Re: Customised harps

[Douglas Tate <douglas.tate@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am not a customizer, ILUS makes a harmonica from the roots up... 
therefore I can speak a little without bias.

If you find a good customizer then the harmonica you get will indeed be a 
revelation.
People talk about the fact that the harmonica will be even over it's entire 
range, that it will be set up the way you want it, it will be able to bend, 
bow, howl or anything you have asked the customizer to do.

All this is true.

However there is a little extra.

Because the instrument is so even you find that you don't have to play so 
hard to achieve the same result.

Why?  With an uneven stock instrument (and they aren't all uneven) you tend 
to compensate for poor notes by blowing harder on all of them to make 
certain they work!.

As you get to know your custom harmonica you find that a relaxation takes 
place. This has the effect of not straining the reeds so much and players 
almost invariably report greater life length for the harmonica.
This can be a big consideration and some players will tell you that they 
haven't had to change their harmonica since having it customized.

This can be a big consideration when equating the cost!  Unfortunately it 
is layout ahead of the benefit.   Just depends on where your priorities lay.

Douglas t