G'day Mbo,

Don't get nostalgic about wood body models. Plastic body combs were the greatest thing to ever happen to small harmonicas. In the '70s I played mainly harmonica in a big ramblimg bush band, here in Sydney and, by the end of a 4-hour gig, I had 4 bleeding patches on my lip area. This was because the wooden comb would swell up with moisture and the projecting corners wore away my face!

All this problem vanished when Hohner introduced 'Special 20's with plastic combs (~1978?) ... except that I had just discovered Taiwanese "Lark" harmonicas with plastic bodies ... and a 'sharper' tone (not pitch) that let me cut through all those accordions and concertinas that otherwise got credit for anything good that I did.

Regards,

Bob Bolton