RE: [Harp-L] A Hohner Pro is Shredding My Tongue



I've always wondered why it is that the reed plates do extend
past the front face of the comb, on MS harps.  Is there some
compelling reason that they NEED to?  Why can't they just be 
flush with the front of the comb?  I have a Hohner Pro Harp 
and a Blues Harp that I never play, because of this.  Would
it hurt anything if I just filed the front edges of the plate
so that they are flush?  Oh well, if I don't play them as they
are now, I guess it would be no great loss if I ruined them.
So, I guess I'll give it a try, and find out.  

Richard J. Smith
Wormleysburg, PA


-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Tim Moyer
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 9:48 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] A Hohner Pro is Shredding My Tongue


Steve Clason wrote:
> I recently bought a Hohner Pro (MS) after playing for several 
> months on SP20s and Lee Oskars. I got a good price locally and the 
> harp sounds good, plays well and is easy on the lips but the 
> overhanging reed plates just shred my tongue.
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions for how I might modify the harp?
> (I've shoved the reed plates back as far as I can already.) Or is 
> this a technique thing?

Unfortunately on the MS harps with the plastic combs, the design of 
the comb pretty much makes it impossible to move the reedplates 
around much.  Even if you enlarge the holes, the plates abut the 
comb edges on three sides.  One thing that might make the overhangs 
more comfortable is to polish them with fine steel wool.  You can 
get 0000 steel wool at Wal-Mart, just tear off a small piece, take 
the plates off the comb and run the steel wool up and down the front 
edge a few dozen times.  Be careful not to snag the front edges of 
the reeds on the draw plate.  

-tim




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