Hi Jon,
I read your comment about Gockl´s harp creations with great interest. Because you mentioned me several times it causes me for a reply.
After having downloaded the respective websites I examined both harps and Gockl´s information and believe me, I did that thoroughly.
SAFIRA CHROMATIC
Gockl asserts that his special red coating improves the gliding on the
mpc but it should be undoubtable that the color has nothing to do with
that. Responsible for the gliding is only the property of the mpc surface.
I think the Safira cover is of brass, so it must be coated. Years ago when I started to make my CB harps (B stands for brass) I thought about the coating because raw brass tastes awfully.
Germany has a very strict Food Law but teflon is allowed as packaging material for baby food. So, I choosed teflon as a coating. I also thought about the proper teflon color.
Little sidestep. When Hohner invented the keyboard long years ago the favorite color of the then actual Hohner boss was grey. Consequently, Hohner introduced it´s keybords in grey until Yamaha appeared with it´s keyboards on the market, in black, of course.
Result: Hohner´s keyboards became shelf-warmer. Though the color of music instruments has no sound influence a classical grand from Steinway & Sons in red or green would be incredible. So, my CBs have black coatings.
Gockl saw one of my CB 16 at a Trossinger harp festival, was
impressed and bought it. Then, some years ago he asked me whether
I would make him a 14-hole chromatic exactly in the design he made a
drawing for - it was the SAFIRA!!. I made that beast but Gockl objected
that the funnel wasn´t exactly like in his drawing. So, I have now a
Safira-like CB 14 and Gockl a CB 14-like "self-invented" Safira.
Someone may be interested to know how a CX 12-like cover of metal can be made in one piece without having machines pressing car bodies. Well, it´s not possible and therefore, my CB covers consist of 3 parts combined in a tricky way and I told Gockl thoroughly how I made it.
Now, when looking to the red Safira picture one can see exactly the seam at the curved end where the slide knob is, ahaaah.
< Siegfried Naruhn has been making his CB line for almost a decade, < which also has metal covers and many similar features to this < (including at least one potential flaw that I know of)- >
What? a potential flaw? You have to tell me more about that.
< ....and he has always gone to pains to give the proper credit < for the basic ideas of the design to Hohner.>
That´s correct. I made no secret that all my CB harps have the shape of the
CX 12. Moreover, I think I was Hohner´s best advertising agent when I
constantly praised the CX 12 to be the chromatic of the future. Mind you,
I meant the design or construction but not Hohner´s performance.
Hohner holds an US patent (see Pat Missin´s harp patent list) but the
factory never lamented about my CB chroms. I even sent my first CB 16
to Hohner for examination on request. They found the CB interesting and
remarkable in the manufacturing but basically not differing from a Hohner
chromatic. An astonishing statement, indeed. It was always my intention
to improve Hohner´s harps and not to compete with them, besides their
diatonics. This leads to Gockl´s "Elite Chicago Blues". What a bombastic
term.
Elite
Of course, I also talked with Gockl about my idea to make a diatonic in the shape of the CX 12 and he saw my first exemplar.
CB diatonic has no similarity with the plastic Elite.
The CB diatonic has a teflon-coated cover (exceptionally not in black)
and a detail which came into my mind when I see how bluesers start
playing. In 50% they got the harp in wrong position. So, I made the
distance of the lowest note to the end somewhat bigger and the
correct position is obvious. The total length is 11 cm and the height 3.5 cm.
R. Hunter once said that a blues harp can´t be small enough, so I
considered that.
Gockl´s Elite looks somewhat bigger but a "potential flaw" is the protruding mpc which may be not very comfortable for the lips unlike a CX mpc.
< I wonder why the three or four side- perforations. < I can think of two reasons. The first, to allow for < side egress of tone, similar to the MB's side-holes in the covers.>
An interesting detail. If they are for a better sound egress the openings
are "contraproducing". At my first chroms I provided lots of holes in the
cover sides as well as in the curved cover ends thinking of a better
sound egress. However, the remarkable loudness of the CX 12 has
2 reasons. One is the funnel of the cover and the other is the curved
and closed mpc which works like a whispering dome. Both features
form a megaphon and holes in a megaphon will surely diminish its
amplifying effect. Gockl´s Safira considers that. But the design of his
wooden blues harps doesn´t knock my socks off.
Blues harps have an average length of 10 cm, i.e. the lengths are are differing. So, I´ve yet to develop a tricky fixing device which would then allow to insert different harp brands into one and the same cover.
Well, Jon, you speak of my CB diatonic to be a "prototype". It´s not just
a prototype but a well thought-out end version to avoid all these well-known
weak points of blues harps: sharp edges, protruding reedplates and screws,
sticking moustaches! ect.
Steve Baker is himself a harp customizer but wants to try a CB diatonic with
a MB inside, oh no.
Siegfried
PS. If you find my comment of general interest you may forward it to harp-L.
I sent this post already to you and to harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx together with 2 pictures
of my CB diatonic (inserted into the text) but it didn´t appear on the list.
Allegedly, my text isn´t plain but in html. So, I´m curious whether you get this
mail, let me know.