RE: Jr Bliggins' handmade all-bender (long)

["Jr Bliggins" <JrBliggins@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

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 Sorcher said:
>>Jr., I'm glad this treag has re-surfaced. Your bender is quite an
accomplishment.
Do you think it would be louder if the cover nmaterial were more
conventional?
Is there a practical way to make it more "compact?
What about your comb material - would it be practical to try making the =
comb
from wood, or would it be too fragile?
>>

Scorcher, Thank you for your kind words and interest.

Keep in mind this is an experimental harmonica built for educational =
purposes.

 Conventional cover material:

I don't want to re-kindle the harp-l famous material debate - but =
personally I don't believe the material has much impact on the sound.  I =
believe that the volume issue has much more to do with the shape.  I =
think I could increase the volume by drilling holes through the cover =
plates so that more air could escape close to where the reeds are =
mounted (kind of like what Brenden Powers does with his resonators on =
CX-12's).  I haven't tried that approach for a few reasons: first; the =
volume is only slightly lower then a normal harp, and it doesn't bother =
me - I am a soft player anyway.  That may not be the case for others.  =
Second; I like the looks of it without the holes.  Third; although I =
play in a lot of styles my passion is for un-amplified acoustic music, =
when playing like this, I like to use a lot of cupping and hand effects. =
 The diagonal shape of the covers puts the air vents at the back of the =
harp comfortably within my hand cup.  I get some nice "Wa" Wa" effects =
that might be diminished by venting the top of the covers. =20

More compact:

I don't see how I could make it much smaller.  Size was a big issue, and =
I struggled with it when I built the harmonica.  Although large, the =
shape is very comfortable.  It is because of the balance.  For years I =
used to build brass combs for my diatonics.  Brass is very heavy.  The =
harps always felt a little top heavy when I was playing.  I hold the =
harp in the conventional fashion as a right-hander, between my left =
thumb and forefinger.  When holding it with one hand the right (top end) =
side was noticeably heavy and felt like it wanted to sink down.  I =
solved this problem by drilling as many holes as I could through the =
teeth and body of the comb at the top end reducing the weight.  The =
shape of this "all bender" is naturally heavier at the bass end so it =
balances nicely, and because it is bigger your fingers feel like they =
have a more secure grip then on a standard diatonic.

Wood Comb:

I don't think that a wood comb would work.  At least not with my methods =
and skills.  The comb teeth are pretty long and I think that they would =
break off.  But you might try acrylic impregnated wood.  Years ago they =
used to make it for flooring in the commercial building applications.  =
It is wood that has been pressure treated with acrylic.  The Acrylic  =
goes completely through the woods depth.  The idea was that you can't =
scuff the finish off because the finish goes all the way through.  I =
have made standard combs with this they are strong and they work well.  =
It is a nice compromise between wood and plastic.  My own opinion is =
that the material doesn't affect the sound; I choose the material for =
ease of machining, for durability and stability in a moist environment.  =


Jr. Bliggins