mercedesrules
11 posts
Aug 25, 2010
1:35 PM
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....I am a beginner, but I am starting to notice slight differences among harps. My new "G" Marine Band Deluxe is stubborn in the third hole. (I know low notes are difficult for beginners and have two other G harps with which to compare) The only problem I can see is that the draw reed seems slightly too short (plate hole too long). Could that cause sluggish playing/bending in that hole?
Fix or live with?
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Last Edited by on Aug 25, 2010 1:39 PM
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barbequebob
1184 posts
Aug 25, 2010
1:39 PM
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Some of the possibilities may be in the gapping or very possibly dried on saliva or dead skin, which happens if you tend to play with a wet mouth or too hard. It's unlikely that the reed would be too short in the hole. From the looks of the picture, tho, it appears the reed is out of alignment.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
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Last Edited by on Aug 25, 2010 1:40 PM
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Andrew
1146 posts
Aug 25, 2010
1:59 PM
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It sure as hell looks to me like the reed is too short. Excellent photo Mercedes. I hope your question gets the replies it deserves.
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Andrew,
gentleman of leisure,
noodler extraordinaire.
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MP
766 posts
Aug 25, 2010
2:29 PM
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i'd go w/ bob. it may be the alignment. that is one thing that makes a reed sluggish or slow to respond-i think that's what you mean.
i'd take off the plates. hold it up to the light. press down gently on the reed, and have a look. if it is pitched to one side then there you go. you'll need a reed wrench...but, you might get away w/ a needle nose pliers but be friggin' careful.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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DeakHarp
172 posts
Aug 25, 2010
3:41 PM
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It looks to me to be a short reed ...I've seen this in my Post war harp from the 50's its a C harp .. i customized it and it plays great .....but my 7 Draw is short ... I thought about replacing it until i tried to overdraw it ..it overdraws great without any adjustment .. so i left it .. but it looks to me like on a draw plate you want it tighter too ... you probably will get away with replacing it with a equivalant reed ... or if it plays good leave it ....like i did ....Or i can replace it for you e mail me off form ....
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Have Harp Will Travel
www.deakharp.com
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nacoran
2623 posts
Aug 25, 2010
4:25 PM
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Is it straight? Maybe it's a little bent so it's not reaching the end? It does look like the gap at the end is a bit wide. If straightening the reed and making sure it's gapped right doesn't work maybe you could emboss the end of the slot a bit. It looks like they were a little aggressive in the tuning stage on the 3 and 6. I use a small piece of paper and a craft stick (basically a heavy toothpick) for gapping, but that's only because I don't have the right tools. I'd recommend it over pliers. It's harder (but not impossible) to screw it up.
What is that line running down the middle of the reed? It looks like maybe they bent the reed. (It runs from the middle of the rivet towards the top of the image exiting about 2/3's of the way down the reed.
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Nate
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arzajac
321 posts
Aug 25, 2010
6:16 PM
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If it's too short, is the hole in the rivet at the right place?
Should you not remove the reed, file the hole to be a bit bigger and then put the reed back as in the image I just drew (the computer equivalent of crayons, I know...)
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ridge
83 posts
Aug 26, 2010
7:09 AM
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Mercedes,
Cool I'm glad you took the pic and made a new thread. Obviously, it's hard to tell if it's off center in the pic, but it does look like the reed is too short for the slot. I don't think that gap should make it extra hard to play though.
I would check the reed shape/pitch as MP suggested.
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mercedesrules
12 posts
Aug 26, 2010
7:41 AM
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.....WOW, I am really grateful for all of the responses! I will try to answer some questions:
Thanks for complementing the photo, Andrew; my wife has a wildflower closeup lens outfit.
I have basic Lee Oskar and Hohner tools and repair/maintenance books.
To further define the complaint, that hole plays like my cheap, valveless chromatics; some air rushes in without helping the loudness.
Thanks for offering to discuss fixing it, Deakharp. I think I will play it for a while to see how much it continues to bother me. I am a little concerned about the economics of repairing a $45 harp.
nacoran, the reed doesn't seem bent. I am afraid that the line you see is a moisture stain from me over-using that area trying to get it to respond (well, that IS the "blues" area ;) ). Also, I first ran a little warm water into the harp to dislodge any foreign material. The reed seems straight. I don't know what "embossing" is; I will Google it. If it is blacksmith-type work, I probably won't try it. ;)
arzajac, thanks for making that nice picture! I am not advanced enough to replace reeds but that would probably work.
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