Re: Subject: [Harp-L] Help with Chromatic repair

[harp <harp@xxxxxxxxx>]

All,

Thanks for all the pointers.  As the one who kicked off this thread, I
want to share a
few things.

-  As a diatonic player, buying a beater chromatic off of eBay was a great
way for me to get my feet wet without having to spend well North of $100
just to see what all the excitement is about having a button on the side
of your harmonica. 
-  As George pointed out, eBay is definitely a Œbuyer beware¹ situation,
and it has become much worse in recent years.
-  I repair my diatonics (thanks Harvey!), and am also a woodworker, so
dealing with the cracked comb was not a big deal. Besides, The chromatic
was cheap, so I consider it a throwaway.  If I can fix it great.  If not,
then it becomes more parts in the drawer.  But hey - I¹m a tinkerer.  If
you aren¹t, then as Rick said, a good harp tech is a wonderful thing.  Not
everyone enjoys fixing their own car either.
-  Just in case someone searches this thread in the future, I wanted talk
for a moment about the repair I made.  The comb had shrunk considerably
horizontally - this is what caused it to crack vertically at the 10-hole.
If I had taken the reed plates off and glued the comb together, the
original nail holes would never have lined up with the holes in the reed
plate.  Instead, I used an old woodworkers trick.  I mixed some
carpenter¹s glue with sawdust.  I needed a small tool to apply the glue to
the crack without disassembling the comb, so I shaved down a toothpick
with a sharp chisel - this made a perfect tiny spatula that I could use to
press the glue into the crack from inside the comb holes without having to
remove the reed plates.  I filled the crack from one side until I saw glue
coming out the other side of the comb (wide crack!).  I let the glue dry
for about 30 minutes and then trimmed off any excess glue with an x-acto
knife.  I may find out with time that this was not the best way to fix
this instrument, but for now, it plays 100% better and the crack is
repaired.

Lastly, whether it is Harp-L, MBH or Slidemeister, I have found the
harmonica forums to be an invaluable resource.  Not just for tips on
repairs or for suggestions on how to play better, but also for the friends
I have made who share my enjoyment of the instrument.  Thanks to you all.

Brad

On 1/19/14, 12:33 PM, "Joseph Leone" <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>On Jan 19, 2014, at 1:17 AM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> Hi Rick:
>> 
>> Forgive me if I misread your post. I'm unsure if you're disagreeing
>>with my 
>> mention of the diatonic-heavy composition of Harp-l vis-a-vis
>> Slidemeister? This  is simply fact.
>
>     I have been on both lists since 2000. So given the 13 years, I would
>extrapolate it as follows:
>1... harp-l... about 87.3% discussion other than chromatic. BUT it's not
>all diatonic either. There is a lot of talk about
>      a... people
>      b... gear
>      c... tunes
>      d... how things are achieved/played
>2... slidemeister...about 95.6 % chromatic.
>      a... very few people mentioned
>      b... very little gear
>      c... LOTS of tunes (some with tabs)
>      d... maintenance & repair
>
>Me? personally? I wouldn't change EITHER list. They are just what the
>doctor ordered and do their respective jobs perfectly. I love the people
>on both lists, consider them brothers and sisters, and couldn't be
>happier with those I have met or conversed with. I know there are slight
>rifts and a few apprehensions between the two groups of members, but they
>are just that...slight. The main thing is that we are all in this
>together. 
>
>smokey-joe 
>> 
>> 
>> You're not alone though--MANY others play a chromatic while being
>> predominantly a diatonic player and post on harp-l, but the dialogue
>>is and has 
>> been over the years naturally diatonic and blues-heavy. There's
>>nothing 
>> remotely wrong with this and that wasn't my implication. It's  harp-l,
>>after all. 
>> I would contend that there has been a bit more chromatic  talk over the
>>past 
>> couple of years than ever before--but I also remember  the days when
>> someone like Smokey or Winslow would attempt to  discuss something
>>chromatic with 
>> almost no responses. Just  how it works on a mostly diatonic forum.
>>Harp-l 
>> people are primarily  interested in Blues, amps, gear, Blues, mics,
>>gigs, 
>> Blues, etc. ;) As times  change and new people arrive, then topics can
>>and do 
>> evolve. 
>> 
>> 
>> I would point out that many of the very same chromatic players who
>>comprise 
>> the knowledgeable sources here also post on Slidemeister. It's an
>> invaluable  site for chromatic players wanting to derive all the
>>information they 
>> need  without wading through tons of diatonic discussion. I get this
>>list in 
>> digest  form..trust me, it is 'tons'. ;)
>> 
>> 
>> In fact many of the diatonic players here also belong to MBH (Adam
>>Gussow's 
>> free-wheeling forum), and there are more diatonic sites and blogs one
>>can 
>> possibly keep up with out there on facebook and the internet.  Imho
>>harp-l 
>> is the best of them all. Obviously we do get posters here from  the NHL
>>in 
>> Britain, people like you from Australia and everywhere else around  the
>> Globe, as does Slidemeister. My point was purely that this particular
>>topic  is 
>> covered there in depth and from many different points of view, rather
>>than 
>> an occasional mention with only a handful of responses. Since
>>Slidemeister 
>> went to a different style of forum a couple of years ago the topics
>>are 
>> always still available to be picked up on even years later, something I
>> 
>> appreciate in particular--although I simply haven't had much time
>>lately to post  
>> there.
>> 
>> 
>> I certainly wasn't denigrating Harp-l and hope it didn't come across
>>that  
>> way. If it did, my sincere apologies. I wouldn't still be here posting
>> after 9 years if I didn't more than appreciate this forum and feel
>>strongly  
>> about supporting it. Harp-l was my first introduction to the harmonica
>> world--and the method by which I met and became good friends with so
>>many good 
>> people (Jason Ricci, Smokey, Winslow, Bobbie, Michelle, Tom Stryker,
>>George, 
>> etc.) whom I met and got to know personally and am still good  friends
>>with 
>> today...then SPAH where I met people like Phil and Val and the  Filisko
>>crew 
>> among so many amazing people who did all the behind-the-scenes  work I
>> couldn't possibly name them all, and it'll always mean  something very
>>special to 
>> me. :) 
>> 
>> Merely clarifying the situation if there was any doubt.
>> 
>> 
>> As to repair-people, you're absolutely correct, Rick. We're blessed
>>with 
>> several and THEY are the same names one can find listed with addresses
>>on 
>> Slidemeister as well: Quel Surprise! I'd personally highly recommend
>>George  
>> Miklas (who beautifully retuned my Hammond 44 (Suzuki) Melodeon at GSHC
>>- 
>> when  no one else had yet taken one apart); Mike Easton, whom I know to
>>be a 
>> brilliant  innovator and repair guy--who's currently building a
>> state-of-the-art workshop;  Chris Reynolds whose combs are stunning and
>>gorgeous; Joe Pic
>> (Piccirilli(sp))  who posts photos of his work on Slidemeister: his
>> custom-made chromatics are to  drool over; and so many more American
>>and European 
>> customizers. Tom Halchak  makes the most beautiful diatonic combs and
>>is 
>> fabulous to deal with--unsure if  he does chromatics. The Filisko crew
>>too, of 
>> course but I'm not sure if any of  them are able to take on chromatics
>>at the 
>> moment: one would need to contact  them (Jimmy Gordon and Richard
>>Sleigh) 
>> directly. The diatonics I got from Jimmy  are superb. There are so many
>>more 
>> people I can't think of because it's late and  I'm tired. Now that the
>>gig 
>> list is gone we should at least do a  'repair/customizer' list and
>>publish it 
>> periodically.  Naturally, we tend  to think of those in our own neck of
>>the 
>> woods--but I do think there might just  be more British/European
>> customizers/repair guys out there than Americans.
>> 
>> Best, Elizabeth
>> 
>> Re. Elizabeth's comments about the diatonic-heavy-chromatic-light
>>nature of 
>> harp-l:  
>> Just for the record, as a long time lister on harp-l, I play chromatic
>> (badly) as well as diatonic, and have had to fix the things over the
>>years.  
>> Occasionally (when I could afford it) I'd send them off for repair.
>> Re-valving, tuning, occasionally replacing a reed were bearable. Trying
>>to  
>> fix a broken comb, then trying to re-attach the plates to the
>> comb was difficult. I ended up drilling and tapping the plates and
>>using  
>> screws to hold it together.
>> If you like doing this stuff, great.If you don't, then you have to pay
>> someone.
>> A good harp tech is a wonderful thing.
>> 
>> 
>> RD
>> 
>