Im a blues harp newbie but I soon found people reporting much distress from needing to scrap harps or replace reed plates frequently due to some single damaged reed. IF this IS a major issue… for my novice eyes there seems to be some fundamental “system defect”.
How come ?
I believe you are misinformed.
These reports come mainly from people who play their blues harps with about as much finesse as a bull in a china shop that has a panic attack. It’s like they want to play as loud as they would when using an amplifier.
Then there are people like Will Wilde who could care less about destroying their harp because they have their own brand of harp to get a new one from. Will Wilde appears to play with insane power – but I really do not know how much of that is actually stage theatrics that help to sell his image. He also plays harps with stainless steel reeds that typically have longer “lives” than brass reeds (when played with the same brutality).
Finally, many of these reports come from uniformed beginners trying to force their first bends, overblows and overbends – and to top it off: are using cheap harps.
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Carlos1, Hi again…
No it actually doesnt seem to be quite so.
Reports in forums do come also from experienced players and I have asked at least two established Pros who say the same…several corpses a year sometimes " so I save the good/costly ones for recordings and use simpler harps for gigs"
…a rather absurd consequence
Okay, as a lower-intermediate harp player (started like 1 and a half years ago now?) I had zero broken reeds thus far (though, judging by the way reality works it’ll probably happen tomorrow just cause that’s the sort of thing reality does)
Ramino is right - I think it happens with people who haven’t seen the youtube videos on breath control/proper breathing.
Also, something I do is I blowdry my harps after usage - though I can’t attest to how much that ‘really’ played a role since there would need to be a scientific study or something.
If you are worried about broken reeds: Get either a Special 20 (those are quite stirdy) or buy some easttops t008k’s- there you really only risk loosing like 20USD
That being said, a harp isn’t like a “grand piano” that you pass on through generations - think of it more like a work instrument that you’ll still eventually need to replace (whether it’s in one or 10 years). Still, every instrument has costs - guitar strings, needing someone to retune a piano, someone to re-skin a set of drums all costs money
yuriy, Youre so right but I still think it is faulty if we throw the whole harp in the garbage just for one defect reed. In my view it reveals some system failure. I have said Ive been in squeezeboxes for half a century. Reeds hardly ever break. Of course the reedplate construction is a weak point BUT I can have a guess that diatonic harp reeds maybe are “too” brittle and there hasnt been a market demand making them " better". My Hohner Chordomonicas ( same reeds as Chromomicas) have lasted 60 years…
There is one specific factor involved. The demand for bendability with blues harp reeds possibly counteracts stability and durability. Have in mind the marketing of Seydel steelreeded models ! They are not famous for “easy bends”…
toogdog
?? You havent heard the info have you ? 
Im just telling what I have heard…
I’ve considered this when I first started playing since I didn’t like the “disposable” aspect of it. My solution was I’d get a brass sheet of the same thickness as the reeds and cut it somehow and solder it on or something = infinite supercheap reeds??? Though once I started watching youtube videos about it I got a tad discouraged from all of the equipment to do it “right.” Still, something I might try in the future
Otherwise, the replacement “reed plates” cost almost as much as a new harp (and if you include shipping costs it’s just not worth it). Some brands do offer separate reeds also but it seems like the pricing model just wants to encourage people to buy new harps. One “middle ground” solution would be to buy the same types of harp and hope that a different reed will break in the new harp and replace with reeds from the old harp?
With all of the above said, I can tell you one thing: you are overthinking things, just get a harp and enjoy
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I think you need to go back to my original post and read it carefully. One of the important parts reads:
Note the word “mainly” – this does not mean that the reports come “only” from the people described or that “all” of the reports come from them. Of course some harmonicas are simply “lemons” that have reeds that were manufactured on Friday, or assembled onto the reed plate poorly for whatever reason. These are mass production products, not expensive pieces of equipment,and the profit margin is not really great enough to permit the high quality that you seem to expect.
Then at the end of that post I wrote:
Now I guess it is the apparently difficult to understand word “many” – which does not mean “all”.
So what I stated does not in any way exclude reports from experienced players. In fact, @yuriythebest is probably correct when he says:
Not that YouTube videos are the Holy Grail, but the point is very well made concerning the importance of breath control. If a harpist is good and has adjusted the reed shapes and gaps, etc. correctly, then essentially all bends, overblows and even overbends can be played at low volume, which is easy on the reeds. If loudness is essential, then using an amplifier is also essential – unless, of course, the harpist does not mind destroying his harp.
@yuriythebest also concludes with the best advice of all:
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Pros who are breaking reeds are playing with too much force. It’s easy to do when you’re trying to hear yourself over a loud band and in the excitement of the moment! I probably haven’t broken a reed for 15 years. Used to break 'em all the time.
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Luke, youre right of course but at the same time you admit that the issue IS real…also for Pros
In my view it indicates
a) that the reed plate construction with reeds mounted on a common plate is such a weak spot of blues harps in general that “something should be done about it”
b) that the choice of reed metal ( brass, bronze, steel etc ) better be guided by playing habits ( my two named Pros have changed to steel both for example)
c) maybe (?) the producers dont want to make “better” reeds ( raising prices) and rather sell large quantities of cheaper products…unless forced to by customer demands. This is a universal issue with “mass-production”.
( Tuning standard is a similar matter in this respect. “Perfect tuning” likely would add at least $50 to the common price…)