atty1chgo
1283 posts
Jul 11, 2015
5:55 AM
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Blew a 2 hole draw reed on my Suzuki Manji - D harp. Is blowing this reed a common occurrence? I know that all reeds go at some point if used, but I never had this one go before.
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Meaux Jeaux
89 posts
Jul 11, 2015
7:50 AM
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If you are going for the flatted 7th in hole 2 and are bending the note to the floor, the result can often lead to reed fatigue. To paraphrase the Iceman, "Stay about a foot off the floor". That is good advice, bending any reed as far as it will go will cause them to fail much faster then not. Try to hit your bends in tune.
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BKimmusic
1 post
Jul 11, 2015
12:33 PM
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I agree with Meaux, but I'm wondering if the reed may be clogged with debris. Did you try opening the cover plates and moving the 2 draw reed?
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dougharps
967 posts
Jul 11, 2015
3:05 PM
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@atty1chgo
I believe that the most common reed failures are the 3,4, and 5 draw, not necessarily in order of frequency of failure. I once blew a steel 9 blow on an A harp from blow bending it repeatedly for over a year.
I never heard of a 2 draw failing. Is it a common part of your style to bend that reed really hard?
Perhaps some of the techs can comment on which reeds they repair most frequently?
The D harp historically was the easiest for me to blow a reed, usually the 4 or 5 draw. I don't do this very often anymore, since most of the time I use less breath force than in years past.
Some have criticized tuning marks across reeds as promoting failure, but Manji's are laser tuned, and I have never seen a tuning mark across the reed.
Any techs in the house willing to give an opinion?
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Doug S.
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SuperBee
2727 posts
Jul 11, 2015
8:39 PM
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not so common ime. in the old days i did break a couple of 2 draws, but i used to give them absolute hell. ive repaired 80+ harps this year, maybe there was 1 2 draw...4 draw, 5 draw, 4 blow are the super common ones, then a few others come up reasonably often...6 draw, 7 blow, 8,9 blow...i have some 1 blow replacements occasionally...pretty much down to the player and their repertoire though, after those 3 super common ones...strange i dont see many 5 blow but i believe it is a regular character too
but yeh 2 draw not unheard of but not common
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Gnarly
1415 posts
Jul 12, 2015
7:22 AM
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2 draw is rare--4 and 5 draw are common.
I see 7 and 9 blow too.
One year warranty on Suzuki!
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atty1chgo
1284 posts
Jul 12, 2015
11:06 AM
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@BK - I'll crack it open and take a look. I just assumed it was blown because there was no sound at all.
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Pistolcat
804 posts
Jul 12, 2015
11:24 AM
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If it makes NO sound I'll bet it's not blown but gunked up. First thing to do when a hole is weird or not sounding is to open up the harp and have a look... You'll get much better answers than posting here, imo.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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atty1chgo
1285 posts
Jul 12, 2015
12:04 PM
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Opened it up, and the reed wasn't blown at all. But there was no visible crud in there either. I am thinking that there was just enough of something sticky between the reed and the sides of the hole to stick it evenly in place quite securely. After pushing it ever so slightly it came loose. Cleaned with some solvent and now it is fine. Thank you for your help. It was just silent when I was drawing, and that has always meant that the reed was gone.
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tomaxe
46 posts
Jul 13, 2015
9:58 AM
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I have a couple of Suzuki Manji harps and this has happened to me as well on certain holes on the harp...the Manjis have very little space between the slot and the reed—the tightest spaces of any mass manufactured harp, they claim—which makes them very responsive but also prone to choking if you play with a lot of spit in your mouth or just drank something sticky like a beer or soda...or are just a hard player who can draw that reed down in the tight slot too far where the tiniest bit of dust or saliva can make the reed stick. This is an issue for me with Mani harps...not the harps fault, just a very touchy and sensitive instrument. Pluses and minuses with everything. Playing with a light touch is always something to work on.
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The Iceman
2590 posts
Jul 13, 2015
10:19 AM
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When I had a mustache I would get 1 hair caught between reed and plate. Stopped it cold.
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The Iceman
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