[Harp-L] The "newest" Stradivarius of Harmonicas!

[philharpn@xxxxx]

The best way to understand this "new" harmonica is to study the patent:

Here is the abstract of that patent:

Harmonica and technology for retrofitting harmonica 
US 8847050 B1
ABSTRACT
A harmonica with a tube plate that provides production of sweeter, clearer notes with a minimum of skill. The tube plate has a plurality of tubes and sits over the reeds and the comb under the cover plate, a tube coupled with each air chamber in the comb. The tubes form tunnels with the air chambers, enhancing reverberation and separating the sound waves emanating from the reed in each chamber. The tube plate can be added to a conventional harmonica. The harmonica has a plurality of reed units, each reed in a separate unit. Each reed unit is individually replaced when a reed requires replacement or when modification of the harmonica key is desired. The reed units can replace a reed plate in a conventional harmonica.

Philip Sardo's patent deals with a diatonic harmonica, but the concept of adding an additional curved coverplates lining up with the comb chambers under the original coverplates ( top and bottom) would work equally well with a chromatic or diatonic harmonica. Whether this arrangement is feasible is another question.

The drawings that accompany the patent illustrate what this extra cover plate looks like.

<http://www.google.com/patents/US8847050>

I leave to the engineers on this list to determine whether the patent claims make any sense. 

The other improvement on the chromatic harmonicas is the use of two note reed plates for ease of swapping out worn out reeds, according to the Philharmonicas web site.  Now whether a double-reed plate can be swapped out as easily as changing strings on a guitar remains to be seen. 

On the Philharmonicas web site this "enclosed" reed channel system is compared to brass instruments. He tries to explain how this system works like brass horns, but it is clear he has no idea how a trumpet or cornet works. My horns are nothing like my harmonicas and these covers would probably not affect harp reeds the same way several feet of brass tubing and three valves affect the sound of a horn.  

As I recall, several attempts at "improving" the reed channels on chromatics have already been produced: Hohner CBH 2016 (out of production but reed plates are still available) and the Renaissance (Douglas Tate reached an agreement with Seydel to continue manufacturing).

So the concept of the improved channels is not new, just the fenders are. The current handmade Seydel Renaissance lists at $7,378.

I once briefly considered the purchase of a Renaissance back when the price was about $2,000-3,000 U.S. -- but didn't think I could justify the expense over the amount of time I would devote to playing it.

If anyone is worried about ordering a harp and never receiving it; then order a Renny from Seydel. It will cost more but Seydel has been around since 1847.


Will this harp work? WIll it be available? I just received my mini-bugle in C: it took over a month to import it.  And it's a small bugle, about half the size of standard bugle! I doubt this new harmonica will arrive within two days like Amazon.  There is a phone number on the site. Call the number, check the turnaround. Maybe some are already built. Lots of luck.

Phil Lloyd











-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Coble <robertpcoble at hotmail.com>
To: Harp-L <harp-l at harp-l.org>
Sent: Sat, May 7, 2016 12:51 am
Subject: [Harp-L] The "newest" Stradivarius of Harmonicas!


I just received an email from one Ron Wishnak touting the Psardo Chromatic 64. You too can pre-order for only 
$200.00 down payment, with the balance due and payable once it is actually manufactured at some point in the 
future. The Silver Elite lists for "only" $2195, and the Gold Bar for "only" $2695. Get on the priority pre-order list 
now, and for "only" another $2,000-$3,000 you too can be one of the first in line to. . .complain to the BBB about 
non-delivery?!?


No offense to Mr. Wishnak, who is probably a very well-intentioned businessman. Why do I envision him playing 
his innovative new line of harmonicas on an old tune called "The Road to Hell is paved with Good Intentions."


Link to the money quote: http://www.philharmonicas.com/preorder.html


Why do I have an uneasy feeling I've seen something similar before?!? Calling Brad Harrison. . .


If Mr. Wishnak is legitimate, I apologize in advance, but I would think that if he is familiar with the prior marketing 
of the B-Radical, he would eschew this business model.


Crazy (but not crazy enough to anticipate or participate by sending good money after bad) Bob