Re: [Harp-L] harmonica case

["46long Blake" <46long@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jim -

I go totally lo-fi, high effort on this one.

I've made two cases like this. I use old foam carpet padding. Not the
pressed composite stuff for wall to wall, but the foam kind you'd use for
oriental area carpets - about a quarter inch thick, usually blue or tan. So
I take one thin sheet and cut the rough shape of the inside of the case.
Then I lay out my harps exactly how I want them stored. Then I trace around
them. Then I cut out the template. Now, you might ask, a quarter inch isn't
going to "cut" it. Well, I just use this template, cut about four more of
them exactly the same, stack them up, carefully glue them together, and
voila! Nice soft, snug places custom made for your harps!  Now, what about
all of that extra space (as the case will likely be far deeper than the
heretofore known "harp cozy," and what about all of the space in the top?
Well it's just a matter of cutting as many pieces of foam as you want to
fill up the extra space. Glue it into the top. Stack and glue underneath the
cozy to raise it up to the lip of the case.

But wait, Blake! What about your microphones, cords, tools, etc?  Well, if
you want to carry everything together, then you should only make your harp
cozy big enough to fill up 1/2 to 2/3 of  your case, and simply thinly line
the other section with one or two layers of the padding so you can gently
put your stuff in the "open" space.

If you really want to get fancy, you could include in your harp cozy
template a space for a beverage holder. No more kicked over beers, or water
spilled on your amp.  ooh, I suppose you also could have a place for an
ashtray, business cards, condoms, etc!  The possibilities are endless!

A select few of you have seen my latest case. It doesn't look as "ghetto" as
it sounds, and it's infinitely practical. I have pictures if you wish!

Just give yourself a few hours to do the (literal) cutting and pasting on
this rewarding do-it-yourself project.

 - Blake

On 4/11/06, Jim McBride <jpmcbride@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> I just bought a very cool used case at a local used music equipment store.
> It will be perfect for a harp case once I get some foam to hold the harps.
> Any ideas where I can get the foam that people put into these cases? Do you
> cut the foam yourself, or do you buy the stuff that is already in little
> squares that can be removed to make shapes. If you cut the foam, what do you
> use to cut it?
>
> Now a couple comments on recent threads ...
>
> 1) I believe Little Walter was an innovator and was always experimenting
> with gear to get different sounds. Just listen to his records and you hear
> many, many different subtle, and not so subtle tonal differences. He may not
> have owned a lot of gear, and he might have not even known exactly waht he
> was playing through a lot of times, but he was obviously trying different
> things to get different sounds. If he were around today I bet he would be
> trying every digital effect out there to get new sounds. Just my opinion.
>
> 2) I disagree with the statement about 99.4% of harmonica players being
> "crap musicians", but Chris' point is not entirely without merit ... and
> applies to many guitar players and others too. Reading music is not the
> issue, but understanding chord progressions and the notes that fit into them
> and being able to communicate in the language of music with other musicians,
> thats what is important. We might play the diatonic by ear, and thats great,
> but if we want to play with others at a jam or in a band, we need to learn
> the language so we can "speak" to the other musicians. Again, just my
> opinion.
>
> Jim McBride
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--
Blake Taylor
http://46long.com
http://www.myspace.com/46long