Blues Harmonica Woodshed: custom harmonicas (AG.7)

What's the difference between a hand-customized harmonica and a standard model? Your host, Adam Gussow, puts a Joe Spiers harp to the test.

If you're interested in Joe Spiers's custom harps--a real aficionado's harmonica--please visit his website:

http://www.spiersharmonicas.com/

Also in this video: news of several upcoming personal appearances by Gussow. For details and web addresses, hit this link:

http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/personal_appearances.html

If you'd like to learn how to play serious blues harmonica from the ground up, please visit my website, Modern Blues Harmonica:

http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• adam
• gussow
• blues
• harp
• harmonica
• custom

[bluesharp08]

The new Hohner Marine Band Harmonicas have come down in price but the comb is made with pressed wood and if you put water in to try and get the overblow notes it warps and the wood expands.

[KudzuRunner]

I've been saying for the past 30 years that it's a really bad idea to soak harps. It's like getting them addicted to heroin. They play better at first, then dry up, play a little worse. Repeat. Eventually the joy goes out of them and they crash and die.

[sw2sw2sw2]

Your Marine Bands were prob. playing better because they were humidified from your breath. The unsealed wood swells, creating a better seal. Too bad u don't have the time or inclination to join Harp-L. We learn a lot of good stuff.

ron

[KudzuRunner]

The humidity was certainly part of it, but not all of it.

[sw2sw2sw2]

Spiers is pronounced "Spires". The consensus among metallurgists and experts on Harp-L is that harps do not "break in". Apparently, it's a long standing myth. Thanks for all your videos. Love 'em.

ron

[KudzuRunner]

Thanks for the pronunciation correction. My bad.

The metallurgists and Harp-L experts are wrong. But then again, none of them has ever taken a brand-new Marine Band harp out of the box, literally, and played for three straight hours on the streets of Harlem, as I did many times. If they had, they would have discovered that the harp was playing MUCH better after three hours of brutally hard playing and spit. Most players either lack the chops or don't know what a broken-in harp feels like.

[AceOfHarps]

I just got 5 more custom harps by Joe Spiers, and I must say that thanks to his set-up for overdraws, his harps have changed my playing for the better, by opening up overdraw bend possibilities that are simply not possible on stock harps. Joe is definitely the man.

Thanks, Adam, for another great video. You rock!

[jrring]

In my opinion, from what i'm hearing in this video, the OTS harp sounds a bit muddier than the Spiers one. The Spiers harp also sounds like it has a louder projection.

[KudzuRunner]

This is the first time in 200 videos that I've said anything about custom harmonicas. Your comment is intriguing. As for my "stuff": I'm intentionally playing familiar stuff here, twice in a row, so that people can pay attention to the two different harmonicas (one cheap, the other expensive) rather than me. Have mercy!

[JimmyRimsphere]

This is awesome

[lizardmantsc]

@Tariqalhajri Gussow has a lesson where he opens up a harp and re-tunes and gaps it for hard fast playing. I cant quite rember which one but it was very early on (MBH 10 maybe?) But essentially if the reed is to low in pich you can scrape a little brass of the top of the reed, if its too high either scrape a little from the bottom or add some non led solder to the top. (a really tiny amount and it has to be breathable so careful with the solder,) good luck

[Tariqalhajri]

hey mr gussow thanks for the lessons, been playing for a month now thanks for the lessons, my c harp 4th draw seems to be out of tune, is there a way i can retune it by doing something with the reeds?

[ItzulCastillo]

imuy buena clase thanks!!!!!!

[richardson2602]

yo im playing guitar and harp at a gig all thanks to you  Adam Thank you!