HARMONICASTER - The First True Electric Harmonica

After more than nine years of continuous development based on feedback (no pun intended) from many of the world's greatest harmonica players, I'm happy to announce that I'm taking orders on the all-new, completely reimagined Harmonicaster electric harmonica. A true electric instrument, with steel reeds and inductive magnetic pickups, not a microphone, it has a vibrant and exciting native tone, you can play as loudly as you want to without feedback (and use virtually any amp without worrying about too much gain or impedance matching issues), and it's compatible with effects devices and pedals, greatly expanding your tonal palette.

Based on Seydel's stainless steel reeds and custom Lace Alumitone pickups designed in close cooperation with Jeff Lace that are thin enough to fit inside our harmonicas, the Harmonicaster is a fully playable, professional harmonica, all bends included, and compatible with whatever embouchure you might use. Onboard volume, bass, and treble controls are at your fingertips, allowing for swells, vibrato, and tremolo effects. You can change keys in seconds, made even easier by color coded coverplates and combs, and our harmonicas securely latch to the control housing with embedded neodymium magnets.

Compact and lightweight, the ergonomically designed Harmonicaster system is about half the height of a bullet microphone, and weighs just 204 grams with a harmonica compared to about 350 grams for a JT-30 and 410 grams for a Green Bullet.

This is not meant to replace traditional cupped mic harmonica any more than the electric guitar replaced the acoustic guitar. While it didn't replace acoustics, the electric guitar took that instrument places where it hadn't been before and continues to create new sounds today. Likewise, think of the Harmonicaster as a new tool for your tonal toolbox. Just to be able to play as loudly as you want to in a live performance without worrying about howling feedback is something harmonica players have wanted since whoever it was that first cupped a harp to a microphone. Of course, if it didn't sound good it wouldn't matter if it didn't feed back, but the Harmonicaster has a musical, electric tone and that tone can be further shaped and crafted with the use of pedals and effects devices.

No, you can't use your own harmonicas. The Harmonicaster is a system. To begin with, most harmonicas are made with brass or bronze reeds and those simply won't work with electromagnetic pickups. Secondarily, Harmonicaster harmonicas are designed to accommodate the pickups and mate securely with the Harmonicaster pickup and control housing. Additionally, while we're using Seydel reeds, reedplates, and combs, Seydel is assembling them to our specifications to work with the Harmonicaster system.

"Made in the Motor City" - The Harmonicaster is assembled in the Detroit area, with domestic and imported components. The harmonica components come from Germany. The pickups are fabricated and assembled in the United States (with work done in Michigan, Nevada, and California). The control PCB and surface mount assembly is by JLC in China, with final assembly in Michigan. MG Chemicals' high-conductivity carbon-based shielding paint keeps things quiet and we use multi-contact Pure-Tone jacks for crackle-free performance. The plastic parts are made in our own shop and finished with a high gloss, durable, food-safe 2K automotive clear coat.

Retail price: $325 with one Harmonicaster harmonica in the key of A. Additional harmonicas (LF,G,Ab,A,Bb,C,D,Eb,E,F) are $85.

More details and ordering information at

http://www.harmonicaster.com

Thanks for your time,

Ronnie Schreiber
The Electric Harmonica Co.