[Harp-L] Pickle Jar Soak!

[Warren Bee <spahpublicity@xxxxxxxxx>]

I remember the first time I soaked a Marine Band and put it to my lips. The
difference in playability and volume was significant. The problems that
occured after the first soak were also significant. The swelling and
trimming and chipped lips and resoaking. My brilliant solution for a period
of time was to have my entire set in the soak 24/7 in a big pickle jar. They
would swell out to the max and then I would take an exacto knife to them.
Carved 'em like a pumpkin. I was never without a "super soaker" in any key
ready for action! In gig situations I would pull out the key harps needed
for the next set list. After the set I would put them back in the "soup". Oh
yeah, I had to treat my pickle jar like a fish tank and change the water
every day. You can imagine the bacteria frappe I had brewing on a daily
basis. The water was a brown cloudy swill that looked like a weak cup of
tea.  Things went well for a while then I started noticing that all of the
harps were going out of tune. Everything seemed to be "sharpening" up. These
were stock Marine Bands and I had no experience under the hood retuning at
all. One by one they turned into trash. The experiment lasted a month max.
For a while there I was blowing some screamin' harps. Obviously it wasn't
worth the hassle or health risk! My harp life changed a lot when I
discovered the Special 20.

WB