[Harp-L] Special 20 mods

[Mike Best <mike.best@xxxxxxxxxx>]

I find the concept of harp modifications fascinating, and I especially like the idea of mods which can make my harps more responsive.  I hate it when I buy a new harp and it comes out of the box all "mushy".  Sometimes I can improve it by pushing the offending reeds closer to the reed plate, but it's a pretty hit-and-miss process.

Rather than trawling through the internet picking up tips here and there, can anyone point me towards an article or site which covers such mysterious things as gapping and embossing?  I play Special 20's exclusively if that's any help

On the subject of Special 20 mods, I've heard that people squash in the back edges of the cover plates which has the effect of opening up the back of the harp and "letting more sound out", thereby making a louder harp.  But having a louder harp would mean that I wouldn't need to turn my amp up so much, and my '59 Bassman RI doesn't sound any good unless it is cranked up to about 6 or so (and that's with low gain preamp tubes).  So maybe this mod isn't such a good idea after all?  I would be interested in hearing others thoughts on this.

I would love to deal directly with a custom harp modifier but I don't know of any here in Australia!

Cheers
Mike