Re: What To Buy?

[timm@xxxxxxxxxx (Tim Moody)]

:I'm confused.  My D harp recently started to fall apart.  It was a 
:Hohner "Blues Harp" which I soaked occassionally when I wasn't happy
:with the way it sounded, and now the comb (wooden) is literally breaking
:apart.

Ah yes. The typical harp soaking story. "Gee, I always soak my harps but I
don't know why the covers are falling off." It's call WOOD ROT. And it is a
sad story that comes from dis-information. NEVER, NEVER soak a wooden comb
harp. I know, I know, some of you are saying, "But I soak my harp and don't
have that problem." I say, "Buy another, cause it will." (That's actaully a
slamm to those folks that only have one harp, the cheapskates.) Now for the
technical explanation: When you soak a wood comb harp, water gets trapped in
certain ares, causing eventual wood rot. This is most common aroung the nail
holes for the covers and reedplates. As for a replacement, I'm not going to
step into that trap. You need to get a harp that sound and feels good to
YOU. That the most important thing. I do actually prefer Marine Bands and
that's what I try to buy. Many people have also warned, "Stay away from the
Modular System harps!" but I don't follow that philosophy. Here we have a
brand new wood comb harp, that is put together with SCREWS, not nails. Now
that's a harp I can take apart and work on. Make 'em sound like I want, not
Hohner.


Tim Moody