Re: [Harp-L] Swappable Reeds

[Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

I donât know if it has ever been tried successfully, but assuming that it has not, I can answer your question "Why not?â

The machining to make sockets of the necessary precision to hold quickly-interchangeable reeds and the reeds to fit such sockets would be impossibly costly.  Iâm assuming that you mean a system that would require no reed adjustment for centering in the slot or for pitch.  Otherwise, you can use screwed-on reeds. Maybe you could slice up reed plates and interchange the pieces.  Fastening them down and avoiding leakage would be a problem. Harmonicas are so very small.

The market for such a harp is too narrow to support the cost of the development, manufacturing, and marketing.  In other words, how many are you gonna sellâ..more than the XB40?  I know about narrow marketsâhow many play harmonicas?, of those how many play chromatics?, of those how many want to play chromatics on a holder?   Those few remaining are the market for the Hands-Free-Chromatic.  In your caseâ..how many play harmonicas?, of those how many use special tunings?, of those how many want quick-change tunings?  My guess is very few.

Vern

> On Nov 15, 2014, at 3:34 PM, David Fairweather <dmf273@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> I seem to recall quite a few years ago,  someone on harp-l claimed to be
> working on a diatonic where you could easily swap the reeds out to create
> custom tunings.   I guess the reeds would snap or slide into place.
> Obviously that project never came to fruition,  but I'm wondering,  has it
> ever been done and why not?