Built to Order Double Reed Plate Special 20
Important Announcement
September 9, 2024
Effective immediately, I will not be accepting orders for Built-to-Order Custom Harmonicas until further notice. As of this moment, I have enough orders on my bench to keep me busy for at least the next 5-6 months. Given how busy my personal life and schedule will be for the rest of the year, it makes little sense to continue taking orders which will only push me further behind schedule.
This will not affect orders for Custom Combs, Custom Covers, Tools, Logo Wear or Sonny Terry Estate items. All that will be business as usual. Orders for those products will be shipped immediately. In addition, as we speak, I am in the process of adding some new products to my offerings. New comb materials. Exciting new colors. A line of tools for doing harmonica repair and customization.
After I am caught up, I to offer more Ready-to-Go Custom Harmonicas. I am not opposed to doing Built-to-Order Harps in the future, but I do think it will be on a much more limited basis than what I have done in the past.
My apologies if this catches you by surprise. I am at a point in my life when it is time for me to make some adjustments in the way I do business. It is time for me to draw a line in the sand and move forward.
Thank you for your understanding and your support.
Tom
Built to Order
Double Reed Plate Special 20
A Blue Moon Double Reed Plate Special 20 harmonica begins with a brand new a Hohner Special 20. We use a custom made component - a reedless reed plate - to increase the thickness of the reed plate. The thicker plate creates larger chambers formed by the reed slots. Larger chambers means that the amount of air moved as the reeds swing through the slots is greatly increased. The result is increased volume and improved responsiveness.
The Double Reed Plates are mounted on a specially designed Custom Blue Moon Comb, which has a deeper cavity to accommodate the thicker plates.
The Double Reed Plate Special 20’s are available in the keys of G, Ab, A, Bb, B and C. They can be ordered with you choice of Brass, Aluminum, Corian or Fancy Acrylic Combs.
The Standard Set-up for our harmonicas is a "Blues Set-up". These harmonicas are designed for playing Traditional Blues, Rock, Country, Gospel and Folk music. They feature the following upgrades:
- Installation of a Custom Blue Moon Comb
- Draw Plate flat sanded
- Full Slot Embossing
- Covers opened in the back
- Gaps adjusted for optimum response
- Reed profiles checked and shaped if necessary
- Tuned to Modern Compromise Temperament @ A=442Hz (alternate tunings available upon request)
Our Standard Blues Set-up is the harmonica of choice for the majority of players. Although we don't promote these harps as "Overblow Harps" the airtight construction and reed adjustments makes it very easy to Overblow the 4, 5 and 6. If you want a harp that can be played chromatically by use of Overblows and Overdraws, there is an additional charge for the extensive reedwork required to produce such a harmonica. In addition, a number of other alternate tunings, listed below, are available.
- Overblow/Overdraw Set-up - $50.00 (Extensive Reed Work to facilitation Overblows on holes 4, 5 and 6 and Overdraws on holes 7, 8, 9 and 10 which enable the harmonica to be played Chromatically)
- 7-Limit Just Intonation $ 0 (No charge) (Original Marine Band Tuning which features a flattened 5 and 9 draw to create rich full chords)
- Country Tuning $5.00 (5 Draw Reed raised one semi-tone)
- Paddy Richter Tuning $5.00 (3 Blow Reed raised one full tone)
- Natural Minor Tuning - $20.00 (2, 5 and 8 Blow Reeds; 3 and 7 Draw Reeds, lowered one semi-tone)
- Harmonic Minor Tuning - $20.00 (2, 5 and 8 Blow Reeds; 6 and 10 Draw Reeds, lowered one semi-tone)
Expected Delivery Date
Please note that the turnaround time on Custom Harmonicas is currently running about 6 months or perhaps longer. Unless a harmonica is listed as a “Ready-to-Go” harp, all custom harps are built to order, per the customer’s specifications. We keep an inventory of over 1,500 combs and about 400 new Hohner and/or Suzuki harmonicas on hand at all times. If it is listed on the website, we have it in stock. The wait time is not due to us making the combs or ordering the stock harp. It is simply that we are very, very busy and custom harps take time to build. Thank you in advance for your patience.
100 % Satisfaction Guarantee
Blue Moon Harmonicas LLC stands behind everything we offer with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If, for ANY REASON, you are not completely satisfied, please speak up. We will do everything in our power to make things right. That might include making adjustments to your custom harmonica, exchanging the product for something else or refunding your money. That is your call. We just want you to be happy. So, please do not hesitate to communicate with us.
One Year Comprehensive Warranty
Every Custom Harmonica comes with a Top to Bottom One Year Warranty. If ANYTHING goes wrong with your harp in the first year, we will fix it at NO CHARGE. This includes blown out reeds or anything else that can go wrong with a harp. After one year, we will service your harp for a flat rate of $25.00. That would include cleaning, tuning, replacing any blown out reeds and in general, making the harp look and play like the day you got it.