Re: [Harp-L] Hohner reed plates

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael Fugazzi wrote:
> I play almost all Golden Melodies with the exception
> of the low octave SP20's.  I heard one time that the
> brass reed plates from a Marine Band is the same as
> that of a GM.  Is that true?  If I bought a Marine
> Band could I put the reeds on my GM's?

It is true that the reeds and slots (size, spacing, material, etc.) 
is identical between the Hohner handmade models (Golden Melody, 
Special 20 and Marine Band), but the external features of the reed 
plates are different.  The Golden Melody plates are shorter and are 
drilled for eight screws, as well as being drilled for the cover 
support/screw holes in the comb.  

What you are suggesting is possible, and there are two different 
approaches.  One is to remove all the reeds from a set of Marine 
Band plates and install them in the reedplates of a Golden Melody.  
If you choose to do this you will likely need to do some measure of 
fine tuning, and you will spend a lot of time dealing with reed 
response issues, making all the reeds respond evenly.  You also need 
to be careful that you're installing long slot reeds into long slot 
plates (key of C and lower), or short slot reeds into short slot 
plates (key of Db and higher).

A second approach would be to cut down and fit a set of Marine Band 
plates to a Golden Melody body.  This involves trimming about 5mm 
from each end of the plate, and of course drilling and tapping the 
screw holes, as well as drilling the oversized cover screw holes.  
These must be fairly precisely located so the package can be 
assembled properly.  

Neither approach is all that simple, but I prefer to modify the 
Marine Band plates to fit, rather than fiddle with moving all those 
reeds.  In either case, unless you have a bunch of spare parts lying 
around, you're going to spend twice as much money buying one harp 
for the comb and covers and another harp for the reeds/plates.

-tim

Tim Moyer
Working Man's Harps
http://www.workingmansharps.com/