[Harp-L] consistency



Often reviews of different harps seem to rotate around the issue of consistency: one person will get a good version, another a bad one. Sometimes this involves the player (one person's acceptable is another's useless), but often it seems to be just the luck of the draw.

From my experience, there are two potential issues with the end- quality of a harmonica from a factory. The first is design, the second manufacturing. If the design is inherently flawed, that is one type of problem, and the end product will always have this flaw (which, it should be noted, may or may not end up being significant when actually played). If the manufacturing process is not done properly, then the harp will not play well, but might be fine if set- up properly (not that the player should have to retune an instrument out of the box--and while regapping to your own playing style makes sense, the instrument should be basically playable as is).

For the most part, standard diatonic designs are not at fault, and have few major flaws. What consistency out of the box then comes down to is quality control. And quality control is about attention to detail on the manufacturing floor and in the post-production testing process. Every manufacturer can improve themselves in these areas easily enough, but they have to decide if it's worth the increased effort and cost.

As an example, much of the recent rise of Seydel can be attributed to improved quality control standards at the shop (which began significantly when John Hall had them produce his Bushman), but their average retail price is on the higher side. Lee Oskar, for another, became a serious competitor (the first new one in the US for at least fifty years) in large part by focusing on a strict quality control regime--and to this day I would rate LOs as being the most consistent out of the box harmonicas on the market. And one company can maintain several levels of quality (as Hohner often did in the past-- with cheaper brands made to a less exacting standard than higher-end models), Ttake the makers of the Golden Cup and Leo Shi lines. The former are fairly typical quality low-end harmonicas. Fine for the price, but certainly not very consistent out of the box. The later are very consistent and obviously have a high level of quality controls in place to make them so. But, the two are aimed at different markets, so different levels of quality again make sense here.

Modern manufacturing methods like CNC machines and the like should be able to help maintain a good level of consistency on the shop floor, but that alone won't do it--there is nothing particularly inconsistent about the old ways of stamping reeds, molding combs or the like, as long as machines are properly maintained and parts (especially cutting edges) replaced when needed. In the end, it will still come down to the manufacturer's ability to create a strict and significant quality control regime, with significant post-production testing.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross () () `----'






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