|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Short harp comb thickness
Short harp comb thickness
Page:
1
dukeofwail
73 posts
Sep 23, 2012
3:46 PM
|
Harmonica Scientists:
What principles are evident between using a thicker harp comb or a thinner one? In other words, a taller or shorter air chamber between reed plates?
----------
Robert Hale
Spiral Advocate
Learn Harmonica by Webcam
Low Rates, High Success
http://www.youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL
http://www.dukeofwail.com
|
arzajac
855 posts
Sep 23, 2012
6:02 PM
|
From various threads on this forum, I recall Brendan Power suggesting that a thinner comb resulted in higher precision, especially noticeable on higher harps.
Buddha suggested that thicker combs provide (more?) richer tone.
From my own tinkering I suggest the following:
1- Comb thickness has no bearing whatsoever on tone nor playablility unless it is airtight. If you have a leaky harp, all bets are off.
2- You don't get something for nothing. I do believe both principles stated above are mostly true. And what you gain in tone, you pay for in playability. So a really thick comb will provide a different tone than a thin one, but you will need more effort to articulate notes than if the comb was thin.
You can easily try out various comb thicknesses by ordering them from the aftermarkt comb vendors (Blue moon, hetrick, Builderofstuff, etc...) and see what you prefer best! You can order one extra thick wooden one and sand it down to the thickness you like. If you are just testing the tone, you don't have to seal the comb as you go, so it can be a quick afternoon project.
My two cents ...
----------
Last Edited by on Sep 23, 2012 6:04 PM
|
florida-trader
182 posts
Sep 24, 2012
6:05 AM
|
For what its worth - and this is very unscientific – but judging from the feedback that I have received from my customers – THIN IS IN! I offer acrylic combs which are laser cut from sheets of acrylic, unlike the other materials I use like wood, Corian or aluminum which are milled or planed to the desired thickness. Acrylic sheets come in the range of .210” to .240” (manufacturer’s tolerances). The stock combs on most of the Hohner harmonicas for which I make combs is .250” (with one notable exception). I was concerned about the acrylic combs being thinner than stock to the degree that I posted disclosure statements on my eBay auctions and website – still do. Over the past 18 months, the feedback I have received about the acrylic combs has been very positive and my customers often state that it is specifically because they are thinner. They use such adjectives as, “brighter, more responsive, easier to bend, louder” to describe their experience with the thinner combs. Can this be directly attributed to the thickness of the comb or that it is flatter and more airtight than a stock comb? Who knows? Like I said, this is very unscientific.
So what is the notable exception mentioned above? The Marine Band! I doubt anyone would debate that the Marine Band is the most popular and successful harmonica in the history of the world. The stock comb thickness is kind of all over the map. I have torn apart 100’s of Marine Bands and have seen combs that are as thin as .210” and as thick as .240”. I have yet to find one that is .250” like a MS, Golden Melody or Special 20 (without the lip). The Marine Band has also set the standard for tone. How often have we read about players coveting the “unmistakable tone” of the Marine Band? So why does Hohner make the Marine Band with thinner combs? And could that be part of the reason for the tone and desirability? To further confuse the issue, we have all gotten out of the box Marine Bands that play well and some that play poorly. Why? Could that have something to do with the inconsistency of the comb thickness? It would be interesting to start collecting data from independent researchers (i.e. you guys who have good OOTB harps and bad ones) to see if there is any correlation between comb thickness and performance.
----------
Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
|
harpdude61
1568 posts
Sep 24, 2012
6:23 AM
|
I agree with everything above. That said, I do think many variables affect the ideal comb thickness for individual players. When someone developed the comb thickness, I doubt a lot of research was done. 1/4" thick worked so why not.
I just received a set of combs from Tom(above) for my Golden Melodys, that are .270 thick. THey are great! I play with mouth wide open so these respond best for me.
I think mouth size, embrouchure, and style of play should also factor in. For me, the thicker comb gives more control over bends and overbends, plus a slightly richer tone. I find thinner combs limit me....but thats just me.
|
HarpNinja
2687 posts
Sep 24, 2012
8:54 AM
|
I've always preferred thinner. Well, since comparing such a thing. Actually, you have to look at the whole harp assembled. Meaning, the coverplate height is a consideration too.
After actual testing - using one set of comb/plates with different covers - I found MB's with thinner combs to be the best for response and bendability. SP20 covers made bending harder, and so did GM covers.
I've tried thicker and thinner combs on Hohners and Seydels and found in every instance, I preferred thinner. Now, I am able to offer just about any thickness in any material. Currently, I've been experimenting with thinner Corian combs on 1847's, as well as reshaping the bottom cover plates on 1847's and MB's.
For my style, which is mostly aggressive with overbends, I like a conical shaped bottom coverplate with a comb closer to .22-.24. Obviously, this is hard to do with a GM coverplate, so I've been going on the thinner side with those combs.
----------
Mike
OOTB Harmonica Price List
VHT Special 6 Mods
Note Layout Comparisons
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
|
chromaticblues
1345 posts
Sep 24, 2012
10:24 AM
|
I think the thickness will change the tone of your playing a little due to it changing how much you have to open your mouth to play.
I experimented a little and found that anything over .255" felt bigger than it should be and .225" was the low limit.
After doing this I decided to start measuring the thickness of MB combs after sanding them to see if it had anything to do with why I liked some harps better than others. There were all between 2.3" and 2.5" and that had nothing to do with it!
In conclusion: I don't know?
It may be just what ever feels better is better for you!
|
harp-er
173 posts
Sep 24, 2012
11:26 AM
|
Just my personal 2 cents:
I've only tried two thinner combs (.23 instead of .25), one dymondwood which I didn't like at all, and one paduak wood (from Tom) which I like in spite of myself (it's beautiful, IMHO), but so far I like the .25" thickness of the bamboo best. I'd probably chuck the paduak comb but I think it's so beautiful that I've made myself like it, and it plays better for me on the high F (GM)than on lower keys.
I also just bought a coupla beautiful ivory corian combs (.25") from Hetrick, and I like those a lot, except......I think I may be having some sort of allergic reaction to the material, 'cuz when I play it my lower lip seems to get all cracked, which has never happened with the wood combs, or with the stock plastic combs. ???????
I'm also discovering that I like wood combs best.
FWIW.
----------
Matthew
|
Post a Message
|
