Re: [Harp-L] RE: blown out harps

["bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx" <bbqbob917@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Original Message ----------
From: Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>
To: maddog@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] RE: blown out harps
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:40:15 -0600

Mad Dog, thanks for the reply.  You are talking my language, man!

My band plays out 4 to 6 times a month, and I blow out maybe 3 harps.  Same
as you, D-harps are the most common to bite the dust.  In D I've tried Big
River, Blues Harp, Special 20, and Lee Oskar.  Makes no difference, a reed
fails after a few gigs. I love Marine Band Deluxe harps, and I had Victor
replace a reed on my A MBD, but now I have so much money into it I'm afraid
to play it.

Usually it is the 5-draw reed that fails, a note I play less than others,
But I use it a lot in the 4-5 draw trill that I bend down a bit.

At a blues jam at the Boulder Outlook last week I blew out the 4 draw in an
F harp.  They kept calling for songs in C so I had to play around the note,
and ultimately changed to my F low harp.  When I got home and took apart the
harp the reed had a crease across it.  When I gently plinked it the reed
bent fully in half.

Yeah, I'd like to hear your experience with the Hering Vintage 1923 harp.
Where do you buy yours?  Musicians Friend has them for $30.00.  But I've
heard they have a metallic taste.  Have you noticed that?

BTW, I've heard your band around Denver and you guys got it seriously goin'
on.  You get great tone on your harp.  I'll hit your jam at Ziggies on 6/23.

-Rick Davis
Hi Rick,
The Hering 1923 vintage Harps, like the Hering Delta Blues, Bends Juke, and The Hohner Blues Bender has a very thick reed plate (not to be confused with thicker reeds, which is something totally different) at 1.20mm, compared to the standard 0.90mm on most diatonics, will play louder and easier, but in addition to the thicker plate, it also has tighter reed slot tolerances than most Hohners and players who tend to play with too much breath force AKA play way too damned hard all the time, they will risk blowing them out much faster, and getting a VERY strong handle on breath control and learning to play much softer is very impiortant and too often the average player will NEVER undestand nor listen to that, and those players will be the first to complain a bout blow out, and the real cause of blowouts is playing technique in an nutshell.
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
MP3's: http://music.mp3lizard.com/barbequebob/ 









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