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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Question for customizers / tinkerers
Question for customizers / tinkerers
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Baker
69 posts
Jun 29, 2010
5:31 AM
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I have been setting up my own harps for a while now, just basic embossing, arching and gapping. This all works great and I can get some really good results.
However, every so often I get a draw reed or two on a harp which feels a little dead. It takes much more force to get it to sound and sounds a little dull when played. I have tried re-gapping both the blow and draw reads in the same hole, checking of burs and alignment in the slot, I can in some cases get it working better but never as responsive and clear as the other reeds on the harp.
Am I missing something? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks, Baker.
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GermanHarpist
1605 posts
Jun 29, 2010
6:30 AM
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BBQbob mentioned once that sometimes the reeds aren't fixed well to the reed plate. This can be solved by slightly tapping the rivet with a hammer once or twice.
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Baker
70 posts
Jun 29, 2010
8:41 AM
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Cool, thank you. I'll give it go this evening.
Last Edited by on Jun 29, 2010 8:41 AM
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barbequebob
987 posts
Jun 29, 2010
10:23 AM
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It seldom happens these days that a reed hasn't been riveted flush flat to the plate, but back from 1981-1995, this occured much more frequently and the nail set and tack hammer thing was a tip given to me by Frank Huang when he was still a harp tech at Hohner in the early 80's before he left and got together with his brother, the great classical harp virtuoso Cham-Ber Huang to form Huang Harmonicas. Since Cham-Ber Huang retired a few years back, Frank has been president of the company. Just remember, do NOT use a heavy force or you could make things a lot worse in the process, just tap it LIGHTLY.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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