ungar
1 post
Aug 27, 2013
12:23 PM
|
I got a crossover a few days ago; up till then the only harps I knew were the pro harp and the S20. I love the crossover's bright warm tone, and its responsiveness. It's by far the best of the three, but I'm finding it a little uncomfortable to hold. With my upper lip extending almost all the way to the back, the only room left for my left-hand index finger to hold it is right on the ridge, which is considerably sharper than on the other two. Anyone else have this problem, or am I just over-sensitive?
|
Kingley
3070 posts
Aug 27, 2013
12:33 PM
|
When I hold the harp my index finger is along the back of it with the edge of my finger on that ridge. It might just take you a while to adjust to holding it. You could always try using a thumbs up grip like Adam uses.
|
FMWoodeye
784 posts
Aug 27, 2013
12:36 PM
|
You're not necessarily over-sensitive. Since each person is an individual physiological entity, architecture varies, and comfort is subjective. However, I have never felt any harp to be uncomfortable
|
JInx
502 posts
Aug 27, 2013
1:42 PM
|
Crossover World fot me, bit I mostly use it in a rack
|
PM42
17 posts
Aug 27, 2013
2:59 PM
|
I recently got a crossover to replace my one S20 because I found the S20 to feel too big and clunky compared to my MBs. I love the feel of the crossover compared to the S20 which might suggest that there is in fact a notable difference in feel, but your preference is the exact opposite of mine.
|
chromaticblues
1452 posts
Aug 28, 2013
9:48 AM
|
@PM42 Your probably right about the two feeling very different because I played crossovers for a few months and never felt at home with them. Something just didn't seem right to me. So I set up a couple of Sp 20's and bang! They just feel right to me.
I'm done fighting the Marine Band battle!
I threw in the towel and went back to SP 20's and coudn't be happier!
My point is They are very different and I think someone that plays the harp everyday is more likely to pick one or the other.
The top coverplate doesn't extend far enough for me on the crossovers and SP 20's seem smoother. Maybe it's just me? Could also be the extra plastic mouthpiece of the SP20 making it feel like there is more coverplate.
I totaly agree about the playability of the crossover. It is second to none!
@ungar You can use a fine mental file to round the corners off. If that leaves edges you can then sand it with 400 and 600 grit sand paper.
|
StevieBoyBrooksUK
1 post
Aug 28, 2013
1:29 PM
|
Crossovers are very small and very sharp to hold. The only thing to do is to round off the corners making it ergonomic, so that you can grip it between the hands, keeping the finger and thumb in position just to keep it air-tight. I'm doing just that at the moment on my 1896.
|
ungar
2 posts
Aug 28, 2013
1:39 PM
|
Thanks for all that helpful advice. I agree with PM42 that the S20, while a very good harp, feels clunky in comparison. Above all, I love the crossover's sound. It seems alive, much more sensitive than anything else I've tried. Problem is, now that I'm getting used to to holding it, it's my lower lip that's starting to smart! Is there any reason they have to have that protruding reed plate?
|
rainman
104 posts
Aug 28, 2013
2:13 PM
|
You've come up with 2 new complaints about the Crossover that I've never heard before. I love my Crossovers. I would suggest you take the harp apart and make sure there aren't any sharp edges on the comb that might be causing your discomfort and make sure the cover is positioned as so it doesn't protrude farther than it should. The Seydel Steel might be a design you prefer with there ergonomic coverplates and recessed reedplates.
|
StevieBoyBrooksUK
2 posts
Aug 28, 2013
2:14 PM
|
While I'm on, can I ask the experts a question? I've been playing for almost a year and I'm looking to buy an amp - not too big or expensive, and a mic, to play at home, but eventually with a band or on open mic nights.
I cannot afford a dedicated harp amp so I am looking for one in the region of £150 to £300. I've tried a VOX AC4TV mini (£149) but with only a 6.5 inch speaker I'm worried the bottom end won't be strong enough. There is one with a 10" speaker (AC4TV)-still 4w which I think would be better. Both amps have an 'OP' switch which allows one to adjust the input from 4W to 1W to a quarter of a watt, so that it doesn't need to be cranked right up to get that gritty blues sound. There are no effects though. Do I need them? Another amp I'm interested in is a Fender Excelsior which has had a lot of rave reviews and is £229. £310 buys me a Fender Super Champ X2, 15w,10" speaker which has everything , but do I need all of the extra gizmo's? Has anyone got any other ideas?
What mic should I buy? Adam likes a clean mic and a dirty amp. Dirty mic + dirty amp - does that work? Looking at the cost of the old style Sure 520's it's likely that I am forced to buy a modern one. Which one though?
|
SuperBee
1389 posts
Aug 28, 2013
2:18 PM
|
Some folks sand the protruding plate a little. Maybe you have one with a particularly sharp edge or a rough spot. I've heard people complain about it but I've never personally had a problem with it, and I've mainly played hohners with protruding plates the last 15 or so years. I like the crossovers and use 4 of them in my gig kit. When I lose one, which has happened a few times ...twice through clumsiness and one blowout...I get used to using something else. But when I get around to fixing the crossover I'm always impressed at how good it is.
Dunno about the lip thing. I sometimes wonder if I'm doing it wrong
----------
JellyShakersFacebookPage
JellyShakersTipJar
|
nacoran
7071 posts
Aug 28, 2013
3:25 PM
|
I've only had one Crossover. I got it a couple weeks ago. It plays well enough, (and it's better than the harps I had in A) but it doesn't wow me. The front of the comb, reed plate and cover all are a step up from the MB. The top back corners of the reed plates are a little sharp, and there is a little bur or sharp spot where the flap on the back meets (the part that would be down on a stock MB- it seems like when they 'opened up the back' they could have done it a tiny fraction closer so that there wasn't a corner there.) It hits me in the pad of my hand by my index finger. I'm still kind of on the fence about open backs anyway, and it's an easy enough home project. I wish they would have left it closed and let us modify it on our own. I suppose I could unbend it, but doing that neatly is probably more work than it's worth. It's a nice harp. In the Hohner line, I kind of like them in this order for comfort-
(Best to worst)
Special 20, Crossover, Golden Melody, Piedmont (once the taste is gone), Marine Band, Pocket Pal/BluesBand, Blues Harp, Pre-MS Blues Harp (but my only sample of an unmodified one is an second hand harp. The modified one is my favorite, but it's really not the same harp).
And this order for sound-
Pre-MS Blues Harp, Blues Harp, Golden Melody, Marine Band/Crossover/Sp20, BluesHarp/Pocketpal, Piedmont.
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
ungar
3 posts
Aug 29, 2013
3:42 AM
|
I'm beginning to think that the crossover is not responsible for my lower lip injury, since my pro harp has the same protruding reedplates and never caused me any problems. Anyway, the question remains: does the protusion serve any useful purpose, especially with plastic or fully-sealed wooden combs? Or is it just a legacy thing?
|
chromaticblues
1453 posts
Aug 29, 2013
4:39 AM
|
@ungar
Remove the coverplates and loosen the three screws holding the rest of it together. Put the harp mouthpiece down on a flat object. Then press down on the reedplates and comb and tighten the screw back up. You don't have tighten them very tight. Once you feel resistance just a little more more is all you need.
This might take a couple tries if you've never done it before, but it is quit possible to line the comb up with reedplates perfectly!
|
ungar
4 posts
Aug 29, 2013
5:19 AM
|
I'll try that if the annoyance persists. Thanks!
|
