Re: Tombo Ultimo

[Richard Owen <richardo@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

First, a big public thank you to Hugh.  I really appreciate the effort you
put into getting these Ultimos.

I got an Ab to try.  They're sleek looking harps with black plastic comb and
close fitting cover plates.  The reed plates do not protrude.  The top cover
says "Tombo Ultimo" in the middle and the bottom plate says "made in Japan" in
small letters.  You don't see much engraving.  In particular, the holes are
not numbered.  The back of the comb says "Tombo".

The reedplates are 1mm thick.  The plates are fairly substantial too.  The
comb is light.  You cannot remove one cover without the other.  I had to
readjust all the offsets.  The low reeds were gapped at over 1mm, however the
offset angles were all consistent and I know that many people prefer to set
offsets by angle rather than gap.  1mm is too leaky for me.

The sound is robust (as you would expect from the thick reed plates).  Good
tone too.  Different again from Lee Oskars, Special 20s, Marine Bands etc.  I
can see how they would be someone's favourite harmonica.  I'm going to see
how it plays for a while.

+Richard Owen