Re: Re: [Harp-L] note refusing to sound after cover plates are attachedd

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Payne wrote:
> I was primarily thinking this because the MS series has the 
> coverplate screws doing the reed-plate holding work of at 
> least two reedplate screws on better harps. On other harps, 
> the reedplate screws do 95 percent of the reedplate holding 
> and the coverplate screws' main job is holding the coverplates. 

I have to disagree that this is an inherently bad design.  More 
screws do not necessarily equal a tighter seal.  I've seen Chinese 
harps with as many as nine screws internally - and another two 
holding on the covers - that still leaked like a sieve.  And yet the 
Suzuki Overdrive has only two screws holding covers, plates, 
everything, and they're tight as a drum.  The difference is design.  
The Filisko Guild uses three screws or sometimes the original nails 
across the back of a Marine Band and secures the covers with two 
screws at the front, which do double duty of being the only screws at 
the front of the harp.  This is not dissimilar to the MS design.  

As for the MS line in general, these are not bad harmonicas.  I think 
there's a lot of resentment in the harmonica world that Hohner chose 
to convert some people's favorite models to MS, such as the 
Meisterklasse and the Blues Harp.  There were also some quality 
problems when the harmonicas were machine produced, and the technique 
used for tuning the lower-end models (the Big River in the US in 
particular) used to be suspect.  But a lot of these problems have 
been fixed and these are respectable harmonicas now, with the 
advantages that they are relatively economical and have replacement 
reed plates available.  

-tim