Re: [Harp-L] Marine Band Deluxe

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Apr 25, 2008, at 3:22 PM, pdxharpdog@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> Hi list - I have a MB Deluxe in the key of D that I bought from a  
> friend who didn't like the reed plate ridges.  I fell in love with  
> it - very loud,  bright and with fast response - so I tuned it a  
> bit yesterday and when I played it last night I cracked the same  
> reed (draw 5) that I had just tuned. It cracked and broke smack dab  
> in the middle of the reed length - no where near where I sanded off  
> the tip. Is this just a coincidence that it was the same reed I tuned?

Yes. The reed was already failing. That's why it was loosing pitch.  
Your tuning may have exascerbated it (depending on which angle the  
torque was applied).

> I slipped a shim under the reed and carefully sanded with a small  
> sanding wand as per Rupert's video.

Yes, as long as you went directly toward the rivet OR directly away  
from it, you were probably fine. As long as the shim was thin enough  
and you went PAST that fracture point. If you didn't go past the  
fracture point, you may have given downward pressure which 'pinched'  
the crack that was already IN the brass.
> How tough is it to replace a reed, and where would I find rivets to  
> replace the drilled out one?

It is iffy to replace a reed and takes practice. I would practice on  
another junker first. The rivet shouldn't be drilled out, It sould be  
filed on the bottom side and then punched half way out and then the  
entire rivet pad should be pried with a razor knofe till it is free.  
Then the rivet should be chamfered on the very tip to remove the  
'flare'. This way it is reusable. You can make a rivet from a paper  
clip. Taper it into a drift pin (i.e. the tip is every so slightly  
smaller in dia than the main wire dia.) After seating the rivet, you  
can clip off the top with cuticle cutters or other close cutting  
cutters and begin to 'peen' a head onto the wire. THEN clip off the  
bottom (opposite side of reed plate), and do the same.

> Would any reed of the same width and length get me back in the game  
> with my harp?

Not necessarily, you either find a reed that is the same pitch OR one  
that is LOWER. Then after seating, file the new reed UP to the  
correct pitch.

>   I'm not an expert under the hood guy, but want to learn.  Right  
> now everytime I go under the hood I feel like I'm ruining my harps  
> a bit less often than in earlier attempts.  I never mess with new  
> harps - just the ones in the boneyard.

Yes, do it that way.
> Also - it seems as though I replace D keyed harps more than any other.

Me too.

>   And it really doesn't matter what brand.

Right.

>   I am a SP20 stock guy most of the time

I play spl-20 exclusively

> , but loved the MB Deluxe until it died and have lost Delta Frosts  
> in the key of  D as well.  I play other keys way more often - G's  
> and A's seem to last forever as do C's.  B flats are problematic  
> for me as well.  Anyone else have keys that crap out on them with  
> more regularity than other keys?

Just the Ds. Also. I have never had a good F.
> I have an SP20 custom, key of A from Bob Meehan that is 2 years old  
> and still in tune and working fine.  I also have a couple of Tim   
> Moyers Journeyman harps that are more than two years old and they  
> work awesome as well. Seems I'm a bit cursed with the D harps.

No, this is common.

smokey-joe
> Thanks in advance for any direction you can give me.
>
> PdxHarpdog
> www.myspace.com/sassparillajugband
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