LIP RIPPER
695 posts
Aug 10, 2013
3:58 AM
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Buy a Crossover, go to Bluemoon Harmonica's and buy a Corian comb from Tom, then watch Joe Spier's video on reed gapping.
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Kingley
3012 posts
Aug 10, 2013
4:08 AM
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Hahaha! Hardly a custom harmonica! But yes, it would certainly play a lot better if it's gapped properly.
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LIP RIPPER
696 posts
Aug 10, 2013
4:19 AM
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Yes, not even close to my Spier's Custom harp's but in my less played keys and backup harp's this is what I am doing. It sure steps them up. Well, I do sand the edge's of the reed plates smooth too.
LR
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arzajac
1124 posts
Aug 10, 2013
5:29 AM
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You get what you pay for.
You get what you wait for.
Althought I do the same things to a harp when servicing it as when I customise (reed work, airtightess, tuning, embossing, etc...), the margins are so much more tight for a custom. It involves so much more work and the end result is not even close.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Aug 10, 2013 5:31 AM
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LIP RIPPER
697 posts
Aug 10, 2013
5:40 AM
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Absolutely and I probably have used the wrong word. There is a lot more that goes into your work and I am not trying to take that away. My thought on this is towards a new player. A flat comb and gapping sure wakes a harp up though.
LR
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arzajac
1125 posts
Aug 10, 2013
6:08 AM
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Absolutely. You make two very good points. Even some top players don't buy customs in less-used keys. And the fundamental work to make a harp play well has a significant impact.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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1847
965 posts
Aug 10, 2013
9:06 AM
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The crossover has the best comb hohner has ever made
It does not need to be changed. Go thru your junk drawer
Find an old marine band, replace with corian, flat sand the old comb and seal it.
Now you have a a spare.
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master po
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arzajac
1126 posts
Aug 10, 2013
9:10 AM
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Once flattened and sealed, I much prefer the Crossover comb to Corian.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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GMaj7
262 posts
Aug 10, 2013
8:25 PM
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A good rifleman is constantly making small adjustments to his sites. Great players out there always make small adjustments..
The best playing harp for you is the one that you use and enjoy..
Nobody knows your nuance better than you the player..
Joe's videos are old but timeless.
There's no secret there, it just takes a little time.
There are 20 reed on a diatonic and they are capable of producing some 40 or more useable pitches, 8 or so octaves, and a host of chords.
I just don't see why it is necessary to spend a disproportionate amount of time and concern over a nat hair sized imperfection in a comb.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Kingley
3015 posts
Aug 11, 2013
12:42 AM
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I agree. A perfectly flat comb is a good thing to have, but it's not essential to a well playing harmonica. A perfectly flat comb will certainly help compression and make a harp play a little louder. The reeds are the most important thing though and when it comes to reed work gapping and tuning are king. Then after that comes things like arcing, embossing, polishing, etc. The fact remains though that if you never did anything else other than gap and tune your harps properly. You'd have a set of good playing harps that responded to your needs when you wanted them too.
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harpdude61
1776 posts
Aug 11, 2013
5:43 AM
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"The fact remains though that if you never did anything else other than gap and tune your harps properly. You'd have a set of good playing harps that responded to your needs when you wanted them too."
I could not agree more! I have discovered that as I progress in my technique. The variance between a custom and a properly gapped/tuned off the shelf harp, is much much smaller.
If you maximize your resonator, jaw down, big open mouth, big open throat, and pulling/pushing air from a relaxed diaphragm, I believe it shrinks the variance between the two.
Matter of face, on my GMs, if they are tuned, gapped, with a new comb, I can't tell enough difference to justify a $300 custom. I see no need for embossing or more. With plenty of air that is easily controlled, I don't need better response. It's fine. The overblows and overdraws are there just fine as well as other techniques including fast playing.
Keep in mind I have customs from three makers including the late great Buddha. Just my humble opinion....
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arzajac
1127 posts
Aug 11, 2013
6:28 AM
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Greg: The very best harps don't need constant tweaking. I would assume that once you buy a custom from me or anyone else, the only maintenance needed is the occasional cosmetic cleaning and perhaps a reed replacement over time. But certainly not everyday adjustments.
Now, I don't want to be misleading; it takes time and tweaking to get a harp there and I don't want to discourage anyone from working on their own harps. But once you reach the goal and the harp plays as you want it to, there should be no need to constantly go back and adjust.
And as for people adjusting harps to suit their own nuances, some people know their preferences, but many don't. I service harps for dozens of players who have decades of playing experience. Very few of them can put into words how they like their harps, let alone tweak them themselves. It can be a long process to figure out what works for them, actually. But the consensus seems to be that it's easier for them (and cheaper) than just buying new harps.
As for flatness being fundamental, try this. Find a well-playing harp. Play it for a few minutes and really pour your soul into your playing. Open it up and scratch a needle across the tine between the 3 and 4 hole. Make a visible scratch so that a gnat could walk through the three hole to the four hole.
Put the harp back together and play the same music you did a moment ago. You may be able to hit all the notes (maybe not) but I don't think you will be as satisfied. I don't think you will feel the same level of Mojo.
A perfectly airtight harp makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. Yes, reed shape is key, but airtightness is fundamental. Playing a leaky harp is like driving an expensive car with bald tires. Sure, it can get you to work and back, but it's not as smooth nor as safe as if you were using proper tires.
In Joe's video, he gaps by adjusting the reeds using both hard and soft pressure. If you have a leaky harp, you don't know where the soft pressure is going - through the reeds or through the leak. And you won't be able to gap with as much precision as if you had an airtight harp.
That being said, Gapping and tuning an airtight harp will go a very long way. No question there.
Just my 2 cents...
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Aug 11, 2013 6:32 AM
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GMaj7
263 posts
Aug 11, 2013
11:06 AM
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From these debates the best practices will always emerge.
I don't think eliminating extremely minor imperfections in a comb will make a harp play any better than waxing my car will get me better gas mileage.
I don't know where all of this arose from, but I suspect the Theory of the Flawed Comb was manufactured by those who realized that their reed working talents weren't needed or were substandard.
But while we dwell on forums and contest this issue, players like Fred Yonnett, Greg Zlap, Mickey Raphael, Charlie Musselwhite, Adam G - Kudz, Charlie McCoy, PT, Michael Rubin, and many more are playing 100 gigs a year to thousands and thousands of listeners and they are doing it day in day out on those standard imperfect, non-flat, flawed combs produced by Hohner, Seydel, LO, and Suzuki.
The only thing that isn't overblown in this debate is the harp itself.. and that's sad.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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