Greyowlphotoart
717 posts
Aug 02, 2011
10:58 AM
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I recently bought a Bends Juke Diatonic harp from Santos Music in the UK for half price. Since then Bends have ceased trading to my knowledge.
I thought I would share these pics with you because in many ways this is a nice harp. It comes with one of the best cases I've seen. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves as for specs.
One thing that does puzzle me is that at the end of each reed there is a kind of depressed and untidy bevel at the end of each reed slot. Do you think this was done purposely for some playing advantage and if so what or is it just clumsy cutting of the slots. It's almost got the appearance of when you overshoot slightly with an angle grinder.
As for playability, I would say it wasn't terrific OOTB and I have had to tinker with it a bit for improvements. It does have an edgy yet mellow tone that is quite nice. I think it needs more work on it to make it great and that may be beyond me with my current basic customizing skills.
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nacoran
4426 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:14 AM
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Eureka!!! I was just suggesting something like that in another thread! (Although I was talking about the sides too.) It was in HarpNinja's thread where he posted links to his vids. In one he was talking about balancing the need for as straight a reed as possible with a need for a little bend in the reed to make sure the tip was above the end of the slot so it could catch air. I pondered if lowering the reed slot near the end might let you keep the reed straight!
I wonder if that's what they are doing. :)
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Nate
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lumpy wafflesquirt
391 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:21 AM
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Nice lookin' harp... shame about the naff engraving
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Greyowlphotoart
718 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:33 AM
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aha Nate I wonder. Well they're out of business now so if you want to take it up and claim it as yours, go for it:)
@ Lumpy, yeah true, but is says Mike Newell in hieroglyphics.
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Last Edited by on Aug 02, 2011 11:33 AM
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HarpNinja
1556 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:37 AM
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It looks like tip scooping. Like anything else, there are pros and cons and places in between.
Try it and see how you like it.
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
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Miles Dewar
1045 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:48 AM
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It looks exactly like a Marine Band.
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Greyowlphotoart
719 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:57 AM
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@HarpNinja Yes could be, though it's a bit untidy, but maybe it doesn't have to be that tidy to produce the desired effect.
Just found this pic with the following explanation.
'Ok, this is what is meant with tip scooping. You remove a bit of metal from the small edge of the plate on at the swinging end of the reed. This way, you alter the direciton of the air flow. The desired result is to be able to set a smaller gap for the reed, without choking it.'
In light of this, I'll try and tighten the gaps and see what happens.
Anyone else do this or similar.
btw if you press Crtl and + on the numeric keyboard (in Firefox anyway), it'll zoom in on the pics a bit closer. Crtl and 0 resets to normal view.
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Greyowlphotoart
720 posts
Aug 02, 2011
12:01 PM
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@ Miles A bit more like the MB Deluxe though with rounded corners and chamfered tines and open back.
They sound very alike too.
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oldwailer
1676 posts
Aug 02, 2011
12:01 PM
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It's a rather extreme job of tip scooping. I never liked the results when I've tried it, but that's just me--some people think it works--so for them, it does.
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arzajac
597 posts
Aug 02, 2011
3:58 PM
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Wouldn't they have done it to every hole? Or at least done it consistently throughout the holes? It seems like the first slot has no indentation at all...
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harpwrench
514 posts
Aug 02, 2011
6:18 PM
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Looks like they had excessive gap between reed tip and slot tip, and they embossed that area to help correct it.
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sorin
307 posts
Aug 02, 2011
7:32 PM
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That is exactly how my harps end up looking when I emboss the top of the slot .
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HarpNinja
1557 posts
Aug 02, 2011
7:52 PM
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I get confused as to when it crosses the line of embossing and becomes tip scooping. IMO, if you mod the front of the slot and change the angle from the 90 degree angle it was coming from the factory, than you've tip scooped (and probably embossed too).
With the bends pics, the air is traveling lower in the reed slot at the tip because of the fall out from "embossing" or what have you...so there is a scoop. Right?
It would appear that this was done for one of two reasons - or maybe both. Regardless, I am fairly sure the end goal was to make the reed sound quicker with a lower gap.
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
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harpwrench
515 posts
Aug 02, 2011
8:22 PM
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So...is slot embossing "side scooping"? :)
I just popped the covers off one that was given to me and it has the same thing done to it....as well as some factory embossing on most but not all of the slots.
Last Edited by on Aug 02, 2011 8:44 PM
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Ant138
1054 posts
Aug 02, 2011
11:17 PM
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I got a Juke from the Santos sale, i'll have to have a look and see if its the same on mine, i havn't noticed and ive had the harp open a few times.
It wasn't a great harp OOTB but i have gapped it every time ive gone to play it(which isnt much) but it seems to have worked a little better every time ive tried. Its now a very playable harp.
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Greyowlphotoart
723 posts
Aug 03, 2011
1:41 AM
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@ Harpwrench Factory embossing? Is that unusual for the main brands. What do you think of its playability and tone compared to an MB say and do you think the comb is resistant to swelling?
I have looked again closely at the end of the slots on the draw reed plate and it has only been down on holes 1 to 6. Very little on slot 1. It looks as if material has been removed from the end of the slots.
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walterharp
672 posts
Aug 03, 2011
5:54 AM
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@harpwrench- side scooping! :-)
it seems like embossing makes it possible (necessary) to gap the reed a bit lower
@grewowlphotoart i have seen something like your picture on another customizers harp, except that the shape of the scooped cone was exactly inverted (narrow part toward the reed), i suspect the idea was to keep the air tightness, but once the air did start flowing with slight vibration, it would flow faster near the tip and keep the reed from choking
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HarpNinja
1558 posts
Aug 03, 2011
6:34 AM
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@harpwrench - I know you were teasing, but to a degree, anyways, it can be side scooping depending on the objective.
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
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harpwrench
516 posts
Aug 03, 2011
7:48 AM
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@Owl- yes it was factory done....comb looks great to me. Doesn't compare favorably to a MB.
@Mike- agreed!
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GEEZER1
116 posts
Aug 03, 2011
8:23 AM
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I have an old Hohner International in my harp pile that was made in Brazil. I wonder if those Bends were made on that old equipment, and what did they do with their left over parts when they folded. I have never seen a close out sale on them in the USA.
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harpdude61
945 posts
Aug 03, 2011
8:50 AM
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The ends of the slots on my Buddha harps look like a V shape file edge has been used to make a small notch. I figured this was to allow pretty much full closure of the gap.
I'm not sure if it is any better than a tight gap?
These is no pattern to which reeds to do as it varies on each harp? Maybe if the action and overbendability (new word) didn't satisfy him after gapping he did the notch?
Last Edited by on Aug 03, 2011 8:50 AM
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