Re: [Harp-L] B-Radical 1st Impressions

[Ken Hildebrand <airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi David,

I got my A B-radical a couple of weeks ago (also about a year's wait)... I like it alot too.

I'm pretty sure that the front of the cover plates fit into the grooves on the reed plates.

I had to take mine apart several times to adjust a reed that was hitting the reed slot and not playing correctly (sort of a buzzing sound).

When I first took them off, I noticed a "snap" sound when I removed the cover plates (after removing the cover-plate screws).  When I re-assembled I had the cover-plates on the way you described (forward of the groove, and after removing them a few times, there was no "snapping" sound, like they were not properly installed the same way as they originally were.

Later, I put the cover plates on with the screws just slightly tightened, enough to hold them in place, and I pushed the front of the cover-plates back into the grooves so that they sort of "snapped" into place... then I tightened the cover-plate screws.

I hope that's the way they are suppose to be installed... maybe David Payne or Michael Peloquin will say for sure.


One way I found to "plug" the side vent holes, is to take a spongey ear-plug (mine was orange), and cut it in half... then each half can be tucked nice and tight in the vent hole; they can easily be removed.

I printed an "A" with a fine magic marker on the right side plug  I usually store my harps vertically in my harp cases, with the key on the side.

Ken H in OH


--- On Tue, 6/22/10, David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


> While I normally eschew sandwich construction in harps, the
> "rail" of 
> the reed plate here is so slight in its protrusion it's
> almost 
> undiscernable.   The reed plates have a deep-ish groove
> which one might 
> expect the cover 
> plate's front edge to fit into, but the edge comes to the
> reed plate 
> just beyond the groove, still short of the edge.  This is
> apparently by 
> design, and there are no discernable leaks.

>