[Harp-L] Custom Harmonicas-----Is it worth it?

[Tony Eyers <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Time for an Australian two cents worth. I've long been a user of Neil 
Graham custom instruments (www.neilgraham.com.au). They provide enormous 
presence in acoustic sessions, and are much easier to negotiate in fast 
tunes, as they leak far less than off the shelf instruments. In 
particular, they shine when recording, partly due to the range of tonal 
variation which they allow.  I play Neil's deluxe models, which are 
based on Hohner Meisterklasse plates.

A great memory for me was SPAH 2005, where I handed many unsuspecting 
players one of Neil's instruments, and invited them to play it. The 
response was almost uniform amazement.

Other players of custom instruments  report similar experiences on this 
list. For those wavering, my recommendation is to just go ahead and get one.

Tony Eyers
Australia
www.harmonicatunes.com