Re: [Harp-L] Customizing Problems-my two cents

[Lenny M <lennythetunesmith@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Joe, that was a most enlightening posting.happy holidays. Lenny Mallak 

Joe Spiers <joemopar@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:  "nonametribe" wrote:

> I want the "secret" teachings on harp customizin (IMO). You know - 
> where you just have to think it (IMO) and the harp plays itself, 
> sweeter than ever before (IMO).
-------------------------------------------------


I went back and read your original post, and here are my thoughts:

Advanced "secret" techniques really aren't of much use until you 
master the less advanced ones, especially gapping. There are several 
basic problems that occur often, and can sabotage any improvements 
you're hoping to make. Modifications may only make the flaws more 
pronounced, whereas they might not affect a stocker very much at all. 
Plates not flat, reeds not centered (at the rivet- not just swung off 
center), reeds with hidden and/or obvious twists, milling flaws, and 
profile damage done by the sometimes hacksaw-like factory tuning are 
some things that will cause you grief. On top of that there were 
several different flavors of reeds over the last 10 years of handmade 
Hohner production, all with different characters, and evolving plate 
tolerances along the way.

It is obvious (to me) that Hohner is seriously commited to improving 
their product to compete, judging by the latest Marine Bands I got. 
But- just because you bought a harp today doesn't mean it was 
manufactured recently. And some modifications that worked ok with 
earlier reeds/plates don't agree well with late production ones, it is 
very easy to ruin their organic tone. You won't find consistent 
results in an approach like 8 passes here and 4 passes there, because 
there are too many variables involved. Until you are able to recognize 
and resolve underlying issues within the the stock harps, creating a 
solid foundation to start with, you could be wasting a lot of time 
trying to build custom harmonicas out of them.

My suggestion would be to only make one light/medium pressure stroke 
when embossing later production plates, then gap and test before 
proceeding further, that's fairly safe. May be all you need to have a 
nice harp, if it was decent to start with. Two passes could easily 
make the tone too harsh for your taste or even cause interference, 
because the new reed material is already quite bright sounding and 
tolerances aren't as loose as they use to be. You might try further 
experiments one thoughtful modification at a time, one hole at a time. 
That way you learn what worked and what didn't (and you'll have less 
work to undo if it didn't). Besides that, each reed is subtlely unique 
and won't require the exact same manipulation to hit a specific 
target.


Good Luck,

Joe Spiers
Maysville, MO
www.spiersharmonicas.com





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