Header Graphic
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Lost My Virginity!
Lost My Virginity!
Login  |  Register
Page: 1

Danny Starwars
268 posts
Jun 24, 2015
12:58 PM
I finally took a harp apart last night.

I've taken the plates of heaps of times before, but that's it. I'd never even bothered to look at charts to know how many pieces make up a harp. I'd always left anything inside there in the 'too hard' basket.

Wow! Talk about easy peasy! I can see now how relatively easy it is to isolate parts to replace.

But - because I know many here not only do such things but are actually involved in producing and selling parts - just a few questions:

1) Is it really as easy as buying a compatible comb or reed-plate and just swapping them in?

2) I was thinking custom coloured combs would be cool for faster identification of keys in a pinch, but what are the real benefits of a custom comb over one that's in the harp when it's OOTB?

3) I live a million miles from nowhere (ask Brendan Power) and access to stuff is useless over here. Buying standard harps is pricey, and flasher models are criminal, cost-wise. Because of the small size of parts, would it be better to get into the habit of buying in parts and flashing up so-so models I can get here? Is that likely to be more cost effective?

4) To people who only buy parts (not sell); do you shop around or is it like finding a good hairdresser/doctor/mechanic - you find a good one and stick with them?

5) What would be an affordable basic tool set for someone like me? (Just starting out with some maintenance; not so knowledgeable about much more at this point).

Please excuse the noobiness of this thread! It was just seriously buzzy to find out how easy it is to take harps apart! *snickers at self*


----------
My YouTube Channel - Any Likes or Comments appreciated. :)

http://tinyurl.com/muchtcc

http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4danny
the_happy_honker
224 posts
Jun 24, 2015
1:12 PM
1) Yes, indeed!

2) Air-tightness can be markedly improved by installing a custom comb as generally they are guaranteed flat. But if the material on the stock comb can be sanded, you might try flat-sanding it. Arzajac and others have videos on doing this. Lipped plastic combs can be made more air-tight by making a gasket for the comb reedplate mating surface.
GMaj7
715 posts
Jun 24, 2015
2:53 PM
I think you could have used a better topic line for this thread.
----------
Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
arzajac
1657 posts
Jun 24, 2015
3:06 PM
Cheers!

1) Is it really as easy as buying a compatible comb or reed-plate and just swapping them in?

Sometimes. It depends on what you want to accomplish.


2) I was thinking custom coloured combs would be cool for faster identification of keys in a pinch, but what are the real benefits of a custom comb over one that's in the harp when it's OOTB?

The real benefit is airtightness. You can't mass produce combs that are flat. You can flatten a comb by hand if you are willing to do the work. A wooden comb will need to be sealed so it doesn't swell (and stays flat.)

Most of the time I put into making one comb involves making it flat. There's a lot of measuring involved.

3) I live a million miles from nowhere (ask Brendan Power) and access to stuff is useless over here. Buying standard harps is pricey, and flasher models are criminal, cost-wise. Because of the small size of parts, would it be better to get into the habit of buying in parts and flashing up so-so models I can get here? Is that likely to be more cost effective?

I gravitate towards harps that play better and I don't really care a lot about the looks of the harps I play. In general, flashier things cost more.


4) To people who only buy parts (not sell); do you shop around or is it like finding a good hairdresser/doctor/mechanic - you find a good one and stick with them?

(I sell) Those who sell and do a lousy job don't last. Everyone who is currently in the business and is having success is doing well because they realize how important it is to take care of the customer.


5) What would be an affordable basic tool set for someone like me? (Just starting out with some maintenance; not so knowledgeable about much more at this point).


- Something to plink with and a toothpick.
- A few simple screwdrivers
- A file or diamond-tip engraver for tuning along with a guitar tuner. The most important instrument to tune a harp is *you* (your mouth and your ears).
- 220 grit sandpaper and a flat surface (bathroom mirror or even a flat cutting board from the dollar store) This is to flatten the draw reed plate of every harp. The draw plate has the reeds on to bottom. The top surface is in contact with the comb. Irrespective of make/model, flattening this surface will have a positive impact on your harp.

So with just those tools, you can accomplish a lot!



----------


Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.

Last Edited by arzajac on Jun 24, 2015 3:08 PM
the_happy_honker
225 posts
Jun 24, 2015
3:19 PM
3) Blue Moon Harmonicas offers combs and powder-coated covers for many models. The appeal of custom covers is primarily esthetic. Turbolids, available for Special 20s, does change the sound a bit.
Danny Starwars
269 posts
Jun 24, 2015
3:30 PM
Thanks for all the info guys.

@arzajac - Ja, by 'flash' I meant just a harp that will play better than OOTB, but I know what you mean. Playability is paramount.

I've also seen that you sell toolkits; after I get through the basic stage I'll look at one of those :D


@the_happy_honker - Yeah, before I looked into it I thought custom combs must be ALL about looks. And then until I thought about it helping me identify harps, I didn't think looks were that important. I have such huge hands no one will ever ever see the harp ha!




----------
My YouTube Channel - Any Likes or Comments appreciated. :)

http://tinyurl.com/muchtcc

http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4danny
mlefree
324 posts
Jun 27, 2015
10:08 AM
I have a few inexpensive additions to your starter tool kit.

1) A set of feeler gauges from your local auto parts store. Brass if you can find them. These are slipped under reeds to support them while you work on them.

2) Several of the steel strips from those magnetic theft protection devices found glued inside DVD jewel cases, etc. Very handy as partial shims under reeds to help shape them and to clear foreign objects or areas where you've over-embossed and the reeds stick.

3) A white cloth and good light source. The white cloth is good for a work surface. It keeps small parts from bouncing around and getting lost and it makes a nice bright reflective surface (given that good light source such as a quality work lamp or halogen study lamp, etc.). That combination creates a bright background through which you can examine reed-reed plate tolerances, etc.

4) A pair of inexpensive high-power reading glasses, diopter 3 or more. Your naked eye just isn't good enough to see the fine detail encountered in reed work.

5) If you are handy with tools you can make a nice reed lifter/adjustment tool out of a 6" length of 1/8" (3mm) round brass stock, usually available at your local hardware store. Grind/sand one end to a blunt point and hammer/file the other to a blade shape like this:

Harmonica reed tool

Those additions to your tool kit will help a lot.

Now, your homework begins! It took me years and lots of studying any resource that gradually became available before I was proficient at working on harmonicas. And there is still a lot for me to learn. Joe Spier's video series is a good place to start for beginners:



Good luck and let us know how you progress.

Michelle

----------

SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com

Last Edited by mlefree on Jun 27, 2015 10:13 AM
mlefree
325 posts
Jun 27, 2015
10:11 AM
I should add that I also find your choice of thread titles to be both misleading and offensive.

Michelle

----------

SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
JInx
1046 posts
Jun 27, 2015
10:41 AM
Offensive? It's just a play on words, like 90% of all blues lyrics
----------

Last Edited by JInx on Jun 27, 2015 10:46 AM
Goldbrick
1060 posts
Jun 27, 2015
10:45 AM
What helped me was buying some cheap suzuki folkmasters and messing with them to get comfortable with mods. They arent bad harps for 10$ and took to gapping and embossing easily. Just go slow

cmon-- how is the thread title offensive ? get a grip please

You cant play a silly tin sandwich without a bit of humor
Rontana
129 posts
Jun 27, 2015
11:06 AM
Yup . . . all the videos already mentioned are a huge help (and . . . my sincere thanks to those who made them and provide them free of charge). Just learning to set the gaps a bit better can make quite a difference.

Like Goldbrick, my first experiments were on cheap harps.

For the record, I'm amused by your header. It's fine. Thin skin isn't healthy whether you're talkin' dermatologically or philosophically
----------
Marr's Guitars

Over a decade's experience designing, building & playing Cigar Box Guitars

Last Edited by Rontana on Jun 27, 2015 11:07 AM
shakeylee
308 posts
Jun 27, 2015
2:21 PM
danny,does your "too hard" basket have harps of the same brand or similar?

if you have ,say a pro harp and a manji,try switching reed plates from one to the other.

if you have a manji and a sp20 that are retired or broken,try putting the sp 20 cover plates on the manji or pro master.

have a suzuki folkmaster and a huang silvertone? there ya go.interchange their parts.

things like that,done with broken harmonicas,will teach you how to build custom harmonicas.
----------
www.shakeylee.com
Danny Starwars
278 posts
Jun 27, 2015
3:34 PM
Michelle, I sincerely apologise. I'll choose better titles in the future. Thanks for your input, too.

----------
My YouTube Channel - Any Likes or Comments appreciated. :)

http://tinyurl.com/muchtcc

http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4danny
Danny Starwars
279 posts
Jun 27, 2015
10:57 PM
Some neat and helpful stuff guys.


@shakeylee - Yah, sole - I began to think that after a few cleaning and gapping and tuning things, swapping parts would be a pretty (relatively easy) thing, providing the harps are compatible.

I don't know - it's been hard coming back to harp, sometimes I'm doing well and then I'm in a rut. In my country there isn't a lot available locally; if I learned a few things I could start offering a few basic customisations and see how that works out. In my country, the work would only be a labour of love/hobby, never become an income stream. But it would be grand, all the same.

I'm still quite ill, so I have a lot of down time. I could learn up stuff now and even if/when I return to work, I can do stuff on the side.

As WELL as keep leaning to play again! :D



----------
My YouTube Channel - Any Likes or Comments appreciated. :)

http://tinyurl.com/muchtcc

http://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help4danny
mlefree
326 posts
Jun 28, 2015
10:59 AM
Danny, your apology is graciously accepted. If I thought you had hidden meaning I wouldn't have made my little contribution.

And Jinx, I don't think I need to explain the difference between a blues song and posing a serious question and getting serious answers on a public forum.

Thanks,

Michelle

----------

SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
timeistight
1802 posts
Jun 28, 2015
3:25 PM
An alternate meaning for the word "virginity" is "the state of being naive, innocent, or inexperienced in a particular context, for example,
"his political virginity".

Danny's usage was correct and shouldn't be considered offensive.

(My captcha code starts with xxx. Weird, eh?)

Last Edited by timeistight on Jun 28, 2015 3:28 PM
nacoran
8564 posts
Jun 28, 2015
6:31 PM
Mlefree, I disagree that the comment is offensive, at least in terms of the forum rules. It's certainly mildly sexually suggestive, but I don't think it falls to the level of locker room comments, but it's not singling anyone out for ridicule, which is where we'd usually get involved. There is a bar somewhere for crudity, but it's a lot higher than for things that attack groups or individuals.

That said, members are always welcome to say when something offends them. It helps us notice things that sometimes might go unnoticed. If nothing else, it promotes understanding of where other people are coming from.

----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)

First Post- May 8, 2009
Littoral
1267 posts
Jun 28, 2015
6:46 PM
I really just want to take a moment to applaud the restraint of the forum members who just say no, and move on.

Last Edited by Littoral on Jun 28, 2015 6:46 PM
mlefree
327 posts
Jun 29, 2015
5:38 AM
Folks, it is no surprise that men and women often have different perspectives. Since this forum is so heavily skewed in terms of its gender cross-section, I often wonder what is the point of speaking up? I do anyway for various reasons fully expecting this sort of "Dirty South" response for my boldness.

I am acutely aware that this is a blues harp forum and not a knitting or crocheting one. But in terms of what might be considered offensive to women, you might ask yourselves how certain terminology would be perceived were your teenage daughters or Mama to be present. Then please feel free to use whatever language or terminology you like but it at least will be from an informed or enlightened viewpoint.

That is all.

Like Littoral says, let's move on. I have. :^)

Thanks,

Michelle

----------

SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com


Post a Message



(8192 Characters Left)


Modern Blues Harmonica supports

§The Jazz Foundation of America

and

§The Innocence Project

 

 

 

ADAM GUSSOW is an official endorser for HOHNER HARMONICAS