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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > breakin' in LO's
breakin' in LO's
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jiceblues
351 posts
Dec 18, 2014
4:59 AM
This a question for those who have played LO's for a long time, in other words those who have played a lot of hours on LO's .
Do you think LO's take much more time to break in than other brands , for ex a MB or a SP20 ?
I know some people think that "to break in " is not a reality , but i believe it is .
ted burke
36 posts
Dec 18, 2014
6:49 AM
I found that lower keys, G and A and Am, took some TLC when I first started playing them. I had to adjust my attack from what I usually with Hohners or Suzukis. The higher keys, C,D,Bf,E,etc, were fine OOTB, in my experience.

edit: To amend what I've said , the higher keys of E , Eb and F were a bit "tight" and could choke on single notes if I played them too hard. Adjusting my approach to the instruments helped a lot.
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Ted Burke
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Last Edited by ted burke on Dec 18, 2014 7:06 AM
jiceblues
352 posts
Dec 18, 2014
6:59 AM
Thank you Ted .
chromaticblues
1640 posts
Dec 18, 2014
9:08 AM
I think it's a good idea to take it easy at first with any harp and get a feel for it. I think the breaking in period is more you getting use to the harp then the harp responding to you.
This is only with good air tight harps (LO).
Now Marine Bands aren't the same because the wood sweels and gunk seals the inside up and it plays better after a while.
dougharps
787 posts
Dec 18, 2014
10:19 AM
I am a break-in unbeliever.

I played exclusively LOs for years, and still use them on occasion. They are like any other brand and model, each having their own quirks.

I do believe that we adjust ourselves to the instrument, so perhaps that period of adjustment is the "break-in." If playing it seems very different than the previous harp or other harps of whatever key, I adjust gaps to my satisfaction to improve responsiveness and play on.
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Doug S.
jiceblues
353 posts
Dec 18, 2014
2:21 PM
Yes , adjust gaps may be the way to go .
I have a LO in C , five years old , works well , one in B , very old , works well , and one in D quite new .
The D feels like too tight and maybe needs gapping .
I suspect that LO's in higher keys need gapping .
harpwrench
947 posts
Dec 18, 2014
3:09 PM
This video shows the factory work, at around 1:49 the worker is gapping em by the handful. So yeah, higher keys might benefit from some more attention, lower keys too. I'm not slamming the product, just helping you see the reality of mass production.
http://youtu.be/gvpRtQC4U94
Barley Nectar
584 posts
Dec 18, 2014
4:55 PM
I don't break in my LO's, I just playum. New reed plates feel and sound really good to me. Not too sure how I compare to other players but my guess is I play harder, (more forceful) then most intermediate players. My personality may be entering into this also. I break in a new car like I stole it.!!! Lets GET IT ON...BN
nacoran
8166 posts
Dec 18, 2014
9:13 PM
I don't even really gap my LOs. They respond to the smallest amount of force of any of the harps I play. I can get decent bends off the bat, but I do notice they bend better after they've seen some playing time.

I'm not a practical overblower, so I don't know if it's different if you want to overblow.

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jiceblues
354 posts
Dec 19, 2014
3:28 AM
Nacoran , i don't overblow , and i notice too , that they bend better after certain time of playing .
I was just thinkin' that the LO reeds could be thicker than the MB reeds .I don't know .
Yes , JOE , i saw this vid .Clearly , there is no harp ootb well gapped , or it is the "luck of the draw" , as you say .
Thievin' Heathen
447 posts
Dec 20, 2014
11:27 AM
Everything I know about metallurgy and all things mechanical, which can probably fit on the head of a pin, makes me believe that reeds could only benefit from some type of break-in. If something is going to vibrate for a living, it seems logical that you should introduce it to it in a gradual fashion.

I will always wonder if I hit that 10 blow on that Session Steel too hard, too soon, but that sucker sure did crack.

If you want to be pleasantly surprised, plink the reeds on a Huang.
Harpaholic
571 posts
Dec 20, 2014
9:34 PM
I don't believe in breaking in any brand of harps.
I hammer on them right out of the box and I tend to move a lot of air.
One out of five harps will have a reed fail in a couple years of use, the rest need tuning adjustments after a couple years.

I started out breaking them in and in my case my harps had more reed failures in a shorter time period. I didn't have the control of the bends as well as I do now. IMO, stressing out the reeds when there new make for a longer reed life.

Last Edited by Harpaholic on Dec 20, 2014 9:39 PM
jiceblues
362 posts
Dec 21, 2014
2:05 AM
Interesting...i will try it , Harpaholic .


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