[Harp-L] Do you really need a custom harmonica Revisited

[Harvey Berman <cscharp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, thanks to Tom Halchak, Mathew Smart, and Tom Fugazzi, my customizer 
frustrations were brought back to life again. Here it is, in case you missed 
the multitude of times it was copied and pasted. 


http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/board/board_topic/5560960/1568722.htm?page=2


I pretty much still stand by what I said, but I have done a lot of what I call 
making a good stock harmonica.  Its a well kept secret, but I customize 
harmonicas. So, here is exactly what I do for people who want a better playing 
stock harmonica. After the harp disassembly, which differs depending on the 
make/From the cack of the model, I to the following.

Step 1:  I stroke the reed with my Thumbnail a couple of times to lower the reed 
slightly in the slot.  Look at the back, you can see it.

Step 2:  From the back of the plate, I stroke the reed back up just a 
little, until It is parallel, but very close to the reed slot.  Hod it up to the 
light, and you should see parallel like the Lee Oskar brass plinker for this.  


Step 3: I put a little ramp (Tip Scooping) on the very end of the slot.  I use a 
large size Exacto Knife (the kind with the big red handle) using an angled blade 
the is dulled and lapped so that it is not sharp.  I dip it in mineral oil, 
and stroke the end of the slot a couple of times. The blade pushes the reed out 
of the way, and does not effect it at all. This serves two functions, to allow 
air a path to get under the tip of the reed better, and also you are reducing 
the clearance between the reed and the end of the slot (embossing).

Step 4:  put a .002 shim under the reed for support, and put your finger on the 
reed to hold it in place.  Then slide a blade (I use the Lee Oskar plinker, 
though there are other methods including a ground down small flat screw driver) 
under the reed a little bit, which slightly curves the reed up for clearance. 

Make sure you plink the reeds a bit to see if everything is OK, or whether you 
got too aggressive on the scooping, and have to open it back up again with 
a sharp exacto, or as I do with the Lee Oskar small chisel.  All of this take 
just a few minutes, and is very easy to do.  While you are at it, you might as 
well flat sand the draw plate, and whatever you want to do with the comb(flat 
sand, seal, replace with custom, or just leave it alone).  Set the gaps to suit 
your playing style, and you are good to go, and you have an almost stock good 
playing harp. Joe Spiers has some very good videos on adjusting your harps that 
you should check out on you tube.

All of the above, is just what I do for people that want a better playing harp, 
but don't necessarily want a custom for different reasons.  Also, this is all 
stuff that I do on all my customs, plus of course the multitude of secret 
procedures that we all use to make our harps do what you want them to.

This is not much different in effort, or time, to what good guitar players do 
the set up their new axes.  Some do it themselves, and some pay others to do it 
for them.

Sorry if I gave away any secrets, though I do not think I did.

Good Luck