Mirco
103 posts
Feb 16, 2014
7:45 AM
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How do I know when it's time to replace my harmonica? The first good harmonica I ever bought-- a SP20 in C-- is not responding as well as it has in the past. The 6+ takes more effort now.
This harp is about 1.5 years old, and I play probably an hour a day (but I use other keys, too).
Do harmonicas "go bad"?
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harp-er
527 posts
Feb 16, 2014
7:57 AM
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This may be a point at which learning a little about adjusting the reeds would make sense. It's not especially hard to do, and it seems that if you're gonna keep playing, it's something you almost have to do. There are any number of youtube videos on the subject.
Then there is the issue of how hard you play the harp. If it's lasted a year and a half and you haven't yet blown out a reed, I might be inclined to guess that you aren't playing harder than you need to, which is a good thing. Seems that it's pretty routine for beginners to blow out reeds because they just attack the harp too hard. If you're not doing that, you might just have a 6 reed that needs a little tweaking.
There are plenty of folks on this forum who will tell you they have harps they've been playing for years without destroying reeds, so how long a harp will last might be anywhere from a few days to decades. If you're not pounding the thing, and you're not blowing your heart out on stage, yours might last a good long time.
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arzajac
1285 posts
Feb 16, 2014
9:02 AM
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"The 6+ takes more effort now."
As far as figuring out what the problem is, that isn't very telling. But whatever it is, it's fixable. It can be made better than new. Probably not a reason to buy a new harp.
Have you taken it apart? Plink the reed? Look at it from the side. Compare it to a good reed. What can you see and hear?
If it's just a case of debris, you can clean it with some soap and water. If the reed is damaged, it can be replaced. Most people (like myself) who offer the service of replacing a reed, offer the service at a price that keeps the total cost of shipping (both ways) plus the actual service way below the cost of a new harp.
If the harp is a year and a half old, you probably will get back a harp that is in better condition than when you bought it.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Feb 16, 2014 9:04 AM
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Pistolcat
584 posts
Feb 16, 2014
9:44 AM
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I agree with what those above has said: It's time to give it some love. Take it apart, clean it with soap and water or put the reed plates in an ultrasound cleaner, check the gaps, blow octaves and listen for beats to check the tuning and soon. If you don't like to do it yourself: send it to a service man or woman.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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jiceblues
282 posts
Feb 16, 2014
9:52 AM
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You may have a small amount of "gunk" ( dried saliva) on the reed .Every six months or so , i do that with my most played harps :
i put the reed plates in a pan with 1/3 of white vinegar and 2/3 of water .
I let it boil for 7/10 minutes .
I take the reedplates off the pan (with a fork) and le them cool .
I rinse the reedplates with water...and they are like new !
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CWinter
104 posts
Feb 16, 2014
10:02 AM
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i put the reed plates in a pan with 1/3 of white vinegar and 2/3 of water .
I let it boil for 7/10 minutes .
I take the reedplates off the pan (with a fork) and le them cool .
I rinse the reedplates with water...and they are like new !
@Jiceblues
Really? You can put reedplates in boiling water, for 7 to 10 minutes, without damaging them?
Wouldn't they be plenty cleaned up in just a couple of minutes?
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Gnarly
902 posts
Feb 16, 2014
10:44 AM
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It never hurts to "plink" the reeds to make sure they are robust (you won't kill a reed plinking, but it detects the "walking dead") and to free any small debris that might be clogging the reed slot.
Gotta take it apart for the blow reeds, of course . . .
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Frank
3841 posts
Feb 16, 2014
11:07 AM
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How does the 3 -- 6 Octave sound?
If anything…I’m sure it could benefit from being tuned…
When you plink the reed (don’t be shy)> plink it good… And it easily looses its profile and lowers into the slot – that reed has served out it’s lifetime of service to you.
Never throw a harp out – Learn to fix them!
As mysterious as it may seem, it is not rocket science and it is a learnable skill that the average person can get good at with patience and practice.
There is information free and sold by some players that will show you what you need to know :)
Last Edited by Frank on Feb 16, 2014 11:39 AM
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arzajac
1286 posts
Feb 16, 2014
11:53 AM
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"Really? You can put reedplates in boiling water, for 7 to 10 minutes, without damaging them?
Wouldn't they be plenty cleaned up in just a couple of minutes?"
It's brass. You can boil it no problem.
I used to clean reed plates with products such as CLR and Brasso, but switched due to concerns about the environment to a solution of white vinegar (6%) and a big pinch of salt.
Exact same result - the reeds shine like new. The problem is, that sort of treatment is hard on the brass. I found that older/vintage harps lost a significant amount of power and tone after subjecting them to that. Now, I just clean with soap and water and/or a dunk in an ultrasonic cleaner. They don't shine but they work as they did before.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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jiceblues
283 posts
Feb 16, 2014
1:36 PM
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@ C Winter :
yes , i made that with my C SP20 5 ou 6 times .
The SP20 is 4 years old , is in tune and plays well .
I don't drop the plates in boiling water , but in cold water .5-7mn can be enough .And your plates are sanitized .A pro player told me this trick .
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Mirco
104 posts
Feb 16, 2014
9:16 PM
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Trying Jiceblues' vinegar and water boil now. I figured, as Frank said, that I already got my money's value out of this thing (after 1.5 years). So it won't hurt to try.
My difficulty in "plinking" reeds and doing any sort of work on my harps is that I am not sure what the ideal sound/ response should be from it. So I feel really unqualified to adjust the instrument. I probably need to order a custom harp from someone just so I can know what a "right" harp sounds and feels like.
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Gnarly
903 posts
Feb 16, 2014
10:07 PM
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Plinking should give you a bright tone, hopefully with some sustain. Don't try to bend the reed, unless you are sure it's a goner, then heck yeah, have some fun finishing it off.
As far as polishing reed plates, I have successfully gotten over wanting to "make them shine"--they don't play any better!
Cover plates are always worth cleaning up, that makes them play better sometimes . . .
Last Edited by Gnarly on Feb 16, 2014 10:40 PM
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SuperBee
1677 posts
Feb 16, 2014
10:40 PM
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i reckon i'd be cautious with that vinegar thing after what mr Zajac said. as in..i woudn't do it. i clean up harps from other people, prior to working on them, but i rarely go so far as to clean my own with liquids
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Gnarly
904 posts
Feb 16, 2014
10:53 PM
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I clean my harps, as well as those I do for others, with:
1. Hot water
2. Toothpaste (sometimes)
3. Steam gun (rarely)
And windsavers require a whole buncha stuff most of y'all don't care or need to know about.
Bottom line, you don't want to remove brass--and why fix what isn't wrong?
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Rubes
800 posts
Feb 17, 2014
1:11 AM
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You don't need to tune it...you don't need to boil the shit out of it...the guys are right you don't need to make it shine...but the plinking thing is right on, and if you're any sort of harmonica player , you can hear the note of the reed as it 'plinks', and compare it to the others as you go up/down the scale....
So..open it up, plink, address sick reed no.6 with all the aforementioned advice....or just send it to Andrew !!!!!
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
Benny and Rubes at Reverbnation
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jiceblues
284 posts
Feb 17, 2014
3:11 AM
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If the reed is full of gunk and rusted , it may change the pitch and sound bad .If you don't clean your plates and covers , you can "plink" for hours and your harp is still playin' bad .I made this for years and it works , but you can do as you want .I don't have any tuner , and a good way to hear if a reed has moved in pitch is to compare with the same reed , same key on a new harp(wich seeems to be well tuned by ear , of course) .I never sent my harps to anyone ,but i own a SP20 from JOE and another from Chromaticblues .I don't hear the difference in tuning , sorry .Maybe , my ears are too bad...loL....
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Gnarly
906 posts
Feb 17, 2014
7:59 AM
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@ jiceblues It's one thing to clean the reed and slot--it's another to polish the plate.
Oxidation on brass reed plates does not affect the sound.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Feb 17, 2014 7:59 AM
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jiceblues
285 posts
Feb 17, 2014
8:26 AM
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@Gnarly : i don't polish the lates , i don't polish the reeds , too .BTW , you can't clean the reeds without cleaning the plates ,doing my way .
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MP
3091 posts
Feb 17, 2014
10:27 AM
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As long as a harmonicas comb is sealed, and you don't back over your harp w/ your car, it can be maintained to be a great playing harp indefinitely.
I'm big on recycling. There is absolutely no good reason to junk a professional grade harmonica unless it is crushed and bent.
Little bags of new reeds from Hohner litter my work station. You or a repair guy can keep your harp as good or playing better than new longer than your lifespan. I kid you not.
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Affordable Reed Replacement
Marks Harmonica Tune-up
Click user name MP for contact info
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jiceblues
286 posts
Feb 17, 2014
11:35 AM
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MP is right .I noticed that tweaked and tuned ( by specialists) harps last much longer .
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Frank
3875 posts
Feb 21, 2014
5:11 PM
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Kinya Pollard (the HarpSmith) is a leading expert in the education of harmonica customizing. Ask questions regarding care & maintenance, setups, tuning and customization.
Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard
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SteamrollinStan
124 posts
Feb 21, 2014
9:19 PM
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Chuck it, get another, keep the old one for 'fixin'.(gosh this captcha thing is a pain in the backside)
Last Edited by SteamrollinStan on Feb 21, 2014 9:20 PM
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groyster1
2542 posts
Feb 22, 2014
12:05 PM
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there are many skilled harp docs on this forum....I have no need to"chuck `em"
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MP
3096 posts
Feb 22, 2014
1:05 PM
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Thanks jiceblues and groyster is right too. There is absolutely no good reason to 'chuck' a harp unless it's a Johnson Blues King or similar.
@ SteamrollinStan-
I copy and get ready to paste and copy again because of Captcha. It is rarely lets me in. Could it be a sign to get me to shut up and mind my own business? :-)
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Affordable Reed Replacement
Marks Harmonica Tune-up
Click user name MP for contact info
Last Edited by MP on Feb 22, 2014 1:08 PM
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groyster1
2543 posts
Feb 22, 2014
6:20 PM
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mark could replace a reed blindfolded or after 4 shots of single malt scotch...just sayin`
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SteamrollinStan
128 posts
Feb 23, 2014
12:29 AM
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@MP, yes.
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