The Harmonicaster interview with Ronnie Schreiber

01:40 - Ronnie runs The Electric Harmonica Company, with it’s main product being the Harmonicaster: which employs guitar style pick-ups to amplify the harmonica

01:53 - The germ of the idea for the Harmonicaster came thirty years ago

02:03 - The Electric Harmonica Company is also developing a couple of other products besides the Harmonicaster

02:28 - How Ronnie developed there idea of the Harmonicaster after posting the idea on the Harp-l mailing list

03:17 - Technician Vern Smith created some steel reeds for Ronnie to use, as steel reeds didn’t exist then. Steel reeds were needed to make an electromagnetic instrument

03:29 - Ronnie lives in the Detroit area has been involved in the automobile industry all of his working life

03:52 - Contacted Lace Music, who manufacture pick-ups, who sent Ronnie a bass pick-up to experiment with, as that was the correct size

04:36 - The lack of available steel reeds for harmonicas hampered progress for several years until Seydel came along

05:30 - Peter Madcat Ruth and Jason Ricci both provided some encouragement in the early stages

06:17 - The first version of the Harmonicaster looked like a Viewmaster slide viewer

06:27 - Brendan Power has been providing advise to Ronnie over the years including the issue of pitch problems using pick-ups with harmonica

07:08 - Will Wilde also provided some input which lead to a mark two version of the Harmonicaster

07:48 - Ronnie realised he needed to design a pick-up that could fit inside the harmonica and Lace had an alumitone pick-up that was thin enough for the task

08:48 - How guitar pick-ups work

09:49 - The magnet in the pick-up needs to be the correct strength to function with a guitar, or in the case of with a harmonica, the steel reed

10:50 - Seydel provide some of the parts for the harmonicas that work with the Harmonicaster: the reeds, reed plates and combs from their Session Steel harmonicas

11:33 - Both reed plates on the custom harmonicas use are blow plates and perhaps there is no reason for having reed plates face different directions on standard harmonicas

12:03 - The rest of the components are mainly made by Ronnie using 3D printing

12:14 - Only custom harmonicas can be used with the Harmonicaster

12:28 - Steel reeds are needed because they’re magnetic

13:34 - Emulating the loud volume of an electric guitar on the small form factor of a harmonica

14:24 - More on the balance needed on the strength of the magnet

14:36 - James Antaki, the creator of the Turbo Harp, came up with the idea of using magnets to affect the vibration of the reeds

14:51 - Most people who have heard the Harmonicaster have liked the tone

15:38 - The custom harmonicas are acoustic harmonicas, and can be played as such, but aren’t quite as loud as normal acoustic harmonicas

15:48 - The reasons they’re not quite as a loud as a standard Seydel Sessions Steel

16:19 - Pick-ups are sensitive to the sustain of the reeds of the harmonica which some people noticed as an issue. Ronnie initially addressed with noise suppression but now uses foam dampeners

17:25 - Had previously discussed pitch challenges with Brendan Power

17:57 - Harmonica players love using their microphones and Ronnie doesn’t mean to replace mics with the Harmonicaster

18:59 - Has had to separate the negative criticism from positive comments about the Harmonicaster, such as not being able to use brass reeds

19:31 - Sound using the Harmonicaster is a little different than using a mic, but is still distinctly a harmonica sound

20:33 - The sound of the Harmonicaster can be shaped using effects pedals and EQ

20:45 - Sound of the Harmonicaster brings immediacy, vibrancy and volume

21:04 - A big advantage of the Harmonicaster is that it is highly resistant to feedback

21:20 - Ronnie uses a Boss Katana amp as his test rig

22:01 - Ronnie would love to be able to generate controlled feedback via the Harmonicaster

22:21 - Thinks the real major advantage is that it has a cool tone

22:30 - Other practical advantages are the ability to use it with the many available guitar effects pedals

22:53 - In his review Jonah Fox said there is no breathe noise and it can be used as an (almost) silent practise tool

23:20 - The pick-ups are ‘microphonic’ so keeps a natural microphone tone and can play the blues on the Harmonicaster

23:53 - The form factor of the Harmonicaster: is about the size of a Sony Walkman, and is a little wider than a diatonic harmonica

24:33 - Ronnie thinks it’s easier to hold than a mic and a harmonica

24:40 - Weight with the harmonica is around 200 grams, which is less than a JT30 or Green Bullet with a harmonica

25:14 - The shape of the Harmonicaster is not round like a standard harmonica mic

25:30 - Hold the Harmonicaster housing and not the harmonica when playing it, unlike using a mic

25:44 - Fits in the hand nicely and the controls are accessible with fingers on top of Harmonicaster

26:16 - Jack socket is located on the bottom

26:34 - Can’t use hand effects but you can use a wah pedal and volume swells

27:39 - The three control switches are volume, treble and bass

27:45 - Also a bypass toggle switch on top which provides more output and is brighter on one of the settings

28:36 - Originally had two types of pick-up via the bypass switch, but they are removed now as didn’t hear a lot of difference between them

29:56 - The back of the Harmonicaster has a car grille design due to Ronnie’s Detroit car connections

30:06 - Opens up the world of guitar effects pedal possibilities

31:48 - Why you can use more effects pedals with the Harmonicaster than a harmonica mic

32:19 - Doesn’t work well with a fuzz pedal due to the raspy nature of the harmonica

32:57 - One of Ronnie’s favourite pedals is the Keeley 30MS automatic double tracker, as used by the Beatles

33:45 - Ronnie isn’t that strong a harmonica player, just like Leon Fender wasn’t that great a guitar player, and the players who have supported him are not endorsers of the Harmonicaster

34:23 - The Harmonicaster is there to provide the opportunity to discover new sounds on the harmonica

35:47 - Can use any guitar amp, and without the need to lower the gain by swapping the pre-amp tubes

36:42 - Can plug the Harmonicaster straight into a DI box

36:50 - Ronnie’s hopes are that the Harmonicaster is used by some players and customer feedback has been good

37:23 - The cost of the Harmonicaster with one harp is $325

37:35 - The cost of additional harps is $85 each

39:09 - The components which make up the cost

39:34 - Ronnie is going to use a different magnet to create more output to make the Harmonicaster louder

41:57 - The new magnet allows the Harmonicaster to have differently voiced pick-ups

42:24 - People may be able to change the pick-up themselves if they have some basic skills

44:02 - The Electric Harmonica Company is developing an anti-feedback pedal

45:40 - The Electric Harmonica Company is also developing a harmonica microphone

47:00 - Long term plans for The Electric Harmonica Company

47:42 - Sees the Harmonicaster as a boutique luthier type product, which are made to order

47:53 - The Harmonicaster can be customised because they are 3D printed

48:02 - The harmonicas are colour coded to the keys

48:46 - Can’t make The Harmonicaster any smaller

49:37 - Summary of what The Harmonicaster can bring as a ‘new tool to your tonal toolbox’, just as a guitar player has multiple options

51:33 - Ronnie welcomes all innovations which can move the harmonica forwards

51:57 - Ronnie enjoys the sharing nature of the harmonica community

52:58 - Amusing that the most famous harmonica players are generally disrespected by harmonica players, e.g. Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan