florida-trader
886 posts
Mar 11, 2016
1:34 PM
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I know that this announcement is going to excite some people more than others. Ever since I introduced the CNC Milled Recessed Combs for the Hohner Special 20 and the Seydel Session Steel I have had guys asking me, “Are you going to make custom combs for the Lee Oskars?” Well, I’m proud to say that on Tuesday, I picked up four prototype Lee Oskar combs from my machinist. These combs are 3D designed can CNC Milled. They feature solid construction and a mouthpiece that is very similar, if not identical, to the Special 20, Session Steel and Suzuki HarpMaster combs I offer. The openings or holes are square shaped with radiused inside corners and radiused edges. “Radiused” simply means everything is rounded as opposed to “Chamfered” which would mean the corners or edges are cut at an angle. The rounded corners and edges make the mouthpiece very comfortable on your lips and tongue. These combs are wonderful for both lip pursers and tongue blockers alike. As soon as I got these prototypes I went home and built a harp. I put the reed plates through the usual paces – flat sand the draw plate, adjust the gaps, tuning – and it turned out to be a very nice harp. It’s a little squealy on the overblows but if you are a straight down the middle Chicago Blues guy, this harp has very nice tone and some grit to it.
I’m going do something a little out of character. Usually when I launch a new product, I just make up a couple hundred combs and say, “Here they are – come and get ‘em!” But frankly, I’m not sure how big of a demand there is going to be for these combs. My reason for saying this is that I don’t hear an awful lot about people customizing the Lee Oskars. Maybe it’s because they are so good OOTB that you don’t have to! I dunno. Anyway, those of you who know Blue Moon know that I make combs out of Corian, Acrylic, Aluminum, Brass and Hogany. Suffice to say, I can make the Lee Oskar combs out of any of these materials as well.
I’d like to get some feedback from you. If you are Lee Oskar fan, please drop me a line and let me know what type of materials and colors you would like to see me make. I’m not asking for a deposit or up-front money. Just suggestions. There is no obligation on your part to actually buy the combs but I hope that none of you will offer frivolous suggestions. In a perfect world, if you request something it is because you have a genuine interest in making a purchase and assuming I make it, there is a good chance you will follow through – but again, this will not be construed as a commitment. I am merely trying to test the waters and get a feel for what you want. I will do my best to listen and accommodate you. The prices will be the same as what I charge for the other recessed combs - $49.95 each for any materials except for brass combs, which are $64.95 each. Yes, they are expensive, but worth every penny!
Lastly, I wouldn’t mind some feedback from real live Lee Oskar Devotees. If you are one, let me know and I might just send you one of the prototypes for testing and feedback. You are far more likely to get a freebie from me if you have done some business with me in the past than not. Just sayin’.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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