Todd Parrott
970 posts
Jul 11, 2012
12:03 PM
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Please join me in congratulating our fellow forum member, Joe Spiers. Here's Joe's announcement via his Facebook page:
"Joe Filisko, Leader of Certification Process, has examined, tested, and approved my work. I'm now an official member of the HOHNER AFFILIATED CUSTOMIZER community, the cutting edge of harmonica customizing in the world."
This is truly an amazing accomplishment, especially considering that Joe Filisko was impressed with Joe's work.
No doubt, Joe's partnership with Hohner and his collaboration with Joe Filisko will yield even more amazing results than we've seen thus far with custom harmonicas. I think this is outstanding news!
Congratulations, Joe!!!
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harpdude61
1499 posts
Jul 11, 2012
12:42 PM
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Todd...Doea this mean the Golden Melody Deluxe is about to start production?
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kudzurunner
3367 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:13 PM
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I love both of the Stage One harps Joe Spiers built for me. Unlike many custom harps, they're not noticeably brighter--which is to say, brittle-er--than stock Marine Bands, but they're very fast and easy to play. And THEY LAST. They stay in tune, even when you play them hard. That's what amazes me. It says worlds about Joe's knowledge of how to stress-reduce the reeds after working on them. There's some mojo in there.
All by way of saying that I'm pleased, but not surprised, by the announcement.
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tookatooka
2989 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:16 PM
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Congrats Joe. Well done.
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harpwrench
598 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:20 PM
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Thanks!
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Spiers Harmonicas
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Todd Parrott
971 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:27 PM
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@harpdude61 - I wish!
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ridge
364 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:27 PM
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Very well deserved. Thank you Joe for your hard work to advance the capabilities of our favorite instrument.
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Stevelegh
549 posts
Jul 11, 2012
1:53 PM
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Congrats to Joe, but it means nothing to me. The Bb, C and Eb Spiers MB's I own say enough.
I just wish money wasn't so tight. I'd buy a whole set.
All I can say is accreditation aside, I personally have never played a better harp and I'd recommend everyone to buy at least one and discover what a harmonica is truly capable of.
Last Edited by on Jul 11, 2012 1:53 PM
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Chickenthief
250 posts
Jul 11, 2012
3:30 PM
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Someone who is as damn smart and skilled as he is...I just hope he's healthy... he needs to live at least one day longer than someone like me.
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snakes
668 posts
Jul 11, 2012
3:41 PM
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I love Joe's harps. Got me one on order now! When I play Marine Bands those are my chosen few. I wish him the best and agree that it is a well deserved honor.
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snakes in Snohomish
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FMWoodeye
423 posts
Jul 11, 2012
4:54 PM
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I have been meaning to try one of Mr. Spiers' harps. Maybe you guys can help me (and other dummies) out a little. Presently I like to practice on Special 20s and reserve Crossovers for performance situations. Would I be correct in this assumption? A Spiers Special 20 would eclipse the performance of a Crossover, but a Spiers Crossover may not eclipse a Spiers Special 20.
I am not a wealthy man, nor am I a particularly accomplished harp player, but I think I need to treat myself to this experience. I will also contact Mr. Spiers via email. I thought others might be interested in the answers.
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hvyj
2540 posts
Jul 11, 2012
6:32 PM
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Congratulations, Joe! Well deserved.
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Shredder
353 posts
Jul 11, 2012
6:39 PM
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What took so long? Joe really knows what he's doing . I guess the word finally got out.
I've had a marine band stg 1 with coriain comb for a month now and love it. The slightest breath brings it to life. Will be getting another soon in the key of D.
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walterharp
903 posts
Jul 11, 2012
7:08 PM
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hey, i deserve some credit, i taught him everything about how to deal with difficult customers.. me! :-)
adam, you should try a stage ii, seriously you would be amazed
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nacoran
5959 posts
Jul 11, 2012
7:26 PM
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Congrats!
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Nate
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Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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Johnny Charles
24 posts
Jul 11, 2012
8:47 PM
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Great news for the community and Congratulations to Joe. I love my Stage 1 harmonicas and agree with Adams assessment. It's right on.
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robbert
99 posts
Jul 11, 2012
8:50 PM
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Congrats, Joe! Your work is most excellent!
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Brendan Power
232 posts
Jul 12, 2012
6:04 AM
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I'm curious about this Hohner Affiliated Customizer Society. Can anyone explain what it's for and what the rules are?
I wouldn't have thought Joe Spires needed a certificate or approval from ANY outside body, as his work has already got the respect from the people whose opinion really counts: the serious players.
But obviously it matters to Joe, so it must be worth something to him. Does it qualify the members of the society for good prices on Hohner spare parts?
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LIP RIPPER
608 posts
Jul 12, 2012
7:24 AM
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Well deserved, congratulations.
LR
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barbequebob
1983 posts
Jul 12, 2012
9:54 AM
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Congrats to one of the very best in the business!!
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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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harpdude61
1501 posts
Jul 12, 2012
10:28 AM
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I'm kind of like Brendan. What does this mean? Is Joe the first member? Is it something other customizers should strive and test for. Does this mean I should always seek someone Hohner certified to work on my harps?
Regardless, I have always heard he is the top customizer in the states anyway.
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waltertore
2412 posts
Jul 12, 2012
10:39 AM
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congragulations Joe! Walter
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walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year.
" life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
4,000+ of my songs
continuous streaming - 200 most current songs
my videos
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Steamrollin Stan
482 posts
Jul 12, 2012
10:49 AM
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Sounds like a reputation second to none, well done, any free samples??
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1235 posts
Jul 12, 2012
12:38 PM
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Don't have to hear it from Hohner to know how good Joe is. I knew that already.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!"
Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
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Frank
873 posts
Jul 12, 2012
1:55 PM
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Joe Spiers, onward bound towards legend status - You da man ...Congratulations!
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Brendan Power
234 posts
Jul 15, 2012
2:11 AM
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This thread seems to have languished without any update on the queries raised by harpdude61 and me. Anyone care to enlighten us?
Last Edited by on Jul 18, 2012 12:53 AM
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Frank
891 posts
Jul 15, 2012
5:46 AM
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My guess is, that it's a competing organization that is hoping to get more harp players business because of who and what they have to offer... - sorta like the UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce are basically all the same donut but they each do things a little differently and thus attract a certain percentage of the market that that appeals more to their own particular preferences.
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Shoulders
119 posts
Jul 15, 2012
6:12 AM
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Brendan,
My limited understanding is that it is the small group who learnt from/ worked around Joe from early on. This included Jimmy Gordon and Richard Sleigh.
I believe Jimmy didnt do full customs for the first few years but leanrt the customizing skills by repairing already customed harps. Having done this 'apprectiship' he then took on full custom jobs under the banner of the Flisko guild.
I dont think we are looking at a official recognized organistion - more a group of people sharing ideas, work and customers.
Thats my take from reading around the web.
ps - Cheers to you Brendan for an excellent workshop in Lewes yesterday - awesome and really motivating. What a very nice chap.
Regards
James
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Theshoulders1 YouTube
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walterharp
905 posts
Jul 15, 2012
6:06 PM
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To translate, Hohner has made Filisko the sole person who bestows the title on customizers. He checks out their work and it is a yes or no. It is essentially a certification of a top quality customizer by one who is widely recognized as one of the best in the world. Now Spiers is officially in that club. Did Spiers need that? No he does great work, but since he quit his job a while ago to go at the customization full time, it certainly cannot hurt!
I actually think this is a very good thing. Any guy can work on harps and get enough people to testify on the web that they do good work. If you drop money on a harp, you are likely to justify it even if it is not great. Also, it is very difficult to know how to compare work even if you own instruments from several customizers. This way, there is at least independent verification of quality.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1237 posts
Jul 15, 2012
7:11 PM
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It's not really an independent verification of quality, becuase Hohner is the one doing it - and for sure you'll never see anybody customizing Manjis on that list. So, it is what it is and that's not a bad thing.
But I have to say this: Joe Spiers could just as easily be the one figuring out who gets certified and who does not. So could Brad Harrison. There's just a handful of people on that list, but Joe Spiers is on any short list that you could possibly imagine.
That's not a knock on Filisko, Hohner, anybody. What
I am saying is this, and this is all I am saying: At least here, it's getting presented like this is a big honor for Joe, like it's some laurel bestowed on him... but I want to say that Joe Spiers is as qualified as anybody else to go over somebody's stuff and give it a stamp of approval or not.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!"
Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
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opendoor_harps
54 posts
Jul 15, 2012
11:59 PM
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Congratulations Joe! Hi praise indeed.
Best of luck as you continue on the road of custom harmonica perfection.
Burke T.
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walterharp
907 posts
Jul 16, 2012
10:45 AM
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Hey David,
You make a good point. What the community needs is a group of top-notch customizers who evaluate work regardless of what harmonica is being worked on and certify the quality of that work. Maybe that is something SPAH should take on?
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Philosofy
417 posts
Jul 16, 2012
11:55 AM
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Is this just a Honer thing, or is Joe now in Filisko's "guild"?
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Noodles
125 posts
Jul 16, 2012
2:15 PM
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A Note to Joe Spiers
Joe, I don’t know you, I’ve never spoken with you, nor have I seen or tried your finished products. Yet, somehow, I’m proud of you. You sit quietly at your workbench working your magic, transforming bits of bent metal into fine instruments and works of art. I have a lot of respect for you and any customizer who is widely praised not only by his clients, but also by the industry at large.
It would seem to me that customizing harmonicas is considerably more difficult than it would appear. It’s a methodology of the highest precision and requires the patience of a saint.
Now, you have received acknowledgment for all of those unseen hours of experimentation, testing and the trial and error, making it all worthwhile.
Congratulations on your achievement. Somehow, I’m sure you will make your mark in the advancement of the instrument. One thing is for sure, you are at the cutting edge of innovation and I’m glad you’re here.
Regards
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Todd Parrott
976 posts
Jul 17, 2012
1:29 PM
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For the sake of clarification, my reason for posting this thread was simply to congratulate Joe for this achievement.
Joe's discoveries and advancements have been something he's learned pretty much on his own, spending countless hours finding ways to improve and build the perfect custom harmonica. I think it's great when a modest, hard-working person like Joe, who, as someone stated, sits quietly at his workbench, is recognized and acknowledged for all of his superb work. That's the real accomplishment I see in all of this.
I can't answer what all of this means from a Hohner standpoint, what the benefits are (if any), or what it means for the harmonica community, because at this point I honestly don't know.
@FMWoodeye - Joe may be the best person to answer your question if you e-mail him, but pretty much anything he customizes is gonna be great, regardless of the model.
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