I am starting to play guitar. I have an el cheapo neck rack, but I find it really uncomfortable to use. I have seen the flex rack. Does any one use one or any other types? Just after some opinions
Mornin'! I have the Hohner Flexrack, and though the price is crazy-high, nothing I've tried comes close. When you lock in the position you want, it is UNMOVING. That said, I still cannot play rack harp with the same thoughtless passion I achieve with my hands alone. ---------- www.thebluesprofessors.com
after 40 plus years of playing harp on a rack I can say the farmers foot drum harp rack is hands down the best out there for a diatonic harp. I have tried most all of them over the years, including the hohner flex rack. It is a piece of junk IMO compared to the farmer rack. I used the basic bob Dylan/jimmy reed rack most of my life and kept going back to it until I got the farmer rack. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I'll respectfully disagree with Walter about the Hohner Flexrack.
I don't think it's piece of junk at all;-)
Deak Harp seems to find it ok in this SPAH 2013 video:
It does say he's using a "modified Hohner Flex Rack" but from the closeups it looks stock and the mod may be referring to the mic and the gaffer tape.
Someone posted a video on Facebook of Deak playing in front of his store a week or so ago in Clarksdale at a festival and he's still using the Flexrack from what I could see so take that for what it's worth.
I do like the idea of the farmer, but it doesn't appear to suit my harp mic setup due to not being enough room for the the magnet attachment so I passed on spending the money to try it.
If I was doing acoustic only and blowing into my vocal mic I'd probably go for it as it's obviously slightly easier to swap harps. That said, as Mensh points out the flexrack is UNMOVING (which you can also see in the video with DeakH) so not sure how the farmer is in this regard. I like UNMOVING , but some people like a little give as well. Personal preference.
If you look at the flexrack vs the Farmer you will also notice that it's highly unlikely the farmer would work for Deak's harp setup. So it's important to understand each racks pro and cons for your particular use case. There is no "this harp rack is the one ring to rule them all" type solution.
Also this snipped reply I made from recent thread on Learning slide guitar and rack harp: http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/5242642.htm
re: cheap harp racks I don't recall advocating getting the most expensive rack available, which I think is the Sonnenschein SLK Harmonica Rack V2 at ~ us$155
The Hohner flexrack is about the same price as the Farmer ArchTop Harp Holder in the US$50-70 range (I got mine for ~us$50 here in Tokyo)
Below that you have the Lee OSkar, Hohner, chinese racks in the US$10-$25 range, of which I have bought many over the years and combined into very workable frankenracks.
If you really want to save money diy with Clothes Hanger Harmonica Holder
The problem with harp racks is it's very personal and takes some trial and error before you find what works for you - your playing style and your neck physiology have a huge impact. The cheaper ones have very limited adjustment options but you may find they fit your physiology ok (lucky!), but it only takes very small differences in a harp rack position to make big changes in playing effectiveness - at least I've found that recently. It took a while to get there for me, and I'm still learning.
Currently the FlexRack works for me, giving me an edge my cheapo frankenracks were missing. One of the main things for me was being able to get the harp in a good position without having to overstretch the neck, and be able to apply pressure to the harp (even a little) without the rack moving the harp away.
Paul: I agree with your response. I forget not everyone plays acoustic racked harp :-) Here are a couple of songs of my amplified harp rack. I use the cheapo Dylan rack with some pipe insulation attached and a small mic in one end and the other end stuffed closed for compression. It isn't very comfortable. I will have to search out my flex rack and see if the pipe insulation set up works better in it. Walter
amplified rack harp 2 ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
walter tore.... love your style.. not just your music, but your attitude towards life.. somebody has an alternative opinion.. and in spite of all your experience you are willing to try the new (old) idea...
you are a class act and an gem of an original musician as well.
walterharp: Thanks and I still dable with that mic you sent me. The book is done but the author has taken seriously ill and I am busier than ever with our relocation to Nevada, opening our own pizzeria that will continue my work training/employing people with disabilities. Music has become a very small part of my life for now. Luckily I am able to use it when it calls with no rust on my playing or recording technique. It is great to be at a point where layoff time improves it makes, it fresh and exciting to get back to it. I use to record a cd worth of songs a day, mostly on the weekends. Now I do maybe a cd worth of songs in a couple weeks. So the book is way back burner thing for now. The work to publish/advertise/distribute it is way to much for this time. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I took a standard Hohner neck rack and stripped it down and glued rare earth magnets to the bar. I like the ease of swapping out harps quickly and the magnets hold it on pretty well.
I also like a low profile look.
Knocking on 50s door, there is no real way I'm going to look cool, but I don't like the patient in traction appearance, either.
---------- Greg Jones 16:23 Custom Harmonicas greg@1623customharmonicas.com 1623customharmonicas.com
I bought my first rack back in about 1965--and I have bought several since then--always looking for a better one. Then, for the last few years, I've been using one of those expensive Sennehouser ones, and had no real reason to change, since that seemed to work for me.
Then, just recently, I bought a Farmer Foot Drums rack--and I have to say that it's the best one I ever used for just straight on functionality and ease of use. I still keep the Sennenhouser one handy in case I want to hook up a lot of contraptions like Deak does--but mostly the Farmer is the best--and SO easy to use and change harps. . . ----------
I suppose that's what happens when you think 'a head'...
I've been considering buying a rack for a while now - not so I can play another instrument, but so I can get some more practice in while I do household chores! Playing while vacuuming is great - no complaints from the wife or neighbours.
Currently I just hold the harmonica with my jaw alone, but I'm limited to single-handed work or breathing and chugging practice. I did consider the really cheap racks but I'm guessing they will be a false economy.
The flex rack was on my wish list - but for that price, I could get one or even two quality harmonicas....
The FlexRack is great, just not my preferred rack-- Blues Tools is supposed to be great, but I have never had one. I would try the Farmer one, but my current rack fits the bill, and I am not Stupid Rich . . .
Question for Walter and Oldwailer: does the Farmer arch rack give you plenty of height? Some racks I feel my chin is in my chest to play. ---------- And I Thank You !! KCz Backwoodz Bluz
I own the FlexRack, but find it to be too bulky for my taste, it makes me feel uncomfortable. Has anybody tried the Suzuki Professional Hands Free 10 Hole Harmonica Holder (SHH-10R)?
KC69: I find the farmer to fit great. The problem most people have when using a harp rack is they expect it to be an easy thing to master. The rack is the least important part of the equation. It is the time spent with it that leads to feeling comfortable. I remember doing countless modifications to my racks in my early days thinking that once I got the fit comfortable it would be a snap. None of the mods made it feel right. It was only after countless hours that it felt good. There are very few good rack players because most people that can play some guitar and some harp think putting them together will be easy. It isn't only because of the rack but mostly in developing the natural coordination between the two. Time spent is the key to it and most anything in life. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year in the Tunnel of Dreams Studio. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
the main issue i have with all the racks i have tried is they want to push away as you lean into them all i ever wanted was one that would lock in place it is not that much to ask for, just stay where i put it. it is now 2015 almost 50 years since we put a man on the moon. not much to ask for.
anyway, i use grolsh beer washers to lock the strap on my guitar, i use them as a pick, so it just seemed natural to put them on my rack. they do not look to spiffy, but they do work well. perhaps i should cut them down to size so they are a bit more unobtrusive.
Last Edited by 1847 on Apr 21, 2015 7:39 AM
Thanks Walter. Jimi Lee gave me that same advice a few years ago. I'm workin on it and musicians like yourself continue to inspire me. I do have several Farmer Foot Drum products. Very please with their products. Pete and his wife are great to work with. Walter: have you left Ohio yet? Sure would like to hang out once if you haven't! K.C 1847: I use some locks and washers that Jimi Lee turned me onto. nothing special, just seem to tighten well. I think some of the reason I push the harp away is the height of the rack. If my harp were a little higher, I don't think I would be pushing at it so much. T.J. Klay added a couple of extenders near the bottom lock for this problem. I may give that a shot. ---------- And I Thank You !! KCz Backwoodz Bluz
Last Edited by KC69 on Apr 21, 2015 7:47 AM
@gnarly "The FlexRack locks into place and will not move away from you. Then if you try to sing, you will have to do it thru a harmonica."
Not true. I use mine with a vocal mic just fine. I actually like the flexibility to sing and play through either one. You can mix on the fly just by changing your body position.
My setup with is not quite as constrained as Deak's and he's using both just fine as well.
The FlexRack positions the harmonica anywhere you like and locks. I like the harmonica in front of my mouth. I sing from the same orifice. If there is a harmonica there, and I am playing an instrument with my hands, I can't put my mouth on the mike.
My low range isn't very loud, if I don't "kiss the mike", you can't hear me. And the harmonica is so loud and shrill, if I turn the mike up, the beauty of the harp is lost.
can't find the one I bought on line years ago--maybe 15-20 years ago --anyway was made by a metal worker--is very solid--basically has 3/8" metal tubing around neck--with foam rapped afound it---not much move ment with foam--he had some screw on deal to hold harp-- i changed it over to standard sprinload--much faster--has 2 angle adjustments---can also adjust how far or close away from neck--so basically 3 adjustments on a rack that doesn't bounce around---- hope this helps---pt being jurry rig a custom eventually
