Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] comb material

["Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Lavoie" <lavoie@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 3:54 PM
Subject: RE: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] comb material


> Vern,
> Explain this! I seal my malple wood combs with bees wax. I have a mini 
> crock
> pot and soak the comb completly for around three to five minutes. The
> results are a seald comb that has a distinctive sound. Now, there was a
> thread on Hohners Hand Made Marine Bands that the very front of the comb 
> was
> sealed but not the complete comb. Hohner stated that they wanted the sound
> of the pear wood comb to project the sound from the natural pear wood. I
> took my LaVoie Vermont Maple Wood comb and dipped the front of the comb,
> about an 1/8th of an inch in the Vermont Bees Wax. When I assembled the
> harmonica and played it, the tone and projection, was not even close to 
> the
> Vermont Maple Wood Comb that was soaked completly in Bees Wax. What's 
> going
> On?

Any comparison in which you know what material is being played isn't valid. 
You expected and /or wanted to hear a difference and you did.  I'm not 
acusing you of deliberately trying to deceive anyone, just being subject to 
human nature as we all are.

I believe that sealing wood against the effects of moisture is a good idea 
if you must use wood.  Having worked with maple, I agree that it is one of 
the better varieties of wood.  However, metal or plastic is more stable and 
doesn't sound any different.

Vern
Visit my harmonica website www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com