Re: Big Walter's Customized Harp

[Howard Chandler <chandler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just for the record, I'd like to disassociate myself from the 
"outrageous" comment.  While I feel I can be expressive and musical with 
my stock harps, I do realize that there are limitations to what can be 
done with these things out of the box.  Long before Howard Levy was 
doing the amazing things that he does with OB's, I had discovered them 
all by myself, kind of by accident.  The trouble was that I could get 
them to pop out on some harps, on some holes, and on others I just get 
squeals.  That's as far as I ever got.  When I stumbled on a harp that 
could be coaxed to play those mystery  notes, I started learning ways to 
use it.  The trouble was, I didn't know  (and I still don't know) how to 
make these curious notes happen all the time on any given harp.  I never 
even came close to the kind of things that players are now able to do.  
So, if the customizers have figured this all out this is a good thing.  
At least it is if you're interested in it.

Now,  about spending bucks to get it.  I've stated that given estimates 
of the effort it takes to wrangle a harp into submission, the going rate 
is quite reasonable.  However, I'm a dyed in the wool DIYer.  That's my 
own personal afliction.

Someone else wrote about the need for  a community of  harp players 
helping each other out.  Well, in the short time I've been reading this 
list, I've learned a great deal that I would never have figured out on 
my own.  I'm now regularly gapping my reeds, even when they still 
produce a note, a task that I never would have attempted before joining 
this virtual community.  I can finally stop trying to hit that one 
missing note to "On the Road Again". because on this list, I've had my 
suspision of many years confirmed that the harp used was not like the 
ones you buy at the music store.  I even know how to alter one (as soon 
as I get the nerve to try)  to get my own special harp. 

Anyway, thanks to all for being here.  I think I'll go sit in the corner 
with my beer and listen for a while.

Cheers,

Howard Chandler


Bob Maglinte wrote:

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Scorcher" <s_c_o_r_c_h_e_r@xxxxxxx>
>To: "! [HARP-L]" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2003 3:08 AM
>Subject: Re: Big Walter's Customized Harp
>
>
>  
>
>>Mark Crowley says
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>>>The outrageous claims of the pro-customising posts
>>>      
>>>
>>"outrageous??"
>>
>>    
>>
>>>after Pat Missin's informative comment on the construction of the LO
>>>      
>>>
>>actually talked me out of considering laying a dollar down for
>>    
>>
>>>anything beyond detailed gapping and tuning by a practitioner far
>>>      
>>>
>>more experienced than myself.
>>    
>>
>>>The blokes talked themselves out of a sale.
>>>
>>>Why a pay 'a good day's wage' in customisation when half that day is
>>>      
>>>
>>spent bringing a leaky brand new Hohner to the stock standard of an
>>out of box LO?
>>
>>That's what you got out of Pat Missin's post?
>>
>>There's plenty of reason to lay out a good days wage:
>>You get a more sensitive, responsive instrument, crafted by the hands
>>of an artisan.
>>
>>Lee Oskars are more consistent and durable than the average stock
>>_______ (fill in the blank) harmonica, that's true.
>>But they have a "unique sound" that a lot of players don't like, and
>>they squeal like a pig if not properly set up.
>>
>>McDonalds hamburgers and Starbucks coffee are benchmarks of
>>"consistency" - doesn't mean they're high quality, though.
>>
>>Don't get me wrong, I play 'em - I play Hohners, too, though, and a
>>customized Hohner (even a well-tweaked one) is a VASTLY different
>>instrument than a stock Oskar.
>>ar
>>Come to think of it, if you can't differentiate between a customized
>>harmonica and a stock Oskar, maybe you SHOULD save your dough.
>>
>>-Scorcher
>>    
>>
>
>Hi,
>In over 30 years worth of playing the instrument, much of it professionally,
>I've seen plenty of stuff come my way concerning diatonic harps, and
>discussions of this stuff is important, and obviously no cure all to playing
>ills. For many harmonica players, there are relatively far fewer discussion
>outlets to discuss anything related to it, whereas guitarists have had
>magazines, sales people in brick and mortar music stores. and of course the
>internet for ages, and with any discussion group, there's always going to be
>subjects somebody out there doesn't want to hear about, like it or not, so
>the point of these things is for people to get feedback, even if it's
>something they may not want to hear, but at least they have some food for
>thought to help them make up their own minds.
>
>Scorcher, your post here basically makes much of this thread into a nutshell
>for many people. I've played many different brands/models, and even if there
>are certain things I don't particularly care for, at least I've been able to
>step back and see some things even in brands/models that I felt were truly
>good ideas, but maybe in some instances, hampered by poor quality materials
>and/or labor. It is truly difficult to comment on a custom instrument if
>you've never had the chance to try one. Mass produced instruments are made
>for the masses (duh), and not individualized for a particular player's
>playing style and habits. Most harp players that I've met who are playing
>custom harps are generally much more experienced players, USUALLY know what
>they want, and many of them do their own tweaking (and yes, there are those
>in that group of players that don't tweak a damned thing feared klutziness
>or whatever), but what a good customizer does goes FAR beyond what the
>average player's tweaking skills could ever do. To make a claim that the
>so-called "outrageous claims of the pro-customizing posts" shows IMO short
>sightedness in a huge way. The more people turn to a customizer, the more it
>will force some changes (hopefully for the better) from the manufacturers,
>but it's always going to be an uphill battle. The so called outrageous claim
>is not, and so by saying what was said, to me, that's like saying a Chevy
>Malibu is of exactly the same quality as a Porsche or a Rolls Royce, and
>obviously, that's an argument that wouldn't wash in a million years, or
>maybe it's not like seeing the forest for the trees.
>
>Sincerely,
>Barbeque Bob Maglinte
>Boston, MA
>
>
>
>
>--
>Harp-l is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
>Hosted by ValuePricehosting.com, http://www.valuepricehosting.com
>  
>