Prototype custom chromatic harmonica Ended

I am looking for a skilled designer to help bring my harmonica concept to life. My goal is to create a new type of harmonica similar in size, shape, and materials to traditional models, but with customized spacing between the mouthpiece holes and custom tuning to improve playability and comfort.

You will be working from my concept ideas and transforming them into production-ready blueprints and CAD models suitable for metal fabrication or 3D printing. Ideally, you have experience in musical instrument design or modification, with a solid understanding of harmonica construction, airflow, and reed layout. Knowledge of ergonomics and comfortable instrument layout would be a big plus.

I would like to keep the budget at a maximum of $1300 CAD.

The harmonica will have a three-octave range from C3 up to B5, with no duplicate reeds.

The spacing between each hole on the mouthpiece will be equivalent to removing every second hole from a standard 16-hole chromatic, resulting in 20mm center-to-center spacing.

There will be nine holes total, with four notes per hole, although I am debating adding a tenth hole to include C6. The overall width should be approximately the same as an existing 16-hole chromatic.

The reedplate and reeds will need to be made of metal for their acoustic properties, but other parts of the instrument can be metal or another suitable material.

I anticipate that attaching the reeds to the reedplate to achieve their desired sound will be the most technically challenging aspect of the project. Would this be something best left to a specialized metal fabricator? This is my biggest concern, because once that is solved, the rest of the assembly should be straightforward with screws or pegs.

Please include examples of relevant design or instrument projects in your proposal.

I have included a standard 16-hole chromatic in both FCStd and STEP file formats, translated from German to English, which may serve as a helpful reference. I have also included the layout of the reeds themselves with two alternative patterns proposed. Finally, I have attached two diagrams to illustrate how the spacing and reed layout will work together with the slide plate.

I am aware that the final design will have limited chordal capabilities and will also be somewhat limited in terms of speed for melody playing. Future iterations will address these aspects.

Speaking of future iterations, I will give considerable thought to designers who would charge a fair price for modifications to future models. For reference, I am thinking approximately $100 CAD for something relatively simple, such as drafting a miniature one-octave model, or as much as $500 CAD for a bass model that goes down to C2. I understand that lower-pitch reeds require special engineering considerations.

I hope to make the joy of playing simple melodies substantially more accessible, much like how the Wii brought gaming to a wider demographic.

Thank you for your consideration.

-Carlos read less