I was trying to be as objective as possible. The instrument leaves me puzzled. On the one hand, the draw/blow/bends are super-responsive. On the other hand, overbends are generally not great.
I will look closer to it and examine in detail to get a better idea what it was like when it was built, and what exactly has been done to it.
What I know for sure so far is: -reeds were removed, rivet holes were filed/sanded (leaving lighter brass around the rivet. The huge drawback is - reeds get off-center super easy. And I think poor overbends are also an outcome of this. -full slot embossing on raw reedplate without reeds -no nail varnish/wax found (yet) -reeds are straight, no curve
Anyone has an idea how to get rid of the smell? This is a huge problem for me, and I'd appreciate some advice on how to solve it.
I still do a three-to-one harmonica trade-in repair. If you want smth repaired, drop me an email.
I think you succeeded. You put the instrument in front of you into context and talked about it honestly. A good thing. <---EDIT: you were also pretty clear about the limits of your knowledge. Another good thing. /EDIT---> Any demystification of the harmonica has my full support.
/The instrument leaves me puzzled./
I love puzzles! (Not going to be much help with this one, though.)
/Anyone has an idea how to get rid of the smell?/
Tuck a couple of mints up your nose and another couple behind your wisdom teeth?! Otherwise... Sorry, nothing springs to mind....
/I still do a three-to-one harmonica trade-in repair. If you want smth repaired, drop me an email./
I'll be in touch. Do you have restrictions on make / model, or will you take most everything?
@jim - Don't take this the wrong way, but how are your skills as an overblower/overdrawer? You have not spoken favorably of overblows in general in the past. Do you think your technique could have something to do with why you are puzzled about hole 5?
For instance, I've let other players try my Spiers harps who have not been able to get nice overblows on them either, but when the harp is in my hands in overblows and overdraws work like magic.
As for the smell.... you sure you don't need to change your socks? (just kidding!!!) I think you are smelling the dymondwood. It has a certain smell I suppose, but I don't find it bad at all. The B-Radical also uses dymondwood and has a certain taste/smell.
What I learned from this video: Make sure you wear clean socks before you go on a date with a girl.
I would liked to have seen a comparison of bunch of harps. That harmonica was a year old and in Buddha time that's a life time. I'm sure he evolved to greater heights knowing Chris's sense of adventure. I hear the Black Buddha is the best out there. It would have been nice to have seen other harps compared and what theirs were like Harrison, Spiers, Felisko etc.. I don't customize and I only have one customized harp from little Al Price.
---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 7:54 AM
Interesting video Jim. You need to figure out a trick to keep your hands in frame better. I know it's a battle between keeping the camera close for good image quality and a wider field of view. Interesting stuff. Very thorough. :)
edited to stay more on topic.
---------- Nate Facebook Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 10:23 AM
Crap...I just posted a huge response and it would go...I thought I copied the whole thing, but only the last chunk. Ignore this post! ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 8:37 AM
I very much admire Chris's work and obviously learned a lot from him. That being said, I do things differently, have other influences, and I know other builders do too. I also know there is often many means to an end. It just seems weird that this is a $300 harp. The conversion to screws adds a lot of labor cost, but some of the stuff I didn't see going on that wouldn't take a lot of effort have me scratching my head.
1.) The comb isn't finished, which is something I've never seen Chris not do.
2.) The overblows are leaky, even if your technique isn't spot on. This might be the gapping or embossing, which wouldn't add up.
3.) The smell is the smell of dymonwood, which is composite and can't warp.
4.) I can't watch the whole vid currently. I am trying, but it'd be easier if I could download it or see good pics of the draw plate and blow plate as they appear when attached to the comb...things just don't seem to add up.
5.) The effort of converting to screws is worth a pretty penny, IMO. It seems odd he'd do that and then not pay attention to detail in other areas.
6.) I have no idea how this harp has been handled or used since shipped from Chris. I don't know if the goal was a great ob harp or what. Maybe that is explained in what I can't see right now, but again, I have to assume that everyone involved is being totally honest about anything.
7.) I recently received a D Sp20 that he had worked on for repair. It was one of is least expensive models and even had the stock comb. The 4 blow was cracked and a couple other reeds needed retuning. Even with that harp, the embossing and reed profiles were perfect. All the obs played amazingly well. Seems odd that a harp he obviously did little with plays awesome - and has had lots of use - and this harp doesn't.
8.) I have an A harp from Chris...a Marine Band. It plays extremely well across the board and I paid half of what this harp is worth. Seems weird. It is also over two years old now. I've never adjusted anything on it either. I know for sure it has relatively little reed work done to it beyond what is commonly discussed - embossing, arcing, gapping, and chamfering. My other harps from him have much more attention to detail and play even better.
To put it another way, I would do more work to a harp then he did on that MB for me, which is FINE as I requested and paid for a harp that was set to OB and something I could work on reverse engineering...it is better than I expected, honestly. I wouldn't say it was the best he had to offer, but it is better than anything else I had played. I can top it now, but it took a long, long, long time. ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 8:51 AM
It should be pointed out that according to Jim's account of this harmonica's provenance, it was a gift. This is NOT a harmonica that Chris sold for $300 to a customer. So Jim is misrepresenting it both in the title of this thread and in his comments in the video, which seems like something that is much easier to do now that Chris is dead & unable to comment.
In another current thread, Todd Parrott tells how Chris gave away a custom harp that he (Chris) was not satisfied with. If the harp in this video is an example of the same thing, that would fully explain any of the deficiencies that Jim and HarpNinja say are puzzling. And again, calling it a $300 example of Chris's premium work would be misrepresentation.
At SPAH this past summer, I saw Chris give away some harps including a C that was absolutely awesome. He was tweaking harps for people during the week and they were all excellent. I find it harp to believe that he would have considered the harp in the video to be a $300 harp that he would consider selling.
It seems much more likely to me that he did some experimenting on the harp and either 1.) decided to quit working on it, or 2.) it would not perform to his demands.
Assuming good intentions (something which we tacitly agree to do by choosing to be members of this forum) and assuming the statement
/The instrument leaves me puzzled/
is genuine, I smell nothing bad. On the contrary, I think posting this kind of video in this kind of forum is rather good, not least because that attracts helpful and intelligent comments like this one:
/In another current thread, Todd Parrott tells how Chris gave away a custom harp that he (Chris) was not satisfied with. If the harp in this video is an example of the same thing, that would fully explain any of the deficiencies that Jim and HarpNinja say are puzzling./
xxx
EDITED to correct grammar
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 9:29 AM
FWIW, Chris was not satisfied with the Bb in the set of GM Buddha Harps he made for me, even though i think it plays ok.(I don't OB.) He was in the process of making me a new one at no additional charge. He had told me I could keep the original as a spare after the new one was finished, but i don't think it got done.
I have two Buddha harps he gave me at this years SPAH. the taste is from lip saver that he puts on the combs. I asked him and he said it was a one time process and I don't need to do it again. I still have his e-mail telling me this.
I had told him that the 6 OB on my Bb squeals. He told me to just put some lip balm on the rivet for now...we would do a skype and he would see if we could check out things like gapping, etc on my harps. He said he had made the harps for SPAH quicker than he normally would. That there normally is a 2 month tweaking period due to the sitting/settling period that goes on. He was sorry about and I totally understood. We never got to do the skype lessons. -John
Well, in my opinion, this thread should not have been started at all. Jim, I do not know you, nor did I know Chris, but, having been in business most of my life, I find that the self serving practice of cutting down the competition only succeeds in degrading peoples's opoinion of yourself. I watched the whole video, and, again in my opinion there was nothing productive about it. The initial laughing tone of your presentation was one of irreverance to someone who has passed away. Have some respect please. This forum is above that. I do not post much here, but this one struck a nerve. I will nave nothing more to say about this topic. Thanks for listening. ----------
Play nice everyone. Personally, I found the video very useful. I think Jim did a good job of putting caveats in, that this harp had seen a year of action, that he wasn't sure if this was how Chris was doing things later.
As for smell, some people are more sensitive to chemical smells. As a kid I could smell 'fresh' paint in a room for several months after it had been repainted. I have a beautiful comb by Dave Payne with a poly clear coat that I've had to air out for a year before I could use it that most people wouldn't have had a problem with (it's worth it though. It's beautiful.) I suspect it's like the tasters/non-tasters litmus test you do in science class.
So, if you don't want to comment on this topic, don't comment on it. It can be hard to assume good intentions if your mind is already made up.
1) here's the exact story behind the instrument: it was ordered as a cheaper version, but because my friend did something for Chris - Chris said he'd make it at the same level as his $300 harps. So this makes it equal to other $300 imho. Leonid has seen a $300 buddha harp that was bought for $300.
2) I don't laugh anything out, nor am disrespectful to Chris. English is my second language, and my intonation sometimes may mean not what you expect it to.
3) Close-up pics are available too.
4) The comb doesn't look finished to me too. I really have no idea what other buddha harps are/ or are supposed to be. I just show and share what I see and can try.
5) OB on hole 5 is leaky because one side of the slot is not embossed enough. I'll fix this.
6) I can tell good OB setup from bad.
7) You say Chris used to sell his less successful instruments to people who wouldn't tell the difference. So this looks like an OK practice to you? I don't know... maybe I'm wrong - but how can one know where your work ends up?
I think it was shared here that he would often give those harps away, replace them, or sell them to someone who knew the situation. I don't see anything wrong with that...so long as you aren't deceiving the customer. As a matter of fact, it is quite frequent for an item to be replaced while the original is kept. Case in point, we ordered pizza last weekend. It was not up to the companies normal standard. We called and politely complained. We were offered a new pizza in addition to the one we had already received.
And regarding how you know where your work ends up...well, if is a "custom" harmonica, so what works for one might not work for someone in a resale. Also, it is entirely possible, that ANY harmonica exchange can be shady. Meaning, who is to say that someone didn't intentionally mislead a purchaser in a resale? I could take a harp, dunk it in the toilet, and then resale it as having been played by Brad Pitt. I am not saying that I can prove any wrong doing, but it has to be considered a viable option.
When purchasing anything used, it is a crap shoot. The original owner could have been much rougher with the product than shared out - intentionally or unintentionally.
There are allegedly two Buddha harps that have been mentioned in this thread as not up to par without providing any hard proof that the harps are in fact Buddha harps or that they have not been altered beyond normal wear and tear. And I am talking way not up to par, not just harps that he could have done better.
I will totally concede that there are credible people who have posted in this thread with legitimate complaints that there product was to be replaced, but Chris passed away. The issues seem to be pretty minimal compared to what you are sharing.
For all I know, Chris tried to pull the wool over the eyes of some customers when no one was looking. While my gut and personal experiences say he wouldn't, let's assume he did and did so with malice...why, when it doesn't really take much more effort, would you take obvious shortcuts?
Most people wouldn't know if he chamfered, centered the reeds well, did other mods, etc. Anyone who would want to look at his work would be able to see if the comb looked goofy, if the cover plated looked bent up, etc.
If I were going to pull a fast one, I would at least make sure that harp looked right. Then I could make up all sorts of reed work BS. I wouldn't do that as it would be harmonica suicide, but if you are trying to be dishonest, as least go all out.
Regarding OBing specifically, if the buyer isn't an OB player, than why would he set them up to OB? Also, there is a line between inadequate setup and skill. It took me forever to learn to OD without squealing. Just because a harp is optimized doesn't mean it gaurantees anything.
I'm not sure if the combs on my new Buddha harps are finished or not. How do you know? They feel rough to my tongue compared to the slickness of stock GMs. ..only slight drawback to these harps...and I do taste some type of chemical, but it seems to be going away as I play more. Figured that was part of it.
Chris watched me and said I was a throat player, which means more volume of air. I did have to go in and tighten a few of the gaps for overbends, but he told me I probably would if I got better at playing with less force. Playing these harps refined my technique...hvyj said it would.
I really like these harps but I hope to try others someday to complete a set. The 1 OB on the low G comes easy as does the OD on the 10 hole of the high F.
Chris told me one thing that got me to wondering....He said he would put just as much time and effort into my harps as he would a set for Jason Ricci or any pro...but it bothered him that not all customizers are that way....He had tried a few harps customized by others foraverage players.
HarveyHarp I totally AGREE with you! There are different ways to make a harp work great. Don't brag to much jim! Chris was not an easy man to get along with here, but what your doing is wrong!
I cannot watch the videos until I get home tonight but I think Id rather see videos teaching how to customize rather then demonstrating how someone might have on one out of what, probably hundreds/thousands of handmade (for the individual) harps made?
From my experience Chris's products & services kicked ass & at any point I had a problem he more then made up for it. And believe me Im picky.
Im very glad for Jim to be making some of the types of videos he is where in the past if anyone posted a video on customizing on youtube they were asked to take it down. I think it's great this information is becoming more accessible/available. Even after spending a day at Richard Sleighs workshop & a year customizing on my own I still have questions/uncertainties.
----------
~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
I am not 100%, but I said the comb looked unfinished because he usually flat sanded the comb and reedplates all the way around so they were flush and flat in the front.
It also appeared that the tines had chipping on the edges, which he could have easily filled in or sanded.
See this pic...http://www.harmonicapros.com/music-tools/brooksharp.JPG
My experience with Chris is that he sent you what you bought. If you were willing to pay more, he'd do more. So if he publicaly offered a $200 harp, that's what you got no matter who you were. If you told him you wanted the best harp he can make, he did that but it cost more.
It was good business to do it that way for this very reason...if he sold you a $200 harp and it sucked compared to another of his $200 harps... ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas Updated 1/11/11
Chromatic, I watched Jim's video and I think he actually went to decent lengths to make sure he pointed out the good as well as the bad. It didn't seem like an attack piece and I learned from it.
Leonid, your video had some interesting points too, although I thought the tone was a little harsh, and I do wonder about that harp. I don't know the insides of a harp well enough to comment, but the outside didn't look like what I'd expect from a Buddha harp. Maybe your friend got flim-flammed? I don't know.
A thread like this raises a few issues. I think it's legitimate to discuss techniques different customizers use and to evaluate how it all comes together. Every company looks at how their competitors work. Big ideas get patented. The little every day details come down more to craftsmanship. I already know what a embossed slot should look like. That doesn't mean I can do it well. There is no magicians code in harmonica customization. There may be personal agreements between individuals, but personal agreements not to share information only apply to the people who make the agreement.
For the people who are upset and feel that Chris's memory isn't being honored, I don't think Jim is trying to disrespect his memory. This is a critique of a harmonica. An honest critique involves going over the good and the bad. Maybe he is promoting his own product in the process. Chris did that too.
One of the worst things after someone dies is that period when you aren't allowed to talk about it. If Chris was here he'd probably be arguing with Jim (and me) but it would be on the merits the harmonica content, so let's argue the merits of the harmonica content. This is a harmonica thread.
-I didn't know Dymonwood smelled. -I didn't know that swiveling reeds out for embossing made the reed more susceptible to misalignment (although it's one of those, oh, well that makes sense moments.) -I didn't realize that you could fix that problems with dabs of, what was it? -I didn't know dabs on the rivets might (to Leonid's liking at least) dampen the sound.
Nail varnish is a "hack" in harp customizing. IT's an easy fix, but it smells, and it dampens the reeds. And it's an "alien" substance in the instrument.
I didn't know Dymonwood smelled, now I know. Really strong smell, believe me.
As for being set up for an overblower or not - I believe any high-cost instrument should do everything.
I never set up harmonicas any special way depending on the player's technique. The only exception I make are harmonicas I make for Alex Paclin - because researching his playing and adapting the instrument for him actually makes my work better. For other cases - if you need a good instrument capable of good overblows - be ready to adapt to it and improve the technique. You don't need to make a jeweller's hammer as durable as a sledgehammer... If you work with gold - don't use the sledgehammer technique.
I think I'd better finish the video blog and let you see it than try to explain it. ---------- Free Harp Learning Center
"I never set up harmonicas any special way depending on the player's technique."
Well, most top customizers do. Chris did and I believe Joe Spiers(harpwrench) does.
Personally, i don't particularly care if my custom harps are OB friendly. i want precise bends and reeds that are responsive and don't stall or stick even when i play with a strong attack. I suspect that in some respects this requires a different set up than would be optimum for someone who OBs extensively.
Like harpdude61 i am a throat player, and do not use my tongue to bend. I tilt the harp when i LP and untilt when i tongue block for split intervals. would you set up a harp for me the same way you would for a player who uses their tongue to bend and does not tilt at all? Would you set my harp up the same way as you would for a full time TB player?
One size fits all?????
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 12:32 PM
hvyj, Well... I wouldn't charge you the full price then!! And if messing with a cheaper set-up were not interesting to me - I'd send you to a friend of mine who would do this for less money.
glad to hear that....now that Chris is no longer with us I'll have to ask harpwrench what a Stage III would cost me if i didn't need it set up for OBs.
Joe Filisko,Richard Sleigh and James Gordon dont offer player specific options other than overblow or composite combs.James offers some alternate tunings.
Chris was charging $175 for his top harps less than 2 years ago. If this is a second or third hand harp, it could easily be over that age. Who knows what could have happened to it in the interim? I'm interested to know why you are placing such emphasis on a price that you cannot verify.
Can you prove it was setup for overblows, or for a style of playing like your own? Chris was a customiser - he matched product to playing style. If you buy second hand, you are getting what the original owner wanted - that might not be what you expect. If you got a harp built for someone else, then you wouldn't be getting one optimised for you.
The heavy handed yanking around on the reeds to show how loose they were was a bit extreme - kind of like saying "look how fragile this glass bowl is! Let me show you with this sledgehammer..."
AFAIK (and I did not study with him, and only base my case on archived postings to Harp-L etc...) Chris did not swivel the reeds, he removed them completely to flat sand the mating surfaces. The rivet holes in reed and plate are punched - this inevitably leads to some distortion.
Why criticise the builder for using hex-bolts? Maybe they are not easily available in your part of the world, but they are very common elsewhere - have you not heard of Allen keys?
BTW Your use of English in all your videos and on this forum is much better than many supposed first-language English speakers here and elsewhere.
I guess if you don't need it set up for overblows - all you have to do it increase gaps on 1 4 5 6 blows and 7 8 9 10draws. And they will disappear.
What I meant was - if you need just a playable instrument with no special focus on overblows - you don't have to do some things as thoroughly as overblow setup. And if you don't have to do that - that won't be a stage III from Joe. Would be stage I or II (no idea how they differ, Joe could tell more about this). ---------- Free Harp Learning Center
Let me just mention that it wasn't the smell of the comb that I immediately noticed, it was the taste. Tasted minty like. Here is an small portion of one of my e-mails with Chris:
Q: One other thing. When I was talking to Todd Parrot about his Buddha harp, and I asked him about the taste, he said you put Lip Saver on the combs. Is that something I should do from time to time as routine maintenance or is it a one time deal?
I ordered a Buddha harp in 2009 and he was charging $175 to MBH forum members for his top end model.
Mine had a red diamond wood comb, but I never noticed any smell of it.
I like the bolts that Chris used on the harmonica, I got similar bolts from harp-online that I have used when I have rebuilt marine bands. The harp came with an allen key for the bolts so that you could service it.
The harp I have has a ying yang symbol on the end, and Chris has rounded of the end of the cover plates. The cover plates on the harp are different to any of the other marine bands that I have, the M. Hohner in engraved deeper and the M. Hohner piture is engraved differently.
I don't know if the harp I received was any good or not because I have never had any other custom harps to compare it with.
My Buddha harp spent a few months out side in my front garden after I lost it, so it doesn't play too well anymore, but I think I will see if I can fix it up.
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 12:55 PM
I'll try to find out when this instrument was done.
The price sum comes from Chris. He named it as far as I know. Well he said "he would make it like his best instruments". That was $300 for the last ones he did. Just for convenience, I used this figure. Apart from this - it means nothing.
I really don't get why a top-level instrument would not be set up for overblows... It's like.. if you turbocharge a car, tune up exhaust, and add some nitro injection - why should it NOT run fast?
The instrument had one owner. I play very light on real low gaps. Blow gaps have surely closed a bit after some time - because it obviously would not be usable that way (blows sounded only immediately after a draw note). This is very easy to correct though...
Maybe I should have showed the same yanking on a normal reed. Normally, that movement would just slightly correct centering, and not move a reed 1-2mm sideways. That's a huge problem by the way - 1 blow was 2 mm off center when I received the harmonica - and it got off-center during transportation! A huge problem for low chromatics too due to valves + long heavy reeds.
Hex-bolts are ok... They are just not used on any other harmonicas. In other words, this forces you to have one extra wrench with you.
Thanks for your comment on the language. I'm working hard on this all the time. ---------- Free Harp Learning Center
Thanks, Jim. I really appreciate your harmonica modification videos. They are very informative.
As for dissecting this harp, I think it's a good idea. Chris was one of the best, and taking a looksee at his technique is a priceless opportunity for learning and sharing the knowledge.
Keep up the series... Hey maybe have a Justin.tv broadcast! I'd watch you work teehee. ---------- I could be bound by a nutshell and still count myself a king of infinite space
I think it's a bit misleading to think this is a true view into the Buddha's process. These are not his current instruments and there is no idea why he built them that way. He was always experimenting with different techniques. As far as know he was using Manjis and his Black Buddha as his latest work. ---------- Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind How you doin'
Re dymondwood smell - I have 5 Buddha harps - received less than four weeks ago. They did smell and especially taste of something like a lip balm. But that smell has now dissipated a lot in a short time. I also have 3 dymondwood combs from Chris Reynolds and they do not smell at all - so I conclude that dymondwood is not the source of the smell.
My harps do overblow 4,5,6 nicely and they are indeed, very responsive - in fact, they are the most responsive I've ever played.
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2011 3:43 PM
It is the same as this one on Pat Missin's site, it looks like these plates came out in 2000.
http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/10-upper.jpg
I think the plates have changed again since 2000, but it hasn't been updated on Pat's site.
I have only been playing for a few years and all the marine bands I have bought since I started playing have different cover plates to one above and my Buddha harp.
I suspect that the plates changed again sometime between 2000 & 2008. It would be interesting to know when the plates last changed on the MB, Chris might have been using NOS harps.
The hair on the potrait on the current Marine Bands seems to be smoother than the hair on the plates that came out in 2000, it is hard to show in a picture though.
I wish the big companies would buy an etching machine and let you design your own covers. It's seems like it would be a nice way to enhance their revenue with some custom orders. Does anyone know if any of the big companies sell blanks? (I know Hohner has some cheaper ones that can be stamped in large numbers, but I don't think I've ever seen anything for higher end harps.)
You know, I think he used the non standard screws so he could bring his gig bag on a plane and not need to bring along a screwdriver...which you can no longer bring on a plane. All he needed was the little allen wrench to service the harps.
