Lazerface
37 posts
Jul 27, 2012
9:59 PM
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Just swapped combs on my low f# big river and my e blues harp. Im really digging the wood combed big river now! What is y'all favorite ms combo?
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S-harp
57 posts
Jul 28, 2012
4:36 AM
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I'm not going to turn this into a MS vs other harps thread.
MS are not by definition bad harps. I still play some from my MS days.
The comination I liked was the wood comb, flat sanded and with rounded tiles with the thicker Meisterclasse plates and dito covers.
Those plates produce more volume and the covers give a bit more rounded tone.
With the Big River covers, wich I really like, I get a more open and crisp tone ... good for acoustic gigs.
With tweaking I can get this MSharp combination responsive with a nice big tone and the easy accesed possability to alter the sound with different covers.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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Joe_L
1957 posts
Jul 28, 2012
7:33 AM
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Blues Harp covers on Florida-traders acrylic combs. I'm in for a rebuild project on a few of them. I had four die this week. Three of them were about three years old, maybe older. The Manji that died not not make me happy. it was a very expensive week.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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groyster1
1959 posts
Jul 28, 2012
9:58 AM
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the only MS harps I own are 4 big rivers and 3 blue midnights...has anybody tried a big river cover on a blue midnight?blue midnights are tighter than big rivers but dont have the volume...
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Lazerface
38 posts
Jul 28, 2012
11:39 PM
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I put my big river low f# to work tonight! Plaed a gig with my buddy with our guitars tuned a half step down, so it is in all essence a g harp...Really glad i swapped combs last night
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JInx
270 posts
Jul 29, 2012
8:23 AM
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I have a Big River. I used to like it. But then I picked up a Crossover. Now I find the BR too leaky. The Crossover takes so little breath to get it going. I've ordered a bamboo comb for my BR in hopes to improve it's response.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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Lmbrjak
113 posts
Jul 29, 2012
9:29 AM
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I took the wooden comb from a blown out blues harp and put it in a G Big River. Tremendous improvement in response. I'd like to see Hohner scrap the plastic and just put blues harp combs in the Big River. They fit perfect and the screw holes line up.
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florida-trader
165 posts
Jul 29, 2012
10:07 AM
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I recently picked up 30 new Big River harps at a good price and have been offering them on my website for only $35 with your choice of any custom comb I offer - Wood, Corian, Acrylic or Aluminum.
I did not previously have a lot of experience with Big Rivers. I do have a low D (with a fluorescent orange acrylic comb)in my case and I like it. But after having built about 20 of them for customers in the past month or so (i.e. I still have 10 left) I feel comfortable making the following observations.
It seems that the reed plates on the Big River are not as flat as the Blues Harp or Special 20 reed plates (and others I'm sure). The stock plastic comb has a lip that runs along the sides and back of the reed plates (but not the front like the Special 20). The reed plates do have a groove on the front for the cover plates.
My theory is that Hohner put the lips on the three sides of the comb to block off the leaks. I'm not familiar with what is required to make flat reed plates on the manufacturing level, but it just seems that Hohner has decided it is easier to block off the leaks than to just engineer the harp so that there are no leaks to begin with.
I could be completely wrong about this but that's just my take on the subject. I'd be interested to hear your opinion.
When I created this Summer Promotion I was of the opinion that all I would have to do is replace the comb and - viola! - I would have an upgraded Big River. Well, not quite. Upon closer inspection, I found that when the stock comb is replaced with a flat custom comb, most (not all, but most) of the Big Rivers had leaks between the reed plates and comb. The good news is that a little flat sanding of the draw plate eliminates leaks on the draw plate and a little TLC fixes any leaks on the blow plates. I know that others on this forum disagree about how many screws to use to secure the reed plates, but since the Big River comes with only three screws, I add the other two and I do feel that this does help make a more airtight harp.
The bottom line is that with a flat comb and a little work the Big River is easily made into a very respectable harmonica. I have had universally positive feedback from those who have purchased them.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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Lazerface
39 posts
Jul 29, 2012
11:20 PM
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I did notice that the big river is a lot more responsive with the wooden blues harp comb, even without tweaking the reeds. If it blows out, i'll probably just replace it with a marine band.
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florida-trader
166 posts
Jul 30, 2012
9:28 AM
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Piro39. TLC fixes = just doing the best I can to straighten out any leaks by flattening the plate.
There tends to be a little leak right behind the 1 blow. I'm convinced that it is caused by a slight depression made when the reed is riveted to the reed plate. The impact of the rivet being driven in and compressed just bows the plate a little. I would venture to say that this is true for all the rivets but it is not as noticeable on the other reed slots because there is more metal behind the slot. The 1 blow slot is so long that there is just a thin strip of metal behind the rivet.
To fix this I just flex the reed plate a little bit to straighten it out and make it flatter. It is a delicate process because you don't want to over-do it. All you would do is create other leaks.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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JInx
271 posts
Jul 30, 2012
12:15 PM
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I just received my custom bamboo comb and installed it on my Big River. I can confirm that it has made a BIG improvement on the BR's performance. It's not quite as agile as my Crossover but maybe if I try some embossing I get closer still.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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JInx
283 posts
Aug 06, 2012
3:46 PM
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Those little collar bolt screw things that hold the covers on a BR....is that a phillips head system? What size screw driver is correct.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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Tuckster
1108 posts
Aug 06, 2012
5:02 PM
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I got 2 BR's with Corian combs from Tom. Definately an improvement over stock. The Corian combs add a nice heft and solidity to the harps. More airtight,too. No tweaking done,I just play them stock OOTB,reedwise.
Nice job,Tom! Can I get just the combs and retrofit the BR's I already have?
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groyster1
1972 posts
Aug 06, 2012
6:01 PM
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the big river coverplate screws are too cumbersome...I prefer the sp20 screws with the clover nuts...they are no problem for me
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jiceblues
89 posts
Sep 08, 2012
9:35 AM
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What do you think of putting a custom wooden comb ( very flat , of course) on a BH ? is it an improvement for airtightness and power ?
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jiceblues
90 posts
Sep 14, 2012
3:11 PM
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Well ,i put a DORTEL fine custom comb on a BLUES HARP . The harp is more airtight and powerful but the sound is not the same . It is not as "smooth" and "roots" .A good harp though .
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Joe_L
2049 posts
Sep 14, 2012
3:43 PM
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the thing I noticed about the aftermarket combs is that the extra screw holes made the harmonica much more air tight
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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groyster1
2010 posts
Sep 14, 2012
3:52 PM
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replaced 2 big river combs with hetrick combs....the leaks disappered...love the big rivers volume...hohner rocks!
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