[Harp-L] harmonica remains the lowest priced pro musical instrument ???

["Bill Kumpe" <bkumpe@xxxxxxx>]

> 1.       Even with rising prices, the harmonica remains the lowest priced

> professional musical instrument available in the market today.

 

That is really not an accurate statement from a number of standpoints.  To
start with I play all keys and all styles of music on the same moderately
priced guitar.  It is very playable, as a matter of fact darn good guitar
for the price given what you could get for the money just a few years ago
and it only cost around $500.00 MSRP.  If I break a string it costs less 20
bucks to re-string the whole instrument with top of the line product and
given the care I take of my instruments, someone will be playing that guitar
long after I am dead. 

 

To play a narrower range of music my harp case contains a Chromatic, two
solo tuned, two melody maker tuned and 24 straight diatonics. The street
price cost of the contents of my harp case is about $1000 and could not be
replaced at that price.  If I blow a reed, I can't just pull another one out
of the case, step back and string it up while everybody else keeps playing.
That means I have to have duplicate harps in the common keys and either
throw them away when they break or send them out to a repair shop. It's an
apples and oranges comparison.  I usually wind up buying a new harp a month.
I have bought new guitars only a few times in my life.  And, in case you
want to say, an Epiphone is not a pro instrument, you would be amazed at
what pro's are gigging with these days, especially little day to day club
gigs.  One of the best pro guitar players I know regularly uses a vintage
KAY solid body and a SeaGull acoustic.  Another seasoned old pro that has
cut more records than I have harps plays an Art and Lutherie Ami. A C&W
buddy doesn't travel with his Martin any more.  He uses a less than $1000.00
Blue Ridge that he swears will "smoke" his Martin and he doesn't have heart
attack every time somebody walks toward his guitar stand.

 

Respectfully, Hohner needs to take a good hard look at what has happened in
the guitar market.  My Indonesian manufactured Epiphone that retails for
around $500 on the street is every bit as playable as guitars that cost in
the thousands just a few years ago.  I am constantly amazed at how good a
guitar it is for the money and how cheap really playable guitars are these
days.  If some of those Asian manufacturers ever decide to make a harp, they
will own the lower and mid priced market just as they now do the same guitar
market and Hohner will be relegated to the current market position of Gibson
and Martin .. manufacturers of high end products that many musicians can
neither afford nor need to purchase to make good music.

 

Bill Kumpe

Tulsa, OK