Reverend
1 post
Jul 26, 2016
11:58 AM
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Go ahead and laugh at the newbie, but I have a serious (at least to me) question.
Open heart surgery forced me to give up guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin and the like after right arm/neck damage from the surgery. So MyLady bought me a "vintage" Marine Band key of C for fathers day last month. I latched onto it like a dying man (sorry for the pun) and started blowing blues during the day. Most likely about an hour or 2 a day. Well, the 5 draw died today. :( Is this normal? Do you REALLY get 5 weeks out of a $45 harmonica? What model/brand would be better? Or do I just suck enough to ruin a perfectly good harp? Mine looked almost new when I got it, so no telling how much playing it had, but I suspect not that much.
HELP!!!! I thought I stumbled upon a viable replacement for my music. But I cant afford to blow out a good chunck of money that quickly!
Reverend
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Gnarly
1897 posts
Jul 26, 2016
12:12 PM
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5 Draw gets ruined a lot because you can't bend it like you would 2, 3, or 4.
If you have a digital tuner, look at the note when you blow 5, then notice that the draw is only a half step higher (E blow, F draw).
Put another way, there is no black key between those two notes.
Breaking reeds is part of the newbie experience, after a while you learn how to play without breaking reeds.
I am the Suzuki harmonica repair technician, our harps come with a one year warranty, so if you break it, we fix it free. Not over and over, obviously, but once, for sure!
Edit: I hope "vintage" doesn't mean "used", otherwise you are at the mercy of an unknown player's potentially bad habits!
Last Edited by Gnarly on Jul 26, 2016 12:16 PM
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Honkin On Bobo
1380 posts
Jul 26, 2016
12:53 PM
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At first, I used to blow 'em out all the time, Rev. And I wore it like a badge of honor, until the veterans here told me that it was because of my poor technique or excessive breath force on the harp (wink wink Barbeque Bob).
I don't blow 'em out nearly as often as before. Not sure if my technique has gotten better or I'm not playing as much. But I definitely still wail when I feel like wailing.
3, 4 and 5 were the main culprits.
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Reverend
2 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:14 PM
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Thanks guys....how long SHOULD a harmonica (played right) last?
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nacoran
9172 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:20 PM
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Like the others said, it's much more common for new players to blow out reeds. I've got some harps that I've had for 7 years or so. Part of it is not playing too hard (if you're playing amplified you can let the amp do the lifting) and part of it is not bending the notes to the floor. If you bend the reed farther than it is 'supposed'* to go it can stress them.
*Of course, originally, they weren't designed to be bent at all, but bending them to get the missing notes doesn't hurt them too much. It's just when you go farther than that that you get into trouble.
Lee Oskars have a reputation for being particularly rugged. The only L.O. I've ever destroyed was because I left it in the wash in a pair of jeans AND the cover happened to come off and a reed snagged on something. (It survived the first couple times I accidentally left it in the laundry.) And like Gnarly said, Suzukis have a warranty.
I think Seydel is pretty good about fixing harps that bust real quick, but I'm not sure on how quick real quick is and Hohner replaced a defective harp for me at no cost the one time I got a bad harp from them.
But, don't feel too bad. My friend used to spend $45 a pop on bass strings and your reeds should last a lot longer. Never throw out a busted harp. Keep em in a drawer and you can use them for spare parts, or when you get a handful you can send them in for repairs. There are several guys who will replace reeds for a lot less than a new harp- but it's not as economical if you send them one at a time because of the shipping costs.
Also, you say it was almost new... but you paid $45 for it? That's a steep price for a used harp. You can get a decent brand new one for that price.
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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Gnarly
1898 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:26 PM
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It's worth mentioning that the Suzuki instruments purchased direct from Japan do not have a US warranty.
So buy from a domestic vendor if you are in the US.
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Reverend
3 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:32 PM
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Sorry....I got it for $10. To replace it will be $45.
I think I may have to buy a few and try them out and stop wailing. lol
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Gnarly
1899 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:41 PM
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$10 for a Marine Band sounds great!
So don't throw it away, start a collection of "corpses".
Someday you will thank me.
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Owen Evans
172 posts
Jul 26, 2016
1:52 PM
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Hey Rev, don't forget you can have a reed replaced for a few bucks. Take it to your local harp mechanic & save the $ for another key like A or D or G etc. If there's no one locally, then Nate's advice is solid. By the way, the draw reed is on the bottom of the Marine Band with the reeds showing. Shine a bright light into the bottom of the harp & look & see if there's a hair caught in it. A beard or moustache hair can stop any reed from playing. Snag it out with a tweezers & it may be OK. Everyone always assumes the 5 draw reed is toast & rarely, it isn't! Good luck !
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Rubes
993 posts
Jul 26, 2016
3:20 PM
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...ok....hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha21
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Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
Dads in Space at Reverbnation
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1847
3589 posts
Jul 26, 2016
6:14 PM
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vintage
1. Too old to be considered modern, but not old enough to be considered antique. Often used to describe items for sale online such as ebay auctions or craigslist posts though may also be found in printed listings such as classified ads. Can also be a euphemism for "heavily used" items.
2. Retro, recently out of style with potential to make a comeback
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Goldbrick
1557 posts
Jul 26, 2016
6:15 PM
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Just call me Retro
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shakeylee
562 posts
Jul 26, 2016
7:02 PM
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If you buy a bushman or a Suzuki ,you can get replacement reed plates.
As a newer player ,until you develop breath control,you will blow out some reeds .
I find a great source for harps and parts to be Rockin ron's
Be sure to save the broken one ,to use as parts .
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www.shakeylee.com
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kudzurunner
6012 posts
Jul 27, 2016
2:13 AM
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Reverend: Welcome to the forum. No question is too big, too small, or too ridiculous to be answered here. You've gotten great advice so far.
A new Marine Band, BTW, costs $36 at Musicians Friend, and postage can't be too much.
Marine Band harp @ Musicians Friend
The truth is, if you got a used harp, there's absolutely no way of knowing what you were getting. If it was NOS (new old stock), which is to say an previously unused harp that's been sitting around in the box all these years, well, you got a good deal, but you're right: it shouldn't have blown out that fast. Sounds from your description like "latching onto it like a dying man" means blowing the heck out of it. When a beginner does that with the sort of non-optimized embouchure that a beginner has, you're applying all sorts of pressure to the reeds that a guy like me, who has been playing 40 years and plays very hard, doesn't apply to those same reeds. On the blow notes, for example, you might well have an embouchure that is pitched somewhere between neutral and the overpressure that I might use with pinpoint accuracy to engage an overblow. But if you blew very hard and indiscriminately like that (newbie expressiveness! wail on it!), you'd definitely encourage the reeds to go south.
Same on the draw notes. I rarely blow out the 5 draw, but it does happen.
Again, all this is moot given the fact that you were playing--or most likely playing--a used harp. Get a new one. Lighten up a little. How long THAT one lasts will give you a better sense of what's going on.
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mlefree
724 posts
Jul 27, 2016
3:10 AM
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Reverend, see how softly you can play with your new harp. It will last a long, long time.
And please let us know how you're doing. We might be able to help you along.
Good Luck and keep at it!
Michelle
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Last Edited by mlefree on Jul 27, 2016 3:11 AM
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The Iceman
2932 posts
Jul 27, 2016
5:54 AM
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You are bending "through the floor", which means that your bending technique is just slamming that reed past the point it needs to be for the bend.
There is a lot of discussion about this in past threads here...
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The Iceman
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Glass Harp Full
141 posts
Jul 27, 2016
6:21 AM
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Welcome to the forum.
As a beginner myself I've blown out my share of reeds so I wouldn't worry too much. As others have said try to use less breath force and work on technique.
I've found the Suzuki Bluesmaster and Harpmaster to be quite durable and both are reasonably priced.
Good luck and enjoy it!
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1847
3590 posts
Jul 27, 2016
8:05 AM
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the $36.00 dollar marine band is $45.00
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Reverend
4 posts
Jul 28, 2016
8:27 PM
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Guess MyLady got tired of me honking the old Marine Band. She came home with a Big River and a Hot Metal. Very different and very easy yo playable! Thank you guys for the kind words!
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shakeylee
563 posts
Jul 28, 2016
10:35 PM
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your lady has sense!!
mine tends to say"make sure you get a G,C,A&D,cause you know you're gonna need those " :)
good luck! you'll get there
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www.shakeylee.com
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MP
3376 posts
Jul 31, 2016
5:51 PM
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W/ reed replacement a harmonica will last indefinitely.
You can even have reeds of the same vintage brass -including pre-war brass w/ more lead in it- installed from certain customizers or plain old fix it guys.
I'd get it fixed and not blow so hard. You don't have to play wimpy; you can play loud w/out playing hard. Just avoid flooring the hell out of the harp on your bends.
I have two carry harps that are played daily. I never have problems with either of them unless it is lint, or a little cleaning. One is a Golden Melody w/ plates from the escutcheon pin era (70s) and a first run Crossover circa 2009. These harps both get more use than my gig harps.
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Have good day. M.A.P.
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Last Edited by MP on Jul 31, 2016 5:56 PM
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ME.HarpDoc
172 posts
Aug 01, 2016
10:59 AM
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Rev, If you follow the above advice, the Big River should do well for you. The Hot Metal is not highly praised by many Forum members. A piece of advice that served me well as a beginner (BTW you may notice there's a beginner's forum on this site) is to try different manufacturers and different models as you add harp keys to your collection. I too like the Suzuki Bluesmaster and Harpmaster. They're in a good price range and play well.
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