Re: [Harp-L] 1950's 64 Chromonica

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wood comb or plastic (both were produced in the '50s)?

The slide-mouthpiece assembly on a chromatic introduces a certain amount of air leakage. The longer the harp (the more holes) the more surface area for leaks.

You can do a few things to reduce leakage. One is to apply rubber cement to the backing plate (the flat bit that goes against the comb. Another is the carefully tighten the mouthpiece screws while pressing on the middle part of the mouthpiece. Tighten until the slide binds, then back off a quarter turn. 

Assuming that this harp has the older 4-piece slide assembly, a more radical tweak is to shave down the sides of the U-channel - the bit that goes between the slider and the mouthpiece.To do this you lay the U-channel on a table with the slides facing. You place the slider in the U-channel, and then place a thin metal shim on top of that, such as a thin feeler gauge. Then you take a straight edge blade and run it along the edges of the U-Channel until it starts catching the shim. Do this as well for the ends outside the lugs that interlock with the backing plate.

The comb is always a single piece on stock instruments. Sounds like the screw is a repair. If it's airtight, leave it alone.
 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica instructor, The Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance
Resident expert, bluesharmonica.com
Columnist, harmonicasessions.com


________________________________
 From: tom cox <tcslim@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 2:53 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] 1950's 64 Chromonica
 

Hi 
I stumbled across a 1950s 64 chromonica in my local antiques shop, bagged it for 25 quid. Its in pretty good shape considering it age. I'm convinced it was once played by Little Walter. (joke)anyway I have cleaned it up and noticed that when the mouth piece slidder etc are off the harp and I play it directly on the comb it plays like a dream, however once i reassemble it, it doesn't respond as it does unassembled. I don't understand this, can anyone explain why this would be?
Also i tried to completely take off the reed plates but noticed once i had taken all the pins out that the comb is in two parts and also there is a screw holding the two plates together. I don't know how to dismantle this and am a bit worried about damaging this old beauty. 
any advice and heads up would be great 
regards Tom