Re: [Harp-L] Custom Harmonicas - Worth It?



Hi Ron

Of course I offer tuning/reed replacement /repairs etc...

Shipping from Europe is not that expensive as most people think...I can keep it down to $15...

Steel reeds are not only useful for "hard "players..
I have customers who love them because of the loudnesswhich allows them to plat more relaxed when playing acoustic.
And no, the sound is not shrill . Most people tell me that my harps sounds nice, warm, crisp etc....like a good harp should sound.


Soon I will start offering the beta-harp silver and a custom version of the Seydel Big Six.....the pocket Beta..

Low keys will also soon be available and these are the ones that I really look forward to!
I love playing on my low keyed harps and I think a lot of players will be surprised by the sound of the low keyed beta-harps!!


I will have soundsamples on my website as soon as the low keys are available.

regards, Ben
www.beta-harps.com
Ben Bouman
www.seydel1847.de
www.marbletones.com
www.marble-amps.com
www.harmonicainstituut.nl
----- Original Message ----- From: <captron100@xxxxxxx>
To: <Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx>; <wolfkristiansen@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:25 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Custom Harmonicas - Worth It?



Wolf wrote:

I'm not well off. I can't justify buying expensive customized harmonicas that I will eventually
throw away. I'm too frugal. (I assume they eventually get thrown away, like stock harmonicas). Are
the customized harmonica users richer than the rest of us? Am I missing something?

Custom harps are not throw away instruments!
At least 2 customizers that i know of (and 2 of the best)offer inexpensive tuning and reed
replacement services -- Joe Spiers (who is building an inventory as opposed to taking orders which
keep people anxiously waiting) and Brad Harrison, who recently made some sales announcements on harp-L.
IF you are a dedicated harp player and IF your playing is advanced enough, your playing will
benefit by using custom harmonicas. From my own personal experience, mine does and they are worth the
costs to me.
I also tweak my own harps and greatly improve their playability, but i don't come close to what
?these pros can do. And it takes me 5 hours or more to do the best job i can. Occasionally I'll
slip and ruin a reed too, necessitating reed replacement and even more time and frustration than
expected.
Btw, if you are a hard player, u might want to try a custom Seydel Beta Harp from fellow lister Ben
Bouman. With their stainless reeds, they seem to be able to take alot of abuse. I don't know if Ben
offers the tuning and reed replacement service. Also, he is not in the US, so shipping is a little
more complicated and expensive.
ron - FL Keys



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