the_happy_honker
13 posts
Aug 28, 2010
2:16 PM
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In his "Monster Harmonica Workbench" series Kinya Pollard advocates (without much explanation) cutting away the crosspieces (sprues) in the channels of ABS plastic combs like the Special 20.
I'm curious to know if anyone has done this and whether it changed the tonal properties at all. Thanks!
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2010 2:17 PM
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tookatooka
1690 posts
Aug 28, 2010
2:23 PM
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I've heard people on here mention it before and they said there was no noticable difference.
If you do cut them out, please let me know what you think?
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GermanHarpist
1743 posts
Aug 28, 2010
2:27 PM
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I read somewhere, maybe it's even in Kinya's article, that it helps in the lower holes but the higher it's actually better with the crosspiece.
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the_happy_honker
14 posts
Aug 28, 2010
2:41 PM
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Or maybe it has to do with the playability rather than tone? I could imagine a block of plastic in the airstream would affect how the two reeds interact during a bend.
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arzajac
327 posts
Aug 28, 2010
4:13 PM
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In Richard Sleigh's book, (Straighten up and Tune Right) he says on page 16:
"... (the sprues) make no difference to the sound or strength of the harmonica, so you can remove them to allow the draw scraper to travel freely inside the hole."
The Draw Scraper is a tool he makes and sells with his toolkits. It is apparently worth the price of the whole toolkit itself.
Kinya is great, but Richard Sleigh is Richard Sleigh!
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Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2010 4:14 PM
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The7thDave
155 posts
Aug 28, 2010
5:14 PM
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I do it routinely whenever I get a new one. I really couldn't tell you with any certainty if it makes a difference in terms of tone, volume or playability, though. If it does, the difference is small.
Opening up the back, however, definitely makes a significant difference in volume, and it also changes the timbre of the instrument somewhat.
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--Dave
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* BTMFH *
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shanester
212 posts
Aug 28, 2010
7:42 PM
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I do it to mine. I could swear that it makes it easier to articulate bends and subtle variations in pitch.
When I first tried it it felt like bending was more sensitive to embouchure.
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Shane
1shanester
"Keep it coming now, keep it coming now,
Don't stop it no don't stop it no no don't stop it no don't stop it no no..."
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The7thDave
157 posts
Aug 29, 2010
11:44 AM
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The thing to do would be to get a couple of harps in the same key, check to make sure they are equivalent in terms of tonal quality and playability--then set them up in the same way, except cut the sprues out of one and leave them in the other.
If I ever do this, I'll report.
By the way, the method I use is to carefully twist them with needle-nosed pliers until they fatigue enough to come out easily, then remove the stubs with a razor blade or X-acto knife.
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--Dave
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* BTMFH *
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the_happy_honker
15 posts
Aug 29, 2010
12:13 PM
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Sure, we could do some real science here!
We could set up a number of SP20 combs with and without the sprues and ask a few hot-shots at SPAH next year to identify them. We could even hot-swap the reed plates and cover plates.
It's foolproof, what could go wrong?
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oldwailer
1323 posts
Aug 29, 2010
2:49 PM
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If you've ever had to clear out a piece of gunk with a mechanical pencil while driving down the road at 75 miles an hour you'll sure as hell wish you had cut out the sprues!
It's really easy--I just use one of those little electronic side cutter pliers and snip them on both sides of the slot--then hit each side a couple of times with a fine flat bastard file--then I'm ready to reassemble the fine SOB!
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isaacullah
1144 posts
Aug 29, 2010
3:15 PM
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I chop them out, but not to make the harp sound better. I do it so I can get my gapping tool in the slots so I can gap (and regap, and regap, and regap, etc) with out having to remove the reedplates, or even the coverplates.
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