Leading up to SPAH I was busy putting the finishing touches on the Jason Ricci Limited Edition harmonicas that we collaborated on. I thought you might like to see some pictures of the finished products.
The first harp has Black Nickel Plated Milled Aluminum Covers and a Black Nickel Plated Aluminum Comb.
The second harp has Chrome Plated Milled Aluminum Covers and a Chrome Plated Brass Comb.
You can click on either of the photos and browse through several more. There are some also photos showing a comparison between the JR Limited Edition harp and Manji with stock covers and a Marine Band Crossover.
Finally, here is a short video featuring our good friend Todd Parrott taking the JR Limited Edition for a test drive at SPAH. Jason had to leave SPAH Thursday afternoon to go play some gigs, so he hasn’t had time to record a video showcasing these harps yet. I’m sure he will soon.
I only made 19 of these harps. Most of them are sold but I do have a few left. Before I put them out for the entire world to see, I thought I would give any of the MBH Members first dibs. Let me know if you are interested. I have some Black Nickel and some Chrome Plated covers and combs and can build them out with any key you want.
---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Aug 24, 2017 10:51 AM
The photos don't entirely do justice to the sleek, muted black nickel finish, which I find super attractive.
I especially like the recessed cover screws, but performance is the big test. During an extended hang with Tom and Jason at the 2017 SPAH convention I got to try out several configurations of this harp with different comb materials and reed setups.
They feel great in the mouth for both lipping and tongue blocking. I was concerned about the steep covers in this regard but experienced a good deep-in-the-mouth experience. Jason feels that the steep covers facilitate overblows.
Reed setup is something highly personal, with each player having their own preferences and requirements. Tom has been working on his ready-to-go concept, and this seems to work fine. A player or their customizer of choice can always dial in a more specific desired response.
I saw and played one of these harps at SPAH. My impressions were: 1. They look better in person than in these photos. I didn't notice the mill marks, and the Jason logo was smoother than these photos. 2. They do have steep covers, and its a noticeable difference, but it seemed like something I could easily get used to. Golden Bird, a Chinese harmonica company at SPAH this year, had similar covers. 3. They played sweet! I'm not an overblower, but for what I played its as good as any other harp.
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