[Harp-L] Spiers Harmonicas

[fjm <bad_hat@xxxxxxxx>]

I have several.  I recently upgraded to the current state of the art. I 
don't use overblows all that much.  The one Spiers A I have is a 
composite combed maybe a decade old Marine Band.  It has a very beat set 
of covers  stamped G.  I clumsily rolled the edges and opened up the 
back.  There had been some mild reed work done on this harmonica. I 
played it for 10 years until it lost a reed and then I sent it to Joe. 
I got it back quickly with the caveat that it wasn't perfect but that he 
thought it had turned out nicely.  It's currently my favourite A.  None 
of that shrillness I associate with embossed slots.  The tuning is JI 
and superb.  It plays a little looser than a ground up custom from Joe 
but not by much.  What I hadn't noticed until recently was how well it 
overblows.  6 just pops like it's a blow bend.  I kept thinking I was on 
the wrong hole it was too easily gotten and it bends up.  Absolutely 
none of that balkiness you can get with the reeds set up for overblows. 
  Plays normally perfectly well.  I don't break reeds very often.  I 
used to more than I do now.  I find custom harmonicas to be extremely 
durable in general.  I have yet to break a reed in one of Joe's 
products.   fjm