Re: custom diatonic harmonicas






>=20
> On Monday, September 15, 2003, at 11:08 AM, fjm wrote:
>=20
> > The last time I saw Steve live was 2 years ago at Buckeye, he was
> > playing stock harmonicas.=A0 He did have a Michael Easton repaired 280
> > chromatic but I don't think it was especially set up.=A0 I got a bunch o=
f
> > prewar stuff from Mike recently it was set up and tuned but not
> > tweaked.=A0 I think that's what Steve gets from Mike, but I'm not
> > certain.=A0 There's a big difference between that and arced reeds and
> > narrowed reed slots.=A0 fjm
>=20

I had previously worked on that 280 in Jan of 2000. I retuned it, replaced=20
the windsavers, fixed the comb and had Richard Sleigh help me with retooling=
 the=20
mouthpiece. Richard was teaching me chromatic repairs at the time.=20
 Steve drove to Buckeye with me in April of that year. Before the gig I gave=
=20
the harmonica a general cleaning and tuning checkup. The harmonica is all=20
original except windsavers. I reconditioned and retooled it so that all the=20=
notes=20
performed equally well up and down the harp with minimal air loss.   I use=20
that word customized cautiously as nothing was added to the harmonica that w=
asn't=20
already there. We just worked to bring out the best it had to offer.

I have 4 wood 280s I'm in the middle of setting up for Steve. There is a=20
certain resonance and decay time in the lower octave that Steve looks for in=
=20
choosing 280s. It took some time alone with him to learn to hear what he hea=
rs when=20
choosing a chromatic. There are a good many of his used chromatics that I=20
have to give back to him because that quality isn't present. If the reeds so=
und=20
unresponsive from the get go I don't waste my time on the rest of the harp.=20=
  =20

I don't attempt to "customize" prewars as fjm noted. There is a certain=20
connection with the past that remains intact when a prewar is left close to=20=
its=20
original state. Tweak yes. Bastardize no.=20

And no, I don't customize Steve's diatonics, but I have tuned and fixed a fe=
w=20
in the past.=20



Michael "Fathead" Easton
Chromatic and diatonic repair and restoration @
http://www.harmonicarepair.com






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