isaacullah
435 posts
Nov 03, 2009
2:19 PM
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I just broke ANOTHER *&^@#*$ reed! Now BOTH of my nicest harps are outta commission! Both were my Seydel Soloist pros... These were my favorite out-of-the-box harps. I've been all Gung-ho to switch to Seydel 100%, but now I'm rethinking that. The first blew out a 4 blow reed in 3 months (an A harp), and this most recent blow out was on a 4 draw reed in less than a year (Bb harp). I'm not the softest player, but I don't blow abnormally loud, and I'm not in a band so I don't try to play very loud ever.
In contrast I've had some of my Hohners for 3-5 years with out a reed failure and with as much playing as these Seydels. And the Hohners have also undergone multiple re-tunings, whilst I was only able to re-tune the offending reed(s) on the Seydel(s) once, and this only got about two extra weeks out of 'em. The Hohners I have cross the gamut from Marine Bands thru Blues Harps and Special 20's, and I've done customization on the reeds and bodies of ALL of them. Maybe I will have to go back to Hohners?
Or what about Suzuki's? Anyone know about reed-life expectancy for Suzuki's? My price point is $40 (And I won't ever pay more for a non-custom harp), so that would be Harpmasters, Bluesmasters, and (perhaps) Manjis. I thought that the one Folkmaster I had kind of sucked so that's a no-go. Phosphor bronze is supposed to last longer right?
And BTW, I know you can get replacement reedplates for the Soloist Pro, and that is definitely an option, but at $34 a pop, that adds up if reeds are going to blow every 4-9 months. Will the Favourite ($29) or Session ($19) replacement reedplates fit the soloist pro? I have the tools and set up to drill and tap my own mounting holes if need-be. I know Hohner reedplates will not fit the Seydels because of different slot spacing. What about the slot-spacing of Suzuki plates? Will they fit?
Oh and in terms of just getting whole new harps, how about the regular Soloist? How long to the reeds last on that one?
I'm not in any rush, I have backups for these keys (in self customized Blues Harps), and I just play for myself and on the street now and again, so I have time to figure out a good solution...
Also, I don't really feel that this is a technique thing per se, since I don't seem to be busting reeds on any other harps except these Seydels... However, maybe since all the playing techniques I have were developed on Hohners--and which work fine for Hohners--do not work well with Seydels? Has anyone else had this experience when switching brands? If this is the case, how do i go about changing/adjusting my techniques?
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Last Edited by on Nov 03, 2009 2:21 PM
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tookatooka
739 posts
Nov 03, 2009
2:38 PM
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Hi isaacullah. I was thinking only today, I'll be pleased when I blow a reed on my C harp because I enjoy setting up new reedplates and although it works fine, I don't know how much the sound has deteriorated in the passage of time. And I've had it for a good long time. (Don't know how long exactly).
I have more or less decided on the following for my harp purchases in the future. I'll buy Suzuki HarpMasters and get the Suzuki ProMaster replacement reedplates. My current favourite Harp is a Delta Frost (HarpMaster Clone) with the back opened up and ProMaster plates. For me, it's a reasonably cheap option and accessibilty to spares is good for me. When Manji reedplates become available, they should also fit so I could be all Suzuki at a good price.
I've had no problems at all with Suzuki reeds blowing except when I first started and put them through the "learning the bends hell". I've found they last well and I haven't had a dud OOTB. I think it's the best option available for me right now but bare in mind that except maybe for the Manji they are all TET tuning.(As far as I am aware).
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Last Edited by on Nov 03, 2009 2:39 PM
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snakes
386 posts
Nov 03, 2009
3:15 PM
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Well, I've chosen the Fire Breath as my favorite, but if it wasn't them I'd get the Bluesmaster. Rockin Ron has them for about 26 bucks and I've had more than a couple Bluesmasters for close to 2 yrs. and no failures. This was while playing them frequently (still play 'em a lot) and learning to bend on them. Like T2 I've bought about 20 suzuki's (Fire Breath, Promaster, Manji, and Bluesmaster) and have never got a bad out of the box experience.
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eharp
344 posts
Nov 03, 2009
3:23 PM
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i play delta frosts. i play hard. dont take very good care of them. throw them in the dishwasher twice a year.
i have only lost 1 reed. it was my fault. fuzz got in there and i tried to clear it with a screwdriver while driving.
i play A and C every day for 2 years. i swear by them. you can get draw or blow plates, which is one of the reasons i use them. but the damn things just dont die!!
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Hobostubs Ashlock
90 posts
Nov 03, 2009
3:31 PM
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I done the same thing with my Solist pro in Bflat bought new reed plates and busted them the 4b on the 1st and 6b on the second set of plates.In less than a month playing time.I have lee oskars for allmost a year now no problem.I love my solist pro but i cant afford it.I know its in part to how hard i blow on it.but the second set of reedplates i tried hard not to over due it.I even had the reedplated backed up a quarter turn so they would leak just a bit.
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isaacullah
436 posts
Nov 03, 2009
3:36 PM
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I've long bee curious about the Harpmasters... I'm not afraid of TET tuning, plus I know how to tune my own harps if need be... I did like the Manji I played over at Chris's place, but $40 is $40, and I like to customize, so I can open up the coverplates, gap, and emboss a Harpmaster... I DO like wood combs, but I guess I can compromise there, or is the slot spacing close enough to Hohner that I can use some of my exiting combs? What's a "good deal" on a Harpmaster these days? Should it be less than a Bluesmaster, or about equal? Are the Deltafrost's tuned equal as well, or are they compromise?
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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KeithE
46 posts
Nov 03, 2009
3:48 PM
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Issac from David Payne's site - http://www.elkriverharmonicas.com/parts.html
>Reedsets
>
>These come sorted, without reedplates.
>
>Solist Pro..... $16.95.
I was thinking about getting some Solist Pros too - thought that they would be cheaper and easier to work on than 1847's.
Last Edited by on Nov 03, 2009 3:49 PM
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nacoran
317 posts
Nov 03, 2009
4:07 PM
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At least it wasn't a reed damn failure. Pesky beavers.
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jawbone
153 posts
Nov 03, 2009
4:09 PM
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Hey Isaac - The suzy's and DF are ET tuning. The replacement plates for the Harpmaster are fairly reasonable. I would be going that route if I liked the ET tuning, but I don't.
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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Hobostubs Ashlock
91 posts
Nov 03, 2009
4:17 PM
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i bought mine from dave of elkriverharmonicas and he charged me 24$ give or take a dollar for solist pro reed plates after i sent the money i seen they were advertised a little cheaper on his website.but i had allready sent him what his email said.Im thinking he hasnt got his website up to date.
Last Edited by on Nov 03, 2009 4:18 PM
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wheezer
128 posts
Nov 03, 2009
4:59 PM
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Hi Isaacullah, I know how you feel.
I have now resigned myself to using Hohners for most of my playing simply because I can buy individual reeds for them. The same reeds fit M.B's, SP20's and pre-MS Pro Harps and to a man of your practical skills changing a reed should pose no problems.
Reeds are going to blow out no matter how careful you are or how good the harp, that little piece of metal can only vibrate so many times before it succumbs to metal fatigue.
I played last Friday and blew out the 5 draw on an old
Pro Harp but as I have spare new reeds it's only about a 20 minute fix instead of a new harp.
I do not have any Seydel so I don't know if Hohner reeds will fit. Try measuring a Hohner reed against a
Seydel. I have fitted Hohner reeds into many different manufacturers harps. The most tricky was fitting them to a Suzuki Bluesmaster. The Suzuki has short slot reeds and when you cut down the Hohner reed it is about 2 tones to high in pitch which means that you have to tin, with solder, the free end of the reed to
drop the pitch. Sounds messy but it works fine.
The only other thing I can suggest is contacting Dave Payne of Elk River Harmonicas. I believe he is a Seydel distributor and he may be able to get individual reeds.
I have to say that if you are blowing out the 4 blow
then you are not a gentle player. I fix harps for quite a few people and I have only ever known one guy to regularly take out blow reeds and it is also the 4 blow. This is not a critisism of your playing, some play hard, some soft, you do what you do to get the sound you want. Be lucky, Pete
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isaacullah
437 posts
Nov 03, 2009
10:05 PM
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Thanks for the tips... there is a lot to consider. I don't want to waste the two seydels, but I don't want to stick with a type of reed that is going to blow all the time with the way I play... Seeing as the replacement Seydel reedplates are the same price as the whole harpmaster, I might try the harpmasters first and then get replacement reeds for the seydels later on, if need be, to return them to playability... I need to get one of them handy reed deriveters! anyone know of a good DIY de-riveting tool?
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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Aussiesucker
419 posts
Nov 03, 2009
10:31 PM
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For me I sing the praises of Suzuki ie you can't kill them. I have an A Harpmaster which is my favourite & whilst the coverplates are all tarnished and worn plus the writing on the comb is all rubbed off it shows no sign of stopping after more than 15 months daily abuse.
I have 2 Harpmaster A spares just waiting for the day it gives up. Have had plenty of false alarms ie gunk stuck in reeds plus it has sounded dull and out of tune but bounces back after giving it a good bath.
I have a Folkmaster in Ab which is a great little harp. The Folkmasters in the high keys are not that great but I swear by my Ab. I use/ abuse my Folkmaster as a cheap disposable harp to use when munching on crisps and having a beer. And I cant kill it.
Have heaps of Bluesmaster and did manage to destroy a 5 draw reed on a C but only after ca 2 years use.
Would not comment on longevity of Promaster as I rarely use them but they should be no different to the Bluesmaster. Looking forward to getting a Manji and comparing it with Harpmaster.
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wheezer
129 posts
Nov 04, 2009
3:38 AM
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Dave Payne is the man for the de-riveting tool.
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Tuckster
252 posts
Nov 04, 2009
6:46 AM
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I have Soloist Pro's in A,Bb,C,F and a Blues Session in D. I love the way they play,I love how they feel,I'm totally disgusted with their reed longevity. The Blues Session lasted 1 hour before the 4 blow went flat. I replaced the reedplates and got another hour out of it before the same thing happened. I got a little longer service out of the Soloists before the same thing happened.Yes I'm a fairly hard player and the band plays loud,so I thought,well,maybe it's me. The Bb was never played out. As an experiment I only played it at home,with extra attention to how much breath force I was using.No go. This time it was the 5 blow.I"ve had Hohners that I've used hard for over a year with no problems. If I do blow out a reed it's almost always a 4 or 5 draw.I can't believe the Seydels problems are solely my playing too hard. There's something going on there.
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harpcrab
29 posts
Nov 04, 2009
6:54 AM
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FWIW- I just blew out the 4 draw on my Suzuki Promaster A, and a friend blew out her Promaster 4 blow in C and 3 draw Bluesmaster in C. So... they do fail. I was hoping the phospher bronze reeds might be more durable. We have had these for about 1 year. New reed plate set is $20 for Promasters.
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Ant138
181 posts
Nov 04, 2009
7:13 AM
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I have never blown out a reed on any of my harps ever!!!
I'm starting to feel a bit left out.
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toddlgreene
88 posts
Nov 04, 2009
8:03 AM
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Loan them to me, Ant, and I can bring you up to speed! What do people refer to as 'blowing out', exactly? I BREAK 4-draw reeds more often than I care to admit, meaning that the reed actually cracks and breaks off somewhere mid-reed.
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GO SAINTS!
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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barbequebob
38 posts
Nov 04, 2009
9:05 AM
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The reed breaks because when you use too much breath force, micro cracks AKA stress fractures form and they get larger and larger, and so the reed loses its pitch and it gets structurally weakened until it either goes more than a whole step flat or flat out breaks. Most harp companies tend to gap higher because they know many players often use far too much breath force in their playing, most especially when they're bending notes, which is when they really "step on the gas" and make things 100 times worse, so by doing that, it'll be a bit less prone to that. Seydel tends to use a tighter reed slot tolerance, which directs much more air to the reed, making it play much more responsively and louder, and so they don't need to gap it as high as most Hohners are gapped, but the drawback is that it'll make it more sensitive to breath force.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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tookatooka
740 posts
Nov 04, 2009
9:18 AM
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barbequebob. Can you tell me why they break near the centre of the reed rather than at the fulcrum point where you'd expect them to crack? Is it all due to bending, because when you bend a note it seems that the fulcrum point of vibration moves towards the middle of the reed? Thanks.
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isaacullah
438 posts
Nov 04, 2009
9:21 AM
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@todd: Yeah, my reeds broke. that's what I mean by failure. I'm not talking about a reed goign slightly flat (which you can correct by retuning), I'm talking about what bbqbob describes.
@bbqbob: I have to think it's a little more than just closer gaps. I always gap down ALL my harps, including my Hohners. I use an approach similar to what Joe Spiers does in his gapping videos, and this ends up with pretty tight gaps all around, especially in the 4 5 and 6 holes for overblows. Still, the Seydels blew out, and the Hohners have not yet... I think it might be due to slight differences between the brass alloys used by the two companies? Yes, I imagine that I blow harder than I should, and that is something I will certainly work on. Could it also possibly be the difference in the size of the comb channels? ie. the Seydels have bigger channels, so more air is being pushed through them and over the reed? If this is so, then you'd need a totally different technique to play the Seydels than you would a narrower slot harp like a Hohner...
@Tuckster: VERY interesting to see that you have had the same issue I have had with your Seydels... I absolutely LOVE the way they sound, but the reed lifespan is way too short. Perhaps they get that great sound partially from using a less durable, but better-sounding, reed material? It's also interesting to see that Ant138 has not broken a reed, and I know that he uses Seydels (Soloist Pros too?).
@Ant138: How long have you had your Seydels, and how often do you play them?
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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barbequebob
39 posts
Nov 04, 2009
9:53 AM
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Different reed profiles can have cracks starting in different places on a harmonica reed. Reeds can form stress fractures even when you don't bend notes but most players who play too hard often play considerably harder when they're bending notes, which only makes things so much worse.
With each different brand/model/manufacturer of harmonicas you go to, often times adjustment to playing technique/embouchure is very necessary to get the most out of them with the least amount of force necessary. I knew this right away as soon as I went from playing stock Marine Bands to playing a few Lee Oskars to try out in the mid 80's.
I bought a few of the Seydel 1847's with the stainless steel reeds and have had no problems with them and not one has blown out. I had already knew beforehand that Seydel had tightened the reed slot tolerances much more on these harps. Since I largely play custom Marine Bands, where right off the bat, the slot tolerances are considerably tighter than that, I had already knew I needed to use very little breath force to do anything with those harps.
As afar as tightest slot tolerances on stock diatonic harmonicas, right now in this order, the tightest are the Suzuki Manji and the Seydel 1847 in that order, tho customs are still much tighter, but with the tight tolerances, they play both considerably louder and brighter, and they'e both not harps I would give to a newbie because breath control, a very important playing technique that is far too often ignored and/or misunderstood becomes of extremely great importance when playing those harps and 98% of newbies and about 50-75% of intermediate players seldom have that under any kind of real control at all.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Ant138
182 posts
Nov 04, 2009
11:09 AM
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I've had my Seydels for about 4 months Soloist pro x2 and one 1847 and i love em . I play them on average an hour a day maybe depending on how busy i am with my day job i can spend all day practicing on them. Its not just Seydel, ive never blown or broken a reed on any of my harps, i still have my old Bluesharps and Lee oskars,SP20's from 3 and a half years ago and they are all fine,a little flat but ok. I can and do play pretty hard just like everyone else but still no broken reeds?.
I guess it will happen sooner or later.
Is there anyone else out there who has not broken a reed before?
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Last Edited by on Nov 04, 2009 11:12 AM
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isaacullah
440 posts
Nov 04, 2009
11:23 AM
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I had never broken a reed before this. I've been playing for 5 years, and playing really seriously now for 3 years. Yeah, I play an average of 45 minutes to an hour every day, and the Seydels were the first harps I've ever busted reeds on. I've lost a little pitch on some other harps, but have been able to retune them. And like I said, I've been playing some of those other harps for 3+ years!
Your at the cusp of the time period where I first started to see my Seydels go out on me... I'll be interested to see if you can keep going on them without a failure...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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bluzlvr
260 posts
Nov 04, 2009
1:09 PM
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I blew out the 4 draws on a Sedel Soloist Pro Bb and a D after less than a month of barely playing them.
Especially on the Bb, I could hear it slowly go bad in a few minutes, no extra force being used at all...
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toddlgreene
92 posts
Nov 04, 2009
1:20 PM
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Sounds like a QA/QC or metallurgy/machining issue...isn't there a warranty on those Seydels? ElkRiver may be of help here.
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GO SAINTS!
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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bluzlvr
261 posts
Nov 04, 2009
2:00 PM
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Yeah, there's like, a "warranty", but it's, like, too much of a hassle, man.
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barbequebob
41 posts
Nov 04, 2009
2:04 PM
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Actually, for the US, send it straight to their US headqaurters and Rupert Oysler (who is also a harp customizer) should take good care of you and for the US, the Seydel link is http://www.seydelusa.com.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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bluzlvr
262 posts
Nov 04, 2009
2:11 PM
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Thanks, barbequebob. Maybe it isn't too much of a hassle.
These harps are just sitting here, doing nothing.
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snakes
387 posts
Nov 04, 2009
2:12 PM
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I've never broken a reed. I must be a wimp...
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congaron
230 posts
Nov 05, 2009
8:42 AM
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This is good timing for the thread. I finally flatted out the 4 hole draw at a gig where i couldn't hear myself last week. It is a Harpmaster. I haven't taken it apart to look at it. It's the first reed i have damaged in my first 9 months of hard playing. I bought a new marine band in D yesterday. The more I play, the more i prefer the marine bands for some reason. This one is super loud..the loudest of three i checked with the bellows. It needed a tiny tweak in the number 10 hole blow reed and i also slightly tweaked 4,5, and 6 to overblow. The 4 hole was already there, 5 and 6 were very close. I spent about 30 minutes with the covers on and a toothpick and paper clip tool i made. My wife noted a distinct difference in te marine band over the harpmaster in volume and tone..also I have a D blues-harp/big river..franken-harp..it is not as loud either. I'm thinking long reeds suit my style of play better. I'm finding my marine band in A has been my go-to harp since I bought it..now this one may become a close second.
Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2009 8:44 AM
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barbequebob
44 posts
Nov 05, 2009
8:56 AM
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German and Brazillian made harps use long slot reeds while Asian made harps use short slot reeds, with two exceptions, both of which are made by Suzuki, and the those two are the Fabulous and the Manji.
Long slot reeds tend to have a deeper, fatter tone (tho phosphor bronze on a short slot reed can fool your ears th think that they're long slot because they have a naturally darker tone)) and short slot tends to emphasize the highs more and aren't as stable for overblows.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
325 posts
Nov 05, 2009
9:38 AM
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Just a little nugget to pass on, the tighter a reed slot, the less leaky a harp is, the quicker it's going to blow out. That's just a fact of life, with less wasted air, more force is directed to the reed and it goes out quicker. Unless you back off the force.
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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barbequebob
45 posts
Nov 05, 2009
9:56 AM
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Dave, this is something I've kept trying to tell many harp players for years, but unfortunately, too often most often just flat out refuse to pay attention to that (AKA in one ear and out the other, and the only thing they do is just blame the insstrument and refuse to hold themselves accountable for their playing technique, which is their single biggest problem), and that the little bit there about the reed slot tolerances is 100% true and an easily proven fact.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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isaacullah
442 posts
Nov 05, 2009
10:00 AM
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Hey Dave, is it true that you are also a Suzuki dealer now (or soon to be)? If so, any idea when you are going to start selling 'em? I'd like to keep buying from you, but I'm kind of curious now to try out Suzuki's...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
327 posts
Nov 06, 2009
7:47 AM
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Bob,
Exactly. I've got an Elk Special A with me right now that has been my carry harp for at least a year. It gets played every day... and it is a custom, very tightly embossed, which should make reed failure happen more quickly. But it's still here, been retuned a few times, but never has a reed failed because of the technique.
Isaac,
No, it's not true. I don't sell Suzukis or fool with them. I am involved with Hering, that's probably what you heard. But not Suzuki. Try Danny G, www.newharmonica.com on the Suzukis.
On common misconception is that you have to blow hard to be hard on harmonica reeds. It's far more complex than that. You blowing out four hole reeds on both, says to me you're probably keeping a three hole deep bend embouchure when you get to the four and you're bending the reed deeper than it can actually go.
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com
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isaacullah
444 posts
Nov 06, 2009
8:28 AM
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Dave and Bob... Them's good advice! I took a close look (feel?) at how I bend the four when I'm really "going for it", and I definitely think your right. I seem to be hitting it with too deep a tongue position, especially when I slam that -4 -4b -4 -3b -2 riff (which is one of my staple riffs)... I just whip that hole down really hard... I suppose it is back to the grinding stone...
Oh, Dave, yeah, I confused the Herrings for Suzuki's. I knew you were going to start offering another brand, but i forgot just which one. So does that mean you'll start offering customs made from vintage 1923 harps? Perhaps with different combs and coverplates? (ie. just keep the reedplates?) Custom 1923's would be a pretty unique product!
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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barbequebob
52 posts
Nov 06, 2009
9:03 AM
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Too many people bend right down to the floor of the bend and so that usually means that they cannot hit the other available bends in the hole at all or with any degree of accuarcy in regards to pitch, articulation, and intonation, and also prevents them from getting a vibrato on the bent note and when you keep doing that, it puts an enormous amount of stress on the reed until it finally develops stress fractures (micro cracks) and either gets totally blown out or worse case scenerio, the reed breaks apart.
It's time to get your breath force under some major control here, and once that happens, everything you do will be so much easier, your tone will fatten up, and you won't get winded all the time and save money on harps becaused you won't be brutalizing them into blowout.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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DrCason
1 post
May 01, 2010
10:28 PM
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Sounds like to me that the Suzuki harps will last the longest if played in moderation(I realize if one blows too hard too often like a fool, no harp will last), am I wrong? Thats what Im looking for, DURABILITY!!!
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groyster1
40 posts
May 01, 2010
11:15 PM
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believe it or not I have harps 30 years old that still play I have had 1 special 20 go bad and never a golden melody when first started I had several marine bands and blues harps go bad leads me to believe that plastic combs make for longer life as they dont absorb moisture like wooden combs
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oldwailer
1224 posts
May 01, 2010
11:40 PM
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@Isaac--there is a DIY deriveter tool on the forum somewhere--just do a search--looked pretty easy to make. . .
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nacoran
1798 posts
May 02, 2010
11:28 AM
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Dr. Cason- If you aren't a OB player Lee Oskars are a good durable harp. They are probably the harp I play hardest on, and I've never had a problem with one.
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Nate
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Gwood420
162 posts
May 02, 2010
11:35 AM
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nate, is it that lee oscars are more durable, or are they a bit more airy? im just curious.. are they made to last longer, or are they just made to lower tolerances?
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Marty we're no GOD
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barbequebob
779 posts
May 02, 2010
12:01 PM
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LO's have had the best record of durability in the last 25+ years, but for the OB player, they need quite the bit of tweaking, as they use short slot reeds, common to all Asian made harps (they're made by Tombo of Japan). For a number of years, their slot tolerances were tighter, or really more consistent than Hohners were, especially from when they were introduced in 1984 until recently. Brad Harrison's old website used to have pictures of reed material under a microscope that were really pretty cool that would show you quite a lot. While LO's generally last pretty good in terms of durability (I know tons of players who haven't blown them out and owned them 10+ years), I know of players who have blown them out in less than 4-6 months, ALL due to flat out bad playing technique, and the number one technique was always playing with extremely excessive breath force 24/7/365.
Groyster1, in terms of reed durability, comb material has absolutely ZERO to do with it because the real factors are the reed material, manufacturing technique, and most of all, the person playing them and bad playing technique will ruin ANY harp no matter who well they're made and that's a fact.
I have several pre-WWII Marine Bands with unsealed wood combs that still play incredibly well to this day so the argument that comb material affects reed longevity just doesn't fly.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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oda
300 posts
May 02, 2010
12:18 PM
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I feel your pain. I lost my 4draw reed as well -- on an 1847.
I am thinking of sticking to SP20's... they've never steered me wrong.
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I could be bound by a nutshell and still count myself a king of infinite space
OdaHUMANITY!
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shanester
15 posts
May 02, 2010
1:19 PM
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From what I understand, old school brass reeds are just about the best from a durability standpoint. Brass can take a lot of flexing before it fails.
When you get into some of the alloys you gain brightness but at the expense of the tensile resilience of the brass.
I have also read that thicker material in reeds and reedplates can contribute to early failure if force beyond the design (ie lack of breath control) is applied to the reeds.
Hence some of the newer stuff is more specialized, sacrificing durability for tonal characteristics, may not work for some styles.
For example, Adam Gussow might blow out some of these, as his style favors such a hard attack.
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shanester
16 posts
May 02, 2010
1:33 PM
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Another thing that would be a potential bad design from a durability standpoint would be mixing different metals in the reed, plate, rivet or screw combo, such as steel and brass. It speeds up oxidation, the more moisture, the quicker it is.
I don't know if that's the case with any of the mentioned harps...
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groyster1
42 posts
May 02, 2010
5:47 PM
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thanks barbque bob I just prefer the plastic combs because they have had a longer life than when I used the marine bands and blues harp I just think the wood attracts the moisture more than the plastic and h20 is a great destroyer I realize the comb is separete from the reeds and most players use more wind than they need to and they blow out reeds prematurely because of this
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isaacullah
939 posts
May 02, 2010
10:01 PM
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OW, yeah, I've made a deriveter since I first made this post (last Nov). I've removed the reed stumps, but haven't gotten around to ordering the new reeds/size 00 screws that I'll need to replace them. That's one of the things on my harp "to-do list" that I'm planning on getting done this summer!
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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GermanHarpist
1401 posts
May 04, 2010
12:12 AM
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test
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YT
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