I've noticed some customizers fabricate their combs with bulging comb "fingers" between the holes which protrude past the profile of the reedplates. The comb fingers are also rounded to be more comfortable for the lips and, I'm guessing, to your lips to to more directly feel the exact location of the holes. Take a peek at J Ricci's customs and you'll see what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1_5XxY4yQ
Anyone know how to achive this type of comb profile?
Thx, Adam Fitz
Last Edited by on Mar 13, 2010 10:53 AM
Without a workshop you can just sand down the comb and reseal it. I have a custom comb from Dave Payne that feels great, but he's gone to Harrison Harmonicas now. They don't really protrude, but they are sanded down and smooth and rounded. I was actually playing one of my Hohner Blues Harps today and thinking I needed to take a risk and try taking the Dremel to it.
To get them to actually protrude, you have to cut a new comb--with tines a little bit long--then they are just sanded down to the shape you want.
I tried a Dremmel once--it's the sort of thing you only do once--unless you have really steady hands--safer to go with a belt sander and then do the fine work with sandpaper--those little sanding wands with the 1/4" wide belts work great--or just emery boards work OK.
Don't round off the sides too much--just between the tines. You can create leaks if you round them where the wood needs to contact the brass.
finish it off with about a 1200 grit. See Dave Payne's video on YouTube on how to file the reed plate edges down so they don't protrude so far.
Done right--it makes a MB harp very comfortable to play. . .
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Dave do a vid somewhere where he actually dripped a dab of the butcher block sealant on top of the tines with the comb sitting tine-up? That's how I thought he achieved that roundness without cutting a new comb. I'll try to find that vid.
@nacoran - that's the first thing I do - the dremel. I've never messed a comb up with one (yet). Then I do the sealing. The last step of the sealing process puts a dab of sealant on the front of the comb tine. Using the dremel, its easy to do too much, and to get the sides uneven. Do a little on one side and then a little on the next - when it looks good = move to the next one. ---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
That's right--I had forgotten the dripping the finish method--I just cut new combs for most everything now--but that dripping method worked great for me back when I didn't have the tools to cut combs. . .
Thanks y'all Todd, thanks for the vid link. I'm going to try the drip method on some old Special 20's...see how it feels. So next question...what "dripping material" do you think would work best on plastic combs (ie: Spec-20)? If that works I'm going to try it on my better harps. I have a set of Suzuki Manji's I'm very impressed with. They have a comb made of mixed composite wood fiber and platic...ugh.
