FastFourier
42 posts
Mar 03, 2018
7:58 AM
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All the sites I looked at that sell reed plate replacements sell them in pairs (bend and blow). Are there any harmonicas for which you can buy just one plate, either bend or blow? If a single reed goes bad, you only need to replace one of the plates. Please don't suggest that I replace the individual reeds, as replacing rivets exceeds my mechanical abilities (although if there is a harmonica with reeds that attach with screws and nuts, I might be able to handle that).
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WinslowYerxa
1523 posts
Mar 03, 2018
8:50 AM
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I think you mean draw and blow, not bend and blow.
You can knock rivets out, and then use tiny screws to replace reeds. I'm pretty hopeless with reinstalling rivets,but I can knock them out with a de-riveting tool, and then use a screw to replace the reed.
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FastFourier
43 posts
Mar 03, 2018
9:06 AM
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Oh right, draw and blow - my brain is on vacation.But if you put in a screw and but, doesn't this make the reed plate less flat than with rivets? And how could you possibly sand the plate flat in that case?
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SuperBee
5306 posts
Mar 03, 2018
11:45 AM
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That’s why i replace individual reeds.
The replacement reed plate deal is a racket (just my opinion)
Many people start by using screws to fasten new reeds. I did.
If it’s a draw reed, just snip the end of the screw and sand the back of the plate. Or cut a relief in the comb. Or if it’s a Sp20/session type of comb, the screw won’t get in the way anyway so just leave it. You can even put the screw in from th back and tighten a nut down onto the reed to secure it.
Just search using some suitable expression like ‘replace individual reed Harmonica’.
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SuperBee
5307 posts
Mar 03, 2018
11:47 AM
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Should add, you need to tap a thread into the hole. Personally I find replacing reeds using screws to fasten them is more technically demanding than using rivets, but I do understand why it’s popular
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Gnarly
2443 posts
Mar 03, 2018
12:04 PM
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Harmonica manufacturers make instruments to sell, not repair.
I like donor rivets, but screws are fine (if fiddly).
Plates are blessed relief to the less skilled, YMMV.
Nobody sells single reed plates--that I know of! Not in chromatic or tremolo either--AFAIK.
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SuperBee
5308 posts
Mar 03, 2018
12:09 PM
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Some manufacturers sell spare parts and produce videos and sell tools to facilitate the repair and maintenance process.
Some don’t.
Here is just one of the many videos available about replacement of individual reeds
I tried to fix the link but failed so here is the path instead
https://youtu.be/ddRhUOiY7Uk
Last Edited by SuperBee on Mar 03, 2018 2:15 PM
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FastFourier
44 posts
Mar 03, 2018
1:52 PM
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Thanks for all the feedback. I understand that replacing individual reeds is the best solution - but I have very poor fine motor skills, so what is for you a five-minute job would, for me, be a one-hour job that would probably result in me destroying the reed plate anyway. I now see that the only reasonable alternative for someone like me is to replace the entire reed plates.
@SuperBee The link you posted is broken. But I can find it, or similar links, by searching.
Last Edited by FastFourier on Mar 03, 2018 1:55 PM
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SuperBee
5309 posts
Mar 03, 2018
2:20 PM
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I understand there are reasons why an individual may not be able to do individual reed replacement.
These days there are a lot more people doing it though, and many will do repairs for others at a reasonable price. It can work out cheaper than replacing Reedplates.
It’s nice to know people who repair harps anyway; if you are replacing reedplates it’s possible a repairer would be interested in your scrap plates.
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hot4blues
105 posts
Mar 04, 2018
3:26 PM
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I saw a video not too long ago where this guy actually welded individual reeds to the reed plate. The end result looked far better than going through the process of drilling holes through the reeds and the plates then adding screws.
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Gnarly
2444 posts
Mar 04, 2018
10:40 PM
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I am less concerned with how it looks after a repair, and more interested in how well it plays.
The best part about replacing individual reeds is that you get your harp back. Every other note on the harp plays fine, it's just that one reed.
And it's probably a reed you are going to break again, but the next time you don't have to drill a hole (altho I prefer using the donor rivet on an SP20 or other MB harp).
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SuperBee
5310 posts
Mar 05, 2018
12:22 AM
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I reuse Seydel rivets, but not necessarily the one in the donor reed. I choose the best one I have.
I use new rivets in hohners, usually.
I’ve seen some of Neil Graham’s ‘roll your own’ rivets made from copper wire, but am yet to try it for myself
I agree functionality and ‘next time’ are important considerations.
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barbequebob
3483 posts
Mar 05, 2018
9:52 AM
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No manufacturer sells individual reed plates at all and people complain about them costing almost as much as brand new harp, The thing most people don't understand when they buy new harps is that retail outlets almost NEVER sell them at the MSRP, which means manufacturer's suggested retail price or the be more to the point, the actual FULL LIST PRICE of the instrument and the price they charge for the set of reed plates is half of THAT price. With some harps, like with the Hohner MS series, many of them use a reed plate that has a thickness of 0.90mm and for many years in the US, the only replacement you could get was for the set for the Cross Harp model, which uses a reed plate with a thickness of 1.05mm, and it's actually upgrading the harmonica and a Cross Harp model has a MUCH higher list price than a Blues Harp/BR/Pro Harp to begin with.
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Boston, MA
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Halffast
64 posts
Mar 06, 2018
6:22 AM
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One of the reasons I own a number of Lee Oskar harps is the price and availability of replacement reed plates . I get them off " Evilbay " for under $20 and sometimes lower . Actually have only needed to replace a couple but it was quick , handy , played well , and left me with some donor parts .
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MP
3563 posts
Mar 07, 2018
2:35 PM
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Yes FastFourier- I feel your pain. It's a rock and a hard place when you can't just buy a single reed plate. One of the ideas in the ill fated B-Rad biz was all the reeds were attached w/ screw posts and a player could just order a single reed from B-rad, unscrew the nut on the post, remove the offending reed, and put a brand new vertically milled brass reed in it's place.
When I use screws I always make screw posts using Seydel screws. Once the post is in place if the guy blows the reed again I can replace it fast. I do cut a small relief in MB type combs to accept the screw head. Mostly I just use rivets. Sometimes it's not a bad idea to buy a new harp. Just a thought... For the unskilled- me, and Bee and Gnarly fix individual reeds for people.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
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SuperBee
5314 posts
Mar 07, 2018
4:30 PM
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I’ve made a few posts like that MP. In fact, it was my preferred approach in some circumstances, but I generally didn’t do it if it meant taking a divot from the comb. I used to build posts for blow reeds and fasten down with a nut, but one of my customers told me he thought the post and nut might interfere with airflow.
My personal opinion is that it’s unlikely to make any difference but i respect the customer’s concern.
I use rivets whenever possible for the last couple of years, and if I need to use a screw on a blow reed I am minimising the bulk of hardware in the reed chamber
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FastFourier
48 posts
Mar 07, 2018
10:03 PM
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This is, for me, a very informative thread. I wonder how this would all play out if the economics of the harmonica were more like those of the clarinet. First, you would pay more like several hundred dollars for a high quality harmonica up front. But then, if a part failed - such as a valve on a clarinet - the cost of obtaining a new valve and installing it in the clarinet would be at least reasonable - and you wouldn't have to buy an old clarinet on eBay just to obtain one missing valve. If this were the case, the market for repairing harmonicas would be a lot more rational. I'm not saying this would make it any cheaper to maintain harmonicas than it is now - but at least there would be a rational market for harmonica repairs, so you wouldn't have to cannibalize old harmonicas for parts - or consider throwing away a harmonica as a cheaper option than having someone else replace a single reed for you.
Last Edited by FastFourier on Mar 07, 2018 10:07 PM
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SuperBee
5316 posts
Mar 08, 2018
5:36 AM
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I charge $15 and use new reeds I buy from the factory. I charge $5 for the second reed: sometimes a harp comes in with 2 bad, or 1 on the wAy. Forvthat $15 you get cleaning, repair and tuning. Repair with new parts where possible. I don’t like repairing Suzuki because I can’t get the new reeds. But in Seydel and Hohner (not Hohner MS) I get new reeds at quite reasonable prices. My charge is mainly for labour.
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groyster1
3121 posts
Mar 08, 2018
5:59 AM
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I really prefer to have single reed replacement done....Ive replaced reed plates on sp20s successfully but replacing the entire reed plate because of one bad reed just is not cost effective
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MP
3565 posts
Mar 08, 2018
6:26 PM
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Yeah Bee, I really don't mind the divot you make on MB type draw plates. I make it with an engraver so it's really small to accept the head. Then a drop of dental wax goes in the hole. Since nobody sees it I'm fine. But rivets ARE best in that situ.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
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hot4blues
107 posts
Mar 12, 2018
7:23 AM
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Superbee, I'll keep you in mind when I need work done on my Hohner chromatics. I'm all thumbs with using hand as well as power tools, but a whiz at computer hacking (the good side).
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SuperBee
5320 posts
Mar 12, 2018
1:04 PM
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Ha ha, I don’t do $15 repairs on chromatics, Hot4!
Strictly diatonic at that rate.
I’m sure you could find someone not too far from you to repair at a price which makes more sense than starting again with a new harp though. Chromatics have always been worth repairing.
With diatonics I found it difficult to find someone who would repair at a price which made sense. I found one fellow in my country who would replace my reeds for $80.
Even though I had a $90 instrument, that didn’t seem like value to me.
Eventually I decided to learn to mend my own. That really is the most viable approach on a value for money basis.
But also I knew that MP was doing repairs at very reasonable rates, and had I been in USA I would be queuing for him to mend my harps.
Nowadays in Australia there are a couple of other people I know who do affordable repairs.
The Facebook ‘harp repair’ group is one way to find repairers around the world. There are quite a few in USA
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MP
3566 posts
Mar 12, 2018
7:09 PM
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@Bee. Facebook huh? Good to know. I've noticed Facebook entering areas formerly only the province of YouTube and MBH type places.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
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SuperBee
5323 posts
Mar 13, 2018
3:03 PM
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Yeah MP, I think Greg Jones is the admin on that group, and mbh member Jim set it up. I think you’d enjoy it. Some good stuff is shared from time to time.
There is a pinned post where folk can advertise their service. It’s drawn a few chatty comments which make it less wieldy than intended but still pretty good.
On the whole I’d say Greg has done an excellent job to keep it focused on harp repair and not degenerate into opinion and banter.
You’d be a valued member there.
of course you did those first repairs for me but it was so inefficient with the currency conversion and the postage, I sent you every broken harp I had to try and maximise the value.
These days I understand better what a rotten bag I sent.
At the same time, that experience was inspirational and the beginning of a new hobby I’ve been enjoying very much. How satisfying it is to bring a good harp back for another go, to make a poorly-performing harp play so much better, to save a player thousands of dollars over a few years. And I’ve been privileged to work on some wonderful instruments and see the work of some great customisers up very close and personal.
I’ve been carrying the harp you built me with the Blue hetrick corian comb. That harp always puts me in mind of how I got started mending harps and all that has flowed from that. Funny how an object can encapsulate so many ideas. It’s kind of a talisman I guess
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MP
3567 posts
Mar 14, 2018
3:32 PM
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SuperBee- Greg Jones great guy! He sent me a Chromatic screw for my Super-64 at no charge cuz he's just like that. I can't believe you still keep that Hetrick combed harp! Was the comb a midnight blue that was speckled so it looked like a starry night sky w/out light pollution? It is gorgeous! If it is, I just found the hand operated drill press (no electicity)that I used to drill the comb w/ yesterday. I thought it was stolen or lost for good. Anyway... I broke the first comb. It was drilled and perfect. I bumped it w/ my elbow and it fell 3' and broke into 4 pieces. I ordered you another for $18 or $22 or something and drilled that guy too. I own one Corian but corian is a fragile comb material. It is a beautiful graphic blue Tom Halchack gave me; Tom is v. cool like Greg J.- I love it but I'm careful w/ it.
I've repaired several Corian combed harps. Even fully assembled, if dropped and the corner low end hits hard enough, the combs break where the least comb surface area is. That area is between #2 and #3 reed slots where one of the 3 reed plate screws go. That is the combs weakest point, not the #1 or #2 slot. This is due to the screw hole. Even so, I'd like a midnight blue star speckled Corian comb like I suspect you own Bee.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
Last Edited by MP on Mar 14, 2018 4:25 PM
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