Ready to treat myself to either a Crossover or Seydel Noble Silver.. Anyone still having problems with the Seydel catching mustache hairs.. That would totally stop me from purchasing it. Anyone have any thoughts on comparison of the Crossover vs Seydel?
In my opinion they aren't really comparable. The crossover is fantastic. If you like marine bands you will love it.
The 1847 is also fanatic, but it's a bit bigger than the crossover (which can be good or bad ... up to you)
I have been playing my 1847s ALOT lately and actually bought 2 more. C classic and another thats my custom build.
But the covers are the only ones that really snag my hairs. Some people have a problem with different models plates. Some will tell you crossovers do this, but not to me. Some have a problem with all plates. So idk, it depends who you ask i think. But that's my experience.
Also while the noble is a great harp, the comb can be a little grating at times. So maybe think about a classic or a silver. (I currently have 2 nobles and their great, i was just saying) also that will bring the prices a little closer together.
But i would think the general person would be happier with the crossover. Its really hard to say because harps are so subjective. I would get them both, eventually, and see which you like best.
Do you have any Marine bands or Seydel Session Harps? ----------
Thank you Killa...i currently have the Special 20 .. It plays great for me with no problems. I'm also concerned about any tweaking that either one may require OOTB. I have absolutely no idea what would have to be done, none of the necessary tools or how to go about doing it which is a bit of a concern.
Last Edited by Bones53 on Apr 29, 2016 3:45 AM
I've had a few snags with sessions and sp20s, but by far the worst has been the solist pro. 1847 has been ok. I can play the SOlistPro because it's way to snaggy. That's the only harp I find impossible to play for grabbing.
Bones first off i highly recommend you learn the inner workings of the harp. IMO they're isn't an ootb harp out there good enough to play without tweaking.
The hohner reeds are the easiest to learn on IMO. The seydel reeds are steel and will give you a bit more trouble at first.
I recommend learning on a cheap harp or even your special 20s.
Its also a big misconception that you need a"Custom Harp Tool Kit". I Make all my own tools. My tool kit probably cost me less than $20. Ive been wanting to Make a video for some time now to show people how to make their own tools and how i use them. Because people say way too often that they either don't have tools or are saving up for harp tools.
In a pinch an piece of paper and a toothpick will do fine.
Ill try to make a video to show yall how i do it.
But i think you might be disappointed with the 1847 because it's not a custom harp, it will also need to be tweaked. As will the crossover most likely. The sp20 and the manji are the two best ootb, imo.
I know this isn't what you want to hear. So if you want to treat yourself i would recommend the crossover. ----------
Killa.. That sounds like something many people would be interested in. You can start off showing what tools are needed and how to make them. Then take an OOTB harp and take us step by step in tweaking it. Assume a person is a complete novice and lead us through.
Bones - I'm pretty much a novice, but I love the 1847s (I have two Silvers). I will say that my stache hairs have caught on the covers on both ends of the harp. I think a small piece of tape to block the gap between cover and reed plate ought to do the trick but I haven't done it yet. Haven't had issues with the Session Steel or Blues Session; the coverplates are much blockier and don't have gaps on the edges.
Digital I LOVE the session steels. And I have the same issue with the 1847. I havent tried to fix it yet either, but surely it can be done.
Ok guys I was just going to do a tool video, but if you want a tweaking video also, i suppose i could do a quick and dirty version. Like just what you need to do to gap and stuff. But there are alot of videos out already on that sort of thing.
Ill post a short list of videos to check out.
check out Andrew Zajacs site
http://harp.andrewzajac.ca/blog/1
And Look on the right side of his homepage. Click on the links to see a few different techniques.
Like I said Theres alot of videos out there already, but i can try to make a few on doing the actual work. Im just not the best person for the job really.
I think you will get more from just having tools that can do the job.
If you learn to Gap your harps at the very least, this will go A LONG WAY. The way your harps play will be so much better.
If you want to get into things like flattening reed plates and combs, thats a little more involved. But andrew zajac has all that information on his site.
Look at a few videos and try to get a handle on it first. If you still have questions feel free to ask. I have no problem trying to help.
What you realistically want to try to learn is 1) How to Gap 2) How to shape a reed to play better 3) How to make your harp more air tight by flattening your reed plates and comb.
DONT mess with embossing. Thats an easy way to ruin harps. Its a pretty hard thing to do right. And furthermore is not really essential IMO.
These techniques are pretty easy and you shouldnt have an issue if you really take your time. It will take quite a bit of trial and error to get really good at it.
Well Im taking over this thread here .... so ill start a new one this afternoon and we can discuss it further. It s really something that is essential to playing better IMO. So I would love to teach you the little bit that I know to help you have better harps.
