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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Tweaking harmonicas for overdrawing
Tweaking harmonicas for overdrawing
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BlueDoc
65 posts
Jul 30, 2012
10:05 PM
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In his review of his new Christophe Dortel harmonica, Todd Parrott mentions having done a little work himself on the overdraws to stop them from squealing.
Can I ask you (Todd and everyone) what exactly you do to the harp to stop overdraws squealing?
Thanks in advance for any tips you can share. I have been scratching my head over this problem for quite a while now.
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S-harp
58 posts
Jul 31, 2012
2:08 PM
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What harp are you working on?
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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BlueDoc
66 posts
Jul 31, 2012
2:29 PM
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@S-harp: I have a Golden Melody in G that squeals terribly on the 7OD. I have another GM in the same key that is much, much better. I have tinkered with the gapping of both of them and gotten the overdraws to sound, but I can't seem to eliminate the squealing.
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Todd Parrott
994 posts
Jul 31, 2012
4:03 PM
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Well, I am not a customizer, nor am I trying to be, but here's what I do that works pretty well for me.
1) I emboss the full slot as best I can, including the rivet end and the tip.
2) Ensure that both the comb and the draw plate are as flat as possible.
3) Ensure that the reeds are flat - no arcing, and ensure that the entire reed passes through the slot at the same time.
4) Adjust gapping so that I can still play pretty hard without the reeds choking, and still get the overdraws.
5) Apply clear nail polish to the rivet end of the draw reeds (7-10) to eliminate squealing. I do not apply it to the actual rivet, as I find this unnecessary. I apply it in the corners where the reed first enters the slot at the rivet end, being careful not to use too much or to get any on the reeds, as this can cause the draw reed note to play sharp. If done correctly, the harp will NOT squeal, even if you try to make it squeal.
I'm sure there is much more that can be done, and even after all of the above, my homemade harps don't play like a Spiers harp or anything. But for odd keys like Ab for example, it works out great. I don't mind spending the money for a custom harp when I have it, but not for a key I'll only use a few times a year. This is also a good way for me to make usable spares for times when I send my main customs back to Joe for repairs, etc.
Last Edited by on Aug 01, 2012 9:10 AM
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