Custom Harmonicas
Hi David,
In the Tip of the Day forum one of the forum under "Custom Harmonicas - why are they really nice," one of the reasons is that one does not have to make much effort to make some notes sound. My questions are:
- Why don't manufacturers make them already easier to sound instead of requiring different air pressure for some holes?
- I thought that the costumization was to make some notes sound better to the taste of the player. Does this mean that the harmonica customizers make them sound all the same or all they care is to reduce the variation in air pressure?
- Why don't you custumize your own harmonica? Is it very difficult?
Thank you.
Best,
Anton
Thank you David, this all makes a lot of sense.
Just to make sure I understood it correctly, making harmonica play evenly is manufacturers commercial decision because it requires extra labor that would rise prices beyond what is optimal for business. As I poked around internet, it seems that there was a harmonica manufacturer, "B-radical" or something like that that went out of business precisely because they tried to manufacture harmonicas of too high quality or customizable. But it may be just a coincidence.
Cheers,
Anton
Hello Anton. They play well out of the box... fine adjustments just take more time, so yes, a commercial decision. B-radical had plenty of orders, but it was a combination of an amazingly difficult goal to achieve (the quality they were looking for) and poor business management (a lot of people never received their orders). Simply put... harmonicas out of the box play pretty darn well, but custom harmonicas, simply by the fact that someone puts a lot more time on them to finely adjust them, play even better.
David,
Thank you for clarifying and explaining it. It makes a lot of sense.
Kind regards,
Anton
David,
may i ask just a quick one related to this conversation above?
you mentioned that Joe knows your playing style (how hard of a player you are).
Would you disclose your playing style or is it more complex Or
Or could it look like : tongue blocking soft playing?
Thank you and sorry for this Luxus (nice to know) question
Sure, I'm happy to elaborate. Traditional blues harmonica is my playing style (which assumes TB), that's all Joe needed to know. Someone who's a loud player shouldn't play custom harmonicas, they'll destroy them :-)
Hello Anton. Answers below...
1) Harmonicas out of the box already play well (especially the Hohner Marine Band Crossover), but customizers can take them even further to making them play fantastic. It all gets down to labor cost. If you want a harmonica to be even more finely adjusted, you have to pay for it.
2) One of the properties of customization is to make them play evenly. There are are other areas they work on as well. The customizer will ask you what style of music you play, the embouchure(s) you use and how hard of a player you are. For me, Joe Filisko knows my playing style, so I gave him no direction, he just made me a great harmonica.
3) I prefer to spend my time on other things. It is a skill that you need to develop. Like all skills, it takes time to develop and the actual process of working on your harmonicas takes time. I prefer to spend the little time I have to be creative on lessons for you guys.