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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
worth of custom harps
worth of custom harps
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walterharp
1049 posts
Feb 28, 2013
6:54 PM
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Hey all,
My experiences here... if you are not an advanced intermediate (i.e. you regularly blow out harp reeds and have not heeded BBQ Bob's breath control advice), then no. Learn simple gapping and use replaceable reed plates, or how to replace reeds. If you are trying to get overblows and overdraws the first time, then yes, buy a custom set up for that from a reliable customizer so you know it is possible to get the ob easily, hold it, and not squeak.
Once you get good enough not to blow out reeds then they become even more worth the money. Why? Even if you spend the time to learn how to customize yourself, you will likely never get close to the experts because the number of reps you will do is low. Just like practice playing you get rusty at harp work as well. Keep your gapping and tuning up to snuff, but at that point, let the experts make it easier for you to play! just my 2 cents
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Sherwin
33 posts
Feb 28, 2013
9:48 PM
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Goodness walterharp, all that's left to learn is arcing and embossing, but I suppose not all of us have time enough for that stuff.
But the price of a good custom, well that's a strong incentive to customise my own harps, and I enjoy doing the work. I figure it's the hobby I spend the most time on, sadly more time than practicing my playing, though the gap is narrowing and soon I hope I'll be playing more than researching/customising/tuning.
All the time I've spent workin' on my harps I've found to be so very rewarding, with every success encouraging me to continue to do even better work. I am forcing myself lately to practice playing more and what'd ya know the little breakthroughs are making me want to practice more.
Harmonica for me is so much, I'm intrigued by the inner workings of the little marvel, it has given me a few new friends, I thrill at the sound of it, and I'm grateful for how well I can play after only a year and a half. I'm taking lessons on: music theory and harmonica. And I have developed a love and appreciation for blues music, two years ago I would not willingly listen to blues.
Boy a lot came out there, harp on boys and girls......
Sherwin
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Miles Dewar
1453 posts
Mar 01, 2013
5:22 AM
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"i.e. you regularly blow out harp reeds and have not heeded BBQ Bob's breath control advice"
That makes someone an advanced intermediate? Simply heeding BBQ Bob's breath control dogma? Nah.
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---Go Chicago Bears!!!---
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barbequebob
2209 posts
Mar 01, 2013
7:32 AM
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There are other things customizers do outside of gapping and embossing that makes harps play better than stock instruments, such as making sure the comb surfaces are absolutely and perfectly flat because, just based on the way Hohner had cut their combs in the crappy stock peroid of 1981-1995, the cutting blades weren't properly maintained and so many combs needed to be sanded perfectly flat and any comb that's not perfectly flat will have air leaks and so breath gets wasted.
Now many may say plastic combs are perfect and no worries, but that would be believing in a total myth and blatant lie. Why? Remember, these are poured into an injection mold and if the mold doesn't dry out properly (and this happens FAR more often than you think), the reed plates won't be perfectly flat on the reed plate and air leaks will happen, even with harps with reed plates recessed into the comb.
Another thing customizers do often is open the back covers of the harps, which make the instrument's projection much better and gives it more volume (however, if you think it's gonna give you volume in a difference as dramatic as from playing acoustic to an almost amplified harp volume, forget it, that ain't happening).
Bottom line, tho, is that if you've got poor playing technique, you will always ruin harps at a rapid rate, and the big one is breath control, followed by avoiding bending past the floor of the bend.
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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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walterharp
1052 posts
Mar 01, 2013
9:06 AM
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Good point sherwin.. if you love doing it, then customize yourself to your heart's delight. My problem is that I need to fix my harps up so rarely, I loose my skills between them. Also if you have very little money, buying cheap harps and working on them yourself is cheaper.
It sure is nice to play the very best though, and be able to send them back if for a tune up if you can afford it and don't blow them out very fast.
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Sherwin
35 posts
Mar 01, 2013
6:43 PM
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@ Bob howdy, yes certainly customisers do a lot more than gapping and embossing. I am new to the black art and I know I have a long way to go, but I bought a custom Marine Band in A set up for blues from an old German fellow, who taught both Filisko and Sjoeberg a thing or two and I use that as a benchmark for playability. I'm not reverse engineering the harp simply using it to measure results of my work. I have managed to come damned close playability wise.
My latest 1896, nailed, comb flattened and sealed, only arced and gapped plays amazingly well. Good snap, great bends, all the overbends are there, and can still be played shall we say vigorously. A real triumph for me personally, I am just an enthusiast you see, and no pro. I only build them for me and my friends, Bob do you wanna be my friend? Let me know and I'll send you one as gift. I'll set it up for soft breath force, it would be an honour, truly, I've heard you play. You could let me know confidentially what you think of the harp.
The only thing that scares me about the offer is the thought of your critique of my tuning work, which......needs work. Damn the torpedoes!
@walterharp, re. playing the best, I still must buy a super fantastic overblow harp to have as a benchmark. Then I will know for sure just how good all my amateur customs are.
Sincerely....... Sherwin
P.S. What could possibly go wrong? Am I brave or foolish, I'm not sure which. Damn those torpedoes!
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