Re: [Harp-L] Sp20 harps



They aren't any different as far as reeds and slots. Really, they aren't. Poor OOTB performance like this comes down to a few different things. The skill/habits of the reed installer, who may be a new hire or just in a bigger hurry than normal. Sometimes reeds are in straight, and close to the end of the slot. Sometimes the opposite. Wear cycle on slot stamping dies, I see a lot of warped plates and straighten them before doing anything else. That's possibly from a worn die punching it's way through, but it could be in the blanks already. Fluctuation in reed material hardness changes where the profile must be milled to hit the target pitch. That has a huge impact on how a reed "feels". Or squeals, in some cases. It also affects the default reed curvature that is "installed" when the worker lifts the tip to create a gap. That's another possibility, worker "A" might lift from the tip while worker "B" lifts from further back. There's lots of things that affect playability. A higher degree of control over it would cost more, probably a *lot* more. 

> On Jan 6, 2015, at 3:53 PM, Steve Webb <swebb@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> A few weeks ago I was chastised when I posted about Special 20s, the standard ones, showing up in packaging labeled as "progressive."
> I know they are supposed to be the same and the only change is the cover plates.
> So I finally got my hands on a new progressive, key of G. It's going to take a lot of work to make it playable. Very similar to the Rocket I bought that I don't like.
> What I have been wondering all along is if Hohner has quit producing the great harps that Special 20s used to be right out of the box. I would be interested to hear others experiences with the progressive SP 20. Are they all gapped so wide? This one could not be played at a gig without being tweaked a lot.
> I have more harps now than I will likely ever need or use, so this won't affect me. I hope the SP20 continues to be great.
> Steve in Minn.
> 
> Sent from my iPad




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