RE: Subject: [Harp-L] Echo Harp




The main issue is whether the comb is intact, and looking fairly pristine
before cleaning it...(yes, I use the alcohol on all of the wood surfaces and
haven't had one warp yet). If I was going to buy a possibly older Echo such
as yours, that would be my only criteria (and the pins holding the lids on
not having been lost).


Elizabeth

I agree about the safety of using alcohol for cleaning. The covers are subject to the severe build-up of corrosion underneath at the front edge, but you mustn't go at it too hard otherwise you wear the metal edge into a very thin, sharp profile. At a pinch you can replace lost pins with ones you've salvaged from old Hohner chroms, the ones that hold the reedplates to the comb, or similar ones from old Echos. Seasoned Hohner users know that you never throw those pins away. The trouble with the double-sided Echos is that you only have to have the covers off once or twice for the pins to be very insecurely loose, and to add to the problem the folded-over ends of the covers through which the pins go get distorted and out of line with the holes in the wood. Remedial action is soon needed. I hope someone at Hohner is reading this. Echos are very nice once you have them the way you want them, but the harp is clearly designed for never being dismantled. Yet you do need to get inside them frequently for cleaning and maintenance. This is the 21st century!



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