Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] French harmonicas?

[philharpn@xxxxxxx]

no, I'm talking about diatonic. It was not chromatic. And it was not Slidemeister. 


Maybe I'll find the covers I had when I'm looking for something else.




-----Original Message-----
From: EGS1217 <EGS1217@xxxxxxx>
To: philharpn <philharpn@xxxxxxx>
Cc: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Sep 16, 2013 7:50 pm
Subject: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] French harmonicas?



Phil, I'm not sure if you might not mean the short while a guy who is a Slidemeister made custom sealed wood covers for 280/Super 64's (along with the screws to fit both chromatics), selling them on EBay for $40.00 a set? An unbelievably low price, to my mind.
 
 
I bought two sets--astonished when no one bid me up. They're gorgeous. I put the deeper toned (oak) set on my Super 64 and have used that one ever since. The light-coloured maple with tan veins are still pristine and being 'saved'. The woodworker's name is David Jacalone and he only made a few until tiring of it and deciding his time was better spent playing chromatic instead. I was very fortunate indeed.
 
 
When I first played my Super 64 with its new covers at a GSHC Club meeting, Charlie Toker asked (without looking up at my instrument), if I'd switched to a different chromatic since the sound (to him) was quite different. To MY ears too it's muted by the wood...not unpleasantly, but there's a clear difference. Charlie wasn't the only person to hear it...I have several Super 64's and can play the wood covered one 'side by side' with any of the others and hear a distinction. 
 
I feel I got the benefits of the Suzuki wood covers for a fraction of their cost. David's are also quite beautiful. Lucky me! :)
 
Elizabeth 
 
"Message: 2
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 13:49:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: philharpn@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] French harmonicas?
To: stpat95@xxxxxxxxxxx, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

Several years ago somebody was selling custom wooden harmonica covers -- and I may even have a couple in my harmonica archives -- but I don't recall what the covers did other than dress up the harrp. They sure did look nice. I don't know if they are still available. I couldn't find any trace of them.


I also don't recall anything about how wooden covers affected the sound. I suspect the covers might have dampened the sound somewhat -- more than the elusive wood-comb effect.


Now Gregoire Maret claims he gets a "beautiful dark sound" from wooden covers. I don't know this is the same fruitless path opened up by various comb materials although wooden covers provide more mass than a comb wood.


Seems to me the price was about $50 for a set of covers that fit special 20. But I can't recall.


The pricey ($795) (goldharps*com) Gregoire Maret signature model Suzuki G-48 chromatic with its rosewood cover gives a "beautiful dark sound." The harmonica Maret model with blue metal covers costs from $395 at to Amazon marketplace to $560 at eBayto $799 at Guitar Center, Music123 and Musicians friend, Woodwind & Brasswind and Wal-mart*com.

<http://www.goldharps.com/index.php?_a=product&product_id=25>;




The Suzuki G-48 harp with metal covers is $413-$427 and the wooden covers is $458 on eBay the day I looked at the page, indicating the covers were valued at about??


And I think what brodur has proved yet again: If you wait long enough somebody will again invest the wheel.
hope this helps,
Phil