Waldo
13 posts
Jan 10, 2012
9:30 PM
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Hey everyone,
I have recently bought the Piedmont Blues harmonica set from Hohner, (for the mainly), but also to tinker with them.
I'm looking to tune them for sure.
I've also heard random things about people setting their harmonicas up for bending and overblowing, is this possible to do on these without new reeds? What else could I practice on them?
Thanks!
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Constantine
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nacoran
5093 posts
Jan 10, 2012
10:33 PM
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I'd suggest looking up Richard Sleigh's videos on YouTube as a starting point. Adam has a pretty good one on basic gapping too. There are several tools you'll need, but some of it you can improvise and different people do things differently. Adam's video shows how to to do some basic gapping with just a slip of paper (and he needs a knife to open up his Marine Band... for a Piedmont you'd want a small screw driver instead). He explains the basics of what you are trying to accomplish. I don't have the lesson number handy, but it's in the mid-teens.
There are different kits out there with different tools. Richard Sleigh's seems to get the best reviews. Lee Oskar makes tools too, so does Seydel. Hohner may too. My tool kit includes craft sticks (basically heavy duty toothpicks) that I use for cleaning off crud, a microfiber cloth, some dental scraping tools a really fine file and a tabletop magnifying glass. Expect to fatally destroy a few harps along the way (that's why if you hadn't already said something about it I would have suggested Piedmonts- they'll never be 'great' harps but they are good to practice on (and apart from being kind of quiet, the covers are actually pretty easy on the lips.) It takes a lot of practice. I've basically just messed around with gapping, and spotting misaligned reeds. I tried embossing and had success on a few reeds but not as many as I destroyed. I've successfully opened up the back of a few harps, although I still haven't decided whether I like them that way. If you want to try that pick yourself up a Blues Band for $5. That's one thing you can't really practice on a Piedmont.
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Nate
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logansays
58 posts
Jan 11, 2012
3:21 AM
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one tool I can recommend for Embosing is the UST by Dick Sjoeberg.
That is an absolutely simple looking but very very effective embossing tool!s
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harpdude61
1214 posts
Jan 11, 2012
5:01 AM
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If you are the least bit serious about learning to set up harps or your playing I would move up a grade or two in harp selection.
I buy these harps to give to kids at gigs and to get the cool case.
I would not even consider these beginner harps. They are pretty much toy harps. Are the reeds even metal?
Piedmont harps in no way resemble real world harp playing.
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HawkeyeKane
611 posts
Jan 11, 2012
8:08 AM
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@Waldo
One thing you can do with Piedmonts to slightly improve their sound is replacing the plastic coverplates with metal ones. SP20 plates will fit. Coverplates from the Jambone will also work, but these are becoming difficult to find anymore.
@harpdude
The reedplates, from what I can tell are made from some kind of plastic and metal composite. Prolly something the Chinese came up with in light of their tendency to craft with inexpensive materials.
EDIT: Seeing Nate's post, just to clarify...yeah, the reeds are metal, but I really don't think the plates are completely metallic.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Jan 11, 2012 10:27 AM
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billy_shines
7 posts
Jan 11, 2012
8:50 AM
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i saw a vid on the suzuki pure harp. and im thinking of making wooden top plates. the sound was unbelievable.
i think theres a bluesband set in a case. but i heard those only single note anyone ever tweak a bluesband?
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nacoran
5094 posts
Jan 11, 2012
10:01 AM
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Harpdude, yeah, their reeds are metal. They are just a bit lighter grade than better harps. They seem to be the same as Blues Bands/Pocket Pals et al. (Unless that's changed recently?) That said, every now and then you'll find a really good one. I had a D Piedmont that I used for quite a while as a practice harp.
They are actually exactly what I'd recommend to someone starting to learn to customize. The first few times you open up a harp it's all about learning what does what, familiarizing yourself with the concepts of the different things you want to do. That's probably going to involve breaking things. Maybe because they are kind of lose to start with tuning them up a bit will have audible effects. Once you've got that down, move on to harps that you actually want to turn into giggers. Billy, Blues Bands covers can be opened up just like other harps. There are a couple different ways to open up a harp (pliers, hammers, dremel) for less than the price of one good harp you can try all the techniques out and see which one you prefer.
No sense in your first few days as a harp tinker should be expensive. You aren't going to paint the Mona Lisa the first day out. That said, by the time you've destroyed your first set of Piedmonts and a couple Blues Bands it's probably time to move up to the better models.
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Nate
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