honest appreciation or blatant plug?

["david j. brown" <nonidesign@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This is a long post....I'm in a good mood.

I first started on Harp-L a few months ago because I wanted qualified
opinions on upgrading my harps and other related equipment (I got it In
spades. What a godsend this list and it's members are).

I thought that I might compliment a few people who I did business with as
they work hard, do good business, and deserve a little testimonial. amen. A
lot of Harp-L members led me to these people and hopefully those members who
need this kind of info in the future will be as well served by them as I
was. 

obligatory disclaimer:
1. This is all just my opinion. What being on this list does is remind me
how little I know and that I don't need to feel bad about that because
someone is out there who knows it for me.
  
2. I'm not in for a piece from any of these people.


I recently bought a mic shell from "Ralf" in Germany. A chrome beauty with a
really great deco style grill and a chrome screen that is light as a
feather. Looks like it has more of a JT30 heritage than a Shure bullet in
its style. I dropped an Astatic MC151 element in it and it cranks.  It is
now the best looking mic I own. The payment went smoothly and the delivery
was very fast (about a week from Germany to Chicago).

Tom Ellis of Ellis Mics in Dallas was the first guy I dealt with when I
needed to buy a REAL mic and was as much a teacher as a businessman. If only
all businesses were as professional and reliable as Tom! I have purchased
two of his mics and get chills every time I play them. I finally own two
mics that have the tone we all drool over. Tom promises tone and Tom
delivers tone.

Ever look at a '58 Corvette and think "why did they ever stop making those?"
Gary Onofrio (aka Sonny JR)  still does, only his Vettes have point to point
wiring and tweed covering.
Sonny deserves all the kudos and praise he receives. I was lucky enough to
snag one of his SJ2 amps on Ebay and it was an epiphany. And then, get this,
even though I bought the amp from a dealer (the auction seller), Sonny
contacted me personally to let me know he's there if I have any questions or
problems.  Now don't get me wrong, I love old Kalamazoos, Silvertones,
Premiers, etc., but why aren't all products made in this country constructed
as well as his amps (wait a minute...are there any products still made in
this country?)  
And now he's teaching Fender a lesson by modifying Bassman reissues the way
they SHOULD have been made at the factory.

I just purchased my first custom diatonic. Bob Meehan did a SP20 in A for me
and I am a convert. Being interviewed about how I play was kind of strange
but the set-up he did fits me like a glove as a result of it. All the
promises of custom harps were true (you can tell the whole "Santa not being
real" thing left a mark on me). Tone was right in the pocket: clean and full
and The 7-10 holes are so responsive that I'd swear they have rubber reeds
(I checked. They don't). He was up front about his projected lead time which
was more than reasonable and I got a pleasant surprise when the harp was
delivered way ahead of schedule. In my (other) world "ahead of schedule"
doesn't happen! Thanks Bob!

Larry Price of Midwest Microphones in Milwaukee modified several mics for
me. He's another guy who took the time to walk me though the details of what
he was doing and then did the job right the first time. It's great being
able to take for granted that qualified work is what I expect and what I
will get.

I run a company that designs and manufactures tradeshow exhibits. I deal
with all kinds of tradesmen and all types of businesses and can tell you
from experience that there are a lot of people who do not have the ethics,
respect for their trade, skill at their craft, and quality attitude towards
their work that these people do. We are lucky to have such people for our
needs and this post is as much a compliment to their character as their
business. 


Nothing I've written here is news to most of the Harp-L members, but if you
are new to all this and are still trying to figure out what gapping is, what
point to point wiring means, and why harp players get a dull glazed look in
their eyes over the phrase "black CR element", I hope that the people
mentioned above (as well as all the other respected suppliers praised on
this list), are the ones you go to. They are all very professional,
reliable, and most importantly VERY passionate about what they do.

....just like the rest of us harp junkies.