[Harp-L] re: Original Hohner Pro Harp/painted covers

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Potts writes:

"FWIW, both Antony Dannecker (a Hohner devotee) and Os Leguisimo (at  
Suzuki customer service) have each told me separately that harmonicas  
with painted covers have a darker tone because the paint dampens the  
resonance of the cover plates. I also asked Steve Baker about this  
and he was not sure, but said the paint would dampen the resonance of  
the cover plates which might have an effect on tone."

Of course, assuming that the plates resonate in the first place in  
any significant fashion, your hands holding them down will dampen  
them significantly more than any paint might.

For some reason, people make odd assumptions about harmonicas and the  
materials that they are constructed of, assuming that harmonicas work  
in the same way as other totally unrelated instruments.  The above  
ideas about coverplate "resonance" seems to me as part of that-- 
assuming that the covers are vibrating like the top of a guitar or  
such.  Or even that they are projecting the sound like playing into a  
large hard-surfaced room.  It ignores the way the instrument actually  
works and how those materials are used, for instance the way people  
actually hold the instrument while playing--or even the way people  
play it, ie, by putting it to their lips, a pretty good way of  
absorbing any vibrations that might be there.

"Be that as it may, I still like the dark tone of my  
Hammonds....whether or not the painted covers have anything to do  
with it."

They are excellent harmonicas with a lot to like, as are the all-but  
identical ProMasters.  I know some people who prefer the feel of the  
Hammond's coating in terms of texture.  I like the weight of both  
harps--a decent heft, but not too heavy.  I also find them to be  
comfortable overall when playing.

As for sound, they sound like a diatonic harmonica played by me.   
Sadly, that last part is the most important in terms of tone and  
timbre, IMO--all diatonic harps I play pretty much sound like me more  
than anything else.  If there was some constructional formula that  
made them sound more like Big Walter, I'd use that.  But there  
isn't.  My tone dominates the very small differences between the  
various brands and models.  In my experience, this is true for all  
players I've encountered.




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
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