Re: [Harp-L] Specification of and Sources for Harp Reed Materials

["steve warner" <10reedsbent@xxxxxxxxx>]

Excellent, Robert!

While you're at it let's think outside the box and see what happens with a
non tranditional rectangular reed shape.  At Boeing a few years back after
finishing a project I had a day to kill and simply used 2 pieces of .019
titanium sheet metal laced with magnesium (can't tell what military aircraft
this came from or I'll probably disappear) about 1" wide and 2" long with a
slight radius at the end of the reeds and screwd it down in the front.  I
then put 2 pefectly square jigs on each side, like a reed plate if you will,
and then I simply set an air compressor at various pressures between 3-10
psi and I had a duck-monica.  By kinking the hose at 10 psi I attained
different pitches and the highly schooled paper reading engineer was trying
to remember if he learned something like that in school.  There lies his
problem......he was in the confines of WHAT he might have been taught in
school.
Take the extra step of ingenuity and try what others don't because they're
in the confines of traditional learned thought.   SOmeone built the first
reed and that was "thinking outside the box", so let it fly Robert!   That's
how I ended up with the A1 fat boy element and a few others like it after
building countless CM, Crystal, Ceramic and  Dynamic element fitted mics.

****
 Comb material when playing amplified using different transducers can mimick
the sound of each  different comb material and it matters not what comb
material is used....I tested this 5 years ago with a Filisko round hole
solid brass harp and the usual wood and plastic bodied combs.  A 20 year
Hohner and Filisko endorsee was standing right there looking the other way
and he couldn't tell the difference either.   Acoustically, yes, but it then
starts to depend on how much air tight cupping is involved to muffle the
sound.




On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 9:35 AM, Robert Coble <robertpcoble@xxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

>
> Is there any specification of harp reed materials (outside of the
> trade secrets of each manufacturer)? If so, are there commercial
> sources for the materials in limited (hobbyist) quantities?
>
> Please DON'T suggest the current harp manufacturers. I am aware
> that both Hohner and Seydel will provide individual reeds for a price.
> I'm also aware that their prices are astronomically LOWER than the
> cost of creating the tools to make my own reeds, and probably lower
> than the mere cost of the material in the reeds because of the
> economies of scale of a large manufacturer.
>
> I'm still curious, even if I never make the first reed. Indulge me,
> please. I know from the Harp-L archives that several people have made
> their own replacement reeds from a variety of sources and materials.
> I also know that Brad Harrison is gearing up to produce his own brand
> of harmonicas based on his own unique reed design. How did he arrive
> at his choice of reed materials?
>
> (Let's talk about ANYTHING except comb materials!)
>
> Thanks for any and all help!
> Crazy (obviously) Bob
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-- 
steve
www.thunderharpmics.com
fattest tone on earth!