Tom Halchak joins me on episode 91.
Tom tells us how he grew his successful company, Blue Moon Harmonicas, started in 2009.
Tom started out selling custom combs, and then covers in different materials and colours. Tom went on to develop his customisation skills to offer fully fledged custom harmonicas using his Blue Moon product lines.
Tom also started offering pre-war Marine Band harmonicas for sale. These hand-crafted harps have stood the test of time and with some improvements by Tom, provide a playing experience which conjures the spirit of the players of the past.
As a result of his pre-war harmonicas trading, Tom now acts on behalf of the estate of Sonny Terry, offering Sonny’s actual harmonicas for sale, complete with the DNA of the great man himself, as well as a range of other memorabilia, such as concert posters and contracts.
Tom also prides himself in providing great service.
Links:
Blue Moon harmonicas:
https://bluemoonharmonicas.com/
Blue Moon Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BlueMoonHarmonicas
Sonny Terry harmonica collection:
https://bluemoonharmonicas.com/collections/sonny-terry-estate-llc
Videos:
Blue Moon instrumental by Whitt Smith:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NGES1uduek
Range of harps available at Blue Moon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXlrOo9qQKE
CNC Milling GM wood comb:
https://youtu.be/lhVFoRTDMjs
Jason Ricci video on Blue Moon products he uses:
https://youtu.be/PWrKgdGnhZE
Jason Ricci playing ‘Feel Good Funk’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSAvtxrTbcc
Custom combs for Big River:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcgQktZ8gDs
Adam Gussow appraisal of 150 of Sonny Terry’s harmonicas:
https://youtu.be/EDT4Xt70Omg
Sonny Terry tribute concert at SPAH 2016:
https://youtu.be/7ycKmefNKfg
Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com
Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB
or sign-up to a monthly subscription to the podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/995536/support
Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ
Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
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Tom is based in Clearwater, Florida, and runs the Blue Moon harmonica company
Business started out selling harmonica combs and how he started doing so
Discovered the online community of harmonica and people requesting custom combs and experience buying own comb
Started making own combs to sell, initially wood ones cut with a laser for Golden Melody, sold via eBay
Combs were pre-made, ready to ship e pre-made, ready to ship
Demand for the combs was instant and customers helped in the product development
Started making the combs for other models besides the Golden Melody
Tom’s day job was as a Financial Advisor, now retired, but liked to work with his hands and with wood
Why do harmonica players want new combs?
How do Blue Moon combs compare to stock combs from manufacturers
The equipment Tom uses to make the combs is prohibitive for the harmonica manufacturers
Uses a CNC milling machine to make the combs
The precise cutting from the CNC milling machine is firstly entered into 3D modelling software
The combs follow the same basic design as that from the manufacturers, but with some improvements made
The custom comb industry started to replace the unsealed pear wood Marine Band combs
Started using CNC Milling machine a year into production of the combs
Harmonica players are happy to pay for a quality instrument and to repair their existing harmonicas
Offers combs in 5 different materials, four of which are used by the major manufacturers
The opinion on what difference comb materials make is divided, with possibly people’s hearing the differentiator
Metal combs tend to be brighter, wood warmer, and plastic in the middle
Plastic combs look cool as can be designed with different colours and patterns
Blue Moon also sell custom covers, which come in various designs
Adding own designs to covers is possible, but cost prohibitive
What it takes to add a new comb, e.g. Golden Melody, to the Blue Moon product line
Didn’t make any profit for the first three years Blue Moon was in business
Posts new stock on Facebook page
Has mostly retired from day job and focuses now on Blue Moon
Tom is a classically trained clarinet player from his youth
Initially planned to sell wood combs to replace plastic combs and the demand for different colours to identify keys
Demand for different coloured combs gave Tom the idea to sell harmonica covers, using powder coating
Started buying used / nearly new harmonicas and selling them in a ‘chop shop’ format
Website created to start selling products instead of via eBay
Started offering custom harmonicas, no longer selling used harmonicas
Sold first batch of custom harmonica’s at a discount price to demonstrate them to his customer base
Developed a business relationship with Hohner and Suzuki to start customising their harmonicas
Early batches were just harmonicas with custom combs
Developed customisation skills to then start offering fully fledged custom harmonicas
Has some well known endorsers of Blue Moon products, including Jason Ricci and Rob Papparozzi
How Tom developed his working relationship with Jason Ricci
Jason approached Tom in 2015, initially for custom covers, and helped Tom develop harps set up for overdraws and overblows
Jason Ricci played at Tom’s daughter’s wedding, with Tom jamming with him during the gig
Blue Moon also sells pre-war Marine Bands, lovingly restored by Tom
The mystique of the pre-war harmonicas sent Tom on the hunt for them and found them in plentiful supply
The quality of the pre-war Marine Bands is high, as they were hand-made and they use softer brass
Can see what sort of music was played on the pre-wars by how they are tarnished
Get a sense of reverence playing the pre-wars
Modifications Tom makes to pre-wars are generally to seal comb and replace nails with screws
Reedwork carried out on the pre-wars
Very selective on which pre-wars he buys now, to ensure he gets the quality ones
How Tom came to hold the Sonny Terry estate to sell harmonicas from Sonny’s personal collection of harmonicas
It was thought Tom could fix-up the Sonny Terry harmonicas a little before making them available for sale, but Tom didn’t want to amend them at all
Also didn’t want to buy the estate, but just sell on behalf of the estate
Arranged for a number of the harmonicas to be gifted to people who have supported Sonny’s music
There’s an exhibit on Sonny Terry at the museum in Trossingen
The Sonny Terry harmonicas are available to buy via the Blue Moon website
People who buy them often share their stories of how they met or knew Sonny
Sold in a presentation case, but you can access them to hold and play
Provided with a certificate of authenticity
The harps come with Sonny’s DNA!
There was a Sonny Terry tribute concert at SPAH 2016, where some of the harmonicas from the estate were played
Some of the estate harmonicas have been used extensively, some hardly played at all
How many harmonicas were in the estate, how many sold and how many remain
What kind of condition are the harmonicas in, especially the ones Sonny used a lot
One person asked Tom to customise some of Sonny’s harps before purchasing
Doesn’t know what songs or concerts Sonny used any of the harps on
Also sells other memorabilia from the Sonny Terry estate, as Sonny’s wife collected lots of material from all the concerts, including contracts, clothing, cases, etc.
Tom’s own harmonica of choice: likes to try a range to check out his own wares, but Marine Band is probably the favourite
Offers Blue Moon harmonics in different tunings, and the ones Tom uses
Only sells 10 hole diatonics, not chromatics
The different tunings available via Blue Moon website
Tom offers great customer service
The online harmonica community is very supportive
Tom can help people with their GAS
