Oso
39 posts
May 22, 2011
6:11 AM
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Hey folks, I have been tinkering around with harps for awhile now. I make my own combs and am looking for a little advise.
I read that if a make a comb a little thinner you get a more responsive reed. Ok, I have done that.
I have also read that a little thicker of a comb will be a little more responsive and gives a bit fatter tone. Ok, I have done that.
What I want is to be able to make a very responsive reed as not to be choked out and using a stock thickness comb.
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nacoran
4141 posts
May 22, 2011
12:29 PM
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Gapping! Embossing!
Basically you have to have them gapped right so the wind gets them moving. To big a gap and it's like blowing down a hallway. To little a gap and it's like blowing against a locked door.
With embossing you tighten up the spaces around the side where air leaks so it has to go by the end of the reed, which gets things moving. Some guys also make gaskets using medical tape. Anything that makes your harp more airtight in general will make it more responsive (aside from plugging the blow holes! any good idea can be taken too far.) Watch the Richard Sleigh videos on YouTube. In my book he has the best combination of modding skills, teaching skills and good camera work (and high resolution) for learning that sort of stuff.
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Oso
40 posts
May 22, 2011
1:15 PM
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Thanks nacoran, I have seen some of those vids. I was just tryin to get some other responses to see what other folks do.
For instance, I have a custom Buddha harp and it is so responsive that I would like to duplicate the work if I could. I know eventually I will. Reeds 1-4 are all arched as well as embossed, tapped etc., etc.
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arzajac
519 posts
May 22, 2011
2:54 PM
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Buy Richard Sleigh's book. It covers gapping and curving as well as tuning.
Make sure the comb is as flat as possible as well as the reedplates. That will make the harp more airtight and therefore more responsive.
You can sand the draw reedplate but sanding the blow reedplate involves removing the reeds and then putting them back. Just do the draw reedplate until you are are an expert customizer and changing reeds is a trivial matter.
Other than that, emboss and gap; arcing - as far as I am concerned - is part of gapping (adjusting the reed curve is not the same thing*). In a perfect world, you wouldn't need to arc. That's just my limited opinion. But my point is arcing is not an endpoint in of itself rather than an adjustment that may or may not be needed.
Embossing, too may or may not be needed, but that's a different thing.
*Adjusting the reed curve is setting the curve so that it is perfectly straight when it bends down and goes through the slot. Arcing is keeping the tip of the reed up, which is acceptable if you need to open up the gap. So an arced reed is no longer perfectly straight when it goes through the slot. You need to push somewhere near the middle of the reed to see it go through the slot. You probably need to push further towards the base for lower reeds and further up for higher ones to properly judge the straightness.
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Last Edited by on May 22, 2011 2:57 PM
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Oso
41 posts
May 23, 2011
12:03 PM
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@arzajac, thanks for the response that's what I have always thought just didn't have anything to back up my thoughts.
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