atty1chgo
1128 posts
Sep 18, 2014
7:15 AM
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For those of us who are not harp repair technicians, or otherwise do not replace blown reeds on existing plates, what happens to the old reed plates? I don't mean the obvious - of course they languish in a box somewhere in our possession. But I guess I have several questions:
Are reed plates (for the same hole) interchangeable between the draw and blow plates? When I purchase new reed plates to fix a blown 4 draw reed, for instance, I am usually purchasing plates for both blow and draw. I usually only replace the plate with the bad reed, and rarely replace both, leaving me with a brand new plate. Is there any market for these plates or is the cost of loose reeds so low that this point is irrelevant? And are the reeds on the extra plate removable and useable to replace a reed, if we are so inclined? Does the blow reed correspond to the draw reed for the same hole - i.e. is it the same reed? Thanks.
Last Edited by atty1chgo on Sep 18, 2014 8:00 AM
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smwoerner
270 posts
Sep 18, 2014
9:28 AM
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For Hohner harps new reeds are relatively inexpensive and are quick to work with. I tend to use new reeds the majority of the time. However for some odd keys or reeds I rarely have the need to change I use reeds from an old harp if I have one laying around.
You can swap reeds between different keys and long and short slot reed plates but it's a bit of a puzzle. Richard Sleigh made a nice chart showing how this all works but I don't have the link. So for instance a 2 draw on a "D" is the same reed as a 4 blow on an "A" or a "4" draw on a "G" or a 2 blow on an "E". I think.
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Purveyor of Optimized New and Refurbished Harmonicas.
scott@scottwoerner.com
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mlefree
182 posts
Sep 18, 2014
11:14 AM
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I just want to do my civic duty here.
I'd happily accept any used reed plates that are languishing in a box or drawer somewhere. Just PM me and I will happily pay for postage. :)
Thanks,
Michelle
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SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
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florida-trader
520 posts
Sep 19, 2014
4:27 AM
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Anybody who has been playing for a while probably has some old harps with broken reeds or in need of other repair sitting in a drawer somewhere. For those who are so inclined, have the skills and the patience, fixing them and restoring them to usable condition is not difficult. At the same time, guys who do repair work are in a never ending search for spare reeds. Aside from buying new replacement reeds, cannibalizing reeds off used plates is the obvious choice. There is an opportunity here for a win-win solution. Send those old harps with broken reeds to a competent repair tech. If you send him ten broken harps you’ll probably get five good harps back. He’ll probably charge you a reasonable price and keep the other five harps to replenish his inventory of spare reeds. You might ask, “Why can’t he repair all ten for me?” Well, he probably could but then it would cost a lot more. Sending him ten harps that are collecting dust and serving no purpose and getting back five while allowing him to keep the other five to be used for spare parts is a win-win for both parties. It will keep your repair cost low. You will get five good harps for far less than the cost of buying five new harps. And your repair tech will be able to recycle the spare parts from the other harps which can generate future income which enables him to charge you a reasonable price. This is a slight oversimplification and I do not mean to speak for any harp tech. You need to work that out on a case by case basis. There are several guys who play in this space that have gotten glowing feedback on this forum and others. I refer my customers to Mike Price in Oklahoma. Mark Prados is a long time member of this forum who has received universally positive praise. There are others. Perhaps they will speak up. I believe that Nate has accumulated a list of those who provide tech services. Nate?
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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