Fuzzball
5 posts
Sep 23, 2013
3:13 PM
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Hey people,
I have already asked the great Lee Sankey about this, but thought I'd also post it here. I have had problems with draw 5 breaking on my Crossover. It's my A harmonica, and I only had one Crossover at a time. After breaking two draw 5s on Crossovers I used the blow reed from the first, tuned it, and fitted it to the second broken Crossover and it worked great. Till it broke again. I have Blues Harps, Special 20s, a Marine Band, Big River, Lee Oskar, and none of those have ever broken a reed. I mostly tongue block by the way and am wondering if anyone else has had similar problems, or if it's just me. I know harmonicas don't last forever and have to be tuned, I have done that to a couple of my special 20s, but the Crossovers suddenly went flat, and just died. I've been playing for 3 years or so now; I am currently coming up with a piece based (with permission) on Spher - O - Dyne Boogie by Håkan Ehn, and I had hoped to do it with said Crossover but I guess it will be my Blues Harp!
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Frank
2806 posts
Sep 23, 2013
3:29 PM
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Thats an easy fix...If the harp is smokin - except for the 5 - once you get a good 5 in there you'll be back in bidniss...
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Fuzzball
6 posts
Sep 23, 2013
3:36 PM
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Yes, however I haven't got a spare reed and have no idea where to get them for a Crossover. Shame because I really like it!
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Frank
2807 posts
Sep 23, 2013
3:46 PM
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:(
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capnj
161 posts
Sep 23, 2013
3:49 PM
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Yeah Fuzzy Ive blown them out fast also,the reeds seem to be a softer bronze,but could be wrong.Send that and your other hohners to MP,or one of the other great harp repair guys here.Shame to let a xover sit,maybe canibalilze a 5 reed off one of your blown out sp20's.Hohner had a return policy,but I'm sure they would say your honking to hard,worth a try if it happens on the next one.
Last Edited by capnj on Sep 23, 2013 3:57 PM
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MP
2923 posts
Sep 23, 2013
4:59 PM
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hi capn!
Fuzzball, i can fix your Crossovers. my most common fix is the five draw. Other repair guys get a lot of broken 4 draws.
you can also buy reeds from Hohner at $2.00? per.
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MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
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robbert
245 posts
Sep 23, 2013
8:41 PM
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I currently have four X0s. Along with Sp. 20s, X0s are my favorite harp. Never had a problem. And I can wail pretty hard, but I guess its all relative. Harps last a long, long time if you figure out how to stay just under the pressure threshold that can cause reed failure.
It's known that Little Walter, for instance, played quite softly, with a lot of control, and let the mic, amp/PA do all the work of producing volume.
My harps are gapped tightly for better response, so they can stick if I blow too hard. This only happens when I can't hear myself very well in the mix. Even when I get carried up in the music, so long as I can hear myself, I can control my air pressure, and get all the emotion, and effect I want.
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KingoBad
1391 posts
Sep 23, 2013
8:55 PM
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The tolerances are tighter on the crossover (unless you emboss your other harps). You need to check your technique on the 5 draw. My guess is that you play much harder than you should. With the tighter tolerance, the chance for reed destruction goes way up...
Never power down the 5 draw, it is a finesse technique...
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Danny
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Fuzzball
7 posts
Sep 24, 2013
3:41 AM
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Hi capn, nice to know I'm not the only one. I think they are a softer bronze, they appear to be a different colour to my SP20s. I don't have any broken SP20s, all I've had to do is tune them to remove the 'beating' effect every now and then. And by that I mean once or twice!
MP, that's a very nice offer and if I can I may well look into that! I do live in the UK though. I know Hohner has a special parts service but I could only find stuff for the MS series, if I can find a replacement reed from them I will fit it, I'm a model engineer or at least I try to be, so I am quite good with my hands. But thank you, I might just look into that.
Robbert and Kingobad - I thought someone might say that! Yes I understand what your saying and I'm sure you're probably right. However I have never had a reed stick, only had them just suddenly break. And to me the SP20 is almost as airtight and high tolerance, and I haven't had a problem. Of course there is always room to improve and I have a lot of that do of course, however I don't feel I am solely to blame for a harmonica to go after owning it for just a month. I did buy them from Amazon, is that a big no no?!
Thanks for all the responses by the way, it's much appreciated!
Sam.
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harpwrench
685 posts
Sep 24, 2013
5:36 AM
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The crossover and sp20 share the same individual reeds from the same parts pin.
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The best you know is usually only as good as the best you've had.
Spiers Custom Harmonicas
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GMaj7
285 posts
Sep 24, 2013
6:00 AM
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Harpwrench knows his stuff. The reeds are the same and they are brass. I've always said that if there is a harp you play that doesn't blow out reeds, stick with it.
However, if you are making comparisons, it has to be done across the same key. In other words, if you blow out your 5 draw on your (D) Marine Band, you can't say accurately that your LO in (G) is more durable because you never blow out that reed.
Changing out individual reeds is very very easy...
10% of the time..
It is the other 90% that give value to the services of Mark Prados and the other guys who do economical reed repair...
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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Frank
2815 posts
Sep 24, 2013
6:15 AM
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Especially with the advent of this tool :)
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chromaticblues
1472 posts
Sep 24, 2013
9:34 AM
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@Fuzzball
Your probably playing to hard. You've been playing little over 3 years. Most people in the earlier stages of playing will suck or blow harder when they are trying to bend. That's how you ruin harps!
Harps sound cool when you abuse them, but there's a fine line between pushing a harp and abuse!
Crossovers cost alot!
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Fuzzball
8 posts
Sep 24, 2013
10:21 AM
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Well, I guess I'll just buy another one in that case and hope for the best. The closest I can compare is my Ab to my A Crossover (Ab Blues Harp). I know what you're saying though. Interesting they're the same reeds! Learn something new everyday. I do like to try things myself but of course a specialist is, well, a specialist! I don't suck or blow hard when trying to bend. I quickly found that doing that creates a hollow, choked sound, and sometimes the reed would just stop dead doing that, so you quickly learn that's not how to do it. As I tongue block a lot (4 and upwards with the right side of my tongue, aside from blow bending and if I'm feeling especially showy offy an over blow ;), and 1 with the left side of my tongue (I do TB 3 often as well, and use 2 as an anchor)), I have to use my throat to bend. I don't want to seem like an a*se but I think bending is something I can do without tugging at a harmonica. I am working on a piece called 'obsessive compulsive diatonic harmonica' (play on words), and will post a link on here, so you can get an idea of my playing! Thanks, Sam.
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MP
2927 posts
Sep 24, 2013
11:48 AM
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Just a little FWIW info.
Models of Hohner Handmade harps that share the same reeds (therefore interchangeable as replacements are) Crossovers, Marine Band Deluxes, Marine Band 1896, Special 20s, and Golden Melody's.
MS reeds are interchageable w/ other MS reeds. They are wider than the handmade reeds.
i've used handmade reeds on MS harps but you have to burnish the sides of the slot to lessen the width and take a little brass off of the tip of the reed because they are longer than MS reeds. They work fine but it's a pain. I wouldn't bother trying to put an MS reed on anything other than an MS harp though.
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MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Sep 24, 2013 11:50 AM
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SuperBee
1437 posts
Sep 24, 2013
1:58 PM
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Hi Fuzzball. You can buy individual reeds (in packs of 5) for hohner handmades. If you contact them, they'll tell you how. You could just tell them what you want in an email. It isn't obvious on their site how to do it. The reeds are pretty cheap (I guess), the postage can be a killer but I think there is an option there too, to pay for a standard service rather than the default premium service..
I wreck 4 draw in D harps usually. Used to be C harps, now not so much.
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JellyShakersFacebookPage
JellyShakersTipJar
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Fuzzball
9 posts
Sep 24, 2013
2:25 PM
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Thanks MP, really rather interesting! SuperBee, that's fantastic. I think I will do that, actually, as I'd like to repair them myself if I can! I was under the assumption that if I emailed them I would be ignored, however, I will try that.
Sam
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harpwrench
687 posts
Sep 24, 2013
4:40 PM
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It sounds like you might be bending the 5 draw down on the piece you're working on. It's like the guy going to the doctor complaining his finger hurts whenever he smashes it with a hammer. Don't do it and you'll stop hurting yourself. Or keep doing it, and expect pain.
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The best you know is usually only as good as the best you've had.
Spiers Custom Harmonicas
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Fuzzball
10 posts
Sep 24, 2013
5:11 PM
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Hahaha that did make me chuckle ;) yes it probably is something like that. It is based, with permission, on Hakan's 'Spher - O - Dyne Boogie' if you want to know kind of the thing I'm doing. I actually think it could be from a 4/5 side to side, not the 2 - 5 draw, as now you mention it, I do bend the side to side down sometimes. I guess that is something I just didn't even think about I'm so used to doing it subconsciously, like you do with a 3/4, i.e. in Little Walter's 'Rocker'. I did a cover version of that (or an attempt at one) on an Ab Blues Harp. Live and learn I guess. Thanks for the advice, Sam.
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