Re: [Harp-L] B-Radical -- why is it great?

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I fear that along with his and customers losses, Brad has also lost the harmonica world as a place where he could belong and feel comfortable. Truly a shame.
As I don't think he has a malicious bone in his body. 
smo-joe  

On Mar 7, 2016, at 10:17 AM, Tom Halchak wrote:

> Vern:  Excellent assessment.  Like many, I watched the birth, struggle for
> life and ultimate death of Harrison Harmonicas with great interest.
> Indeed, it was a textbook example of "How Not to Start a Business".  I
> don't know whether or not it was a "Con Job".  That would imply a willful
> intent to defraud.  All the other information you present indicates
> incompetence.  Perhaps desperation led to something other than that as the
> situation digressed.  That said, I would not know Brad Harrison if he was
> standing in front of me so I can't speak for what his intentions were.
> Additionally, at least some of your opinions are based upon your
> observations of the photos and details on his website and you are certainly
> well known for having an eye for detail. So perhaps your instincts were
> right.
> 
> As for the playability of the B-Radicals, I have played a couple.  I have
> repaired the same one twice so in spite of the longitudinally milled reeds,
> they can and will fail.  Harrison's goal was to make "Out of the Box" harps
> that were as good as custom harmonicas. That was a bit of a stretch.  I
> have personally spoken with a few prominent customizers who were setting up
> the reed plates for Harrison.  OOTB implies that the harps would play great
> because of superior design, closer tolerances and better execution.   In
> reality, B-Radicals were/are good playing harps because the reed plates
> were being customized by some very competent reedsmiths.  A more accurate
> description would have been "Ready-Made Custom Harps" that could have been
> shipped immediately as opposed to custom harps that are built to order and
> could take some months to be delivered.  That is, assuming that they would
> have followed Vern's advice as detailed below.
> 
> Vern is absolutely correct that the manufacture of reed plates is pretty
> much "The holy Grail".  I've been making custom combs for over five years.
> That is relative child's play compared to making reed plates.  Cover plates
> are next.  I don't see them as being that big of a challenge.  Reed plates
> too, in and of themselves, are not complex.  However, the machinery needed
> to manufacture them is expensive and is a barrier to to entry for most.  As
> one who is inexorably moving in that direction and building my business one
> piece at a time I hope that Vern's formula for success is right on because
> it is pretty much what I am doing.
> 
> *âTom Halchak*
> *Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC*
> *P.O. Box 14401 Clearwater, FL 33766*
> *www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com <http://www.bluemoonharmonicas.com/>*
> *(727) 366-2608*