What are these scratches on my new harmonica? Does this look like a played reedplate, or one that came from factory like this?
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Hi @slogan621
Looks normal to me. Playing the harp does not scratch the reed plate. The reed plate itself needs only to be as flat as possible to achieve best air tightness. Before adding the reeds and valves to the plate, the plates are just all in a box and can get scratches just sliding against each other during transport.
The reeds and valves are what you need to be concerned about. The scratches on the reeds are fine tuning marks made at the factory. You should check the reed gaps and reed alignment in each reed slot. The valves (the most troublesome part of a chromatic) should all be flat and not sticking to anything (other than the end that is glued to the reed plate).
Regards,
– Slim 
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