Liljane
4 posts
Oct 02, 2012
7:40 PM
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This looks for real but I'd like to see if anyone knows about this holder. It would be great for anyone that wanted to play two instruments or someone without arms... which our vets would then have an opportunity to play. I don't know how to embed the Youtube video but the site is, harplock.com and the link to the Youtube is below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfAKedsV6CI&feature=pyv
Thanks!
P.S. Have any of you ever thought that harmonica sounds are like cat and dog sounds? I'd love to see a movie or video with cats and dogs doing the harmonica sound track. Just a crazy thought. LOL Listening to some of the old harmonica recordings inspired that thought.
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nacoran
6113 posts
Oct 02, 2012
8:15 PM
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I haven't seen one in real life, but several members have used them. The revues seemed to be positive.
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Nate
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gene
1099 posts
Oct 03, 2012
12:49 AM
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What if your harps have steel reeds?
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arzajac
858 posts
Oct 03, 2012
2:56 AM
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It works fine on harps with steel reeds.
It holds the harp really well. But I just can't use it because when I tongue-block, the mic stand gets shot in the other direction.
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oldwailer
1927 posts
Oct 03, 2012
7:23 AM
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It works just fine--but most mic stands are not solid enough to hold it steady enough to use it for performances. I have a habit of lapsing into tongue blocking and, like arzajac, the harp keeps moving around.
I have a clamp-on camera holder that I adapted into a mic stand--it really works great--but you have to have something solid within 2 feet of your mouth to clamp it to--which is usually not the case on a stage.
I sometimes use it when I'm recording--but I mostly just overdub the harp when I'm doing that. It's great for just practice though--I clamp it to my desk and play sitting down with guitar--really slick to change harps--no rack to deal with. . .
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lumpy wafflesquirt
633 posts
Oct 03, 2012
11:03 AM
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I have a harp lock for when I am playing the cajon as well. It works great.
The only issue with the stand is that you need to have the boom as short as practical or you do tend to start chasing it around the room. :^)
If the players have no arms as you suggest they probably won't have another instrument in the way so could almost use a vertical stand.
They will only fit an SM58 or mic the same size. They do not fit a PG58 :^( but do fit a cheap [£1] mic that I have.
I find it so much easier to to use than a neck rack, which I could never really get to without straining my neck or having it stuck in my mouth when I wasn't playing.
I'd recommend them
HTH
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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nacoran
6118 posts
Oct 03, 2012
3:53 PM
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If you are playing in a seated position, maybe you could anchor the mic stand to your chair somehow. Adam anchors his drum to his chair with a couple bungie cords. Something a little less bouncy might be appropriate for something that was going to be near your face. Someone could probably create a boom arm that anchors to chairs to replace the mic stand, or the other option is to add weight. My grandfather had a desk lamp with a particularly heavy top. As a metal worker, his solution was to drill out the base and fill it with lead. Best balanced lamp ever! (Although that might be best for a studio stand you weren't going to have to EVER move again.) :)
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Nate
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lumpy wafflesquirt
634 posts
Oct 04, 2012
2:35 PM
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make sure all the nuts are tight on your mic stand, the boom is as short as possible and put your foot on it if necessary .... I have not needed to do the last of these, but maybe it's because I sit down not stand up with a guitar.
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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gene
1100 posts
Oct 04, 2012
4:57 PM
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It looks like a great concept, but they need to change the design to make it fit all microphones. (Except maybe bullet mics.)
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HarpLock
3 posts
Oct 05, 2012
9:48 AM
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Hi All,
No question the entire functionality of HarpLock is based on the stability of your mic stand. Circular based stands and light weight tripods won't get the job done. I use and recommend the DR Pro Tripod. It costs more than other tripods but is rock solid and works very well. (By the way I use it with the boom fully extended) Whatever stand you use, it has to be tight and stay put.
You can see video of me using it in the Dr Pro at www.harplock.com If you have questions I'll be happy to talk with you. Give me a call
Gary Applegate
317-782-9948
PS If you buy one and don't like it, I'll gladly give your money back. I have sold hundreds of them and only one person asked for a refund. (a performance artist that was trying to create the sound of an approaching train) He needed a variable distance from the mic.
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HawkeyeKane
1242 posts
Oct 05, 2012
1:31 PM
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The question I raise is what can a magnet like that potentially do to your reeds? I knew a guy who hung some harps on a wall via magnetic bar, like the kind you stick tools or cutlery to. Seems to me that the magnetism could pull reeds out of position and wear them out a lot quicker.
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Hawkeye Kane
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nacoran
6123 posts
Oct 05, 2012
4:02 PM
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Hawkeye, I'd think that might only be an issue with a Seydel's steel reeds, it takes insanely powerful magnets to effect brass (On YouTube there is video of an insanely powerful electromagnet that levitates a frog, but the magnet is drawing something on the order of 100,000 houses worth of power. Magnetism can effect the tuning of steel reeds (it's the whole principle behind the TurboSlide harps), but if I remember my physics magnetic fields fall off at a really quick rate, something like the square root of the distance, so I doubt you are putting much real force on the reeds unless you put them inside the harmonica, especially compared to the forces we regularly put on them with air pressure. I once, a couple years ago, asked Dave Payne about magnets and steel reeds. He said he'd played with them and didn't notice any effect. Turbo Harp obviously has gotten effect, but they had to put really strong magnets right next to the reeds to do it.
I have to store my super low harp on it's back or the bottom reed goes out of whack (particularly if you stand it on it's end). You could compare gravity's pull to a magnet by seeing how close to a loose steel reed you have to get to get it to lift up to the magnet. Then remember that the harp lock is pulling in a direction that is less likely to misalign a reed, (although it might effect gapping). Someone with a harplock and a steel reed harp could check to see if it touches the tuning (since that's what the TurboSlide uses it's magnets for.)
:)
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Nate
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Iggy K.
6 posts
Dec 20, 2013
2:21 AM
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I designed a similar harp holder but as an extension of Green Bullet Holder, check this video...
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http://harpexplosion.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/greenbulletholder
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catochan
18 posts
Dec 20, 2013
2:54 AM
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I always bring a microphone stand with me to shows…..it is an adjustment, but after a while you get used to the "give" that playing with the stand gives you. I love the harp lock so much in terms of the freedom of not having a rack around my neck. If you are lazy, you can let the mic stand move back and forth while you do trills, and you can just keep your head in place :)
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jpmcbride
21 posts
Dec 20, 2013
7:01 AM
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I've known Gary Applegate, the inventor of the Harplock, for some time now. And in the interest of full discosure, I should mention that I sell the Harplock through Bottle 'O Blues. The harplock is definitely for real. I've sold quite a few of them and have gotten a lot of positive feedback from customers. The mic stand is definitely the key to the Harplock. I would use the one that Gary recommends. As far as the magnet affecting the reed - this is not an issue. The magnet is strong, but nowhere near strong enough to affect the reeds.
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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nacoran
7433 posts
Dec 20, 2013
11:42 AM
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CarlA- actually, it depends on the grade of stainless- for instance, Seydel reeds are affected by magnets, which is why the Turboslide harmonica works. The thing with magnets is their effective power drops off very quickly over range, so unless the magnets are right next to the reeds they don't do anything.
(I've played with magnets and harps myself. I posted a video a while back showing how to convert your harps so you can hold the covers on with magnets instead of screws It works well, but I'm still refining it to work even better and be easier to convert. Harplock is actually the only worry in my system- if it's stronger than the magnets holding the covers on there could be a tug of war!)
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Nate
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