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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Why have you got 2 A's?
Why have you got 2 A's?
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harmonicanick
474 posts
Nov 25, 2009
11:25 AM
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My wife asked me this morning. Actually I have 8, but I explained I need a spare if reeds blow at a gig.
It got me thinking that I seem to have been collecting loadsa harps over the years and spending loadsa money on them.
I did some rough tallying up and in a playing life of 40+ years, counting mics (plenty), amp (1),case, boxes, and extras like customisation, stands,etc, it comes to a fair old bit of the folding stuff.
But she did not ask me that question.
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mickil
655 posts
Nov 25, 2009
11:28 AM
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If I were you, I'd avoid the subject. Unless you want to sleep in the woodshed.
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YouTube SlimHarpMick
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harmonicanick
476 posts
Nov 25, 2009
11:33 AM
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Sound!
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nacoran
451 posts
Nov 25, 2009
11:43 AM
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I've been playing for 3 years and already have more harps than I can count on my fingers and toes!
Here is how you explain what you need:
1 LLF
1 LLF#
1 LG
1 LAb
1 LA
1 LBb
1 LB
1 LC
1 LDb
1 LD
1 LEb
1 LE
1 LF
1 LF#
1 G
1 Ab
1 A
1 Bb
1 B
1 C
1 Db
1 D
1 Eb
1 E
1 F
1 F#
1 HG
1 HAb
1 HA
1 HBb
1 HB
1 HC
1 HDb
1 HD
1 HEb
1 HE
All customized. One identical set of Tremolos, one set of natural minors, one set of minor pentatonics, one set of Paddy Tuned, one set of Circular tuned, one set of Spanish tuned, an 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 24 holed Chromatic. At least one slideless chromatic of some sort. A chromatic tremolo, a chord harmonica, a bass harmonica, a neck rack, one of those pinwheel sets of 6, spare reeds for all of these, a set of experimental harps to see if you need to try a new brand: A Lee Oskar, Marine Band, Marine Band Deluxe, Marine Band Crossover, Hering 1923, Tombo Ultimo, Suzuki Manji, Harrison B-Radical, a Huang, a Bender, a Brass Harmonica, one of those harps with bells on it, and a complete custom tuned set of Pucks for when you are traveling light.
Last Edited by on Nov 25, 2009 11:56 AM
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Andrew
774 posts
Nov 25, 2009
11:57 AM
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It's good to have a reference key where you can buy multiple harps for comparison purposes, or a favourite key where you have spares. I have 2 As and 2 Cs and I'll probably buy more of each one day.
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Kinda hot in these rhinos!
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Bluzdude46
289 posts
Nov 25, 2009
1:15 PM
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2 of all 12 keys, plus minors, waiting delivery on 4 more customs, collectables, spare parts, 5 mics, 5 amps, stage stand for case, effects pedals, wireless system, 3 guitars waiting to buy my Martin hopefully this year as I put my kids on notice that after 2 drum sets 3 guitars 2 amps a synthesizer, 2 flutes, a piccolo and a saxophone that I have my own music habit to support, they need a job!!
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MrVerylongusername
656 posts
Nov 25, 2009
2:16 PM
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Hey Nacoran - you forgot a Trumpet Call!
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Aussiesucker
451 posts
Nov 25, 2009
2:49 PM
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Nacoran you missed a set of country tuned harps & a set of Melody Makers.
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GEEZER1
5 posts
Nov 25, 2009
3:08 PM
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I don't know how many harps I have, plus reed sets and junkers,echo type harps you name it. I used to have a wife that thought you needed only one cheap bluesband harp, we are not together anymore. Life is good
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djm3801
254 posts
Nov 25, 2009
7:24 PM
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I have 2 A's because I never got them in school. Actually I have 4 A's. A marine band, a Golden melody, a Delta Frost, and a Seydel Soloist Pro.
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kudzurunner
812 posts
Nov 25, 2009
8:22 PM
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I play a lot on A's, C's, and D's. I'd never think of heading out to a gig with only one of each. Also, if you've got two off-the-shelf harps, one is always better--sometimes significantly better. So that's the one I'm going to play most of the time.
I don't play certain harps (B, F#, E) very much, so I only have one each of those.
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Aussiesucker
453 posts
Nov 25, 2009
8:59 PM
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A is my favourite harp. My Harpmaster in A is hard to beat.
That said I have a variety of different harps covering every key and with multiples in A Bb C & D. I have multiples of my favourite Harpmasters. Where I am at is through trial and error and a drawer + briefcase full of harps.
I do find that I have favourite harps for playing certain tunes ie have a Bb in Sp20 that has a sweetness & warmth that suits certain tunes wheras the brassiness of my Bb Bluesmaster is IMHO (or my imagination) better for other tunes.
Really I have far too many harps ie what I should concentrate on is learning to play them better.
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nacoran
452 posts
Nov 25, 2009
10:00 PM
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VeryLongUser- I love the sound of trumpets and at one point I was considering getting a Trumpet Call, but in my quest to hear what it sounded like I stumbled on a great site that features unusual musical instruments. Although the site didn't feature it, a quick email later and I had a sample. It doesn't really sound nearly as cool as it looks.
Aussie- I forgot the Melody Makers! (I don't listen to enough country to buy a whole set, I mean, I do need to set myself some limits!) That said, I've always been interested in learning Indian music. Probably make sure I have some bronze, some bronze-phosphor, some stainless... I think in the 50's one brand of harp was actually all plastic. Some wood combs, some plastic, some metal... I think I also saw a antique harp with Ivory combs.
Harmonicanick- You should ask around as see if there are any physicians on the site. If you can get a doctor's note your wife will have to let you get more harps!
Oh, and here is the link to that great site of weird instruments. Don't click unless you have time to get sucked into a world of the weird and bizarre. A keyboard instrument that uses three acres of stalactites to create sound? Yeap. There is one of those there.
Last Edited by on Nov 25, 2009 10:02 PM
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CJames
28 posts
Nov 26, 2009
4:02 AM
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ricanefan...exactly.
i've only been playing for 3 or 4 months, but somehow i've 'stumbled' onto getting 4 C's? and only one G, A, Bb and D. C is hardly my favorite key too!
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rbeetsme
38 posts
Nov 26, 2009
5:26 AM
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My wife has never said that. "why do you have so many amps, mics, ukuleles, music stuff..." I get that all of the time!
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jbone
212 posts
Nov 26, 2009
6:29 AM
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i can't begin to count how many harps i have bought since that day in about 1973 wen i bought my first. probably the equivalent of one seriously cool car or a high end bass boat worth!
i'm like adam in one respect at least, i don't care at all for harps in E, B, or F#. ironically, i could have used all 3 of those keys last saturday, sitting in with a band that tuned down a half step to accommodate the lead singer's very low voice. so i dug through all my spares and found a B and an F# and will likely put them in my case, isolated by themselves for that sort of situation. and may even buy an E to go with them. the one thing that saved me was, i play in 1st and 3rd position also, so the few flat key harps i do have handy came into play.
i learned long ago to keep pairs of my high mortality harps in my case. usually 2 different brand/type harps that have different tonal qualities. sometimes i need a sort of hokey sound for a more country/rootsy/folk-y song we do here and there and a cheap harp fits the bill for that.
once i hit the new lottery here, i plan on a set of mb customs and a set of suzuki manji's just for starters. maybe a few harrisons, try out some high end seydels, and continue my research into suzuki's top end as well. just have to hit the magic number! other than that i am still on a sort of quest to find harps i like and that do what i want them to. this quest has brought me full circle in a way. i bought 5 lee oskars a year ago just to get a deal on a case that came with them. like the first round of LO's i tried, i ended up not liking the harps much at all. but i do have a nice little case out of the deal and the LO's will do i a pinch! other makes and models that are more recent on the scene are new to me so i find i have to get hold of one or 2 just to try them out. in looking through my spares i found the other day i have 2 hohner sp20's in D, a bushman delta frost in D, and a suzuki bluesmaster in D! all in working order, but since we play quite a bit in E and A, the D harp is essential to keep handy.
wife accepted a long time ago that i will be spending $$ on harps. in fact a year ago she suggested i get at least one a month to keep my case fresh. which i did more or less but it was more like 2 here, 3 there, and i suppose i bought 8 or 9 in the past year.
when it comes to chromatics, i have 3 in working order and one i plan to send off for rework. these i bought about one every year or two, and have replaced comb/reed plates on one or two of them. a bit more pricey! well worth the investment though.
nics, i have probably bought or been given about a dozen over the years, and given a few away as well. i currently have what i think i need for the most part but one of these days i want to try a ball mic like adam uses and maybe a couple others. for now a crystal jt30 clone, a shure brown bullet with cm element, and an e-v dynamic modded to high-z fit the bill nicely. i have a shure 545s also but it's not working at the moment.
i barely remember all the amps i have tried out for harp, most of which i sold at some point to finance the next amp research project. some i wish i'd been able to keep but there would have to be a separate room here just for gear if i had! the silvertone 1482 and the replica bassman fill my needs very well for strictly harp amps, as well as the small fender p.a. we use.
i have knoen guitarists who had a wall of guitars. literally. and harp guys who bought harps by the set and had 4 or 5 sets at once along with a dozen or more amps and 2 dozen mics. so i'm not doing too badly, it could be a much bigger expenxe than it has been!
most importantly, i am ready to play in a variety of situations.
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Philosofy
291 posts
Nov 26, 2009
8:49 AM
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I have lots of A's, especially in math and chemistry classes.
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JimInMO
27 posts
Nov 26, 2009
10:07 AM
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From non-musical wife. Why do you have so many harmonica's? They all look the same! At least your guitars all look different.
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jawbone
169 posts
Nov 26, 2009
3:43 PM
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My theory is backed up asking the wife "You needed a new coat because it was on sale??" Say no more!!!! Then add "I use these to make cash"
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
Last Edited by on Nov 26, 2009 3:44 PM
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