[Harp-L] Superb Craftsmen of the "Old School" - Richard Sleigh and Jeffrey Spoor

[Robert Coble <robertpcoble@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

At this time of celebration, I wish to give "props" to a couple of special craftsmen who have made MY Christmas one of the best EVER!

Richard Sleigh is more than a great musician and much, much more than a top customizer. He is a superb craftsman of the "Old School." It is no wonder at all (to me) why the Filisko Guild members are held in such high esteem in our community.

Here's my story, which illustrates exactly what I mean.

I met Richard when he played at the Virginia Harmonica Fest. He's kind of quiet, but he's very approachable. He obviously loves what he's doing. He's really good at playing guitar and harp in a rack. If you get a chance to hear him play, DO IT!

I sent an email to Richard a few weeks ago, asking for pricing on his new book "Turbocharge Your Harmonica" Volume 1: Straighten Up and Tune Right! Basic Tuning and Tweaking for the Intelligently Lazy Musician" AND his tuning toolkit. (After all, I'm "lazy" even if not particularly intelligent - LOL!) My wife had given me the "go-ahead" as my personal Christmas present. (You may be wondering why I didn't ask for a Renny; I'd rather have Richard's toolkit, because I don't "do" chromatics. HERESY!!!) I got a prompt reply from Richard, giving me the overall price. He also offered to send me some "beaters" to experiment on - gratis. Needless to say, I was impressed.

In about a week, I received what I thought was the "final" order: the toolkit (wrapped in a nice blue cloth) AND the book AND 8 old Marine Band beaters in various stages of dress/undress. I've been poring over the book ever since I got it. It's straight-forward to read, the illustrations are crystal-clear, and there is a wealth of basic information on tuning in it. The special centerpiece of the tuning toolkit is the scraper. It's a highly sharpened little blade on the end of a shaft embedded into what appears to be a ball point pen tube. It's MAGIC when you need to shave just a tiny bit from a reed to bring it into tune, especially if you need to get to the reeds without disassembling the harp. And having some old Marine Bands to practice on is serendipity!

However, Richard was offering the "deluxe" toolkit wrapped in a Jeffrey Spoor (Cumberland Cases) leather wrap. I "thought" that's what I had ordered, but I wasn't sure, and I certainly was tickled to death with what I got. So, I had NO complaints! I had some email exchanges with Richard (which were very informative, BTW), but I didn't mention or question anything about the leather wrap. I was already a happy customer without it!

Then came the REAL Christmas surprise. I got the leather wrap, with a hand-written note from Richard indicating that he now had filled my order. I thought he already had done so!  Additionally, he included some beautiful Christmas cards that he had designed in 2007!!! The leather wrap is awesome, and I love the smell of it! Obviously, Jeffrey Spoor is another member of that rare class of skilled artisan craftsmen!

This attention to QUALITY and the personal touches are so rare in today's marketplace. It is the hallmark of the "Old School" of artisan craftsmen, who prize their work in such a way as to make it invaluable to others, and who include personal touches in everything they do, as well as in how they go about their business.

Thank you, Richard and Jeffrey! Have a very Merry (and hopefully very profitable) Christmas!!!

Crazy (about my newest set of tuning tools) Bob

 		 	   		  
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