Re: [Harp-L] Custom Harmonicas: Rick Epping's Role

[David Payne <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mr. Power wrote: 
"Interesting reading the recent posts about custom harmonicas, and the
different brands. One comment from Buddah caught my eye:

"Joe Filisko is the guy who really started the custom harmonica
movement." 

Is that true? Well before Joe there were some very expert customisers,"

 
That's a good point, Brendan, but you neglect to mention your own legacy, I assume out of modesty. The fact is, there are a lot of people who contributed to what we have today. That's how it works. There is stuff Rupert Oysler was doing in the late 1960s and early 1970s that supposedly weren't done until somebody âinventedâ it later. Look at the Count Smokey and the stuff he did. If it's possible, Smokey Joe has probably done it. 
And there were people doing stuff long before those dudes. 
There are so many of these people. So many. When you look at all the people who are at least aware of harp mechanics and/or harp techs, you can trace that back to Rupert Oysler's video. But, you can also trace it back to that book Blackie Shatner was always selling (I've not seen it yet, but I really want to read it) and I'm sure there are others I've never heard of. 

On half valving, we can look to you. We can also look to P.T. Gazelle. I'm sure people were tuning harps in crazy ways before you, but you Brendan must get credit due for popularizing alternate tunings. 
Or Pat Missin, how many people have learned stuff from Pat Missin's site, which has probably been on the Internet longer than the Internet has existed or something. Or Borrah Minnevitch, he's a big reason why we are even talking about this instrument, instead of us all playing the jaw harp or something.
>From what I've gathered, the fact you can buy parts from companies like you can today is a Dick Farrell legacy. 

What about Karl Pucholt with the Steel reed? Or before that Hans Eisner and his steel reed? Or Jacob Hohner who patented the Marine Band or Richard Seydel Sr. who experimented with different body sizes for the same harmonicas, amplified side vents, etc. 
What I say is that there never was this dark age of harmonica. Maybe for some times at the factories, but never in the community. There has always been innovation someplace, in some form, by somebody. 
I have an XB-40. Gotta say I absolutely hate it, probably because it's equal tempered, or at least sounds EQ to me. But when I look at this thing, I stand in awe of its inventor. I think of Rick every time I look at it. It is a marvel of innovation and I have great respect for him for that alone.
So as I think about these people, and I often do, I don't think about it as âthis guy did this first.â That's likely my historical training coming out. What I think instead is âthis cat lived at this time, this is what he was doing.â If you remove the absolutes, these people start shining for the innovators they were.
Â
What we could use is more posts like the ones you just posted. Those go in this special file I keep to make sure I remember things that like that, which is important. This stuff needs to circulate around because when the last person who remembers something dies, that fact is gone. If anybody thinks nobdy will care about something, you can send it this way. I squirrel these things away, so at least they will be remembered. Stuff like who was doing what when or classic stories like Danny Welton at Memphis SPAH, I try to remember or file this stuff so that it will be known, at least during my lifetime. 
Â
I mostly definitely read the post of Nov. 13 and it has been moved, as Epping posts usually are, to the reference folder. He was saying that he came up with the idea and checked with Hohner R&D and found they were doing something similar with accordions in the old days, but they wouldn't tell him how it was done. 
Rick posted this link to the pics:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dckkn2d6_18ccn3nxhs_________________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com