[Harp-L] My Black Ops CBH arrived this week...

[Slim Heilpern <slim@xxxxxxxxxx>]

For all you chrom-heads out there....

A while back, Michael Easton posted that he'd come up with a new take on the CBH 2016. You send him your CBH and he works it over, sends it back with his custom Corian covers and mouthpiece. The key thing is that these covers don't have the original CBH segregated airflow chambers, which depending on your taste is either a wonderful improvement or a perversion of the CBH concept. I'm in the former camp. I love this axe!

I've always liked CBHs except for the back pressure when you work the slide, but I've always loved the slide (back pressure aside) and find the tone to be very sweet. Mike's "Black Ops" (he calls it that because "there is a CBH working under the covers") CBH is a joy to play. It looks terrific and it feels great to play it. Note that I've no special connection with Mike except as a happy customer.

In my case, I had him re-tune (since the original tuning would be too sharp with the new covers) and replace the windsavers (this axe was old and in need of same) and the result is a terrific harmonica, unlike anything else I've ever played. It's still just a harmonica, and it sounds just like me when I play it (as do all my harmonicas), but it's really an improvement (for me) over the factory CBH. 

I would also emphasize that the shape, with the new mouthpiece and covers, is very comfortable. Not as drastic as a CX12, but with a nice gentle curve. Very comfortable for both tongue-block and pucker. 

Here are some pics: http://slidemanslim.com/pix/BlackOps-CBH-Composite.jpg

Mike's website: http://harmonicarepair.com

Happy to field any questions....

- Slim. 

www.SlideManSlim.com