The last harmonica comb you will ever need…..
If you are looking for a harmonica comb that feels luxuriously smooth, is super easy to clean and looks professional and classy, read on….
Joe Spiers and I recently joined forces to make what we consider to be the ultimate harmonica comb. It is designed to fit Hohner Marine Bands, Marine Band Deluxe, Crossover, and Thunderbird harmonicas.
This has been a long time coming. Ever since i started building custom harmonicas back in the 90s, I have been frustrated with combs that tasted like brake shoes, took forever to smooth out or seal, had a finish that wore off, felt like I was dragging my tongue across a picket fence, weighed a ton if they were metal, tasted like metal if they were metal, or just generally pissed me off for one reason or another.
I finally blew a fuse trying to deal with combs and got into whatever it takes mode, and that is when Joe and I brainstormed on what we thought would be the harmonica perfect comb.
We wanted a conb that looked classy, was easy to clean, would not have a finish that would break down over time, and would fit the Hohner hand made series of harmonicas that are our main focus as customizers.
The first choice we made was to use pure black Corian.
Choosing a comb material has been a long, strange trip with many detours into ways of sealing stock combs, having custom combs made of exotic woods, metals, and other materials. Corian, made by the Dupont company started coming up in the radar over and over again. Randy Sandoval in California has been making corian combs for years, and other harmonica comb makers like Hetrick and Chris Reynolds have also made combs of corian.
The advantages of corian:
- It is certified kosher! This means it has passed strict tests for purity, and it is food safe.
- Corian is very easy to clean – lukewarm water and mild dish soap works great!
- Corian has no weird taste.
- It feels great when it is polished properly.
- It looks great.
It has the same basic focused bright sound as a sealed composite wood comb.
Once we got a big sheet of black corian, the next steps were: turn the design into computer code for CNC milling and find the right place to get the combs made. We took a chance on a machine shop near where Joe lives. The same machine shop that uses state of the art CNC milling equipment to make parts for the Kawasaki factory nearby. They turned out to be salt of the earth good people to work with. They are just plain great at doing things right the first time and on schedule.
The only thing we did not think of ahead of time is that pure black corian shows every little defect in the finish. Multicolored corian does a good job of masking little scratches and wobbly surfaces. So we had to figure out how to get as close to a flawless surface as possible. The cool thing about going for that level of finish means that we ended up with combs that are smoother than any comb I have ever played on.
I studied with a jeweler to learn how to create this silky smooth luster by polishing the combs in stages. The photos above give you some idea of what the combs look like, but you have to run your finger across this comb and put it to your lips to really get how smooth it feels…
How to make sure that your reed plates fit these combs:
The Marine Band Deluxe, Crossover, and Thunderbird harps all fit these combs with no change to the holes in the reed plates .
If you want corian combs for your 1896 Marine Band harmonicas (the ones put together with pearwood combs and nails), you need to make sure that they are the ones with the dated reed plates. There will be a four digit date stamp on the reed plates – for example, 1201 – December 2001 or 0898 – August 1998.This is the easiest way I know to identify the 1896 Marine Bands that are the perfect fit for these combs. If you are ordering combs for 1896 Marine bands, let me know and I will send you information on the easiest ways to set them up for corian combs.
There is only one thing you need to do to make the reed plates fit the corian combs perfectly. Sand the draw reed plates on the side that faces the reed plate (the side without reeds) This is a simple process that you can learn to do by watching the video below that I prepared for you on how to install a corian comb on your Crossover, MB Deluxe, or Thunderbird harmonicas.
Disclaimer: This video is not perfect. I am a harmonica technician, not a film maker. It gets the job done, but it ain’t Hollywood….
Click on the link below for a 12 minute video on preparing reed plates for air tight fit to the corian combs with simple hand tools:
corian comb swap video
One more thing- this comb is GUARANTEED: If you are not happy with this comb, send it back within 90 days and get a full refund.
How to order Lifetime Harmonica Combs:
Lifetime Harmonica combs are $47 each for 1 – 4 combs
5 for $200
Add $8 for shipping per order, $20 per order for international orders.
For international orders, use the paypal button below to make a deposit. I will contact you to give you the final balance including shipping.
Thanks!
PS -You have nothing to lose by trying this comb out. If you use this comb for Marine Bands that already are put together with screws, it takes about 15 minutes or less to flatten the lower reed plate and put in the corian comb. If you don’t fall in love with this comb, send it back and you get your money back. Fair enough?
