Breaking in - was Re: Out of the Box

["Alec Drachman" <alec@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The reason I break mine in is because I find they last me several times
longer.
> Exactly how much, I couldn't say, but it's enough to really notice.
>
> One fellow who told me that he sets up his harps and works the reeds a lot
> says that he doesn't notice this.  I wonder if working the reeds counts
> toward "breaking in".

That's an interesting question. Through my own experience, I'd decided that
"breaking in" didn't make any difference, but then again, I usually do a
little reed plinking, check the tuning - at least the octaves draw chord -
and do a little gapping, so maybe even the minimal reed tweaking helps a bit
toward breaking in the harp.

Mostly, though, I think my harps just last a lot longer now because I don't
abuse them quite as much as I used to. I try to make a point of not taking a
solo directly after taking a huge gulp of beer. I find my harps last many
times longer if I play the solo first and then take a huge gulp of beer. :-)

Alec