Re: [Harp-L] Bad reed I think

[fjm <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

If you look at the reed under magnification you'll most likely see a 
darkened line about a 3rd of the way from the rivet up the reed.  That's 
a crack.  What happens is the reed cracks and the effective length of 
the spring is changed.  One way to make sure it's just not stuck is push 
the reed up through the gap with some long thin object.  Once it's above 
the plate get a nail under it and pluck it.  If it sounds dull it's 
broken.  If it rings it's not.  Sometimes an object will get stuck in 
the slot and that will produce similar symptoms but objects almost 
always clear after you push the reed up past the plate.  Consider this 
advice just a shove in the right direction, there are other people on 
this list more highly qualified than I am to give advice on this 
particular subject.

Could be it just wore out, could be you were hard on it.  A latent 
manufacturing defect is also possible.  I've got a Jimmy Gordon Golden 
Melody on my desk right now with a dead reed in it.  It failed earlier 
than I would have expected and I'm not hard on harmonicas.  None of Mr. 
Gordon's other harmonicas have ever given me a problem so I'll assume an 
initially weak or damaged reed was the root cause of the failure.  It 
could also just be I leaned on it a little too hard in performance.  One 
of the reasons I almost never play street gigs anymore is I break 
harmonicas left and right when I do because I overplay to get heard.  fjm