Feasibility of machining harp plates

[Pierre <slavio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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I was at an Automation show in Montreal and that got me thinking, would it be possible to machine plates using the latest and greatest technology available today?

The ultimate goal would be to create a harp so tight it would be trivial to set up for overblows.

For example:

1) Copy measurements off a special 20 or other suitable harp.
2) Do a CAD drawing placing holes for screws, rivets and reeds.
3) Find someone with the latest and greatest equipment and get them to make a small batch of plates (perhaps as a favour)
4) Have a qualified person takes some reeds off some special 20s and mount them on the plates

Issues:

Can we measure accurately enough to get rivets exactly in the right place? I assume Hohner placed hole at equal intervals where the distance can be infered to some extent?
Which harp?
Can we buy sets of reeds?
Is this project practical if we use stock reeds? if not could we make reeds? would they be better than anything we can buy now?

Specifics could be worked out.

I guess the ultimate goal would be to create a harp so tight it would be trivial to set up for overblows. I have spent hours fiddling with harps to get them the way I like them and I hate doing it. I don't think musicians or aspiring musicians should have to do this. Most musicians buy good stock instruments and just play them, why can't harmonica players do that too. Men have walked on the moon...

I have considered custom harps but I don't like wood combs. Also good custom harps are really expensive and I can't be sure the harp will be set up to my taste so I may have to fiddle anyway and I may mess things up rather than improving the thing, then its trial and error again. The main problem is converging, since when you bend a reed you don't know if a) you did anything at all because you can't see micro adjustments and b) you bent too much or too little. 

Ok, I realize a tight plate does not fix the reed setup problem but having a tight harp would probably make it easier.

Anybody have any idea how significant the results could be? How much does embossing help when its well done? 
Is this feasible and would it improve the harp enough to make it worthwhile?

Any ideas?

Pierre.