Re: [Harp-L] reed rattle or buzz

["John Kerkhoven" <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Seth,

Is it a low-key harp? G or lower? It might be that the one draw reed is
hitting the plate, and low harps have long reeds. Turbolids are designed to
give more clearance for the low long reeds. If you've got a set of
Turbolids, try 'em.

If you don't have the Turbolids, and if this is what's going on, you might
want to check the offset of that reed from the plate and if it seems to be
high -- I mean if the reed is angled noticeably above the reed plate, you
can gently try to bring the clearance down. Press with your thumbnail, but
start really, really gently if you've never done this before to get the feel
of the flex of the metal and just close the gap a bit.

Some info about this here:
http://www.harmonicasessions.com/apr04/h-workbench.html

Otherwise i'd suggest running a shim either side of the reed inside the
slot. Handy little strips of metal can be found in the little anti-theft
stick-on things attached to products in stores.

In this video, David Payne demonstrates running a shim between a reed and
the slot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHqVkcxJ2wg

In any case, good luck, don't panic, and have a great gig.

Cheers,

John



> Hi all,
>
> Wouldn't ya know it, I have to buy an emergency harp for a gig tonight
> and I seem to have a problem with it.  When I play a draw 1, even very
> lightly, I hear a loud buzz or rattle, like something is loose in
> there.  It's a Special 20, and I paid way to much for it at my local
> music store, but I had to have it for tonight.  I took off the covers
> and reed plates and didn't see anything obviously broken or dislodged,
> though I've never done this sort of thing before so I could have very
> well missed something.  I did notice the following detail: when I put
> the reed plates on by only fastening the two outer-most reedplate
> screws, the buzzing did not appear.  As soon as I added one more
> reedplate screw (anywhere) or the covers (by holding them on), the
> buzz came back.  I tried covering up other reeds with the covers off
> to see if I could make the buzz go away, but no such luck.
>
> Anybody got any ideas that might help correct this before gig time?
> I've never done maintenance work before, so I can't do any decent
> gapping or embossing in a hurry.  I need this harp for tonight and
> will play with it in its current state if necessary.  I also just paid
> nearly $50 for it (!) and don't want to wreck it.  I know I'm asking a
> lot, but I'm desperate.  Any advice is welcome.
>
> Thanks.
> Seth
>
> --
> The beatings will continue until morale has improved.
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