Re: [Harp-L] re: Huang harps

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Jun 25, 2013, at 1:34 PM, martin oldsberg wrote:

> That´s a fair point, Giuseppe. 
>   But I may diverge from you insofar as that "the harp (per se) is a fairly inexpensive thing": This is true of you´re 
> 1) satisfied with one ("standrard") harmonica
> 2) don´t treat in a way that wears it out (not your way, I know, but certainly My Way),
> 3) find customization & all that jazz completely out of the question (I´m afraid even that is My Way, non-voluntarily),
> 4) don´t play a whole lot.

Oh..trust me Martin, I agree with you 100%. I always agree with you. See, her's how I grade harmonicas. I know this isn't scientific, but I will use price in lieu of no other method of differentiation. Let's say harps cost: $2.50, 3.75, 5.64, 8.46, 12.69, 19.04, 28.56, 42.84, 64.26, 96.40, 144.60, 216.90, etc. ad infinitum. lol. The first group of 3 are just that..a group of 3 toys. The middle 3 are marginal and maybe useful as stand by harps or glove box harps. The way 'I' see it, And this is just from personal experience, the irony here is that 'I' would suggest (only suggest) that a beginning or new player try their darndest to start with something in at the very least the $28.56 range. Anything less is going to be harder to work with. In other words, the person with the least mileage should use the most harp. 

 I happen to use harps in the 'next' 3. Mainly $29-64 dollars (18.5 to 42 pounds sterling). But I had to collect them one at a time. This is possible over several years, but
certainly not easy for some people. NOW I can buy anything out there. But I no longer need them. When I belonged to local 802 (N.Y.), I used Marine Bands. I worked in a deli for a dollar an hour. 

When I went on my own I was less than 18 and it was a struggle from that point. Then there was family, then a child with a birth defect, then remodeling to earn extra money, then then then....
> 
> If a fire starts in my apartment my first item to rescue is my briefcase with gigging harmonicas. There´s money there. (Then I make a quick return for the computer and some expensive booze -- the rest, well.)

> Huang has proven it´s value to me in a very concrete manner. About four years ago I took out four new D harps as practice instruments: one Marine Band, one LO, one called Folk Blues (cheap Chinese crap) and one Huang Silvertone. I thought I´d devote roughly the equal playing time to them all.
>   First to go: Marine Band (hole B9). Then Folk Blues (B6). Then LO (B9). They are all scrapped, long very long time ago.
>   The Silvertone still works, played it today. (Only a very light tune-up on 3D some months ago.)

I have no argument with that. If one gets a good harp or even has a good run of harps, this makes sense. I thought my Huang was better than my Folkmaster, but I still went back to spl-20s. You may have gotten new old stock from Rich. I think the earlier ones were better than the later ones. At least that's what I heard. 
>   
> As for "advanced" features, it easily lends itself to OB´s, beating the others by a long shot. Plays fast and smooth and -- lasts.
>   It cost about one third of the MB and LO, roughly the same as the Folk Blues (bought it online from Farrell, but it had been sitting in a drawer before use).
> 
> For me, the Harmonica Terminator, that´s a very persuasive aspect of the Huang. But yes, it sounds thin played acoustically -- but I happen to be of the firm opinion that a (diatonic) harmonica should always be played with microphone, cupped and EQ´ed and that evens out some of the tinnyness.
> 
> Wish they were still here.
> 
> A presto,
> Martin