Subject: [Harp-L] who's repairing chromatics these days?

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Mick, the suggestion of Mike Easton is a good one..but honestly, you HAVE  
to get onboard to knowing how to open up (and put back together) your own  
chroms. 
 
You just might be able to do so by tuning into Slidemeister (most of  us 
chromatic players are members there (including Mike). Even the newest of  
newbies isn't afraid to ask for step-by-step directions on how to do this....and 
 many have gotten tons of information from so many expert chromatic players 
 there. IF a comb is cracked makes all the difference in whether or not one 
 should remove both cover plates (at the same time, for instance). 
 
The reality is the curve in the mouthpiece IS built-in...and has to be  
finessed.  The main secret (as I see it) is in not  over-tightening the 
mouthpiece screws, but it does sound as though yours  might need a tiny bit of 
straightening....carefully. The leak in your #12  hole also might have nothing 
to do with the actual mouthpiece itself...or,  there'll be at least 
half-a-dozen other suggestions given to you in detail  to explain what you might do 
to solve it - plus tons of other information on the  topic. It's 95% 
chromatic talk there..all the time. This is an ongoing subject,  although diatonics 
are now allocated their own 'room'..
 
Slidemeister's not a list the way it used to be. It's now a website where  
you can read  info on a particular topic ....even old ones, and still bring  
them up-to-date with a current post.  I'm content to belong to both  lists 
as a chromatic player, since there I can get the specific information I  
need when necessary. 
 
I doubt Hohner would look askance at your lucite comb - but it would  
probably cost a bit more than a standard to work on. You 'might' be better off  
with someone who's already done so, and specializes in customs.  Try  posting 
first (the site is very big now) - or contacting Mike directly, but for  
the next time - and your own peace of mind, you should know what's going on  
'under the covers' of your chroms as easily as you do with your diatonics.  
 
Frankly, this IS a bit of a 'rush' job...so you just might need  another 
chromatic to fall back on. Depends on where you are....someone could  always 
send you a loaner. I have a rarely used almost new F CX-12 I could get  out 
to you...although it certainly doesn't come close to one that's been  
Romelized.
 
For what its worth, and IMHO,
 
Regards,
 
Elizabeth
 
"Message: 4
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:44:05 -0600
From: Mick Zaklan  <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] who's repairing chromatics these  days?
To:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:

Can  anybody recommend a chromatic repair person who turns over stuff in a
timely  manner?  I'm trying to account for why my low F Super 12 hole 
appears
to  be leaking wind like a sieve, especially with the slide in.  Looking  
down
the barrel of it like a gun, the entire mouthpiece seems to be angled  off
the comb at less than 12 o'clock.  If that makes any sense.   Don't know if
that's normal or not.  The last time I attempted to take a  chromatic
mouthpiece apart, I never was able to reassemble it.  Had to  send it in to
Bill Romel.  Two years ago Sissy Jones was kind enough to  give me new slide
for my broken 16 holer, free.  It's still sitting in  the box in my closet.
I could no more install that slide than I could build a  space shuttle
to Mars.
Can't really send the low F chro in to  Hohner because it was radically
customized by the late Bill Romel.  New  screws, lucite comb, etc.  I'm not
sure they'd want to work on it, or  get it back to me by Thanksgiving, which
is when I need it for a gig.   Anybody got any suggestions?

Mick  Zaklan"