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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
About customized harps
About customized harps
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harpwrench
416 posts
Jan 15, 2011
7:22 AM
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Everyone has some evil in them, I'm sorry. That's the blues. I usually don't let it out. But I didn't mean to be insulting. I'm a supportive guy, honestly.
Yes, you did step on my toes. I started another thread to address one important issue.
The other is your playing doesn't reinforce your qualifications to evaluate a high level harp. Not an insult, everyone must put in the time required to get better. I'm also limited with what I do musically, and many forum members could run circles around me in some situations. My heroes are Big Walter, Rod Piazza, etc, and don't have much interest at all in other stuff (although I can do it). Jazz gives me a headache and music theory is a goal but not a priority right now. I have a nice tone and good taste, and it usually gets me on stage with anyone I know without ever asking.
Okay, third issue. The high level customs comment. You can't draw an accurate conclusion of all high-level harps from the context of your experience with Buddha. Number one, his harps ain't my harps. Number two, we don't always nail it on the first try. It's well worth someone's time to contact their customizer if it's not exactly perfect for them. Ask Todd Parrot, we mailed back and forth a couple times before I got them where he wanted. But after that, it's easy since I know exactly what he wants.
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Joe
www.spiersharmonicas.com
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kudzurunner
2246 posts
Jan 15, 2011
7:30 AM
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Please see my reply to Harpwrench/Joe's thread. Also please take a look at my endorsement of his custom harps on my "harmonicas for sale" page:
http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/buy_harmonicas.html
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hvyj
1100 posts
Jan 15, 2011
7:51 AM
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"we don't always nail it on the first try. It's well worth someone's time to contact their customizer if it's not exactly perfect for them. Ask Todd Parrot, we mailed back and forth a couple times before I got them where he wanted. But after that, it's easy since I know exactly what he wants."
Yep. This was my experience with Buddha. First 2 harps went back and forth a couple of times. After that, The rest of harps in the the set were perfect first time--like an assembly line.
As i understand it, if harpwrench were to build a custom for ME it would be different from what he builds for Todd. It's not a "one size fits all" process.
As an aside, I am ASTOUNDED by the amount of time many MBH members spend working on their harps. I'll gap mine if they need it, but that's it. If I spent time doing all the other stuff I don't know how I'd have enough time to play or practice. What I find particularly remarkable is some of the same people who obsess over embossing, arcing, sealing, etc. will comment about things like how hitting a whole step bend accurately on the 3 draw is difficult. Well, i don't want to sound disrespectful, but if they would spend half the time practicing as they spend screwing around working on their harps, it wouldn't be difficult. Personally I buy harps to PLAY them, not work on them.
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apskarp
385 posts
Jan 15, 2011
10:24 AM
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Joe,
First of all, I did´t remember it was your harp that Adam was using in that video I referred - I watched it something like year ago so I couldn´t remember all the details. So I didn't intend to criticize your harps.
Secondly, I have played harp only 3 years and OB's I've been doing a year and a half. So I'm really just a beginner in the art of harp. I have never tried to pretend anything else and my videos are publicly available to all so it's easy to see my skill level. I'm sure that as my skills get better, I'll be able to use the potential of custom harps better, but my current experience with the skills I have today, is that you don't have to do much to get the harp to play well.
Thirdly, the song you so kindly endorsed here in this thread is from our last gig (which is a third gig in my life). I think I did pretty decent work there as a singer-harpist and I was proud of myself that I even had the guts to get to the stage with 150 people in the audience as I used to have terrible phobia of making public speech (not to even think about singing in public).. ;)
You don't probably understand Finnish very well, but the song tells about my hometown Oulu. Oulujoki means "the river of Oulu". It's a song that tells some stories of my past, some feelings and stuff like that. I like the song myself and I've got good feedback from the people who have listened it. That gig was the first time it was in public. So I really don't care too much how the harp solo's went on that song as it is the song itself that matters to me, the feeling, the memories, the story.
For me, if it isn't fun and rewarding, it's not worth it.
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Youtube
Hoodoo Sauna
Blog
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HarpNinja
987 posts
Jan 15, 2011
11:05 AM
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Even if you were to buy a $300 harp, although I'd argue most run around half that, the overall cost effectiveness is really something to consider. The customer service is often second to none. There is a reason why companies like Harrison are going after guys like Joe and Richard Sleigh. Not only do they have the ability to build the top of the top harps, but they do business well.
I have interacted with Joe, although not as directly and often as some of the other "names" in the business, and everyone of those people has been absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing from every angle.
Listen, I am a total nobody and have my limits in all areas. I try to be helpful when I can and I try to avoid fighting on the forum. That said, I grow increasingly frustrated with the custom talk on the board here...and I am talking from the perspective of just another player observing threads.
It seems there is a lot of slamming of the value of paying for custom work with people turning around and begging for more information about the topic so they can do it themselves....often with a fairly uninformed opinion and often by asking people who work on harps as a form of income. (I mean, come on, even be willing to buy one of the cheap models before asking for the tricks of the trade - and I am commenting on what I've seen others endure, not myself).
I also think there are a wealth of players here needing different demands from the instrument. Personally, I need something very different than a traditional blues player. I play almost no live blues...I play almost all rock music...I do not blow through harps often. Harps last me a long, long time. I also play a number of positions and need percise bending. I am a bit of a speed demon at times, so I need something that is fast to response.
If I played mostly blues and didn't overblow, I would have different harps than I do now. I do not like stock MBs. Not at all. I much prefer even the MB Deluxe. I would not play them straight OOTB though, as even five minutes can make a much better harp for blues.
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Updated 1/11/11
Last Edited by on Jan 15, 2011 11:15 AM
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boris_plotnikov
408 posts
Jan 15, 2011
11:54 AM
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Knowing how harp works and how make it better is very useful. I tend to make gaps tighter for my main practice harmonica and it definetely make me a better player and give me more overblow/overdraw control.
Yes, if you don't use overblow (like a piano player, who don't use black keys) you don't need a really good harp, just some gapping on 1-3 reeds for good control on bends. BTW, I still absolutely sure than perfect 3 draw bends intonation is much harder and needs more practice than complete 2-nd octave scale with 3 overbends. OB is overcomplicated, there is nothing hard to play them.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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Kingley
1408 posts
Jan 15, 2011
12:16 PM
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"OB is overcomplicated, there is nothing hard to play them." I agree Boris.
I'd also add that even if you do use overblows frequently in your playing you still only really need to address the gapping to be able to play them. Everyone can and should learn how to gap their own harps. Aside from learning good solid technique, it's the single biggest difference you can make to your playing.
With good technique and good gapping you will be able to hit precise bends, overblows, overdraws and be able to navigate around the harp more quickly. It will also allow you to get more tonal variation more easily too.
Embossing, reed profiling, tip scooping, etc all have their place, but none are as important as good gapping.
In my opinion every harmonica player in the world should watch Joe Spiers superb videos on how to gap and then actively apply the advice he gives in them.
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chromaticblues
476 posts
Jan 15, 2011
12:21 PM
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BqBob nailed it on the head again!
99% of all harp players don't know enough about thier own instrument! I don't blame anyone don't get me wrong. No one knows everything! Thats my point. People that don't have a basket full of custom harps from a dozen different people do not have enough of a knowledge base to say anything on the subject. I don't have any harps from anyone else. I'm not an authority on the subject. I just like to experiment alot with harps and have found some combinations I think work well. I'm sure there are many people that have done the same. It was good to hear Harpwrench say the same thing I have posted many times. If you play blues a stock Marine band is the place to start. Now if you can't deal with all the inherant "flaws" that the MB has. There are many people that can help you with that. There are different levels customization and not all of them are real expensive.
I just sent a Marine Band in "D" to someone in California and that was the sweetest sounding harp I have ever heard! It didn't sound like a stock MB anymore, but MAN was It sweet! No screws, All nails No sealed comb, just soaked in mineral oil.
If you are a blues player the Marine Band is a gift from God! If you choose to ignore the gift thats fine. Anyone that buys one of my NEW MB's gets it!
I'm not saying other people don't build GREAT harps. I'm sure they do. I'm just saying I do and I love doing it and it does help people become better players. THATS A GOOD THING!
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