Re: [Harp-L] Big Rivers

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"R.S." wrote:
> So I used the Micropore tape fix to provide a gasket
> then lowered the gap.  I cannot believe how great
they
> sound and play now.

To which Fernando replied:
"I would carefully suggest that lowering the gap had more effect than
using micropore. Big Rivers seal nicely, usually.
Anyway, I stopped using micropore after the second or third harp. It
makes the harp almost impossible to disassemble. Too sticky. And leaks
between comb and plates usually have obvious and easy to repair reasons:
dirt, burr, bent plates, screws tightened wrongly."

To which I add:
Fernando is right, though in the past I've been a big fan of micropore
taping. Gapping makes a big difference in responsiveness.  "Embossing"
the reed slots, i.e. dragging a penny down the edges of the slot where
the slot meets the reed, which has the effect of reducing air leakage
through the slot, makes another very big difference.  In the short run,
micropore tape produces a big improvement, esepcially with older harps,
but in the long run it just seems to cause more problems than it solves.

In November, I took a dozen Lee Oskar harps that I'd micropored, removed
all the tape, cleaned the reed plates with lemon juice, re-set the gaps
(deeper toward the low notes, shallower on the mid and high range),
tuned the reeds where necessary, and embossed the slots.  Those harps
are now by far the most responsive and loud in my collection, almost on
a par with my Glenn Davis custom harp. I will soon do the rest of my kit
in a similar fashion. 

Regards, Richard Hunter