RE: [Harp-L] K&M neck rack

["MLeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

greg mccarty asked:
> Anyone have any experience with the K&M neckrack--(sold at harpdepot.com)

As Madcat and captron have said, the K&M neck rack is far better than the
bent coat hanger-style racks you see more often, and no more expensive.

But... Several years ago I had, or more precisely, my then harmonica teacher
Harry Harpoon had a freak accident involving the Weltmeister rack (the K&M
rack is/was also sold with the Weltmeister label) on stage as he was
starting his first tune in his opening set for a national act.

Briefly, as I have told this story on Harp-l before, Harry used his new
Weltmeister rack for the first time at this gig. Of course, as you might
guess, this was a ~big~ gig for him with several hundred people blues-hungry
and well-lubricated people in the audience. Like the rest of the components,
the spring in the Weltmeister (K&M) rack is a very strong one and somehow
Harry had not seated his harp properly. He started up with his guitar and
when put the harp to his mouth it shot out of the rack in a tall arc and
landed with a loud "whack" at the front of the stage about 15 feet in front
of him. Fortunately, the crowd was patient and kind as he got up off his
chair, walked out and retrieved the errant harp, walked back tossing the K&M
rack aside as he scooped up his trusty but ailing Hohner rack and sat down
and started up again. Harry recovered from the mishap far better than I did,
as I had given the rack to him as a gift a few days prior because I like
mine so much (not that I have much occasion to use it). You can imagine how
I felt as I witnessed this debacle unfold knowing I had caused it.

Now, don't y'all let this humorous little story deter you from the K&M rack.
It's a fine one. It has very positive hinge locks that hold the harp very
firmly where you position it. It's made of heavy-duty materials, and the
neck piece is covered with a thick, comfortable layer of foam rubber. It
uses knurled plastic knobs on the hinge locks that are rounded and don't
poke you in the chest. It'll hold a short harp or a 16-hole chromatic. You
get the idea.

Michelle