billy_shines
36 posts
Jan 20, 2012
5:23 PM
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what was your first and most successful? mine was erogomic form fitted over my shoulders. it was that thick heavy coathanger from grandmas house. had bolts and wingnuts, springs from click pens a slim peice of crate wood with holes bored in it. and all wrapped in black electrical tape.
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eharp
1692 posts
Jan 21, 2012
3:09 AM
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what's with the wingnuts and such?
mine was just a coat hanger!
jammed the ends into holes 1 & 10!
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WinslowYerxa
164 posts
Jan 21, 2012
8:20 AM
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Ouch!
I just took a wire coathanger and a pair of pliers and bent the ends into squarish loops that would fit the ends of the harmonica.
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billy_shines
40 posts
Jan 21, 2012
9:19 AM
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i was in the country i was 16 grandma had those thick black 50s coathangers. grandpa had a jar full of bolts, washers and some rusty wing nuts. first i made a moving clip from coat hanger but it didnt keep the harp steady so a made a flat wider crate wood clip. i was following pictures i saw in a book. later i made the single wire one with the two clips that hold on the ends the scratch up the harp but holds well with lots of flex. then one that clamped on and held with a hook wrapping completely around the harp. i wish i never gave the first one away it was a masterpeice.
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bluemoose
656 posts
Jan 23, 2012
11:46 AM
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Had a really good local rack harp/guitar player show up at the jam last Thurday. He uses a rack that attaches to the body of his guitar made of bent forks with tines removed to hold the harp, bolted together at the bottom of the handles and connected to double hooped metal rods with bicycle brake pads to brace against the guitar body.
May try and get a picture of it next time he's by.
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eharp
1699 posts
Jan 23, 2012
1:01 PM
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i always though that hooking a rack to the guitar would be more secure.
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bluemoose
657 posts
Jan 23, 2012
1:41 PM
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Here's a video of Dave "Boxcar" Gates with really good close ups of a previous version of his guitar mounted harp rack.
I guess he's evolved it now to replace the single harp clamp with two bent forks that hold the ends of the harp. Don't think he had the heavy spring clamp system still as well. More research required.
Dave Boxcar Gates
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MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids
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Last Edited by on Jan 23, 2012 1:42 PM
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jbone
747 posts
Jan 24, 2012
4:22 AM
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interesting what Mr. Gates has done, one of the better racks i've seen. i don't play guitar but i can appreciate ingenuity!
Bobby Mercy Oliver does racked harp and his incorporates a chest strap, shoulder mount support, and he has a green bullet mounted in it so it will plug into his guitar amp. some of the best racked harp tone i ever heard.
one thing i don't hear a lot of with rack harpers is 3rd position. since a rack precludes hand effects it makes sense to me that a position utilizing more than holes 1-6, in effect ALL of the holes if one does octaves or chording, and also bent draw notes, would be worth doing.
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billy_shines
50 posts
Jan 24, 2012
7:24 AM
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yeah that is nice but you can only clamp on a metal body resonator. if it was wood it would cave the body in and affect the tone. i have a shure unidyne mounted on a wooden boot like john mayall that holds the harp. i use it with a boom stand its got the sound of my hands around it.but my favorite holder is a groupie who lovingly holds it to my mouth and doesnt mind my slobber on her hand.
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waltertore
1888 posts
Jan 24, 2012
8:46 AM
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The goal is to find a rack you are comfortable with but realize this- if you had every harp rack known to man at your disposal you will still have to learn to deal with it on a rack. It is a combination of dexterity and re adjusting to a forgien way of playing the harp. When it is in a rack you have a metal covered harp clamped into a metal rack. It makes for a much brighter tone than if you just hold it in your hands with no cupping. There are lots of little things that differ big time and they add up to basically learning it as a new instrument. I have been at it 40 years and finally feel at ease with it. Most all give up quick which is seen by how few rack players there are out there. Walter
PS: I spent tons of hours trying to make the standard bob dylan rack more comfortable. That was all that was out there when I started. I eventually left it stock and continue to use it to this day. I have tried lots of racks but like this cheapo model for its ability to move around. I like to be able to move it around while the harp is in my mouth. These newer models that clamp it down tight to you would not work for me.
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Last Edited by on Jan 24, 2012 8:59 AM
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bluemoose
658 posts
Jan 24, 2012
9:08 AM
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@billy_shines: Dave was using the rack he had last week on an acoustic. It didn't have the heavy spring and locking mechanism the one in the vid has. There were two of the metal hoops, one front, one back with bike brake pads to hold and protect. Can't recall what was providing the tension. Maybe just how he had the hoops clamped together at the top. If I make it to this week jam, remember a camera and he shows up I'll get a close up photo.
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Iggy K.
3 posts
Dec 20, 2013
2:05 AM
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This could be a good replacement if you want to rest your neck and also enables quick harp exchange...
check this video...
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Last Edited by Iggy K. on Dec 20, 2013 2:05 AM
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