Re:[Harp-L] Reed problem

[David Payne <dmatthew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick, I think you blowed it out, buddy. Plink the reed. I betcha it'll break off when you do. 
Don't worry, man, not gonna say anything about blowing hard, cause I ain't the one buying your harps... you are;) 
But it does happen to everybody. Sometimes they just go flat, sometimes they sink in the slot and shut down. Your's shut down. I'm pretty sure it's fatigue. 


_________________________________________________
Dave Payne
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 

Rick sez:
Yesterday while practicing I blew out the 4-draw reed on a stock Special 20
in the key of C.  First the reed seemed to stick for a second, then it
played very badly.

When I took the harp apart the reed appeared normal but seemed to barely
touch the side of the reed slot.  I could not see a way to fix it
without indlicting more damage on the fragile reed.  I didn't see any
foreign matter on the reed or reed plate.  Rinsing the harp had no effect.

Is this fixable?  What should I do the next time this happens?

What about harps with replaceable reed plates.  I don't much care for the
Hohner MS harps.  The Lee Oskar reed plates are much cheaper.  Do you have
opinions regarding these systems?

I very much appreciate any help you can offer, but please resist the urge to
lecture me about playing too loud.  I play the way I play.  I'm looking for
equipment solutions, not opinions about how to play the harp.  We could go
for weeks on that red herring.