MP
3403 posts
Sep 28, 2016
5:45 PM
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A $130 for a brass combed Blue Moon harp is a great price. I've been inside a lot of them,(over 25). They are assembled from spankin' brand new harps. The bottom reed plates are flat sanded, al reeds are gapped and tuned and the combs are outrageously good.
They play extremely well and have a lot of volume for harps that are not customized. Basically what Tom Halchack has done is added the most important mods
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Have good day. M.A.P.
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MP
3404 posts
Sep 28, 2016
5:45 PM
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A $130 for a brass combed Blue Moon harp is a great price. I've been inside a lot of them,(over 25). They are assembled from spankin' brand new harps. The bottom reed plates are flat sanded, all reeds are gapped and tuned and the combs are outrageously good. Some, like SP/20s, have open backs.
They play extremely well and have a lot of volume for harps that are not customized. Basically what Tom Halchack has done is added the most important mods
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Have good day. M.A.P.
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Last Edited by MP on Sep 28, 2016 5:47 PM
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JInx
1236 posts
Sep 28, 2016
6:24 PM
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Barry fits right nicely amongst us and all our fake flattery and backhanded phoney endorsements
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Gnarly
1930 posts
Sep 29, 2016
8:34 AM
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Mee toooo
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MP
3406 posts
Oct 06, 2016
7:18 PM
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Have a good day and...
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Have good day. M.A.P.
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bigd
625 posts
Oct 06, 2016
8:29 PM
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I purchased a fair priced Meisterclasse from him a few years back. There was one intermittently stuck reed when received. When I told him he told me to keep that one and sent me another pronto. It has gorgeous sounding chords. I found Anthony polite, responsive, and professionally invested in the integrity of his harmonicas. The majority of my gig harps are Spiers because Joe has developed the formula for my playing style per se but I still like having that smooth Meisterclasse in my case. Two thumbs up from my experience!
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mlefree
776 posts
Oct 07, 2016
4:13 AM
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Nate and Steve, I'm sticking by my statement about gold plating.
Silver plating is much cheaper and thicker so it it less likely to wear off. Contrary to popular belief, gold does in fact oxidize because it catalyzes a reaction with organic compounds in vapor form (e.g., your breath). And, according to the designer of what was at one time at least the world's most respected and expensive harmonica, Douglas Tate, designer of the "Renaissance" (now made by Seydel), it is slicker in the presence of saliva. He certainly could have chosen gold plating but he had all his chrome mouthpieces silver plated even before he developed the Renny. He also recommends it in his terrific little book, "Make Your Harmonica Work Better."
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Oct 07, 2016 4:20 AM
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mlefree
777 posts
Oct 07, 2016
4:19 AM
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Gnarly, that Barry Carpenter is rather well-preserved for a retiree. Or he retired at 24. 8^)
Michelle
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SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
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STME58
1852 posts
Oct 07, 2016
8:10 AM
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Michelle, I have no doubt that gold is used in places where it is functionally inferior. Gold has a natural beauty that make it a great material for ornamentation. It also has a well understood rarity and value that makes it a great material for ostentation. There are a few people who use so much of it that its value as an ornament is lost and you just have an ugly piece that only proves the owner is rich! The one place I can think of where gold is used purely for its functional advantages is in electronic circuitry. And even here I would not be surprised to hear that gold is sometimes specified in situations where tin or silver might be functionally superior.
The question at hand here is whether gold, irrespective of its cost, can improve the functionality of an instrument. I gave the example of gold plated brass instrument mouthpieces that are perceived to give a functional advantage over silver in the way they interact with the lips. You mentioned that DOuglas Tate feels silver is actually functionally better, at least for a harmonica mouthpiece. I would not be surprised if this is true, even though I prefer to use a gold plated mouthpiece on my trombone. I would not be at all surprised to find that the way gold works to improve ones playing is akin to the way Piglet's ear muffs work for skating!
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Gnarly
1948 posts
Oct 07, 2016
8:33 AM
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@mlefree Ya, you right
He has only made one post to this forum. Not a positive sign…
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