Re: [Harp-L] Chromatic customizing

The most important modification by a wide margin is to reduce the clearance in the slide to about .002". Tate and Schackner's books describe the process. This is because the worst source of leakage in a valved chromatic is from hole-to-hole through the slide. Leakages under the reedplates and under the bottom-plate of the slide are negligible in most 270s. Unless you fix the through-slide clearance, there is no point in grouting or gasketing under the plates and slide.

Timler of Harponline said that if a chromatic is not valved, other efforts to reduce leakage are like weatherstripping the windows with the front door standing open. In a valved harp, a stock slide acts as an open window in Timler's analogy.

I posit that the precisely-made, low-leakage slide is the only thing that distinguishes the performance of the Renaissance from an ordinary 270, assuming that both are well tuned and gapped. The Renaissance is, however, much prettier and easier to maintain.

In cutting down the flanges of the U-channel to reduce clearance you don't expose much brass compared to the area of the brass reedplates. Exposed brass will tarnish but will otherwise not do any harm.

Except for the height of the U-channel flanges, the Hohner slide parts are very uniform and flat. I rub them with crocus cloth to smooth off any burrs around the punched holes but not enough to remove the plating. Then I give them a thin, hard coat of Johnson's paste (carnauba) floor wax to suppress saliva sticking and they work great.

Gasketing or grouting of the plates and slide bottom-plate is much-discussed but largely inconsequential. Hole-to-hole leakage through the slide is the seldom-mentioned but egregious thief of breath and resonance!

When Tate was among us, I was awed by his musicianship but argued that he placed unwarranted importance on silver plating. Neither one of us ever changed his opinion. I am saddened that he is not available for more such arguments!

Vern

----- Original Message ----- From: "Iñigo García" <iruiz2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 6:07 AM
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Chromatic customizing


Hi everybody:

I recently bought (and read) Douglas Tate's book "Make Your Harmonica Work
Better", and among other things I was discouraged to read that after doing
most of the improvements on the mouthpiece, slide movement, etc (metal
parts) he writes that you have to plate those pieces (chrome plate, silver
plate). Does anyone know the reason for this? The only one I could think of
was maybe health related, due to the possibility that tiny metal pieces make
it to your lungs if you do not plate the pieces after working on them? Do
you people do this plating process or not?

In addition, on a Hohner 270 (chromonica) what do you think it is the most
important customizing job to do (the one that improves most
responsiveness/air tightness)?

I appreciate any comments on this...

Thnaks,

Iñigo.



This archive was generated by a fusion of Pipermail 0.09 (Mailman edition) and MHonArc 2.6.8.