RE: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

Try giving the harp a really good wash through, both front and back, in a 
stream of tepid water.  Wrist-flick the excess water out (don't let go of 
the harp otherwise you might kill the cat), then tap it sharply against your 
leg.  If it's still muffly, something could be stuck twixt reed and slot so 
poke it with something pointed - carefully.  Make sure the gap is more or 
less the same as the gap of the other reed in that chamber - they need to be 
reasonably balanced.  I've sometimes found that running a file gently along 
both long edges of the offending reed, then very gently across the top, can 
do the trick, without any obvious reason why.  Just make sure too that there 
really isn't some impediment on the side of the reed-slot.  If none of this 
works then the good Lord ain't on your side today.  Try leaving the harp in 
a drawer for six months then carrying out the above steps again.  If He's in 
a better mood you may succeed.  I am speaking from personal experience.

Steve


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






> From: "Todd Johnson" <tojohnson@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "'Steve Shaw'" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>,<harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: RE: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think
> Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2006 19:08:57 -0600
>
> Thanks again for the advice. I have another reed problem on Bb Sp20. 5d is
> just kind of dull. I mean the tone is just not a clear as the others next 
> to
> it. It holds its tuning but it just sounds kind of fuzzy. I've done a lot 
> of
> reading on-line about reed adjustments and I've tried everything I know so
> far. I believe the gap is the best it can be. I've tried other gaps to no
> avail. I changed the gap in both directions until it won't play. I've
> checked the centering and it appears fine. I've checked for burrs and there
> don't seem to be any and it doesn't appear to be loose. I'm beginning to
> think the reed is just not good right out of the box. Now that I'm going to
> have replacement parts, I'm thinking about replacing this reed with 
> another.
> Does anyone have any other ideas before I go to this extreme? Sorry to ask
> questions that have been talked about before, but like I said, I'm kind of
> new to all this.
>
> Thanks
>
> Todd Johnson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On 
> Behalf
> Of Steve Shaw
> Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 4:29 PM
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: Bad reed I think
>
>
> I think one thing worth mentioning about the "non-centred reed" scenario is
> that it's extremely unlikely to crop up suddenly in a harp that you've been
> playing without problems for a good while.  I must have bought over a
> hundred off-the-shelf harps by now (ah, my misspent youth...) and I've had
> the odd buzzing reed just once or twice that was due to a very slightly
> off-centre reed or a reed with a little burr either on it or in its slot.
> But if your reeds are nicely centred from the word go they are ~not~ going
> to go off-centre unless you fiddle around with them yourself.  A duff reed
> that develops is either a dead 'un or else it has fluff stuck in it.  I 
> have
>
> had mysterious gapping issues arising occasionally in older harps and why
> that should happen is a complete puzzle to me.  But what is life without 
> the
>
> odd mystery... ;-)
>
> Steve
>
>
> http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trad_irish_harmonica
> HEAR my CD clips: http://www.gjk2.com/steveshaw/cd.htm
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l