Alright, so I think I am ready to take the inevitable plunge into customizing (i.e. fixing) my out of the box Harmonicas. I guess I was just getting lucky before but the last few new Harps I have bought have had issues with certain reeds. I watched Adam Gussows short little video on gapping a while ago but that was pretty basic. I guess my question is, is there some sort of quintessential "Bible of Customization/Gapping" that I should read or watch? There seems to be a ton of info out there, and I am sure I could take the time to filter through it to figure out what works, but I guess I was just wondering if there is one particular set of lessons I should pay extra close attention to.
I bought Richard Sleigh's book, "How to Turbo Charge Your Harmonica" a while back. I had gathered a lot of information from various videos online and trial and error. When I got the book it confirmed a lot of what I had found out, but also lots of new and useful info too. For me this was the best source of information out there all in one place.
However, he now seems to have replaced the book with a series of videos – which sound even better. I haven't seen them but this is Richard Sleigh - you can't really go wrong :)
I have both. "How to Turbo Charge Your Harmonica" The videos will answer a lot of questions about working on your harmonica. Highly recommend this for making your harp better than ootb. He will send the book PDF, if you want, when you order the videos. ----------
Last Edited by orphan on Sep 22, 2015 8:41 AM
I found gaps (no pun intended) in Richard's book. I don't think it was intentional, there are certain leaps one must take based only on his book. But, he tells it ~all~ in his videos. That makes them the single best resource I've found in my 15 years of looking.
If you are serious about learning how to customize harmonicas, Richard Sleigh's videos are a one-stop shopping deal. Get 'em!
Also, I will soon be adding a comb flattening tool to my kit. Along with the reed removal tools my full kit will be the most complete kit available on the market and can be used on any brand of diatonic harp. I offer full email support with the tools so if you need help of have a question, just ask.
I second Michelle's recommendation of Richard Sleigh's videos, every beginner customiser should study them closely. Plenty of advanced knowledge there for experienced tweakers too.
Last Edited by Brendan Power on Sep 22, 2015 11:35 PM
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