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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
The Business of Custom Harmonicas
The Business of Custom Harmonicas
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Henry Harmonica
3 posts
May 14, 2013
6:42 AM
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I have been reading a lot of posts here but the most discouraging was the one on the cost of combs and the business of custom tuning ect. I was looking for someone to do some custom replacement parts for some antique harps I have in my collection. After a month or so of searching and asking around I finally found a guy that has done custom screws and such for harmonicas as well as for the custom knife industry. His name is Jeff Petzke and some of you have done business with him in the past. Anyway we started talking about my project and costs and he mentioned that he had heard from several of you how hard it is to make money in such a small market and he related that to the custom knifemakers market. It used to be very small and profits were really small if any. Over time the market has grown and now prices for custom work and associated parts are where they need to be so people can make money, even a living. There are even several parts only stores for knives. He said it will take time but that the harmonica world has the potential to do the same.
I think he is right! Those that do custom work, for now you might think about keeping that day job and pricing you stuff at a price the customers can afford and keep giving that quality the customer expect. We can't count on the big harmonica makers to give us parts much less parts at a fair price, we have to make the market ourselves!
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nacoran
6797 posts
May 14, 2013
10:17 AM
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Do you have contact information for Jeff Petzke? I'm actually looking for some oddball custom itsy-bitsy parts to finish polish up my prototype.
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Nate
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Last Edited by nacoran on May 14, 2013 10:17 AM
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arzajac
1050 posts
May 14, 2013
10:28 AM
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Hi Henry.
Custom parts and custom harmonicas are two different things. Parts are a commodity and customization is much more a service than anything else.
That being said, the two are mutually beneficial which is why I have started making my own combs. To customize a harmonica, working on the stock comb is effective but it can be time consuming. A custom comb is a lot more predictable. And means less time needed to make a great end product.
For me, to be able to make combs has lots of value for that reason alone. If I "piggy back" that to offering my combs to the public, I can do away with a lot of the overhead involved in just selling combs for the sake of selling combs. It already makes sense for me to make my own combs without even selling them to the public.
Not to mention, there can be crossover from the service aspect of customization into the custom comb marketplace. I will offer value-added service to the purchase of my custom combs by including free installation along with reed shape correction, tuning and gapping (if you want it).
Since the ultimate goal of upgrading your harmonica is to have a better playing instrument, bundling these services seems like the right direction - especially since these are the straightforward harmonica upgrades that I can offer for free.
So there, parts and service go hand in hand, but it's probably a lot more difficult to go at it with each component separately. My 2 cents.
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Last Edited by arzajac on May 14, 2013 10:30 AM
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GMaj7
201 posts
May 14, 2013
11:38 AM
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Henry,
Thanks for your post and for your insight.
You have a great resource in Jeff and hats off to the custom knife industry as they are a great resource for us.
Following up on your comment about harmonica manufacturers providing parts at a fair price, I would like to offer another view point. I used to be a Hohner Hater for that very reason.
It wasn't until I started selling small parts that I discovered first hand why the companies don't like to do it. Doing so invariably invites endless calls from guys who are convinced they need a blue anodized screw to go into the #4 tine of their Blues Band. After spending 30 minutes on the phone with Wilbur in Washington, he decides it was actually a red anodized screw that he wanted. Naturally, he is shocked beyond belief that the cost would be $1 plus shipping.
Of course, we try to short circut this by carrying assortments of screws such as 0-80 stainless which is a common harp screw. However, if we offer them at 30 cents a piece, someone will invariably find them for 29 cents a piece and jump on MBH and suggest we are taking Vegas jaunts on profits derived from the poverty stricken harmonica players.
I would add that after helping Wilbur in Washington get the red anodized screw into the #4 tine of his Blues Band, he invariably discovers it wasn't the screw that kept him from playing like Jason Ricci and then proudly displays his new set of Suzuki Firebreaths he bought from a competitor (One that doesn't waste time on selling small parts).
Small parts don't mean small profits. They mean huge losses, painful headaches, and poor customer relations.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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HarpNinja
3311 posts
May 14, 2013
11:51 AM
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You forgot to mention you were on the phone with Wilbur during Sunday dinner with your family.
I say that with a smile as it is something you assume when running a small side business. I am not really complaining about anything. I have a family and career and I have neglected live performance for the last three years. My solution to this is to stop taking orders from new customers and to offer 100% completed harps at my leisure.
I wanted to write a post to show how hard it is to do what the OP suggests, but then I realized I don't really care. It took me a year, but I found a system that offers the best harps I've ever built in a way that doesn't tax my family, and I should be caught up before SPAH. One type of build for three different models with sustainable aftermarket parts. Matt Smart, Dave Payne, and myself had a BRILLIANT plan and model for a custom harp and harp part business, but we all landed different day jobs as it was about to really take off. I am glad it worked out that way as we have a strong collaboration that is more fun than laborious.
The bottom line with the OP is for every success story, there are dozens of people who nearly killed themselves trying to make it a "career". I've managed to avoid that type of stress by always having limited builds, but that was still too much of an undertaking. I don't want to be married to this job. My other job, my real job, I am ok living all the time.
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Mantra Customized Harmonicas
My Website
Last Edited by HarpNinja on May 14, 2013 11:53 AM
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Frank
2390 posts
May 14, 2013
12:33 PM
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Anyone gots a few screws I could maybe buys from em, I tended to lose a few and have a couple loose too. I'm 2 short of a nickle, so if you could spare me a dime on the fee, I'll be happy as camper come Sunday- thanks bunches...Your good pal Wilber?
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nacoran
6798 posts
May 14, 2013
1:09 PM
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How about one of those assortment boxes with different containers with an assortment of different useful screws? (Hey, you could even have different colors!) You don't want to sell one screw at a time, but if you have one or two standard packages, why not sell them in lots large enough to cover the cost of your time? I know someone may complain about shelling out $30 because they need one screw, but if they get a nice plastic box ($2) and 200 screws (10 cents each), and all you have to do is drop the pre-made box in the mail, maybe there is a profit?
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Nate
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