Re: [Harp-L] Reed Tune-A-Matic

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dr. Turbodog,

Another intriguing idea!! 
A tuning screw that could change reed pitch by 50 cents would be a boon. 50 cents would be plenty!
I find that filing reeds to re-tune my harps is a tedious and sometimes frustrating task. 


I would suggest that if you design such a harp, that you also make it easy to replace the reed since reeds (on my diatonic harps) do eventually poop out over time. Just a thought.

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M


________________________________
 From: "Jim, "Turbodog" Antaki, (PhD)" <turbodog@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:49 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Reed Tune-A-Matic
 
Friends,

While fooling around with the "TurboSlide" harmonica - the one that uses
magnets to bend the pitch, an idea came to me.   Whereas the Seydel version
can bend up to 1-1/2 steps, I was hoping to achieve the same effect by
modifying a brass-reeded harp.  (By modified, I mean that I add a small
patch of magnetic paint to the underside of the reed.) But I was barely able
to get 1/2 step bend. Then it occured to me: why not use this effect to
provide fine-tuning, and thereby obviate the painstaking and reed-damaging
filing operation. 

(In engineering, this is an example of the precept, "If you cannot fix it,
feature it.")

In other words, I could equip a harmonica with a tuning screw that would
provide continous pitch adjustment - like the tuning head of a guitar, for
example.

So my question to you - would any of you use such a feature? And if so,
which reed(s)do you most frequently find in need of fine-tuning?  And would
50 cents (1/4 step) make it worthwhile?

Thanks in advance for your constructive feedback.

Turbodog