[Harp-L] RE: TurboHarp develpment bench - ELX

[mik jagger <harpomatic@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dr. Antaki, just wanted to share my "wildest dream" I just got:
An "electrified" CX12

Pros: The shell often breaks at the point where spring plate is wedged in.
this is the weekest point in CX12 stock design, great design in all other ways. Sooner or later it happens to many CX12s. The replacement cost of the shell is ridiculous, you'd agree, as a similar product(your turbo lids) can be offered by "mighty industrialist you" for mere $8.99 
Hohner. of course, cannot offer such a deal for a piece of plastic. They even come up with Jazz shells at twice the price, oh well...
Now, you offer a "lid" that electrifies the stock CX12, or an insert into an existing shell, shell that's large enough to hide a plug out of the way,
rip off all those valves( I play half valved and love it), and offer this at a price that can at least compete with the empty CX12 shell, I think you'd have a winner here.

Cons: I see only one, but not in the longer run. There are less chromatic players than diatonic ones. The market is initially smaller. But if you are more concerned with harmonica of the future, it may change. First, chromatic is a close cousin of diatonic, many of us play both, and if some lean more to diatonic, its mainly because chromatic has some unresolved issues in its design, not because of some aversion to chromatic harp, as such. If you eliminate those issues(mainly valves, airtightness, lack of double reeded bends) by your optic syslem, people could gradually be won over by an efficient layout system, ability to play in all keys, feedback resistance, etc. It may be that Chromatic offers a better platform for the future electric harmonica. May be?