Easttop Forerunner 2, half-valved?
Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2023 1:39 am
Brendan has been a champion of the half-valved chromatics, which has stimulated my curiosity to take advantage of the extra bends that come with half-valving a chrome. (The way I understand it is that the missing valves give extra draw bends like a diatonic, the added valves allow blow bends).
I experimented once in half-valving one of my Hohner CX-12s (by removing some of the valves), but was not satisfied due to the non-optimal air tightness. I’m sure it would have been better if I acquired some Embossing skills to make it less leaky.
I noticed that the new “Easttop Forerunner 2” is a non-valved chrome, and seems to get pretty good reviews in regards to quality and air-tightness.
I am curious to perhaps take this non-valved chrome, and add some valves to half-valve it (for the advantages of the added blow bends with half-valving). If some attention has been placed on making it air tight without the valves, then half-valving this harmonica may be a better approach to creating a half-valved chrome, than removing valves from a fully valved chromatic.
I know that Brendan once offered his Gasket Valve system for the Forerunner 1 ( https://youtu.be/VQWO8bN6s6s?si=8KESiRgvvcVe8scS ), but these are not in stock anymore, and the new material for Brendans Gasket Valves haven’t rolled out to chromatics yet (as of Oct 2023).
I can do the half-valving myself, without Brendan’s Gasket system, but am still sitting on the fence.
Can anyone here offer their experience on how air-tight the Eastop Forerunner 2 chromatics are?
Please feel free to share any other experience or advice regarding half-valved chromatics or the EastTop ForeRunner 2 air-tightness and quality.
Thanks!
Marty Howe
References to Half-Valved Chromatics:
https://harp-l.org/pipermail/harp-l/200 ... 00436.html
https://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/bo ... 671745.htm
I experimented once in half-valving one of my Hohner CX-12s (by removing some of the valves), but was not satisfied due to the non-optimal air tightness. I’m sure it would have been better if I acquired some Embossing skills to make it less leaky.
I noticed that the new “Easttop Forerunner 2” is a non-valved chrome, and seems to get pretty good reviews in regards to quality and air-tightness.
I am curious to perhaps take this non-valved chrome, and add some valves to half-valve it (for the advantages of the added blow bends with half-valving). If some attention has been placed on making it air tight without the valves, then half-valving this harmonica may be a better approach to creating a half-valved chrome, than removing valves from a fully valved chromatic.
I know that Brendan once offered his Gasket Valve system for the Forerunner 1 ( https://youtu.be/VQWO8bN6s6s?si=8KESiRgvvcVe8scS ), but these are not in stock anymore, and the new material for Brendans Gasket Valves haven’t rolled out to chromatics yet (as of Oct 2023).
I can do the half-valving myself, without Brendan’s Gasket system, but am still sitting on the fence.
Can anyone here offer their experience on how air-tight the Eastop Forerunner 2 chromatics are?
Please feel free to share any other experience or advice regarding half-valved chromatics or the EastTop ForeRunner 2 air-tightness and quality.
Thanks!
Marty Howe
References to Half-Valved Chromatics:
https://harp-l.org/pipermail/harp-l/200 ... 00436.html
https://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/bo ... 671745.htm