Re: [Harp-L] Re : How many of you really fix your harps? Really?

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

> I wish I could fix my harps, but I am too clumsy.
> Some years ago I spoke on the telephone with the late great Larry Adler and
> during the conversation I asked him about repairing harmonicas, he told me 
> "If
> a reed jams I might have a poke around with a knitting needle, otherwise I
> give them to Antony Dannecker to fix"
> Me too!
> Best wishes
> John Walden


Anthony only works on Hohner harps and I think he repairs the ones he's 
supplied himself.  He will supply a harp that is exceptionally well set up 
for very little more than you'd pay for it off-the-shelf, and he'll do it to 
your specs.

Get a Lee Oskar kit and add a small flat-bladed screwdriver to it.  You can 
get the plates off a Special 20 with it and even poke it down the hole to 
act as a makeshift reed-support tool (confession time again).  You don't 
need to pay out an arm and a leg for a tuner to get you going - I think I 
paid about £15 for my Seiko and I've had it for years.  With that lot you 
can retune reeds and do some gapping.  You need more if you want to get into 
the realms of replacing individual reeds.  Look at Pat Missin's Altered 
States on his site for all the theory of alternative tunings and 
fine-tuning.  I wasted a lot of time and played a lot of out-of-tune tunes 
before I acquired just a little knowledge.

Steve

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica
HEAR my CD clips: http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm
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