beginner, from reading the posts here I would be absolutely convinced that all off the shelf harps are completely crap, impossible to play and completely out of tune; that no one could ever learn to bend notes on one unless they can gap, emboss, arc and tip scoop and all the other arcane 'magic' solutions.
Excuse the language but that's bull$hit.
Customising skills are for players who have mastered the basics and need a more responsive harp to take their skills to the next level.
Beginners do not need to learn these skills
I've said it before and I'll keep saying it. If you cannot get all the bends on a stock harp then it is your technique that needs refinement. Not your harp. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either kidding themselves or wants your money.
Sure a custom is a great instrument. A Ferrari is a great car, but I'd never put a learner driver in one - for the sake of the driver and the car!
There are no magic solutions. Just practice. Screw the damn thing back together and play it.
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Jaybird
46 posts
Feb 09, 2009
3:37 PM
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I agree 100% with both of you guys.
I have been playing for a little over 3 years and the only time I took a harp apart was to switch some reed plates.
I won't waste my time tuning or gapping or tinkering. I'd rather spend my precious time practicing and playing the darn thing.
I play Suzuki Bluesmasters, and rarely find one that is "bad" out of the box.
www.YouTube.com/Jaybird33066
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2009 3:40 PM
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gene
129 posts
Feb 09, 2009
5:33 PM
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Do Mrverylong and Harmonicanick know what they're talking about? Jaybird thinks they do.
Does Jaybird know what he's talking about?
This clip should answer that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDTQJaB5rLg&feature=channel_page
I almost voted "Yes he does," but then decided, instead, to vote "Damn right, he does!"
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2009 5:33 PM
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Tuckster
99 posts
Feb 09, 2009
5:38 PM
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Yes, none of Adam's Top 10 learned on a custom harp. There's that risk of blaming the equipment instead of the player. However, I think everyone should learn basic gapping. I gapped long before I'd heard of customizers. Don't know where I read about it-I didn't come up with it on my own. Just basic-gap the thickness of the reed. It fixed a lot of sticking harps for me.
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Buddha
36 posts
Feb 09, 2009
5:54 PM
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no serious musician plays an instrument as is from the factory. If you're a beginner you will learning to do certain things faster and more properly...ie bending to pitch.
It's worth the $150 for all players of any level to have at least ONE custom harmonica.
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djm3801
33 posts
Feb 09, 2009
6:45 PM
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Well, as a beginner ( ALmost a year but do not practice enough as the dogs howl like hell and it is too cold in the car) with 13 harps of various brands, I think it is really important to KNOW how to tweak harp and Adam has some good free stuff in Youtube. I have had a harp here and there with a flat reed and 10 minutes of work and knowledge fixed it. The litte Lee Oskar tool kit and book is good and there is lots of info on the web. Experimented with my Golden melody as that one had a bad reed anyhow. FIxed it.
No way I would spend more than $30 for a harp at this point in my evolution (OK I have a Suzuki Promaster i asked for for Christmas). I need to invest more in me than in gear, although I like new toys. If I did perform, I might go for one. I bought my second harp after 2 weeks because I though the 2 draw was busted. OK, harsh confession. I was just playing and not READING anything about technique, then found the wealth of info on the web. It was not the harp, obviously.
If you have money hanging out of your pockets, what the heck, no question a custom harp is going to be a better instrument because you pay for it to be. Will you play it better? Do not know. BUt, when I shot trap and went into a slump, I sometimes bought a new and more expensive gun. It was never the gun. Of course, big difference between a new Delta Frost and a $3,000 shotgun.
Dan M.
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2009 6:46 PM
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Blackbird
39 posts
Feb 09, 2009
6:54 PM
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Amen.
As a beginner, aside from being unsure of how to, and how often to clean them, I found only once did I need to open a harp to legitimately free a reed that had a small bit of debris in it. Aside from that, I had no inclination to bother with it further, short of the by now infamous Gussow YouTube video #16 that teaches you how to open a Marine Band and break in the reeds a bit, which as a beginner, I figured might be useful for bending or response. I learned that I shouldn't do that any more after trying it with one harp.
Aside from that, THERE'S NO NEED TO CUSTOMIZE AND TINKER WITH THE HARPS!
Unless you know exactly why. Otherwise, people have been playing them for 100 years without having to mess with 'em. They're doing fine on their own.
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Tuckster
101 posts
Feb 09, 2009
7:07 PM
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Buddha,I don't disagree with you,but I remember destroying lots of harps as a beginner. If I were to spend $50+ for an out of the box, I would certainly go custom instead. 90$ for a Seydel 1847, for instance? No way!
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Buddha
38 posts
Feb 09, 2009
7:45 PM
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I destroyed lots of harps too. I was taking apart harps within my first year of playing and now I build some of the best harps a person can get. Ya gotta start somewhere. If you're learning to play get yourself a well playing instrument and continue to tweak the shit harps. If anything you can take apart a custom harp to see how it's set up. You'll learn a lot that way.
The problem with playing on out of the box harp as a beginner is you learn bad habits like blowing the shit out or the harps when it's not necessary. A custom harp won't let you blow it that hard. You'll learn control and that's something that is momentous to the foundation of any musician.
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isaacullah
38 posts
Feb 09, 2009
8:37 PM
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Buddah's got a good point there... I know that each has his/her own proclivities, but I've always felt it's a good idea to learn how to fix whatever it is that you are gonna be getting into in a big way. I don't feel like I need to become an expert customiser, but I do feel like I need to at least know what's going on "under the hood" of my harps. That way, if and when something does go really wrong with harp and there ain't no one around but me, I know that I'll be able to deal with it. Not only is that a good feeling and can save you some money, getting into the guts of the mechanism can help you gain a better understanding of how the instrument works how those techniques you are doing with your mouth and lips and throat could be interacting with the hunk metal and wood (or plastic) thay you holding up to them.
Of course, to each his/her own. I wouldn't want to shove anything down anyone's throat as "something you MUST do"... This is just what works for me. ;)
As for there being too much harp customizing stuff on this forum: well, forums of this type are somewhat freeform. Topics wax and wane as certain groups of people get active or less active. There's no way to control the will of the masses! :) Post some threads on another topic of more interest to you, and let's see where it takes us! I must admit, although I AM into the customizing thing, we HAVE been hitting it a little much lately. A change of topic might be just the ticket!
Looking forward to many more topics of discussion.
Isaac
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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schaef6o
1 post
Feb 09, 2009
9:27 PM
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I just got one of buddhas harps, and all that I can say is wow.try one and youll never want to play stock harps again.got his base model and its amazing.
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Tuckster
102 posts
Feb 09, 2009
9:54 PM
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That's what I'm afraid of! I'll put myself in the poor house!!
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Andrew
108 posts
Feb 09, 2009
10:54 PM
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Tuckster says: "none of Adam's Top 10 learned on a custom harp"
Define custom! With a MB you can get away with nothing but a penknife and a toothpick. And if your penknife's handle is the right shape you can emboss with it (draw holes to start with), but they wouldn't have called it embossing. We're also ignoring the possible quality of MB's when Adam's top 10 were young.
Last Edited by on Feb 09, 2009 10:59 PM
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Buddha
40 posts
Feb 10, 2009
4:28 AM
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I don't like the term custom harp as a blanket statement. Hot-roded, souped up, tweaked, modified etc would be better however, I do offer what I believe are truly custom services, with my base model harp, I don't do much other than some reed work but with my other models we get into custom colors, shapes, tunings etc... I also engrave the names of the player in the back of the combs etc. Some harps have special 20 covers but with Marine Band plates and on a modified golden melody style comb.
The MS series harp were designed so you could mix and match covers, combs and reed plates. The problem is the basic harp is terrible out of the box.
Here are some pics of recent harps I built
http://www.harmonicapros.com/music-tools/brooksharp.JPG
http://www.harmonicapros.com/music-tools/brooksharp2.JPG
German national colors for the comb
http://www.harmonicapros.com/music-tools/evers.JPG
I also rounded the back of the comb for comfort.
http://www.harmonicapros.com/music-tools/evers2.JPG
I make my own combs out of any material you want. I recently made four harps that used water buffalo horn as comb material and a couple of weeks ago I made a comb out of Ivory. The sky is the limit but most people want different wood, composites, plastics, acrylic, brass, aluminum or titanium. It doesn't matter to me. You can't make that request from Hohner or seydel.
I can make my own reeds and reed plates and screws... the only thing I can't do at the moment is make my own cover plates but I'm looking into that.
The body of the harp is only a small part of what goes along with customization. Understanding how a person plays is important too. Most people are rooted in 2nd position so many harps are tuned and adjust to play that way. I made another harp that was based out of 3rd position. This same harp would sound not so good in 2nd is amazing for 3rd. I do want people want and what will help them be the best player possible.
After playing for 20+ years I have a lot of insight into different techniques and styles, I'm not just a guy who can tweak a harp but a person who can consult with you on how to be a better player and design a harp the suits YOU and highlights what you do.
It important to be able to work on your own stuff. I never wanted to be a mechanic, in fact I don't even like working on cars but I know how to change oil, put in water pumps, alternators etc... it's just something you have to do if you're going to own a car.
Last Edited by on Feb 10, 2009 4:32 AM
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DaDoom
35 posts
Feb 10, 2009
5:20 AM
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This is an interesting topic. In fact I was reflecting on the subject just a few days ago.
Isn't it weird to play an instrument that doesn't allow playing all of it's notes right away? I mean it's like if someone wants to play guitar without let's say the 4th string. With the mindset of a harp player you'd say: "What do I care, I'll just do with the remaining strings...". Eventually you'll play some amazing guitar licks on 5 strings but is that the right way?
Shouldn't all diatonic harps allow you to play all the notes? On out-of-the box harps sometimes not even bends are possible, so tweaking is something you really need to do. If you want to play OBs and ODs there's no way around some even deeper adjustments.
I don't have a customized harp (yet). So all I can speak about are the cheaper harps compared to the mid-range harps (60$ - 70$). For instance I have made very positive experiences with the Suzuki FB. I can play OBs quite consistently and even manage to get some ODs - I can't do that on all of my Special20s for instance.
What conclusions do I draw out of all this? I don't think your first couple of harps need to be Stage III Filiskos - cheap ones will do. As you improve, a good harp can help a lot. Does it have to be a customized one? I don't know because I never played one so I can't compare them to out-of-the-box Suzukis.
What I do know is that adjusting harps is something you need to do at a certain point. Thus it would be helpful for all harp players if instruction would also cover this aspect. Sadly there's not much detailed material on the subject.
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Preston
127 posts
Feb 10, 2009
5:33 AM
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I am in awe that someone actually started a thread asking to stop the emphasis on customizing harps here on the........"MODERN" blus harmonica website.
Does anybody else see the problem with this? I'm sure at the retro-trip harmonica website they aren't discussing it.
As far as us advocates for customization steering a beginner: A beginner will do what they will, with the money or means they have at hand. Do you not think it is important that everybody knows what is available to them? I sure don't want to be left in the dark!
Who decided a $30.00 harp was the magic number? If this line of thinking about customized harps is correct, maybe we should tell all beginners they should go buy a $4.99 Hohner Hot Metal or Pocket Pal. Why should they buy a Marine Band that costs SIX times more than that?
And SELF customization doesn't cost a thing. Ruining a few $30 dollar harps until you perfect your tweaking is an investment in knowledge: You've just paid yourself back. So when you do get a bad harp out of the box or blow a reed out on a face melting solo, you know how to fix it. Now you've saved $30.00.
Last Edited by on Feb 10, 2009 5:37 AM
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MrVerylongusername
137 posts
Feb 10, 2009
6:31 AM
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I do not have a problem with anyone who wants to perform open harp surgery. Yes these skills are good and fun to know. I do it myself.
I do not have a problem with anyone who builds, buys or plays custom harps.
My response here and elsewhere is simply to clarify in the mind of a newbie harp player that they can learn to play without ever opening the harp up or touching a custom.
So if people want to go on tweaking, that's their perogative and beginners are included in that.
I just feel a need to redress the balance...
People presume that the harp is an easy instrument to master, because it is easy to pick up and play. when they discover there is actually some skill required many beginners have a tendency to blame the harp and not look introspectively at their own technique - hence the endless "my 2 draw is busted" threads.
So I will say it again, slightly differently to clarify my stance.
All draw and all blow bends are playable on any harp.
If you cannot get them...
- it is not because your harp is faulty
- it is not because you didn't gap the reed
- it is not because the tolerances between the reed and slot are sloppy
- it is not because your reed isn't arced correctly
It is YOU! Your embouchure needs work. So practice. Tweaking might help you a little, but real progress will come from nailing the fundemental techniques. They are not hard to learn, but they can be frustratingly elusive for some. Trust me, your "eureka!" moment will come as long as you keep the harp in your mouth.
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Violin Cat
29 posts
Feb 10, 2009
7:20 AM
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Hey I agree a lot with both sides on this argument. I think it's important for a player to get off the ground and learn the rudiments of the instrument first before really worrying about the harmonica itself. If you cant bend on a stock special 20 or marine band your probably not gonna get it on a custom right away.
At the same time I see what Chris (Buddha) is saying here as well about developing bad habits I didn't learn on a custom (not even over blows) and in in some ways I'm glad I didn't, I really hohned the technique well that way but the thing with overblows is it's kind like riding a two wheeler, once you can do it on ANY harp custom or otherwise you can do it and a better harp will help you do it faster just like chris said, However i'm not sure a beginner player should even be messing with over blows theres so much stuff to learn with the notes that are there with bending and otherwise.
The real reason i'm writing though is there are a few things I think no one has mentioned yet/forgot/might not know: The harps of yesteryear (Little,Big Walter etc...) Were FAR better than todays merchandise! If you don't believe me buy a Pre War marine band off ebay chances are the 70 year old instrument will play louder, better, and still be more in-tune than what came of the shelf yesterday. Also those old guys DID mess with their harmonicas! There is a lot of proof of this if you talk to some of the few living old guys. Embossing is NOT a new or modern trick it's at least a hundred years old...It was originally called "The Magic Penny" and accordian guys started it, they would and do run a penny across the reed slot not knowing why/or knowing why to achieve the louder more responcive reed, harmonica players did too and factory workers at Hohner have used this trick for special harmonicas and pro players for ages. Also Jerry Murad, Charlie McCoy, all the Bora Minnivitch/harmonicats guys were way into this stuff setting action embossing sealing etc...it's old hat to this instrument not a new fad, the invention of the internet and ressurgance of the instruments popularity is what makes this appear to be a "New Fad". We know for a fact the a lot of the old blues guys (even the big ones) didn't have much money and I would bet all my custom harmonicas that at some point if not all the time they were messing with them a bit, to keep 'em going longer and playing better evn though those harps were even better than todays. As far as todays greats go, Dennis Gruenling may not be on Adam's Top Ten but he's on mine and he damn near started on Custom Filisko harps.
Like Preston I also am in Awe that this thread was started here and am in agreement with his comparissons of a custom M.B. to a regular to a 5.00 dollar blues band. But the main thing that bothers me is when people feel that knowledge in some way will hurt them or distract them from their playing. Knowing a lot about your instrument only helps you play better, learning to work on your instrument gives you the knowledge of HOW it works and why and lends itself to your positive development. If you only "Messing" with the harmonica than fine DON'T buy or learn how to customize you harps but if your serious about playing as good as you can devoting some of your practice time to learning to fix/tune/improve a harmonica is really important and very cost effective.
People think customs cost so so much money and they do, but I replace or tune reeds when they go bad, I have harps that are 6 years old and I play 300 gigs a year on them, I have saved thousands of dollars, learned a lot, had more fun and take pride in my instrument like a guitarist/sax/ violinist what have you. I use to throw them away, or give them to kids, or pt them in a box, when i learned to tune almost over night I had 50 "new" harmonicas ressurected from a shoe box!
So in conclusion Don't worry about getting one of these high dollar harps right away, learn to play and bend on an average middle of the road M.B./suzuki/seydel, Get your fundementles down and when you know that you love harmonica and you will always be playing (health Provided) than start thinking about collecting one at a time or more some better harps, and learn yourself what you can do to them to it will only give you a better appreciation for the expert customizers and the instrument itself. Knowledge will not hurt you ever, and there is nothing wrong with MOST 30.00 dollar Marine bands for a beginning player.
Jason
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Buddha
41 posts
Feb 10, 2009
7:52 AM
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all custom talk aside... I have a least nine Marine Bands that are brand new and unmodified. I played them before I opened them up on sunday afternoon. They ALL played much better than expected out of the box. I was able to hit every note with the exception of the 8-10 over draws on all the harps. There was one harp I could make the one OB come out on. What's interesting is I tried some of the OOB Golden Melodies in the same keys and didn't have the same results. The SP20s I have are the worse than the MBs and MBs and I have four MS Blues Harps that I would consider unplayable. There is actually space between the reed plates and comb on ALL FOUR of the blues harps.
I agree with a lot of what Jason has to say but will add this... Jason and I are two very different OB style players. If you want to go Jason's route and be a totally rockin' Mother F**** of the harmonica then his method works and you don't need to learn OBs in the beginning. If you want to play like you draw in the cosmic vibrations of the multi-verse like me then you prolly want to start on a custom harp and learn OBs right away. I learned how to play every note on the harmonica within the first few weeks. I actually started playing Chromatic and meet Dick Gardner before I got serious about the diatonic. He showed me how to tweak out my harps to play better, so modifying harps is something I have done from the very beginning.
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Jaybird
48 posts
Feb 10, 2009
8:39 AM
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OK. After reading all this stuff, (especially Jason's comments), I'm gonna back off a bit from my previous opinion on the subject.
Even tho I'd rather spend my time practicing and playing, I'm ready to invest, not waste, some time, to become a "harmonica mechanic". Hopefully I'll become a better player as a result. (maybe even hit those elusive overblows)
I have a couple harps that I consider "unplayable" out of the box. The problem is with response of certain reeds. I think "gapping" or maybe "embossing" will solve the problem. I have no idea which or how to do this. Can someone direct me to a good place to learn these techniques?
Last Edited by on Feb 10, 2009 8:49 AM
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Leanground
46 posts
Feb 10, 2009
9:16 AM
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Great discussion!
I'm paying two mortgages and two college tuitions so keeping my harps playing well is very important to me.
Thank you ,Brothers
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oldwailer
495 posts
Feb 10, 2009
9:20 AM
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This is so cool--an argument in a thread where everybody is absolutely right!
Personally, I love reading this forum--and the more the threads are on the importance of hot-rod harps--the more I like it.
So, as far as a winner of the thread--I'm gonna vote for Violin Cat--with Preston and Buddha dead tied for 1st runner-up. 2nd runner up goes to Jaybird--who was willing to change his viewpoint a bit in the face of a damn good argument.
Of course--maybe the best is yet to come! ;)
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kudzurunner
275 posts
Feb 10, 2009
9:55 AM
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Yes it is, baby!
Y'all know how I feel about this. I've used out-of-the-box Marine Bands for decades, but if I didn't know how to crack them open and make a few key mods--5 minutes' worth--I'd probably shoot myself. Ask Tuck: shortly after he arrived for his lesson at my hotel room in Memphis, I took apart a new D harp, opened up the 3 draw a hair, and closed down the 5 and 6 blow a hair. Opened up the 8 draw a hair, too. My eyes have learned to see what needs to be done; it took years to master this knowledge, but only a couple of months to get pretty good at making the needed tweaks.
Here's a question: is it more important for a guy who's been playing for one year to have a) three $150 custom harps in, say, A, C, and D; or 2) a complete set of stock harps from G up to F-sharp?
You're only allowed to pick one option. Which is it?
I'd probably finesse the issue. I'd recommend six or seven keys in the unmodified harps, plus one DUPLICATE key (C, say) in a $150 harp.
Learn to work on your own harps: that's my advice. Even a beginner can do that. Be prepared to mess a few up. But learn how to open up draw reeds and close down blow reeds. Learn how to raise and lower the pitch of draw and blow reeds by filing a smudge of brass off the reeds at the appropriate places.
That's all I know how to do. I should learn more, obviously. But the stuff I do know how to do is crucial. If you decide to stick with stock harps, at least learn how to do that stuff. You'll save yourself money and keep your harps in tune longer.
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harmonicanick
133 posts
Feb 10, 2009
10:28 AM
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wow....
what have I started??
Look I am prepared to be open minded on this one. So please could one of you harp wizards mail me a customised harp to the uk, for me to try,under no obligation, and I will let you all know the results of my trial in due course:-)
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Buddha
42 posts
Feb 10, 2009
10:46 AM
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I mailed out six harps to folks in the UK last week. Maybe they will let you play one.
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RyanMortos
74 posts
Feb 10, 2009
12:42 PM
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Jaybird, I think one of the better sites looks for basic harmonica modification is overblow.com . I agree though, very hard to find good information other then get the basics, wash, possibly ruin, & repeat.
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~Ryan
PA
Ryan's Tube - Containing [0] uploads and counting...
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scstrickland
4 posts
Feb 10, 2009
1:30 PM
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Maybe people like customized harps because the are really cool. They keep a player excited about playing or practicing. They draw attention and people ask "where did you get that." Maybe some people want to be unique. I suppose we all customize something in our life for none other than intrinsic value. Like maybe our car or boat or yard or house or even our appearance.
I have seen some great harps. some with Titanium combs some with Corian combs. Man they they are cool. I would love to have one of those. would I sound better? Heck no. But it would feel good opening the mail box and finding my new custom harp has arrived. Would I look cool playing one. Heck yeah (if you disagree, keep it to yourself and leave me to my hubris). While I'm dreaming.... I thinK I'll play my new harp on my new Jt30 mic connected to my new Harpgear Hg35 amp. and doesen't that band behind me sound great and who is the cute chick in the front row? I think she is looking at my custom harp? she just winked at me. Maybe she wants to take a ride in my Ferrari after the show..........
oh well, until the economy (and my playing) improves I'll stick to out of the box.
Last Edited by on Feb 10, 2009 1:35 PM
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djm3801
34 posts
Feb 10, 2009
3:25 PM
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This forum draws (no pun) some really good questions and contributors who have influenced this endeavor on a huge level. I agree a great thread. I guess I ask " where am I at, where am I going?" You have money, do what you want. Keep the custom harp makers in business and know that if you still stink, it is not the harp. You want to play professionally and are not going to take money away from needs, do what you want. Do not park the $30,000 Harley in front of the $8,000 trailer. I hesitated for a long time before opening a harp and a little work made a big difference. No ham handed techniques. Get a cheapie and try it. It is actually fun and give a great deal of perspective.
No offense to trailer or Harley owners.
Dan M.
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Buzadero
29 posts
Feb 10, 2009
3:41 PM
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How diplomatic, DJM. Personally, I gave up on Harleys 1n 1997, after 15 years. BMW GS is my deathtrap of choice these days.
Don't misunderstand anything I've offered. I do not think a "custom" harp makes me a "better" player. What I do believe (quite strongly) is that a well-tweaked harp .... by those who know of what they are doing .... helps a great deal by tightening the tolerances, thereby allowing tighter control and thus more subtlety in your playing. Is this placebic? Perhaps.
~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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djm3801
35 posts
Feb 10, 2009
4:38 PM
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Buzadero,
one thing the world is about is everyone having their choice of toys. When I get a package from Coast2Coast, my wife will say "another harmonica? You can only play one at a time." Given that logic, she must have about 800 feet somewhere I cannot see in order to justify the shoes. I have 13 harps. I could just as easily had 8 out of box ones and one custom for the money spent, so perhaps I should not talk....
Dan
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Andrew
111 posts
Feb 11, 2009
12:27 AM
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Adam says, Be prepared to mess a few up.
Yep, had my MB in G playing so sweetly yesterday, then decided I was going to emboss the 3-draw. Disaster! load of buzzin, no shim. And that guy who plinks the burrs away on YouTube is Lying! No, actually, the problem's gradually disappearing, but it's painful to screw it up.
I think my biggest mistake was to emboss from the free end to the fixed end of the reed. Now I realise you're supposed to do it the other way round. Damn!
Actually, it's just about all clear now. So I'm tempted to emboss the 2 and 4-draws, but I think I'd better approach it more gently this time!
Last Edited by on Feb 11, 2009 12:30 AM
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Bluzdude46
14 posts
Feb 11, 2009
7:03 AM
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I know I've spoken on this issue on other threads. I've never encouraged anyone to purchase any custom orboutique harmonicas. I DID and still do encourage players of all levels to work on the gapping and tuning of their Harmonicas. I used the example of myself and the $$ I've spent over the years not working on my Harpos but replacing them and I still stand with the FACT that I would have saved myself an awful lotta money had I learned to adjust, tune and work on my harps from the beginning.
And it really doesn't matter the make or amount you pay for a harp. I've experimented with Seydels 1847's I got them, played a few notes and these that were advertized as tighter more responsive harps leaked air. I promptly opened them up and re gapped them.
To each his own. Advice is worth what you pay for it.... This was free
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bluzlvr
122 posts
Feb 11, 2009
1:35 PM
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I have to say, if you are a serious harp player, you owe it to yourself to purchase at least one custom harp. You'll find that there is such a world of difference, you'll never look back. I own two (A & C) and I plan to have a complete set one harp at a time. As soon as I have the funds I'm ordering one of Chris's harps. (Hmmm.... Bb, D, G...I can't decide.)
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