brass comb???

Hi George, good to hear from you.

Players who like to feel the weight of their instruments, prefer brass--making their little harmonica feel like a REAL musical instrument. There are numerous suppliers on the internet ...

Blue Moon Harmonicas have an excellent reputation amongst those in the serious harmonica community. Specifically, at only $49.95, their architectural brass comb is a good value. 

http://www.bluemoonharmonicas.com/combs/29

Rule of Thumb The more dense the comb material, the less energy (sound) will be lost (absorbed) into the comb; thereby, projecting more music to the listener.

The Listener Experience I have witnessed, and read about many, many "shoot outs" (some leading to fistacuffs ;o), where the audience was given the task of listening to the same player, perform the same lick, with the same set of reed plates and cover plates, but mounted to different comb materials (e.g. Pear wood, Bamboo, Exotic wood, Acrylic, Corian, Aluminum and Brass). The results were generally the same:

• When played acoustically, the combs with denser materials (e.g. brass) sounded brighter and tinny
• When properly played through a bullet mic and tube amp, the variance were inperceptable by most listeners

The Player's Experience Holding a brass comb harmonica and pressing it against your face (watch the teeth--ouch!), is an undeniable change in the harmonica player's experience. In addition to the weight factor, is the sonic experience--particularly those harmonicas with vented coverplates (including the Hohner Marine Band, Crossover, Thunderbird, and the Suzuki Manji). The vents are the four side openings: 2 on the blow and 2 on the draw cover plates. These vents act as "near field" monitors for the player, with the sonic waves projected directly into the player's cone of sound (not to be confused with Maxwell Smart's Cone of Silence). 

Conclusion As a Harp Tech, I find making enhancements to harmonicas FUN. If time, money and effort weigh heavily for you, then you have to ask yourself, "Is the priority to please me, or the listener"?

Your Harpsmith, Kinya

Be sure to let us know the results of your retrofit project.

Your Harpsmith, Kinya