[Harp-L] Bass harmonica - chromatic

[Eugene Ryan <ryan.eugene@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello all,

I recently acquired a Suzuki bass harmonica and it's a super instrument with
a great sound.  I'm just starting out on it, and it will take some time to
get familar with it. Jumping between decks accurately is a challenge.

It strikes me that if you could get the same thing in a chromatic body
("hello, I'm a bass in a chromatic's body, pleased to meet you" :-)), it
might make navigation easier than jumping between decks. There were the
Hohner Polyphonia harmonicas, and there are the Tombo bass harmonicas - but
none of them go as low as the Hohner or Suzuki twin-deck basses (which
starts on the same E as a bass guitar).

There may be mechanical reasons that might mean it's not possible to make a
chromatic like this.  The Suzuki/Hohner twin-deck bass harmonicas have two
reeds for each note, each reed being tuned an octave apart - it would be
difficult to fit those reeds, and then double the number required by using a
slide mechanism.  And if you don't have the upper note in the pair, it takes
longer to activate the lower reed.  Then perhaps having blow and draw notes
that low could be problematic, with windsaver issues.  And more issues that
others have probably thought of...

There was a good discussion of this a few years ago on this forum - I wonder
how far anyone got?
http://www.harp-l.org/pipermail/harp-l/2006-January/msg00122.html

I understand that Brendan Power made some extremely low chromatics by
soldering.  Anyone know how low they went and if they were successful?

Thanks for your help,
Eugene