[Harp-L] NEW!!!! Custom Beta-harps

[Daniel Bernard <danielbernard13@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ben Bouman
I better start with a disclaimer.  I love to tinker with my own harmonicas and I already have a good relationship with a gonzo customizer if I want someone else to do something for me.  So I'm not a potential customer.
I'm assuming that you are responsible for the round holes on the Soloist Pro.  
1.  Exactly what do the round holes do for the sound?
I also see that you are scooping the reeds as a service to your customers.  You are not the only customizer who does that.  It is difficult to describe without a picture.  Many customizers make the reeds concave down into the reed plate.  I do just the opposite.  I make the reeds concave up out of the reed plate.  Frequently when I am working on a reed I change the shape.  I do a lot of alternate tuning, so I can be pretty tough on the reeds.  I often have to shorten the reed.  I can do that by scooping it up, scooping it down, or shortening it with a file.  I have the most luck scooping it down.  I like tight tolerances on the sides and a wide tolerance at the tip.  That's it!  That's what scooping the reeds does for me.  It creates more space between the reed and the reed plate at the tip.  I get much better results scooping it down.  For one thing, I break the reeds less frequently.
2.  What do you think?
I should probably get tools for pulling and setting reeds, as well as a bunch of reeds.  I could probably shorten the reeds better when they are not already set in the reed plate.  Then there is the question of the number of reeds I break and the alternate tunings I do.  I already have my own preferred tools.  I use a diamond tipped burr with a rotary electric scriber, feeler gauge, and a woman's nail file to tune my harmonicas.  I don't want a kit.  The kits currently marketed don't have everything I want, and have a lot of what I don't want.  What I really need is the reeds and a means to set and pull them from the reed plates.
3.  What do you suggest?
Dan



       
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