Re: [Harp-L] RE: Seydel Standard and Suzuki Bluesmaster (and Harpmaster)

[Rick Dempster <rickdempster33@xxxxxxxxx>]

Vern, you must sometimes feel like it's 1600 and you're arguing against the
existence of witches.
People like to think that the materials of comb, reed and covers makes a
difference!
RD


On 20 March 2014 15:46, Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> I challenge the notion that there is a perceptible ("mellow", "bright")
> difference in the sounds of brass and phosphor-bronze reeds.
>
> The sound that is radiated directly from the surface of a reed (the sound
> of a plucked reed) as from a bell is so faint that it is masked by the
> sound of the modulated airstream, the principal source of harmonica sound.
>
> The tone arises from the changes in flow area as the reed enters and
> departs the slot.  These are the same with any reed material at the same
>  pitch, and amplitude.
>
> The metal properties that affect performance in the reed are modulus of
> elasticity and density. The modulus of elasticity is the same for both
> alloys, 15 million psi.  The density of brass is 8.4 g/cc and of bronze is
> 8.9 g/cc, a difference of about 6%.  This means that the brass reed will be
> only 6% thicker at the tip than the bronze reed and the thickness near the
> rivet (stiffness) will be the same.
>
> I posit that the this difference in thickness is insufficient to make a
> perceptible difference in tone.  Every reed in a harmonica has a different
> tip thickness.  If it were sensitive to tip thickness, then the
> mellow/bright tonality of every reed would be different.
>
> Vern
>
> On Mar 19, 2014, at 6:28 PM, Dan Hazen <bluesmandan76@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > ........The Seydel has brass reeds, which have a mellower sound.....
> >
> > The Bluesmaster has phosphor bronze reeds, which have a brighter sound....
>
>
>
>