7LimitJI
478 posts
Apr 20, 2011
7:11 AM
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I've recently received a Joe Spiers,Stage 11 Marine Band in Bb, with a custom comb.
After approx 20 years playing and major harp tweaking I was a bit sceptical of the whole Custom harp thing.
My harps play and sound well and are set up as good as I can get.
So I thought I'd get a custom just to see how it compared to mine and scratch an itch I'd had for a while.
All I can say about the harp is WOW !
It is more responsive than anything I've played. The slightest breath gets it singing.
Yet regardless of how hard I hit it, it does not choke up.
This is nirvana for me, I've been trying to get my harps set-up like this for years.
The tone is slightly brighter than a standard MB, but
the "breathy" tone when bending associated with standard harps is gone, which makes the notes sound fuller and richer. Again, I've been trying to achieve this tone for a while.
It actually resonates in my hand ( I've read this before and did not believe it)
The reeds have sustain. After you stop playing they continue to sing.
My own MB's now sound a bit dull in comparison.
The finish on the harp is superb. Very nice to the touch with no sharp edges or corners.
The lower cover plate is beautifully modded to prevent the longer reeds from hitting it.
The only negative was the 1,4 draw octave needs a tweak as it is beating.
But I'm being very picky cos if I played gently, it remained beatless.
All this proves is I'm probably playing it harder than is necessary !
I highly recommend Joe's harps.
On the surface they may appear expensive, but when you see the reed and plate work,feel the finish, you'll know how much time goes into his harps.
But most of all, when you play one, its so good, it makes every other harp you own sound a wee bit tired and stiff.
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The Pentatonics Myspace
Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
"It's music,not just complicated noise".
Last Edited by on Apr 20, 2011 7:58 AM
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Chinaski
181 posts
Apr 20, 2011
7:15 AM
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Yup, I'd agree that the only thing is it's hard to go back once you have harps by Joe!
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Myspace
Last Edited by on Apr 20, 2011 7:15 AM
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barbequebob
1620 posts
Apr 20, 2011
7:48 AM
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If you hear that beating, one thing that you need to remember is to dial BACK the amount of breath force you use when playing by AT LEAST 50% or more because they are FAR more sensitive to that than anything out of the box is and so you will need time to woodshed with that and I know that from experience playing customs. If you play as hard on a custom as you do with an OOTB harp, your chances of blowing them out quick are even greater and the average player, unfortunately has NO BREATH CONTROL AT ALL to speak of and that's one of the biggest secrets of playing and something most players tend to totally ignore.
You will get spoiled by them, but after awhile, once you get used to playing with more control and more focus, you will actually get even more out of a stock harp than you ever did before and this I know for a fact.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
646 posts
Apr 20, 2011
10:37 AM
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Bob is right. THe best octaves are tuned in where they are not beating, but not exact either, it makes them richer. Blowing hard can make them beat.
Also a non-relaxed embouchure can do the same thing. In both cases, one reed is bent to drop a little in pitch.
It's weird, you can sound a harp and it's fine, hand it over to another guy and it is beating for him. I strongly doubt that Joe sent it out with a beat.
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
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7LimitJI
479 posts
Apr 20, 2011
10:53 AM
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"I strongly doubt that Joe sent it out with a beat"
I'm not saying that !
Please read what I wrote
"But I'm being very picky cos if I played gently, it remained beatless.
All this proves is I'm probably playing it harder than is necessary !"
I am giving an honest opinion of what I think of Joes harp. Warts and all.
Its not even a wart, its a pimple.;o)
I'll reiterate.
I'm completely blown away by how this harp plays and sounds.
I will endeavour to emulate it in my own harps and will, funds willing, buy more from Joe.
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The Pentatonics Myspace
Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
"It's music,not just complicated noise".
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harpwrench
459 posts
Apr 20, 2011
12:01 PM
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Thanks 7L!
Tuning can be tricky, complicated by making them more responsive to embouchure differences.....and not having you sitting next to me to test how it meshes with your technique. The tradeoff to raising the 1 blow a couple cents is now the chord isn't quite perfect:)
FWIW my technique is to hit the front of the note harder, and immediately back off, like a plucked string and its decay. I think always playing really soft can sound boring, and playing too hard all the time sounds annoying. By combining the two I feel like it sounds better. Reinforced by listening to players I greatly admire, like the late Gary Primich, Rod Piazza, and so on.
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walterharp
584 posts
Apr 20, 2011
1:38 PM
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I have one of Joe's stage II's and second the review. I would only add that I have gigged with it for over half a year, and it is still performing up to specs
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Todd Parrott
474 posts
Apr 20, 2011
1:50 PM
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Welcome to the club, 7LimitJI. Joe's harps opened new worlds for me and took my playing to whole new level. I can play things on his harps that are just not possible on stock harps.
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snakes
640 posts
Apr 20, 2011
6:27 PM
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I am the proud owner of a couple Stage II MB's by Joe. They are flat out awesome.
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snakes in Seattle
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nacoran
4033 posts
Apr 20, 2011
6:39 PM
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Oh, Stage II! I read that as Stage Eleven and I was wondering if you needed a Masonic handshake to get one!
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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snakes
641 posts
Apr 20, 2011
7:28 PM
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LOL! No handshake required, but I see he is currently not taking any new orders.
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snakes in Seattle
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harpwrench
460 posts
Apr 21, 2011
7:28 AM
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The plan is to complete existing orders, build an inventory, and sell harps without the deposits and months-long wait. There's several good reasons to do this, should be a win-win situation for everyone.
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harpwrench
461 posts
Apr 21, 2011
7:51 AM
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Then there's the Stage IV, a couple guys on here know the secret handshake.....:)
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HarpNinja
1359 posts
Apr 21, 2011
8:19 AM
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@harpwrench
I think that is the way to go. In fact, that is a similar goal of mine - take very limited orders and focus on selling an inventory as plausible. I've been able to build an inventory of OOTB harps, but obviously have no time to start them, lol. I've had a change in both day job (added a seasonal position) and gigging routine. The real world is quite demanding. I am quite fortunate to have summer and winter months to dedicate a lot more time to harmonica from a tech standpoint.
Recently, I've gone away from taking full payment up front and just asking for a small deposit. If they end up unable to pay, it is very easy to sell a completed custom ready to ship to the public.
As always, best of luck!!!
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
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Pluto
145 posts
Apr 21, 2011
8:50 AM
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@harpwrench
I've watched your video's, read reviews. If you had an inventory you'd have a customer in me. After loosing $700 due to the untimely death of one of this rooms most revered members, I'm leery of long lead items.
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HarveyHarp
235 posts
Apr 21, 2011
8:56 AM
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I too have a similar goal. While I am a new tech, at least to you guys, I would much prefer having an inventory of harps to sell from, and I am working toward that goal. The problem I see, however, is that somewhat compromises some of the CUSTOM aspects of the endeavor. Not all players have the same requirements.
As a side note, in the last 9 months or so, I have had the opportunity to work on numerous major customizer's harps, due to circumstances that some of you know about. and while they are all excellent, and yet different, Joe Spier's harps stand out above all the rest. I can tell that I am playing a Spiers harp as soon as I play it.
I have never met Joe, but I respect his work.
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HarveyHarp
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
650 posts
Apr 21, 2011
6:38 PM
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Hey, Nate, I know that handshake. I cannot reveal any information about the stage 11s. ;)
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
"There are only two things money can't buy - true love and homegrown tomatoes." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, homemade beer." - David Payne
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walterharp
587 posts
Apr 21, 2011
7:58 PM
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“It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.” i thought that was the Grizzard quote, and the one you have came from a Guy Clark song.. but maybe clark stole it from Grizzard.
also, you can buy homemade beer just like you can buy moonshine, it just ain't legal :-) plus the forum creed says something about religion and homemade beer is a religion.. and round here now morels...
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
652 posts
Apr 21, 2011
8:46 PM
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You are right, Walter. My signature is changed accordingly. I used to read Grizzard religously. As an award-winning journalist, I ALWAYS had a copy of "If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground" on my desk. I also recommended to new or aspiring journalists to read that asap.
My FAVORITE Grizzard quote of all time was this:
"To all you virgins, thanks for nothing."
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
Last Edited by on Apr 21, 2011 8:48 PM
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