Re: broken reed means toast?

[Pat Missin <pat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Oliver Schoenborn wrote:

>Thanks Froggy for the links you provided. However,
>
>From: Nicolas Fouquet (with minor edits for reply)
>> ...
>> of course you can change the reed of your harmonica. The subject is
>> very well explained on some web sites:
>>
>> 1. www.patmissin.com (for the english speakers)
>> 2. http://www.chmel-classic.de/sites/english.html (for both english and
>German speaker)
>> 3. http://membres.lycos.fr/cainaud/ (for the French speakers)
>> 4. http://www.doctorharp.it/ (for both Italian and English speakers)
>> 5. http://www.tenhole.com/ (for english speakers)
>
>I found info on reed repair only in #2 and #4. 

If you go to my site (very pleased to see I was the first on Froggy's
list!), follow the link to the page about tunings, then download the
file AS23.zip - this has a chapter on reed replacement, as well as
many other related topics.

>I do gather from #4 that unless I have another kaput harmonica from which to
>take the reed, making the tools or a reed will be a investement in time
>and/or money much larger than replacing the whole harmonica. I'll keep it in
>my "attended cemetary" for now, in case anyone on the list has a C-harp 8th
>hole blow reed they don't need :)

Before long, you will accumulate a whole bunch of kaput harmonicas
from which to cannibalise some spare reeds. You will find that a
replacement reed does not have to be exactly the same as the one that
has died - providing it is reasonably close in pitch, it is possible
to retuned it; if it is a too long, you can shorten it to fit, etc.

Also, because of the way harps are built, the reeds you want may be
found in another part of a different harp. For example, the 6 blow of
a Marine Band or S20 in the key of A is the same reed as the 6 draw
from a G harp, the 4 draw from a D harp and the 4 blow from an E harp.

 -- Pat.