I offer two harmonicas that are not listed on my Custom Harmonica page. They are variations of my custom harmonicas.
BASIC CUSTOM
CAD$55 less than my Full Custom
RECONSTRUCTED / NRW harmonica™
Special 20/Rocket CAD$150
Marine Band Deluxe CAD$175
It's a little bit like going to a restaurant and ordering something that's not on the menu.
I try to tailor each instrument to your needs and I keep the Basic custom or NRW options open for specific cases.
I'd rather start the discussion with what a Full Custom can offer and suggest a Basic Custom if the player would not benefit at all from the extra customisation.
I used to feature my Basic Custom harmonicas along with my Full and Overbend custom harmonica as a budget friendly option. It's a great choice for a player who only ever uses second position.
But the truth is, I have found it difficult to start from a Basic custom harmonica and try to meet some extra needs beyond its intended scope.
I usually end up creating a custom harp that's an awful lot like a Full Custom, and that means I have spent the same amount of time and effort customising it as a Full Custom.
I'd love to keep doing things that way, but it's not sustainable.
It's not easy to tell a player who is really set on a Basic custom that I feel they would best be served with a Full Custom because it feels like I'm up-selling.
So my Basic Custom harmonicas are now an off-menu item. They are CAD$55 less than my Full Custom.
The other off-menu item is new: A Reconstructed or NRW harmonica™.
A Reconstructed NRW harmonica™ is not a custom harmonica because it does not feature high-performance reed work.
Whereas a custom harmonica does most of the work for you and is played with little effort, an NRW harmonica™ is played with regular breath force. As such it is the best choice for players who cannot use breath control.
Every player secretly hopes to "win the lottery" and get a "really good one" when they buy a new stock (non-customized) harp from the music store.
A Reconstructed NRW harp™ exceeds that expectation because attention is paid to every detail of its foundation as it is rebuilt. But it does not feature custom reed work (reed shaping). It aims to be powerful, consistent from top to bottom and in perfect tune.
My Reconstructed NRW harmonicas™ are CAD$150 to $175.
See more information about my custom harmonicas here (The Menu)