[Harp-L] Re: Nails in Combs

[Snaruhn@xxxxxxx]

Hi,

I think it´s all said about the subject, not only to the actual thread
but many times in the past, it´s a list evergreen. Some last ideas
from my side.

At first, Winslow, I admit that I´ve misunderstood you when
wondering why you favor nailed reedplates, my mistake.

I agree with Vern´s method how a nailed reedplate has to be
removed, I do or did it the same way.      

Steve thanked for Vern´s tip but asked:

< But doesn't it just make you think that Hohner just 
< hate us tinkerers?  ;-) >

No, Steve, the Hohnerians think, let them tinker, finally they
will come to us when the harp is completely vandalized.

In this connection fjm wrote:

< If you send them (Hohner) a completely destroyed harmonica
<  they will offer you a replacement at a greatly reduced price. >

Maybe, but I have another experience. At the beginning when I had 
no idea how to replace a reed I sent my 270 to Hohner for repair 
of a single reed. They substituted the whole reedplate for a respective 
price.

Winslow:

< ....the cheapest harps in the Hohner line are the Chinese ones,
< and those have plastic combs and use more screws than a Special 20, yet
< are sold at a fraction of the price. I sometimes find that once you
< unscrew those cheap harps, the parts no longer fit back together,
< probably due to poor management of plastic shrinkage after the piece
< emerges from the mould.

Recently, I bought a diatonic at a mal for 3 Euro. It was in a plastic box
even with a felt cloth for cleaning. The closing mechanism worked well
and I think the box is the best of all. The box with the harp was wrapped
in a cardboard box with interesting information:

Produced for: Paget Trading Ltd.,65-66 Woodrow, London SE 18 5DH, UK
Size: 10.4 x 2.8. x 2.1 cm, Mod.no. T7538 Version:10/2006.

But the best was the remarking on the backside: Attention, all packing
and fastening materials are not component of the toy and should be 
removed before given to children.

It´s for the first time I see in black and white that our harponicas are 
nothing else than toys what certain musicians always suspected.
However, I wouldn´t dare to give this obvious China made product
to any a child fearing it could harm itself by the sharp cover edges.

The reedplates are hold together by 7 screws but to play this beast
was a hard work because of the leakage by wrong offsets and
probably by 3 screws which couldn´t be fastened thanks to stripped
threads.. To check whether Winslow is right

 < ......that the parts no longer fit back together > 

once the harp was taken apart I checked that too. No, the parts fitted
together. However, almost all reeds were excentric but all had been 
tuned, one reed even on both sides. Unlike Hohner´s notorious 
method of scratching the reeds diagonally with a file the China reeds 
had been obviously tuned by a rotary tool on the whole reed width, 
not bad.     

Finally I made a crosscheck with a MK (2. generation), probably
Hohner´s best blues harp. Wow, what a difference in every respect.
That China beast now rests in a dustbin, besides the box.

All for now,

Siegfried