CarlA
163 posts
Nov 16, 2012
1:52 PM
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I always find it amusing when people start talking about a GREAT OTB harp they just bought, but first they exchange the cover plates, then exchange the comb for a custom one costing MORE money that the harp itself. Next, you must gap the reeds, profile them, send them to southeast Asia to have them properly recessed. Now, this still isn't enough. You must replace the cover plate screws now requiring a special tool only obtainable from the manufacturer. But of course these new state-of-the-art screws dont fit the threads. No problem, all you need to do is either tap NEW threads or send it off for further customization. We can't forget the importance of having to re-tune each and every reed, painstakingly clean all pieces, spend 40 hours rebuilding the harp, then FINALLY playing the harp, only to inadvertently choke on it upon seeing the credit card statement laying on the kitchen countertop for $475-just for the new cover plate screws.
You just gotta laugh.....
-Carl
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1847
345 posts
Nov 16, 2012
3:01 PM
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cover plate screws are 50 cents
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CarlA
164 posts
Nov 16, 2012
3:19 PM
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@1847
The above was a FIGURATIVE (and sarcastic) illustration! Not meant to be taken literally. But given the fact that a 1/4"x6" grade 8 bolt runs half that price, I guess it serves to further the point-lol
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1847
346 posts
Nov 16, 2012
3:32 PM
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1/4"x6"
am i reading that correctly?
a six inch coverplate screw
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Frank
1411 posts
Nov 16, 2012
5:08 PM
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Seems like you just made a great OTB harp even better then it was...congratulations is in order! But seriously, I agree there is a saturation point where "overhead" needs to be taken into consideration; and the more one messes with their harps the more they begin to figure out what is worth spending money on and what is a waste of their hard earned cash and effort.
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NiteCrawler .
208 posts
Nov 16, 2012
5:34 PM
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I agree in the case of i really don,t see the need for a novice player spending all kind of $$$ thinking that a custom harp is going to make them play better.I play, ootb Sp 20,s for the past 25 yrs with a few customs sprinkled in and boy it really sucks when a custom acts up especially when personally at this point in my life i don,t have time to try to learn how to tweak my harps,never enough time in my day.I sent a batch(20 yrs worth at $10. a pop) to MP and I,m good for a long time now.Maybe someday when I get the time I,ll learn but until then I,ll play my MP old stock,BTW one of them I sent to him had a $17.95 list on the box.Boy those were the days but then again so were the days when I first started playing when they were $3.50 a pop.I,m not knocking customs at all here and I wish I could afford the freight but in the right hands an ootb works just fine.
Last Edited by on Nov 16, 2012 5:36 PM
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1847
347 posts
Nov 16, 2012
5:38 PM
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qoute" Seems like you just made a great OTB harp even better then it was...congratulations is in order!"
if i remember correctly
that is exactly what you did with a harrison harmonica
turned it in to a marine band
i admire you for that!
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Gnarly
402 posts
Nov 16, 2012
9:07 PM
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And speaking of the devil--
I got a hetrick comb from Ron and put it on my best sp20, sure enough, it plays even better now.
However, my budget does not allow for any other custom combs at this point.
I always like to say, you can always improve a harmonica. Some of it is materials, but a lot of it is labor.
I just finished bebopping a Swan 1664 for a customer--I played it when I first got it and was unimpressed. Did the retuning, cleared all the slots with a security strip and carefully reassembled it for maximum airtightness. Plays way better, just for that amount of work--no gapping or embossing, just taking the burrs off (lots of them, BTW) and screwing it together better.
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Libertad
185 posts
Nov 17, 2012
6:20 AM
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Guess we are all a load of tinkeres! I am nearly over it...
I have been changing combs on classic MBs... Really nice. Then I tried a Crossover, and realised for almost the same price I got a similar if not better harp, without having to flat sand, drill and tap the plates. OTB they are great.
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Nisei
18 posts
Nov 17, 2012
8:01 PM
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Huh. I gap, and that's it. That's all the customization my skill level requires. When I play awesomely, then I'll awesomize my harmonicas so they can keep up.
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