I have an old high F Blues Harp. The 6 and 7 draws just squeel and don't play notes. I've gapped it as best I can, learning from you tube videos, but no improvement. Is there hope for this harp?
If it's old, I would think the comb is dried and leaky. MS Blues harps combs are leaky when they are new... Pre-MS harps combs are leaky these days because they are old. You cannot fix an issue like a squeal unless you have the basics down and the most fundamenta principle is to have an airtight seal between the reed plates and the comb.
You can restore that old comb or buy a new one. There are plenty of aftermarket sources of combs.
So there's no change when you gap the harp? The fact that it's two reeds that are next to each other having the same problem indicates to me air leakage between the holes. The blow reeds should probably be slower to start under light breath than 5 and 8.
First thing, check to make sure the reedplate doesn't have some weird bend in it. Last time I saw one, the Blues Harp doesn't have the number of screws it needs, so there is no room for error with this stuff. Redo the screw torque to make sure that's OK.
You can try flatsanding the comb, or use fish-aquarium silicone (Kitt Gamble turned me on to that stuff) to make a seal. You can just rub a little aquarium silicone on the comb around the chamber with the offending reed. It doesn't take much and you want no excess on the sides or top - if there is any excess it can get pushed out and onto the reed. That is bad.
---------- David
____________________ At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong. R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne Elk River Institute for Advanced Harmonica Studies
"I ain't gonna sing no 'Home on the Range.' No. sir. Not if it means I rot in here another month. I'm gonna sing what I'm a gonna be! A free man in the morning!" Andy Griffith (as Lonesome Rhodes, "A Face in the Crowd).
Last Edited by on Jul 20, 2012 8:29 AM
