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| Review by Ben Hewlett |
| Review by Ben Hewlett for National Harmonica Magazine in England. My advice - buy it and buy it immediately - it's riveting stuff. If you have ever had your harmonicas fixed by an expert you will know that they come back far better than they ever left the factory. It's a bit like buying a new car and leaving it with Michael Schumacher's mechanics for the weekend - total change! I suppose we should all take responsibility and learn about our instruments and how to get the best out of them so my take is try to fix, repair and modify them yourself and when you get in a mess then you can send it off to your favourite repairer. Rupert Oylser's videos are a revelation to a repair novice like me. I have always made a point of trying to learn from the experienced people and clearly Rupert is one of those. It is a joy to watch and will have you on the edge of your seat. He shows off his fine playing skills throughout and the video is marinated in his deadpan, understated humour. At one point however he threatens to grab an axe growling that he is a trained professional whilst holding up a roaring power saw in the other hand. 'Don't try this at home.' he snarls - dramatic stuff no mistake, but mostly it is calm, reassuring and measured. Volume 1 takes you through Tools (how to get or make them), Fixing stuck reeds, Playing techniques for lengthening harmonica life, Gapping, Tuning, Remounting Golden Melody and Marine reedplates with screws instead of those pesky pins. Volume 2 gives you Reed replacement using rivets and screws, Gasketing, Reed flattening, Extreme close gapping, Using beeswax and turbo tape to stop bend and squeal, Embossing, Tip Scooping, Radical reed reshaping, and a list of resources. The opening scene is a low C being played bathed in a golden glow showing all the reeds in action, then as Rupert talks with plaintive harp sounds in the background you are drawn in like a Disney production or the bit in at the start in the Waltons when a John-boy (as the old man) talks about the way it was, back then, on the mountain. The repairs and mods are all done on diatonics but he says most techniques will be the same for other types of harmonicas. Pictures are close up, clear and very understandable and the ideas he has are based on fifty years of playing and learning. I am sure even experienced tinkerers and their partners will feel perky in a whole new way with this video to keep them company during long summer evenings. |
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