Re: [Harp-L] A Hohner Pro is Shredding My Tongue

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve Clason wrote:
> I recently bought a Hohner Pro (MS) after playing for several 
> months on SP20s and Lee Oskars. I got a good price locally and the 
> harp sounds good, plays well and is easy on the lips but the 
> overhanging reed plates just shred my tongue.
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions for how I might modify the harp?
> (I've shoved the reed plates back as far as I can already.) Or is 
> this a technique thing?

Unfortunately on the MS harps with the plastic combs, the design of 
the comb pretty much makes it impossible to move the reedplates 
around much.  Even if you enlarge the holes, the plates abut the 
comb edges on three sides.  One thing that might make the overhangs 
more comfortable is to polish them with fine steel wool.  You can 
get 0000 steel wool at Wal-Mart, just tear off a small piece, take 
the plates off the comb and run the steel wool up and down the front 
edge a few dozen times.  Be careful not to snag the front edges of 
the reeds on the draw plate.  

-tim