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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
The MiniChrom / SwitchHarp is Released
The MiniChrom / SwitchHarp is Released
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BeePee
15 posts
Sep 25, 2017
1:20 PM
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This TwinDiatonic harmonica can be configured in so many ways! Its patent-pending airtight sliding mouthpiece allows you to switch instantly between two 10-hole diatonics attached behind; the sound you get all depends on what setup, key and tuning you choose for the two harps. The mouth hole spacing is the same as a normal harp, and you can operate the slider with your thumb in full-cupping position.
More info and some ideas for how to use this harp here:
The MiniChrom and SwitchHarp
Last Edited by BeePee on Sep 25, 2017 1:21 PM
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nacoran
9618 posts
Sep 25, 2017
3:34 PM
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I know at a certain point it just becomes too crazy, but I kind of want to see you playing one of those (on upside down, I guess, so the slides don't interfere) with two turboslides in there with some creative key/tuning selection in there.
I keep thinking it would be fun to explore Indian music, but their scales seem so different I don't even know where to start. Your example video on your Asiabend seems to focus more on Far East.
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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BeePee
16 posts
Sep 27, 2017
5:19 PM
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Two Turboslides? Hmm, another iteration of the Switch-Harp I hadn't thought of. And the bottom one upside down to avoid reeds clashing in the middle with the Turboslide?... That's going too far Nate :-)
But one similarly wild combo I hope to try shortly is two SUB30s behind a master slider, for an X-Reed chromatic. Should be interesting, a blizzard of bends.
Last Edited by BeePee on Sep 27, 2017 10:35 PM
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Crawforde
147 posts
Sep 27, 2017
5:45 PM
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That double sub-30 sounds crazy!
Doesn’t anyone play normal harps any more?
So when is the minichrome version of the lucky 13 going to come out?
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BeePee
17 posts
Sep 27, 2017
10:55 PM
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No theoretical reason it won't work Crawforde. I'd considered it but haven't gone there yet because I'm not sure the making methods I use could maintain the stiffness required over a longer distance.
I 3d print in ABS, which has some flexibility. When you tighten the two outer retaining screws on my TwinDiatonics, there can be some small flex in the 10-hole version of the front unit - but not enough to break the gasket seal. Over the longer distance of the 13-hole harp the flex could be too much.
There are some stiffer filaments, like carbon-fibre infused ABS/PLA and Polycarbonate, but even they have some flex. Ideally I'd love to print in stainless steel or titanium, but at present that has to be outsourced to big expensive industrial machines at too high a cost for harmonicas.
However thinking about it, I could add a third retaining screw in the middle of the Lucky 13 version to maintain an even shape over the length of the front unit. I'll give it a go and report back. Thanks for the brain stimulus :-)
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Mahcks
93 posts
Sep 28, 2017
12:23 AM
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This is off topic, but do you ever wonder what you could build if you could design and manufacture your own reed plates? Do you think the current in-line, sandwich design of the diatonic is holding you back, or are you pretty content with whatever limitations you may run into?
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BeePee
18 posts
Sep 28, 2017
3:57 AM
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It's a very good question Mahcks. Reeds and reedplates are the last bastion of the big manufacturers, in terms of stuff they can do but small freelance operators can't - reeds especially. Getting reeds and reedplates working together with close tolerances, good reed durability, pitch stability, good tone - it's not easy, requires precision machinery, and is the main reason harmonicas are so expensive relative to many other things we use in our daily lives. My powerful workshop vacuum cleaner costs less than a Hohner Crossover - just one example.
Brad Harrison made a bold assault on the manufacturers' hegemony with reeds and reedplates. Unfortunately the business side of his enterprise didn't work out, but you have to give him a lot of credit for making reeds and reedplates in a new way, with longitudinal milling etc.
My brainy Hungarian friend Zombor Kovacs has always chafed at the restrictions of having to use commercial reedplates, and last year tried a very radical new approach to the whole concept of how reeds and reedplates are made. If it had worked it would have been game-changing. He got close, but reached a couple of seemingly insurmountable barriers and eventually gave up. But knowing him, I won't be surprised if he gives it a second crack further down the line.
I never aspired to try and make my own reeds - that's in the "too hard" basket as far as I'm concerned! But I did try putting Hohner reeds into specially designed reedplates made with laser cutting. Sadly I hit problems of consistency between the slots and it just proved too time consuming and frustrating to be worthwhile.
It would be great to be freed up to design and make top quality custom reeds and reedplates, and I'm pretty confident advances in technology will eventually offer new ways freelancers like me can do that affordably. No idea when that will be though...
Until then it's a matter of being creative using stock reedplates from the big manufacturers, which are getting better as competition intensifies. Thankfully there's plenty of scope with that approach still :-)
Last Edited by BeePee on Sep 28, 2017 4:03 AM
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