Gibbo
3 posts
Apr 07, 2013
12:34 AM
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I am having an issue with gapping. I have watched Mr. Spiers excellent video and several others and on most reeds I have been successful, but I have three that will not play. One is on a Suzuki Bluesmaster and the others on a LO 1910. Been monkeying with them for about four days now and I fear I am only making it worse.
Not sure what the protocol is for asking for help/training/repair on this forum or what can even be done.
Any suggestions (or offers) would be appreciated.
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Gibbo
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paulbunyn
71 posts
Apr 07, 2013
5:36 AM
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I am sure you will get more responses but maybe this site can help you out.
http://www.harperclub.com/viewforum.php?f=33&sid=2c7cec40a90fc2e2d6ebd9c0f0b5ef13
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arzajac
1029 posts
Apr 07, 2013
8:58 AM
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Hi Gibbo.
Gapping is essential, but it's no magic bullet. While every great harp needs to be properly gapped to work, not all harps are great.
Both those harps are not particularly airtight. Furthermore, the reeds you are having trouble with are probably not properly shaped - you must make sure most of the reed goes through the slot at the same time.
Take the reedplates off and inspect each reed. Push down at the tip and in the middle. If you see that part of a reed is going through the slot first, try to gently massage the reed to change its shape to correct that. You can use a toothpick since that won't scratch the reed and you can position the tip of your finger on the other side of the reed where you are applying pressure with the toothpick to apply counter force.
Plink or play the reed a handful of times and then check the reed again. Rinse, repeat.
Once you are happy with the reeds shape, put the harp back together and then try gapping again.
Lee Oskars stamp a serial code on the high end of the reedplates and that often distorts the plate making it leaky. So if you have tried everything to get the harp to play, I suggest you get a more airtight harp to get a better sense of how your changing the reed shape and offset affects how it plays. The two harps you are talking about are not the best harps to learn how to optimise on.
I hope this helps.
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Last Edited by arzajac on Apr 07, 2013 8:59 AM
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GMaj7
189 posts
Apr 07, 2013
10:22 AM
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Getting a harp to play like you want it to is much more a process of a bunch of really small adjustments. The key is to make small changes and then see how you like it. It might take you 20 or 30 tries to get it right. Just make note of what is improved and what gets better. Also, remember that sometimes you can make a small adjustment and the reed will settle back to its old state so what is perfect today may be not-so-much tomorrow.
It will come eventually, just stay at it. If you give up, you lose the real benefit of learning from which adjustments didn't work.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Gibbo
4 posts
Apr 07, 2013
10:25 AM
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Thanks guys for the tips.
The LO had a misaligned reed on the 8 draw and straitening it didn't help. Something else I noticed on the LO after I posted and went back to it was that the reed plates are warped. No clue how to fix that or if it makes a difference when the screw flatten is against the comb.
I'll give your tip a try Andrew. I think that is a good place to start today.
Have no fear Greg, not giving up. I like my Bluesmaster too much to throw in the towel. I'll keep at it as it is one reed away from being great. I just bought several used marine bands to trash while learning adjustments, maintenance and mods rather than the harps I practice on.
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Gibbo
(edit: did not post my message just my sig)
Last Edited by Gibbo on Apr 07, 2013 10:35 AM
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Pistolcat
375 posts
Apr 07, 2013
11:38 AM
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Adjust, try adjust some more and then go halfway back to the way it was before. That's the way of setting up harps.
I guess a moonlighting (is that a saying in english?) optician would be the ultimate harp customizer. He or she will probably have real good tools and magnifiers and already has a way of thinking: Is this better? Worse? how about this? Better? Is this better? Howabout this?...
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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S-harp
88 posts
Apr 07, 2013
12:32 PM
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@Gibbo
You say the reed(s) don't play ...
Meaning ... dead tone? bad respone? no tone at
all? reed squeel? way too leaky?
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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nacoran
6661 posts
Apr 07, 2013
1:38 PM
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Pistolcat, or maybe a watchmaker! There was a guy who made a harmonica that lit up with LED lights controlled by a knob on the end. I think he said that although the idea was his, the fine tooling it needed he farmed out to a friend who was a dentist. (And of course, the guy over at Turboharp works on inventing artificial hearts!)
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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Gibbo
5 posts
Apr 07, 2013
2:19 PM
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S-Harp, if I adjust the gap wider from the plate I get poor responsiveness to the point that I may or may not get any sound. If I do get sound it is poor quality and a lot of leaked air.
If I narrow the gap I get nothing, sometimes to the point it won't let air through.
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Gibbo
Harp Player in Training
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Gibbo
6 posts
Apr 07, 2013
10:35 PM
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So I made some progress on the Bluesmaster. I got the 8 blow working. I can hit it at speed and it doesn't squeak or freeze up.
If I take the bottom reed plate off and cover the gap in comb with my thumb the 9 blow sounds perfect. Take the top off and put the bottom on and repeat (much trickier hand position) the 9 draw sounds fine too.
Put both plates on there is a lot of escaping air sometimes followed by strangulated note. Move one hole either way and 8 and 10 sound fine.
Is it leaking around the comb? I did a visual check for cracks. Presumably if it was the reed plate or comb the 8 and/or 10 would be affected too.
Didn't have time to work on the LO.
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Gibbo
Harp Player in Training
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Pistolcat
376 posts
Apr 08, 2013
2:40 AM
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You can work with a bit of leakiness. In fact, with most harps it's expected to some intent. Choking reeds however... A choking reed always make me picture playing a dog turd, I just hate the feeling I get in my mouth!
A general point that hasn't been brought up in this thread yet is that you need to have both draw and blow reeds gapped properly to keep the harp reasonably airtight. Or you will have airloss through the reed that isn't played in the hole you are playing.
Also, if your plates are warped I'd try to un-warp them or use them for spares, or return them...
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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harpwrench
653 posts
Apr 08, 2013
4:50 AM
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You might try filing off the little metal volcanos around the self-tapped thread holes, could be keeping the draw plate from properly contacting the comb.
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Custom Harmonicas
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Gibbo
7 posts
Apr 08, 2013
11:11 PM
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Thanks Joe that was the ticket. And thanks everyone else for helping me learn and troubleshoot.
I'm afraid what a repair tech would think of all the scratches on the reed plates that I have done to my poor Bluesmaster. The LO plates are so warped I think it will become a tinkering piece as the only way I can think to unwarp them would damage the reeds (and yes I know new reed plates are only $20).
All this has paid off, my Firebreath showed up today and had sticky/squeaky 10 blow and draw reeds and a sluggish 3 blow. 15 minutes later and it sounds great! The one draw rattles a bit but that is a different challenge.
Thanks again folks.
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Gibbo
Harp Player in Training
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