[Harp-L] consistency

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Often reviews of different harps seem to rotate around the issue of  
consistency: one person will get a good version, another a bad one.   
Sometimes this involves the player (one person's acceptable is  
another's useless), but often it seems to be just the luck of the draw.

From my experience, there are two potential issues with the end- 
quality of a harmonica from a factory.  The first is design, the  
second manufacturing.  If the design is inherently flawed, that is  
one type of problem, and the end product will always have this flaw  
(which, it should be noted, may or may not end up being significant  
when actually played).  If the manufacturing process is not done  
properly, then the harp will not play well, but might be fine if set- 
up properly (not that the player should have to retune an instrument  
out of the box--and while regapping to your own playing style makes  
sense, the instrument should be basically playable as is).

For the most part, standard diatonic designs are not at fault, and  
have few major flaws.  What consistency out of the box then comes  
down to is quality control.  And quality control is about attention  
to detail on the manufacturing floor and in the post-production  
testing process.  Every manufacturer can improve themselves in these  
areas easily enough, but they have to decide if it's worth the  
increased effort and cost.

As an example, much of the recent rise of Seydel can be attributed to  
improved quality control standards at the shop (which began  
significantly when John Hall had them produce his Bushman), but their  
average retail price is on the higher side.  Lee Oskar, for another,  
became a serious competitor (the first new one in the US for at least  
fifty years) in large part by focusing on a strict quality control  
regime--and to this day I would rate LOs as being the most consistent  
out of the box harmonicas on the market.  And one company can  
maintain several levels of quality (as Hohner often did in the past-- 
with cheaper brands made to a less exacting standard than higher-end  
models),  Ttake the makers of the Golden Cup and Leo Shi lines.  The  
former are fairly typical quality low-end harmonicas.  Fine for the  
price, but certainly not very consistent out of the box.  The later  
are very consistent and obviously have a high level of quality  
controls in place to make them so.  But, the two are aimed at  
different markets, so different levels of quality again make sense here.

Modern manufacturing methods like CNC machines and the like should be  
able to help maintain a good level of consistency on the shop floor,  
but that alone won't do it--there is nothing particularly  
inconsistent about the old ways of stamping reeds, molding combs or  
the like, as long as machines are properly maintained and parts  
(especially cutting edges) replaced when needed.  In the end, it will  
still come down to the manufacturer's ability to create a strict and  
significant quality control regime, with significant post-production  
testing.




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
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