[Harp-L] Harmonicaster Update

[Ronnie Schreiber <autothreads@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Yesterday I met with the designer at the 3D print shop that I'm working 
with to tweak the design of the P2 prototype before we do the first 
print, which we'll probably start tomorrow, so I hope to have it 
operational enough to start showing it to players by next week. The 
biggest issue so far has been an echo in the tone, but I'm pretty sure 
that's mostly due to how I made the P1, there are a lot of resonant 
pieces and things are pretty much sitting in an open maple box, and I'm 
cautiously optimistic that the changes we implemented will result in a 
clean tone. Also, though the P1 works well enough right now mechanically 
as a harmonica, the P2 should be more responsive, with an airtight flow 
path. It will also look like a commercial product, not something I put 
together in my basement woodshop.

I also had some concerns, because of the need for compactness, that the 
tone and volume controls and jack for a cable would be in the way of the 
player's hands, but the designer did a great job. We'll be using 
recessed thumbwheel potentiometers for the controls and an old-school 
Switchcraft 2501 mic connector. The connector takes up minimal space 
inside the chassis, the cable screws onto it securely, and adapters to 
1/4" phono plugs and jacks are readily available and fairly common in 
the harp world because of the popularity of vintage mics that use the 
same connector.

Ronnie Schreiber