[Harp-L] Why Custom Harps (education)

["Abner Galdos" <cdgaldos@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

ok, I get it now.
Since I drive an old 83 van and have driven new cars I can tell the difference.  I was under the very wrong impression that players like your selves just bought harps and if  you wanted something special then you would customize.
I also understand the difference between a regular " First Time" electric guitar and a Fender.
You guys  continue to impressed the heck out of me again....
You all have open my eyes even more.


I have some names I can check, but if you can do me the favor and on line or off send me links to craftsmen that do customizing... I'm getting a small bonus and I always never know what to do with it.. it winds up in the bank and gets spent on nonsense stuff..

later I will tell you of my email conversation with David Barrett, and an "open mike" this pass Wednesday..

thanks

abner
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Bill Kumpe 
  To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Thursday, March 05, 2009 6:18 PM
  Subject: [Harp-L] Why Custom Harps


  I just had my first custom harp made.  Mike Peace, a wonderful Tulsa harp
  player and technician re-tuned a SP20 to Melody Maker tuning for me and I
  have to say it is the best harp I have ever played.  Period.  It is really
  several cuts above a perfect out of the box LO, SP20 or Suzuki BM.  As time
  and budget permits, I hope to have him "hot rod" several more for me.

  But, and perhaps the more experienced folks on the list can correct me on
  this if I am wrong, the in-between solution for a lot of us who can't
  justify a box full of custom harps is to (1) learn to select a good out of
  the box harp to start with (they are not all alike and some harps of the
  same model and even the same shipment play a lot better than others)  and
  (2) learn to work on the harps a little yourself.  Nothing major but enough
  to make them play to your liking.  I'm not talking about the level of tune
  up that a master craftsman gives a custom harp, just curling the reeds a
  little, etc. 

  Again, this is my opinion only and I am certainly open to correction, a GOOD
  out of the box LO, SP20 or Suzuki BM is a better harp than nine tenths of
  the people who buy them are players.  But, having said that, just like a
  guitar, a properly set up harp is MUCH easier to play and a harp set up by a
  pro is an absolute delight.

  Bill Kumpe
  Tulsa, Oklahoma   

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