sound

A very cool website on how sound works. Thanks to Dr. Peter Egbert for sharing http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/waves-sound/

Why I don't like about volume controls...

1) The harmonica is a wind instrument... you control your volume with how much you breath through the instrument. Why do you need a volume control to control something that's part of the nature of the instrument? continue reading...

Once you've dialed in your amp to sound great for performance, turn the treble and mid up half a number. The tone we prefer is often too bassy and lacks the cut needed to be heard in performance. By bringing your treble and mid up half a number it provides a boost in the frequencies that make our sound more intelligible without sacrificing too much of the bassy tone we dig.

Comb material does not affect the the sound of your harmonica (assuming the comb is flat, making an even mating surface for the reed plate to the comb), but it does affect the feel. Choices are commonly plastic/resin, wood and metal. The issue of wood combs swelling is less of an issue these days. The most notorious in the past being the Hohner Marine Band, but they're now triple-sealed. What you'll notice the most is the hole spacing, beveling of the edge and every now and again the height (thickness). The new Hohner Rocker has noticeably larger holes than the Hohner Special 20. continue reading...