Gear

My C harp I've had the longest but I don't play particularly rough with it. I just took it apart 3 times because the 3 draw works one minute and then isn't vibrating the next. There's nothing inside, I wiped some of the dried spit off the comb with some isopropol alcohol and made sure the reed can still move, but it doesn't look as springy as the ones nearby.

How can I tell if the reed is blown out or can I try bending the reed back to get it more springy again? Where can I go to get a new reed if it needs one?

Hey it's my birthday next month and I want to buy a G and D harmonica to compliment my C Hoehner Marine Band and A Hoehner Crossover. I loved the laminated wood of the crossover, but the marine band wood has started to swell on me with pretty casual playing over the course of a year so I've been advised to get plastic combs moving forward. Plus the crossover was good quality but didn't think it was worth double the price of the marine band. continue reading...

I am working on an arrangement for the song "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" in G using a

Special 20 G and C. I switch back and forth a lot so I use a rubber band to hold the

harmonicas together with a small spacer between them. Does anyone know of a better

holder you can make or buy for a two harmonica type of song arrangement ?  Ron

I ordered one of these from Amazon and I'm very happy with using it for embossing and gapping.  It's only slightly bigger than an iPad.  It has a USB rechargeable battery so you can slip it in your harmonica case and take it with you to Starbucks or wherever you do your harp adjusting.  The plastic surface feels sturdy enough.  I'm sure it will scratch up easily but I don't think it matters.  Also it has an adjustable brightness level which is a huge plus for me.  I wouldn't get a light box without an adjustable brightness. continue reading...

A new offering from Eminence, as part of their British voiced "Red Coat" series, is the ten inch ceramic version of their Red Fang speaker which until now was only available with an expensive Alnico type magnet.  When this new speaker was announced at the 2015 NAMM show, I ordered a sample for test with our harp amps.  Comparison with the published frequency response of new and original speakers indicated more upper mid response with the ceramic speaker.  We then began testing it with the WEZO ME18 amp, against our current favorite harp speaker - the continue reading...

I recently purchased a combo pack with these two items.  The "French Tuner" is a MUST have for tuning reed plates off the comb.  So helpful and the stress it saves you from a half-ass assembly everytime you adjust or tune a reed will add years to your life. continue reading...

One of the best digital tuners that I've found for tuning harmonicas and perfecting/practicing bends is the SEIKO SAT800.  It has a backlight if needed for dark seedy venues or playing in the wee hours of the night.  Also will play back the note, tells you the exact +/- of cent (rather than guessing an approximation based on a needle), is super durable (aluminum and rubberized).  It's also the most stable needle I've found for digital tuners. continue reading...

Hi guys,I'm thinking about maybe getting a second mic to record with, eiter accoustic or amplified ambient room sound.I have an old sennheiser MD421 which is great, mainly for recording up close.So I guess I'd like to now what else I might get. I hear condenser mics are great (perhaps one with multiple polar patterns) but there's so much choice and so little information to find on what is suited for harmonica...Thanks and best regards,Nick

This is for anyone who might be interested in this type software. Hopefully this helps someone down the road.

- Me getting familiar with Riffstation & Audacity. The Jam Track is "Baby, Scratch My Back" Here's the original guitar solo unedited.

http://www.bluesharmonica.com/share/recordings/playing_riffstation_1

- Same Solo with everyother guitar phrase quieted/muted.

http://www.bluesharmonica.com/share/recordings/playing_riffstation_2 continue reading...

I just bought Riffstation and have begun using it with Audacity. Does anyone else have it?

Here's a link for those who don't know what the software does.

http://www.riffstation.com/index.html