Suzuki Pro Harps

[James Hanson <HANSONJA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've never played a valved suzuki pro harp, but I do have an unvalved
version that I bought just to see how they sound.  The metal comb does
seem to produce a different sound - to my ears more shrill than a wood
or plastic comb.  I use this harp for certain songs - especially some more
rock oriented blues songs (one example being ZZTop's "I'm Bad I'm
Nationwide") where the sound seems to fit a reworking of Billy Gibbons
guitar solos to harmonica.  My one problem with the Suzuki is that the
comb is very small - the holes are narrow and fairly close together.  So
after playing with my larger-holed collection of Hohners and Lee Oskars,
when I switch to the Suzuki, I have to be careful and get re-calibrated for
how far the holes are apart!  Otherwise I find myself trying to play in
between two of them....  I suppose if these were all I played it wouldn't
be a problem.

(Maybe I'm being paranoid and a hypochondriac, but the aluminum comb
makes me a little nervous, given the high toxicity of aluminum and its
relationship to Alzheimer's....  Fortunately, aluminum [aluminium for our UK
friends] is nearly insoluble in water both as a metal and in most cases as
a salt.  So it is hard to get into your system.  One notable exception are
citrate salts [i.e., citric acid, found in citrus fruit] which suggests a way
for Mike C to clean those aluminum salts out of the comb [a little lemon
juice, perhaps]  and something NEVER to do - drink orange juice or other
citrus before playing one of these things...  I also don't like to do any
tongue blocking on this harp - I find the metallic "taste" of the aluminum
very unpleasant [and as a paranoid hypochondriac it makes me
nervous].  A final note on aluminum and citrus... one of the largest
sources of aluminum in the diet is tea.  A common way to drink tea is
with lemon.  So tea with lemon is aluminum and citric acid - making the
one form of aluminum that is soluble and can be absorbed by the body. 
After I read this [Accounts of Chemical Research, 1994] I gave up
reading [actually I quit putting lemon in my tea - i like tea well enough
straight up anyway].)

J. Hanson
"I'm scared of that child and
I'm too young to die" SBWII