Re: [Harp-L] Re: Harp players gear lists? blah blah longish

[Mike Wilbur <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just my thoughts about " sponsorship "
In my outdoor sports career ....I have used products that I would recommend because I believed in, preferred to use and recommended to clients.

I was frequently given products that I used regularly or sold to me at a reduced " pro " rate.

But honestly if I didn't believe in the product....I wouldn't use it because I wanted to have the
Better most practical equipment, even  when I had to pay retail prices.

In my hobby/ music life I have been lucky to get to know some outstanding professional musicians ....they almost all ( for the most part ) seem to continue to favor products that they
Believe in......but very probably do receive some favors , big and small.

That's not some NASCAR racer changing ball caps 7 times on the podium with logos
>From candy companies to Viagra.




Mike Wilbur



On Apr 13, 2014, at 10:07 AM, "Robert Laughlin" <harmonicaman1968@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> "And that brings us to the bigger issue: the implication in this post that pro harp players are shills for gear makers.  The short answer to that implication is that it's all wrong."
> 
> Actually, that statement sounds as credible as one nation's president stating, recently, that there "wasn't a smidgen of corruption in his administration's tax wing".
> 
> And with that, a harmonica joke:
> 
> Why did President Clinton choose to play saxophone?
> 
> Because he didn't want to harm-Monica.
> 
> Ba dump.
> 
> Robert, purveyor of questionable jokes for seedy joints.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Hunter" <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, April 13, 2014 5:58 AM
> Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Harp players gear lists? blah blah longish
> 
> 
>> Robert Laughlin wrote:
>>> 
>>>> I wonder if anyone has ever gone to the trouble of compiling a list of the
>>>> various preferred gear collection of working or non-working harpists?
>>>> 
>>>> It would be nice to compare, at a glance, who uses which harps, how many
>>>> artists use customized vs stock harps. Which artists are company
>>>> shills,,er,,I mean, sponsored by a particular company,,hehe.
>>>> 
>>>> I mean, realistically, at least here on harp-l, it seems that several of
>>>> the members are also reps for particular companies, so one has to take that
>>>> into account when deciding on whose advice to take, in making brand or
>>>> model choices.
>>>> 
>> 
>> At one time I ran a feature on my site called the Pro Pages, which (among other things) listed the gear choices of prominent players.  You can see what ran on those pages here:
>> http://www.hunterharp.com/propage1/
>> 
>> As you'll see on those pages, pros, like everybody else, use a wide range of gear.  At this point in time, harmonica players are interested in lots of different musical styles, and gear choices have never been more numerous, less expensive, or of higher quality, so it's no surprise that if you sample three pros, you'll find more than three different setups.
>> 
>> And that brings us to the bigger issue: the implication in this post that pro harp players are shills for gear makers.  The short answer to that implication is that it's all wrong.  When a pro harp player recommends a harp or an amp, it's not at all the same as J Lo appearing in a cosmetics ad.  J Lo doesn't have to rely on those cosmetics to get her through a performance; the harp player does.  If a piece of gear isn't effective, a pro won't keep using it.  When the pro discovers something that works better for him, he'll switch.  The switch is very rarely about which manufacturer is dangling the best deal; it's about what gear is inspiring the pro to great performances.  Pros who have a lot of intellectual curiosity, like Charlie Musselwhite, tend to try lots of different gear over the years.  Why not?  When the gear is getting better all the time, you might as well try it.
>> 
>> FYI, I make my own gear choices pretty plain on my site, and I am not sponsored by anyone.  Every piece of gear I use on stage and in studio was purchased with my own money.  I use the stuff because it inspires me, and I make the Digitech RP sounds I developed for my own use available to others in the hope that those sounds will inspire them too.
>> 
>> In the end, regardless of what a given pro is using, the gear you want is the gear that makes a sound that inspires you, whatever that sound is.
>> 
>> Regards, Richard Hunter
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> author, "Jazz Harp" (Oak Publications, NYC)
>> Latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://hunterharp.com
>> Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
>> Twitter: lightninrick 
> 
> 
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