Re: [Harp-L] harmonicas are not guitars

[Mike Fugazzi <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx>]

I also pick my combs based on feel and appearance.  If there was a part of 
the harp I'd pick simply on looks, it would be the comb, lol.  While I'd 
take an ugly harmonica the played great over an art project any day, you 
can't go wrong with a well-designed comb based on looks.  I have wood, 
dymonwood, pink ivory, and Corian combs on all my harps and basically 
decide what harp gets what comb based on looks, lol.  I prefer rounded 
tines that don't protrude and have specific desires for thickness, but the 
material I choose is basically a result of what it looks like and how it 
holds up.  The Sjoeberg design has wonderful tines and I would swear they 
impact the overall feel and performance of the harp - but having played 
them in more than one material, I would argue that is due to the shape of 
the chambers and not material.

When you mod the cover plates for looks, you definitely change the tone and 
timbre of the harp in a more noticeable way.  

On Monday, October 29, 2012 8:55:46 AM UTC-5, Mike Fugazzi wrote:
>
> Coverplates have more of a direct impact on "tone", IME.  If you have a 
> few different models from a company, you can try this out yourself.  For 
> example, take a Marine Band and try it with SP20 covers.  Then compare the 
> two to a harp without any covers on it.  Harps like the Promaster or 
> Firebreath have full-length covers, and they are coated.  That dampens a 
> lot of sound. I personally prefer open and vented covers.
>
> The second biggest bang for the buck, when comparing apples to apples, in 
> changing timbre and tone is the reed and reed slot work.  This is a VERY 
> personalized thing.
>
> IME, the change in tone and timbre when using an aftermarket comb 
> primarily comes from increased airtightness, although the overall 
> dimensions and design of a comb can change what the player hears.  IMO, the 
> change in PERFORMANCE from a custom comb is the most important factor to 
> consider, and not a change in tone.
>
> At SPAH a well known individual rudely interrupted a presentation I was 
> doing and asserted that combs had no impact on performance or tone.  He 
> asserted that you could use a peanut butter sandwich as a comb and as long 
> as the reed work was great it would play great as he turned around and 
> left.  While part of me assumes no malice and he just thought it humorous 
> to play devil's advocate for a minute, I felt compelled to prove this 
> assertion wrong.
>
> Rather than take a peanut butter sandwhich, I simply loosened the screws 
> on a harp to make it less air tight.  I played poorly compared to when it 
> was assembled correctly on a flat comb.  Having a leaky harp made it 
> impossible to overbend and the sound was much weaker and airier.  When 
> tightened, it overblew very well and sounded louder and more focused...the 
> comb was the same both times.  The change in tone and playability was 
> because I made the harp more airtight, and not because of comb material.
>
> Bottom line, I use combs based on performance and not tonal quality.  
>
>
> On Sunday, October 28, 2012 9:11:10 PM UTC-5, Shirley Rowe wrote:
>>
>> "So let me revise consider the example using an acoustic guitar. Is not 
>> the hollow wood body the house of the guitar and a major factor in the 
>> sound? Now take those strings and put them on a metal national resonator 
>> guitar... Does that not make a difference in sound? If you made an acoustic 
>> guitar from that comb plastic would it really sound beautiful and vibrant?" 
>>
>> Now you are in my world for nearly half a century. You are comparing 
>> apples and oranges in your theory. The resonator generates *some* of its 
>> sound by transferring string vibrations to one or three spun metal cones, 
>> and to the body cavity. There is no way to compare a wooden acoustic guitar 
>> to a resonator and reach any meaningful conclusion about sonic properties 
>> of the construction materials. A more proper comparison would be between a 
>> wooden bodied National and a brass or German silver bodied National of the 
>> same design. There's a lot going on under the hood of a reso that has no 
>> counterpart in the acoustic guitar world. To the average Joe, the metal 
>> body and wooden body resonators will sound very much alike (hence 
>> National's trademark "It's in the cone"). To me, one who can identify a '32 
>> National Duolian with one strum, they may as well have been built on 
>> different planets. I'm very much in tune to the extremely subtle 
>> differences. National guru Bob Brozman could probabl! 
>>  y tell you model, construction material, and maybe even serial number, 
>> from one strum. :). Material matters, but not as much as you might think. 
>> Playing technique makes a much bigger difference. Google up and read a poem 
>> titled Touch of the Master's Hand. 
>>
>> I personally love the sound of Crossovers (bamboo combs) and 1847 Nobels 
>> (don't know what the combs are), but can't stand the Firebreath and the 
>> Pure Harp (rosewood combs and rosewood cover plates on the Pure) because 
>> they have such a dark sound. I don't don't know if it is the combs, plates, 
>> reeds, or IFM that makes the difference. 
>>
>> I have no dog in this race. I just wanted to keep the comparisons on 
>> track. 
>>
>> Cheers! 
>>
>> Robert 
>>
>> I 
>>
>