[Harp-L] Blue Moon Custom Harmonica praise

[Michael Rubin]

Thanks for the kind words!
Michael

On Sun, Jan 14, 2018 at 12:21 PM Tom Halchak <info at xxxxx>
wrote:

> First, Michael Rubin ? thank you for your kind words.  Everyone knows that
> you are an accomplished player and very well-respected teacher.  You
> obviously have played a lot of harps and have very high standards, so your
> praise means a lot to me.
>
>
> Fred S asked,
>
>
> ?Michael - Is this the double reed plate version?
>
> I have a Blue Moon Sp 20 in A single reed plate version. It is an excellent
>
> harp, but I am wondering if the double reed plate is the reason yours has
>
> amazing tone and volume???
>
>
> That is a very legitimate question.  A Double Reed Plate harp could be the
> reason for improved performance, but that is not the case here.  The harp I
> built for Michael is a traditional single reed plate harmonica.  In fact,
> it is a harp that is probably at least 4-5 years old.  It is one of the
> older ?Marine Band? Special 20s and not the new Progressive Series.  It had
> a fair amount of wear on it.  I do not think that the reed plates are any
> ?better? or different but I just thought I would mention it.  I cleaned up
> the reed plates, did a substantial amount of reed work and installed them
> on a custom Fancy Acrylic Blue Moon Comb.  And, to dress things up just a
> bit, I swapped out the covers, which had some wear, for a set of brand new
> Progressive Series covers with the backs fully opened (similar to The
> Rocket covers).    I know there are some doubters out there and I certainly
> do not mean to renew any debate about combs, but a CNC milled comb vs. an
> injection molded ABS comb can make a big difference in how airtight a harp
> is.  Other than that, it is just plain old fashioned paying attention to
> detail and good construction.
>
>
> Indeed, I have been offering Double Reed Plate Special 20s for going on
> three years and the response has been nothing short of fantastic.
> Certainly, I am not the first or only one to produce double reed plated
> harps.  What I bring to the table is a custom comb, specifically made to
> accommodate the thicker reed plates and a custom component for building the
> double reed plates as opposed to plucking the reeds off an old reed plate
> and using that.  It is a step up, in my humble opinion (no disrespect for
> those who do it ?the old-fashioned? way).  For me, I wanted to be able to
> deliver consistency.  If every harp I built was constructed from spare
> parts I had laying around, it would be difficult to produce identical
> harps.  By having components specifically made, you can engineer into the
> design some of the subtle modifications that must be done by hand using
> recycled reed plates.  It makes it easier for me to produce harps that
> look, feel and perform in a consistent fashion.
>
>
> Fred S also ponders, ?(or maybe Tom is getting even better at set up since
> I bought mine).?
>
>
> This is also a valid point.  With experience comes improvement.  Blue Moon
> has been in business for over seven years.  I started out making combs
> exclusively but began building harps after about two years.  You can get a
> Masters Degree at a major university in five years.  Harp building is no
> different from anything else ? playing music, sports, hairdressing, you
> name it ? when you do it over and over again, you get better at it.  In the
> past five years, I have built 1000?s of harps.  I hope I have gotten better.
>
> --
> *Tom Halchak*
> *Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC*
> *P.O. Box 14401 Clearwater, FL 33766*
>
> *www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com <http://www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com>**(727)
> 366-2608*
>
>
>