Re: [Harp-L] Re: Old time player's harp questions

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

pneupco@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
<Back in the day when DeFord Bailey and all of the other greats were 
<active, did they use strictly off-the-shelf MBs and Old Standbys which 
<were used until they wore out and then a new one was gotten, or did 
<they have people on hand to keep their harps in tune and well adjusted? 
<Did they do the work themselves?

Low-grade off-the-shelf instruments were all that was available at any price throughout most of the 20th century--certainly in the DeFord Bailey era.  The market for harmonicas had nothing like the multiple price/performance tiers we have now, where "off the shelf" can mean anything from a lightweight beginner instrument to a monstrously capable chromatic that costs close to a thousand dollars. My first Marine Band cost me $2.50 in 1967, and it was a crudely made instrument of torture (I'm not exaggerating--like most Marine Bands I ever played, it made my lips bleed) compared to even the lowest tier of current off-the-shelf instruments. And when I was ready for something better, nothing better was to be had.  

Knowledge of how to repair harmonicas was limited mostly to chromatic players, and a few technicians serviced the top-tier chromatic players.  (I believe that Doug Tate was Larry Adler's harmonica technician for a while in the mid-20th century; perhaps someone on this list can confirm.)  It wasn't easy to find information about harmonica repairs and service.  Diatonic harmonica players dumped their harps when they broke, meaning frequently, and put up with intermittent, inconsistent performance from their "working" harps under the best of conditions. 

Of course, anyone who wants to know how to repair harmonicas now can find instructions on how to do so on the Internet in a matter of minutes or seconds. Sharing of knowledge, and innovations by harmonica techs like Joe Filisko and Brendan Power, have helped to raise the bar for instrument performance, as well as establishing the commercial viability of higher-quality instruments. 

In short, the 20th-century pioneers of harmonica had to put up with a lot of crap from their instruments that we don't have to think about anymore.  Phew.

regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp" 
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