mikiek
20 posts
Mar 06, 2014
5:25 PM
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Hey folks - I was jamming with my G harp (Seydel Silver) yesterday and all of a sudden holes 4, 5, 6 just clammed up. I couldn't get any sound out of them - blow or draw. I took it apart last night hoping to find it all gunked up, but the reeds and the reed plate were clean. I took some soap and a toothbrush to them anyway and put it back together but there was no improvement. The harp is a little over a year old.
I haven't been in the harp business long enough to have one go bad enough that I knew it was a goner. So I'm not sure what is going on. Is this what happens when reeds start to fail?
Not sure where to go from here.
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sonny3
128 posts
Mar 06, 2014
5:45 PM
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What do the reeds sound like when you plink them? I doubt they are bad.maybe need centered in the slot or something simple.A lot of people gap too close to get overblows and that can jam them up.
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GMaj7
372 posts
Mar 06, 2014
6:47 PM
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There are a few possibilities here but I doubt very seriously you have reed failure and even if you did, the opposing reed would still sound. I'm thinking you have some compound problem.
We can troubleshoot it here or you can email me at greg.jones@Seydel1847.com or the email below and we can figure it out.
If not, you can send it to me and I will repair it for you.
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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mikiek
21 posts
Mar 07, 2014
8:33 PM
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Got some fantastic help from Greg Jones - 16:23 Custom Harmonicas. Looks like it's a gap issue. I took a first pass at some adjustments and the harp is playing better. I did the whole harp, not just the problem reeds and now air just seems to pass thru easier. Sounds weird but it just feels better - smoother. When I can get to the woodshed I'll give it a good workout.
Seems like gapping is something we all need to know how to do. I'll probably be going over all my harps this weekend.
Thanks all!
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Gnarly
951 posts
Mar 08, 2014
10:44 AM
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"Seems like gapping is something we all need to know how to do."
I always try to tell a customer, they are the person best equipped to do the gapping, since they will be the one playing the harmonica.
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nacoran
7584 posts
Mar 08, 2014
11:39 AM
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Gapping is your friend. :) I agree, it's something everyone who plays harp should be able to do at at least a basic level. It will save you money and improve your harps, and I suspect, knowing a little about why your harp responds the way it does probably improves your playing. When you know what a tight or loose gapping sounds like you can adjust your embouchure on the fly to compensate for tricky reeds- and then fix them after the show. :)
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Nate
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Gnarly
953 posts
Mar 09, 2014
1:01 AM
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Yeah, I'm not trying to get out of doing my job, it's just really dicey trying to guess how someone plays without hearing them--gapping is important! I like 'em set low, for OB . . .
I get some idea when I talk to them on the phone, but the best situation is when I can sit down in person with a client and have them play the harp in question.
Back to the original thread, another solution for those symptoms is to clear the slots with a shim, that usually clears any debris that might be inhibiting the reed.
Last Edited by Gnarly on Mar 09, 2014 1:05 AM
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