oda
171 posts
Jan 21, 2010
9:10 AM
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Hiya Folks,
I've chatted and (e-)met many great people from these forums. One particularly interesting (and relevant) connection I made was with Preston Moore who goes by "Preston" on these forums.
He dabbles with customizing but he'll be the first guy to tell you he's no pro. Or is he?
Preston was kind enough to send me a harmonica that he customized for me. I was suppose to pay for only the harmonica, but he was so giving that I didn't end up paying anything.
The package arrived and I was greeted with a (C) MARINE BAND. I took it out of the case and it was wrapped in foil (I have no idea why he wrapped it in tinfoil)
This is my first custom harmonica. I ordered a harmonica from Buddha over 7 months ago and I haven't recieved it yet, so I can't compare it to something pro.
My first impressions, however, are quite positive! It really is a night and day difference. Popping those overblows is so easy. I even find it easier than bending.
Here is a clip of me playing around with the 4ob, it was fun. It's definitely going to be easier to get that weird type of stuff GermanHarpist likes to do lol.
http://www.mediafire.com/?02tkdqq44wn
Custom Harmonica Fun (MP3)
It is quite well worked on and I can see a lot of care and time went into it. Some of the work he did was:
1. Slight embossing on the reed slots.
2. Straightening of all the reeds so there is very minimal arc from rivet to tip
3. Tight gaps for responsiveness.
4. Sanded the wooden comb.
5. Rounded the edges of the comb teeth
6. Sealed wooden comb in bees wax
7. Opened rear cover plates.
8. Replaced all nails with screws.
There is something else I noticed with a custom harmonica. I don't believe I've read this before, so I am throwing it out there: IT IS A LOT EASIER TO TONGUE BLOCK ON A CUSTOM HARMONICA. I don't know if it's because he sanded the comb? or because there is not much air required to sound a note, but TB'ing has been extremely fun.
There you have it, my review of MBH's very own Preston. If this was an informercial, I'd turn 180 degrees, put a cigar in my mouth, introduce it to my lighter, look into the camera and say "My harp has just been Prestonized" and then I'd walk away in slow motion -- not even caring about the giant explosion behind me.
Last Edited by on Jan 21, 2010 9:19 AM
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tookatooka
1039 posts
Jan 21, 2010
9:18 AM
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I reckon of you've got a good one there oda. After reading lot's of Prestons posts in the past, he knows what he's talking about and really got involved with playing and talking harp. Hope he hasn't gone for long.
I could hear the GH influence on the OB's.
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Last Edited by on Jan 21, 2010 9:21 AM
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barbequebob
352 posts
Jan 21, 2010
9:51 AM
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One of the things all customizers do is not only sand and properly seal the comb, but they also remove the sharp edges and completely deburr the instrument as well, but the biggest, and most important part of a custom harp is the reed work more than anything else and that's what seperates the good customizers from the great ones. Like I've said to a few others, once you start playing customs, you may not ever want to play a stock harp ever again.
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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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jonsparrow
1815 posts
Jan 21, 2010
9:55 AM
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"once you start playing customs, you may not ever want to play a stock harp ever again."
100% true.
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toddlgreene
543 posts
Jan 21, 2010
9:55 AM
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Ditto...I'm a 'custom' player now, and I'm spoiled. Looks like he really took his time. Enjoy!
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Todd L. Greene, V.P.
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oda
172 posts
Jan 21, 2010
11:13 AM
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"once you start playing customs, you may not ever want to play a stock harp ever again."
100% true.
x2
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Preston
560 posts
Jan 21, 2010
4:43 PM
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Great review Oda! I liked it. I'm glad the harp turned out well.
It actually wasn't a very good harp out of the box, so it was a little challenging.
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Preston
561 posts
Jan 21, 2010
4:43 PM
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Tooka,
I'm not gone, I just haven't had much to say lately!
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KingoBad
158 posts
Jan 21, 2010
5:26 PM
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BBQ Bob, when you say reed work, what EXACTLY do you mean?
I am just clarifying in case I am missing something I think I already know.
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barbequebob
361 posts
Jan 21, 2010
7:17 PM
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It involves tuning, gapping, arcing, embossing, burr removal, centering the reed in the slot, making sure the rivet is flush flat on the plate, and that`s for starters.
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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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oda
173 posts
Jan 21, 2010
8:19 PM
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Has anyone else converted to TB after getting a custom harmonica? I can comfortably play everything in TB -- except OB's and the last bend on the 3 draw.
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barbequebob
362 posts
Jan 22, 2010
3:47 AM
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If you`re still having problems with bends on 3 draw, you have two problems that are playing technique based that with some serious woodshedding, they ARE correctable. First and easily the most common problem here that is obvious is that you`re using far too much
breath force when you play and you are so used to forcing things to happen that you wind up losing any and all ability to get control of them, too often going to the floor of the bend (trust me, almost no player, ESPECIALLY those who are almost entirely self taught EVER believes they play too hard). The other thing with the TB is that your inside mouth shape is still in pucker mode, meaning that you have yet to make the necessary adjustments to both the embouchure AND the inside shape of your mouth in order to make it work properly for you and it`s a very common problem among players new to TB`ing who started out puckering for single notes.
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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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KingoBad
159 posts
Jan 22, 2010
8:37 PM
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Thanks BBQbob. I wasn't missing anything. I though perhaps there was some magic i might be missing out on, and I need all the mojo in my harps that I can get!
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