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

[Zombor Kovacs <zrkovacs@xxxxxxxxx>]

It was probably not a scientific approach, but it was
a healthy one :-)
As we keep discussing the comb material, the
definition is starting to be clear to me. Maybe I am
wrong though. The harmonica is an instrument, where
two reedplates are connected to a pair of lungs via a
cavity containing a piece of meat and a few bones by a
tube made of organic tissue. :-)



--- John Balding <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Brother Zombor and Harp-L:
> 
> Here is my opinion on the comb material debate as
> far as the wood vs.
> plastic idea goes - 
> 
> The comb material having an effect on "tone" is
> relative to the way the
> harmonica is held in the hands. That's my simplified
> way of looking at
> the whole issue.
> My rationale being that a ten-hole harp comb is not
> a 1 inch by 4 inch
> chunk of material. After all of the reed slots are
> cut, about one third
> to one half of the comb material is gone.
> Furthermore, this small amount
> of comb material is being squeezed together tightly
> between two metal
> plates by nails, screws, etc. Then, if that wasn't
> enough, when we hold
> the harp in our hands, we are compressing the "tin
> sandwich" even more.
> Blues players are especially tough on harps when
> used with bullet mics.
> I have caved-in many cover plates over the years.
> So, how in the world can one take a small amount of
> ANY material, attach
> rigid plates to both sides of it then squeeze the
> crap out of the
> contraption and expect it to resonate like a
> Stradivarious violin? 
> In my opinion, the only way a harmonica would
> "resonate", if it could
> resonate at all, would be if it were held at the
> extreme ends by only
> the fingertips; and lightly at that. But who plays
> like that?
> And finally, what is amplifying the harp? A raunchy
> amp? A PA system?
> Even an excellent PA system "colors" the sound and
> tone somewhat.
> Sometimes the sound is clear and too "glassy".
> Sometimes the sound is
> bass-heavy and muffled. Properly amplifying an
> "accurate" harmonica tone
> depends on too many factors, in my opinion, to worry
> about comb material
> as the straw that breaks the camel's back.
> 
> I don't know. Maybe I'm all wrong. I just know how
> much happier I am now
> that I quit worrying about combs and cover plates
> and judge the
> legitimacy of my harps by how they respond to MY
> style of playing.
> 
> John Balding
> Tallahassee, FL 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Zombor Kovacs
> Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 4:21 PM
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] comb material
> 
> Sorry, I did not mean to underrate the person who
> started the comb material debate, I just thought it
> was me, but if it is a measure of significance or
> importance, I am not that important. ANd I did not
> really pay attention who it was. 
> Probably the reason why the topic does not want to
> die
> is that idiots like myself, who are going to bed,
> sleeping and waking up with the most wicked ideas
> about how to reorganise reeds on reedplates, combs
> one
> onto another to finally invent the nuclear rubylaser
> driven harmonica with uranium reeds and plutonium
> comb
> which would save the world are experimenting with
> things many people have already experimented with,
> invent things which are already invented and ask
> questions which have already been asked and
> answered.
> But the fact that the topic doesnt want to die
> probably means that the harmonica is much more
> complicated an instrument than a guitar (oops) and
> it
> is not logical or obvious that comb material has
> nothing to do with sound. It is obvious even for the
> blind, that it must have to do something, since it
> is
> THERE! And it still has nothing to do, or almost
> nothing. Sorry for all this crap :-)
> 
> Zombor
>  
> 
> 
> --- J Compton <jofjltn4@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> > Hey, no fighting over who originally started
> > this...we've already printed two thousand pictures
> > of Jeff's face for our dartboards and we are *not*
> > going to reprint pictures of someone else.  No
> > matter who actually started it, Jeff is the one we
> > are going to blame.  Besides, the picture printing
> > budget is just about gone and we're not even a
> third
> > of the way through the year.
> >  
> > Since we've argued to death (again) something that
> > apparently *doesn't* affect the result, how about
> > discussing what does...or on what we think might
> but
> > we just don't know it yet.
> >  
> > As for what does (or might), how much work has
> been
> > done experimenting with changing the comb
> thickness?
> >  Most production harps seem to have about the same
> > comb thickness (opening the door here for someone
> > who has measured dozens of them to correct me and
> > ridicule me for speculating where real data
> exists).
> >  Is this an optimal thickness or just a
> traditional
> > thickness?  I'd search the archives, but can't get
> > there from work at the moment.  Please forgive me
> if
> > a search would have yielded this info.
> >  
> > Also, what might be the next big development?  The
> > recent Seydel with the stainless steel reeds is an
> > example...maybe.  Any prediction on what might be
> > next?
> >  
> > Jonathan "the future is hazy" Compton
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > > Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:28:46 -0700> From:
> > zrkovacs@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: Subject: Re:
> > [Harp-L] comb material> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> >
> > WHen? Im not gonna check back. If it is so, I am>
> > sorry. I thought it was me. But to me it doesn't>
> > matter who it was. If it was you, its probably all
> > the> same. > > Zombor> > > --- Jeff roulier
> > <jroulier@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:> > > At 12:36 PM
> > 4/19/2007, you wrote:> > > > >It seems I have
> > stirred up still water (if there is> > >any saying
> > similar to this in english) with the> > comb> >
> > >material topic :-)> > > > > > Check the
> archives...
> > I was the one who started this> > debate. > > > >
> >
> > > >
> >
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