Posted Tue, 07/07/2015 - 06:18 by David Barrett Admin
Longevity
The #1 killer of harmonicas is loud playing. Each reed vibrates at a fixed speed. As you play louder, the reed doesn't vibrate any faster, its arc increases, placing greater forces at its flex point (the base, at the rivet end), causing earlier metal fatigue. Custom harmonicas require less air to sound, and players will commonly play softer due to this, making custom harmonicas last longer that standard harmonicas.
Posted Fri, 07/03/2015 - 06:42 by David Barrett Admin
I'm often asked about the value of using custom harmonicas. Today I'll state why playing a custom harmonica is not necessary or may not be a good choice for you. On Monday I'll speak of why players (including myself) choose to play them.
1) Most professional players started moving to custom harmonicas in the 1990's due to the low quality of harmonicas being produced during that time. Construction and quality control is currently better than it's ever been in the harmonica's history... you no longer have to play a custom harmonica to be a great player. continue reading...