The 5 hole draw on my A harp stopped working. It sounds like there is something stuck in there, but the 5 blow works. Here's a video of me playing the draw notes on holes 2-6 and then blowing in and out of the 5 hole:
take it apart and look? There really isn't another option. Might just need to clear something that got in there. Or perhaps push the reed up a bit with a toothpick. Unless it actually has cracked, in which case a new reed is in order.
Last Edited by on Jul 10, 2012 2:14 PM
Looks like a Marine Band, which would explain why you don't want to open it right off the bat.
Since it's the draw reed, you should be able to address this problem by only removing the bottom cover plate. The draw reeds sit on the outside of the comb, while the blow reeds sit in between the reedplate and the comb.
Pop off the covers with a paring knife and take a look at the reed on the five hole. You can try to plink it if you see thing obvious. I reckon there is something stuck that you should be able to remove. Pop the cover back on. If the cover is too loose (after maybe removing it a few times), you can break off a toothpick and shove a little splinter of wood in the small nail holes and then put the covers back. That will keep them on tight.
Man, all you guys that open Marine Bands with knives and razors sure scare the heck out of me :) Just stick a quarter in the back and twist! Works like a charm. Now you can open your harps anywhere, anytime (even on an airplane - just don't show anyone the exposed nails!) ... and if you don't have a quarter handy you can just busk for a while using your working reeds until someone tosses you one!
Thanks everyone, I appreciate your advice. I unfortunately was not very skilled at the repair and I'm afraid I've made the problem worse. This was my first time ever opening up a harmonica, so I'm going to consider it a learning experience. When I took off the cover plate, I noticed there was basically no gap between the 5 draw reed and the comb. I think that this was the problem. I tried several times to create a gap by prying at the reed with a tooth pick and an index card, and I finally got it to widen but by too much. This time the note sounded but was very out of tune. While trying to push the reed back down and narrow the gap I had created, I badly bent the reed out of shape. Now it won't make any sound other than a hiss. I've owned this harmonica for a couple years, so I don't feel too bad about replacing it. I'll keep it to experiment on and I'll know to be more careful next time. Thanks again.
Well, if it broke that easily, it may have been damaged by fatigue in the first place and the only option was replacement anyway.
A few people offer harp service and the going rate is $15 for a harp tune-up which includes a reed replacement. If your harp was only two years old, I would say it's worth it. You will get back a working, well-adjusted harp for less than an out-of-the box one.
Like Arzajac said, it's probably worth getting it repaired, but if you decide not to, well you have a perfect harp to experiment on. If you do get it fixed, you might still want to buy yourself a really cheap $5 harp to take apart and tinker with. You'll probably bust it, and tinkering with their thinner reeds isn't exactly the same as tinkering with a good harp, but it gets you familiar with the insides, which makes it easier to think straight the next time you have a harp open. (I still only really gap my harps and fix misaligned and jammed reeds, but that saves a lot of money.
By the way, anyone else out there who has a question about something on their harp that doesn't sound right- this is exactly how to ask for assistance. A video, or at least a sound clip makes it much easier to figure out what is wrong with it!
When I started working for Suzuki a couple of years ago, one of the first things I did was to take inventory of all the reed plates that had accumulated over the years of repairs. Guess which reed was most likely to be broken? I think it might have to do with not realizing that the 5 draw will only bend a little--folks try to bend it past where it will go, and eventually the little reed loses its ability to sound.
The 5 draw on my Bb is now starting to stick and I'm concerned the same thing is happening. It's not as bad as it was on the A harp in the video when I couldn't get any sound to come out, but there's a half-second delay between when I suck air through the harp and when the note comes out. Any ideas what's going on? I don't want to screw up another harmonica doing the wrong thing to fix it.
You might have something impeding the reed. A fibre for instance, a bit of fluff. Take the cover off and have a look. Failing that, run a little water through it. Seemed like your previous issue was probably a fractured reed. It wouldn't sound because it had collapsed into the slot. This doesn't seem like the same issue. When it sounds, is it still in tune? Or flat? Basically I don't think you broke that reed trying to fix it; I think it was broken and you discovered that when you tried to fix it. Sure this is 5 draw again, but it doesn't mean it's the same problem. You're the man on the ground there. Have a look, check for obvious stuff. ----------
I recently blew a 5 draw out on a suzuki folkmaster,which an extremely rare event for me but 5 draw bent will not give you any more notes so that may be related why that particular reed will not take much stress
