[Harp-L] Making cheap harps good

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

Were a customizer to work on a cheap harp would the
end product be as good as anything else. In other
words, is there something inherently 'cheap' in lower 
end harps? 

This could pertain to any brand but I'm specifically
thinking in terms of the Hohner MS series versus the
handmades. I work on all my harps so I'm wondering if
problems with the cheapies can be overcome.

Things that come to mind are:

1) Tolerances - just a more agressive embossing?
2) Screws - more screws generally seems to make a more

   airtight harp but there isn't always a 
   correspondence.
3) Tuning - is haphazard tuning the reason why Big 
   River harps are significantly less expensive?

Is that it or is there something about the raw
materials that would make them less desireable?

Paul

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