[Harp-L] Re: A couple of questions

["samblancato" <samblancato@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I can't answer any of your questions about over-blows as I don't do those
(yet) but I can answer your questions about your 7,8,9,and 10 hole blow
bends.  I think the best Honers for getting good blow bends are the Sp 20,
MB, and Golden Melody.  But you're still going to have to tweak the gaps a
little if you want to bend that #10 hole.  Depending on your style of
playing you might have to lower the gaps on both blow and draw reed or back
them off a hair.  Since I started doing a lot of 1st position stuff I use
these bends a lot and I've found that lowering the gap works for me.  I can
bend that 10 hole down real nice and I'm no magician.  

 

It's going to be easiest for you on the lower harps, of course.  Low F, G, A
flat, A, B flat, and B work the best.  I have far less control on the higher
harps; C and up.  The reed plates in the Pro Harp series are a little
thicker and so all this stuff is harder on the higher key harps but I have
an A and B flat Blues Harps in which I replaced the reed plates with the Pro
Harp replacement plates (these are even a tad thicker) and I can still get
great bends on the #10 hole on both.  But I had to fool with the gaps.  

 

I think you need to lower your expectations on what you can get out of the
box.  I know this kind of sucks but you just have to get used to adjusting
your harps for your playing.  I have a Harring Vintage in G.  I had to
gasket it and bend the whole draw plate and gap the whole thing.  But it is
now the absolute best G harp I have ever owned.  It's as tight as a B flat
and I can pressurize it like a B flat.  It's a real joy to play.  All the
adjustments that I did on all my harps were VERY SUBTLE.  The key is to just
take your time.  You're going to have to disassemble and reassemble each
harp three or four times before you get it where you want it.  That's just
the cold, bitter truth (kidding here).  

 

By the way I've noticed something as of late about my Herring Vintage harps.
After a while, all the reed plate screws loosen up all by themselves and you
have to re-tighten them; even on the ones with gaskets.  This doesn't happen
with any of my other harps.  I wonder why that is?  Could it be the reed
plate material?  I think that's it.  It's very hard; not soft at all like
other brass reed plates.  I know this because I've tried embossing the
Vintages and I can't make any impact on the slots with a penny like I do
with other harps.  Okay I'm really wandering now.  I'll stop.  Hope this
helps.  Happy New Year, everybody.

 

Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh