nacoran
478 posts
Dec 01, 2009
2:18 PM
|
I was just wondering how far a reed in either direction before you seriously compromise it's integrity? I imagine it depends on the harp and the reed in question.
Ok, here is the real reason I'm asking... I love my Puck. It's sounds OK and it's so easy to carry around, but they only make them in C (and the double puck in C/G). If I started tuning pucks up and down how far could I get?
Also, anyone familiar with the Pucks have any ideas on how to make the lip smoother? I'd grind it down, but because of the weird way Pucks fit together I think it's structurally important.
Of course, general info on how far you can tune is useful too!
edit- or to take it a step further, could you make a longer harp with a wider range from a couple pucks?
Last Edited by on Dec 01, 2009 2:19 PM
|
jimbo-G
85 posts
Jan 24, 2012
10:45 AM
|
Just bringing this thread up because I would also like to know how far a reed can be tuned, maybe some experts can help here.
|
isaacullah
1756 posts
Jan 24, 2012
10:53 AM
|
It kind of depends on the make/model harp, and which reed. In my alternate tuning explorations, I've gone as far as three half steps up on the middle octave draw reeds of Hohner Marinebands, special 20's, and Seydel solist pros. It starts to get really touchy as you go past two half tones. Low quality harps (like bluesbands, etc.) have really weak reeds, and it's super easy to mess them up while attempting to do large interval retunes.
I've retuned DOWN by 4 half tones using blu-tak with no issues.
----------
== I S A A C ==
View my videos on YouTube!
Visit my reverb nation page!
|
MP
1961 posts
Jan 24, 2012
11:23 AM
|
like isaac i'm pretty conserative when lowering or raising the pitch of a reed. i don't use blu-tak but i would suggest it for lowering pitch simply because brendan power and isaac use it. removing reed material can get tricky.
w/ blu-tak you have a large margin of error that can be rectified almost instantly.
i'll go a whole step sharp removing brass on the 3 blow when making a maj 7th harp. there is a rectangle of extra brass at the tip end of this reed so i don't feel it compromises the tone or flex of the reed.
a 1/2 step on 5 draw poses no problem.
if the Puck is a quality harp and not like a bluesband, it should be okay to re-tune w/out screwing it up.
just lately i made myself and a friend low F# SP/20s out of G harps. lotta work and i don't reccomend it, but i was rained out on my day job so i had the time to spare.
----------
MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
|
oldwailer
1833 posts
Jan 24, 2012
11:24 AM
|
What Isaac says is spot on for me too--if you refer to Jim's True Chromatic tune-o-matic charts on this link:
http://www.truechromatic.com/tune-o-matic/index.html
You find that Jim seems to think (as I read it) that you should change the reed out if you need to tune as much as 2 semitones. (Hope I'm not wrong here--maybe Jim will chime in and tell you better information).
In my experience, the reeds can get very thin and even break if you try going much further than that. . .
----------
Oldwailer's Web Site
Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
|
MP
1962 posts
Jan 24, 2012
11:33 AM
|
wailer,
i would agree w/ jim regarding changing a reed in most cases after two semi-tones. with the exception of reeds with lots of brass at the tip end- i'll change reeds after one semitone. even better, i'll just use a reed at the pitch i need. lowering, i never go past a half step.
in my experience, the timbre of a reed and its overtones can go out the window w/ too much tuning.
a reed is approximately one two hundreth of an inch thick. that is not much material to work with.
----------
MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
Last Edited by on Jan 24, 2012 11:38 AM
|
Todd Parrott
822 posts
Jan 24, 2012
11:44 AM
|
I use a micro-engraver I bought from Harbor Freight. Makes is much faster to tune. Not sure how far you can go, but I once tuned a Suzuki Easy Rider in Low D down to a low C, which is a cheap harp with red cover plates.
I've also tuned a few Hohners and Seydels up an entire key (half-step and whole-step).
But perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I can chime in. I'm sure there is a limit. I usually try to limit it to a half-step up or down if I'm retuning the entire harp.
|
MP
1963 posts
Jan 24, 2012
12:27 PM
|
todd,
i love my rotary tool engraver that i got from david payne via a friend whom was afraid to use it.
it's great because you don't have to press down very hard to remove material. your tuning marks look very neat and precise. well....if you have steady hands..
----------
MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
|
nacoran
5133 posts
Jan 24, 2012
1:47 PM
|
Lol. I think this thread may have jumped from a Facebook harp page discussion on Pucks. :)
So, if you tuned up 3 half steps you could make a C#, Db and D from a C harp. You could tune the C down to B, Bb, A. You could tune the G puck up to Ab, A or Bb or down to Low F, Low F# or Low E (which would be awesome!) So, Low E to D, that's sort of a complete key set except an Eb! I'm not sure how the Double-Pucks are fastened together. Anyone know if they have separate reed plates for the two halves? Now someone needs to figure out how to make a chromatic Puck.
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
jimbo-G
86 posts
Jan 24, 2012
2:38 PM
|
cheers guys that was a rapid response, to an old thread. im manily asking because i recently got loads of reed plates (Thanks Jim btw) that are mostly A, C, D, F. with all the info i got now, i can get making gravy.
They are all ms plates, but iv got enough to go crazy and experement with mega tune ups/downs
|
jim
1177 posts
Jan 25, 2012
2:10 AM
|
Steel can be retuned as far as from -12 to +2 (I've never gone any further)
I advise not to retune brass more than -5 to +1, unless you use solder, but that's another story.
p.s. I've given my endless supply of MS parts to jimbo-G. Now he's got a lifetime of reedwork entertainment :-D
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
