jiceblues
268 posts
Jan 28, 2014
4:46 AM
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Who makes bamboo combs for the Hohner MS series ? i'd like to try one on my BLUES HARP .Thank's .
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arzajac
1269 posts
Jan 28, 2014
5:16 AM
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Hi JC.
Hohner has a patent on laminated bamboo combs. Hetrick used to sell bamboo combs and I heard Hohner approached them with the intention of enforcing their patent. That was shortly before Hetrick stopped producing combs.
I used to produce "Blonde" combs which were made out of food-grade cutting board material from Asia (I.E. laminated Bamboo) but stopped when I ran into the same problem I had with other woods - once you seal them, they would sometimes warp. I could produce a perfectly flat, sealed Bamboo comb, but because of the unpredictable behavior, I would have to charge unreasonable prices to do so. So I stopped.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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jiceblues
269 posts
Jan 28, 2014
5:51 AM
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Yes Andrew , it's the same with other woods (btw , bamboo is not wood ) , they tend to warp .
I think i'll stay with doussié .
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arzajac
1271 posts
Jan 28, 2014
6:11 AM
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Yes, Bamboo is not wood. And Laminated Bamboo is just a composite. But when customers ask about wood and you answer something about Bamboo, they tend to get excited!
That being said, I never has as happy with the tone and durability of bamboo in comparison to my Dark combs. That's why I only offer those now.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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florida-trader
423 posts
Jan 28, 2014
7:07 AM
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Jiceblues. For what it’s worth, I make MS combs in Maple, Cherry and Jatoba (Brazilian Rosewood). I know it is not the bamboo you requested but it is wood. I have no issues with warping.
LINK
 
Last Edited by florida-trader on Jan 28, 2014 7:13 AM
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harpwrench
764 posts
Jan 28, 2014
8:18 AM
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Everything has it's pluses and minuses, and different people tend to prefer different stuff. After almost a decade of putting harps in the hands of pros I was glad to get away from painting combs to get a slick finish on the tines. Looks nice for awhile if done well, but over the long haul it tends to chip and degrade depending on how it's cared for. I've also tried micarta laminated material and have seen it split, as well as dymondwood. So it's kinda risky to call something durable or superior until one has put them to the test of time. Corian has been working great for me so far with no breakage issues, but has it's negatives too, so here's a tip for hobbyists. If the reed plates and comb aren't properly mated it can pre-stress the material on assembly, then transfer energy to the comb when dropped, causing breakage. It's best to take time to flatten the plates, and file off any high spots that create an acute point of contact. FWIW I've soaked Crossover combs for hours with no observed warpage, so Hohner has a good combination with theirs. If they painted the sides and back black and the face dark orange, I'd be using them:)
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HarpNinja
3730 posts
Jan 28, 2014
8:30 AM
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I've moved to using mostly Special 20's and 1896 Marine Bands. I go in waves with models, but find even the stock 1896 comb to be no issue...although flat sanding really helps.
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Mike
My Website
My Harmonica Effects Blog
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arzajac
1272 posts
Jan 28, 2014
9:31 AM
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Joe, I take your point. I put a lot of work into finding the right material for my combs, but they haven't been on the market for years and years. I am prepared to stand by my products over the next ten years, though.
For the record, my combs are made of Paperstone. I would encourage anyone making combs to explore that material.
I got some email feedback about this and I think it's on topic to address it here. I'm not saying Bamboo is bad.
My shop sees temperature extremes throughout the year. I only heat it when I am working in it. I prefer to store my materials in my shop so that if the final product does fail or is defective, it happens before I ship it and I can catch it.
A few weeks back, I sent harps from Kingston where it was minus 20 degrees (Celcius) to Texas where I'm sure it's pretty hot. If those harps have to sit in a hot mailbox for hours I would sleep better knowing they can take such a large temperature difference. The Bamboo combs that I was producing were taking too much work to get to that point.
To express it another way, there is no way I can make a top comb out of environmentally-friendly Bamboo for $15. Not to say that Bamboo is bad. It's just not what works for me.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Jan 28, 2014 9:45 AM
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jiceblues
270 posts
Jan 28, 2014
9:46 AM
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In my experience , hardwood lacquered combs warp , i don't want them anymore .Doussié & pearwood sealed combs seem to be OK .BTW , doussié is not very comfortable but doesn't warp or very little .I don't like plastic , metal or composite comb .If the bamboo is not OK for me , i'll stay with pearwood& doussié .
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