It is a good idea and similar to something that Brendan Power sold (perhaps still sells) for his Lucky 13 harps (that unfortunately did not really improve anything for me on the Lucky 13 …).
However, the price for the Bluexlab gasket (20€) is quite a bit more than one of the nail polish pens (ca. 5-6€), and that gasket is only for one harp while the nail polish can be used on numerous harps. I just used it (the nail polish) on a poorly set-up (from the factory!) Rocket amp and it made a dramatic improvement in the playability: better bending and, for both the blow and draw reeds, better responsiveness. I first did the embossing of the end part of the reed slots (2/3rds of the slot length starting from the free reed end) as B. Power says in the video.
I will now try it on my new Golden Melody that just arrived because it is a disaster: reed gaps and shapes that make good, easy draw bends basically impossible !! I guess mine was a “Friday Lemon” … At least it sounds really good and is quite loud compared to the older Golden Melody models.
I think that I just have more bad luck than others when buying Hohner harps.
Hello @Slim,
I’m curious how my New Golden Melody will be in Bb tuning? However, this has a delay of at least 4 weeks in delivery.
What key did you treat yourself to?
Maybe Hohner is “somewhat” overwhelmed at the moment and the quality is suffering? They don’t seem to be quite behind on the deliveries, who knows?
I’ve had the Rocket Amp Progressive in C, G, and A for a while. Mine work great on all tones. In the meantime, I almost prefer it to my “old” Golden Melody. It’s always a difficult decision .
My new GM is in the key of G. My unfortunate Rocket amp is in A. The time spent working on them has definitely improved their playability, but it is not something that should necessary for harps in this price category.
I was surprised tha my GM was delivered so quickly. I ordered from Thomann.de.
Yes, my New GM also comes from Thomann. Bb is not so common (but I like the key). It was supposed to come last week, now around 04/10.
My new custom blues for the Bb isn’t quite ready yet, so I can wait.
I have my microphone back for that .
I’ll have to give the Brendan Power technique a go sometime. Not a fan of Honer harps. Over rated as far as quality control goes. Mine are mainly Seydel and a few Suzuki’s.
I have probably about equal numbers of Hohner & Seydel harps … probably a few more Hohner harps because they are cheaper than the 1847s.
I think it is worth trying the nail polish method on any harp that has notable “airy” sounds when playing bends – and then do it for both the draw and blow reeds in that hole. I also have begun to experiment with my own do-it-yourself, “poor man’s” air flow control system like the Arkia harps have – and so far the results are promising.
As you can see, I’ve tested the waters with several different models, all of which are pretty cool in their own right.
While the 008k may not give the same nice, deep, resonant sounds as her more expensive and extravagant sisters, she plays clean and bends well across the board, which is always nice
With Bb as her back beat, I can easily see her becoming one of my favorites, and perhaps my go harp when I go out on the town. Besides being a pleasure to play, she is my heftiest lady and I’d like to have her on my side in a fight. I’m sure she’d make a good weapon
Hohner ms 20 blues guy, these east tops are great, they don’t bend quite as easy, but are smooth on the lips. I bought several, so I trade off, just got an key of A, Bflat is terrific. Don’t get the real cheapies, I paid about 30-40 dollars depending on key, ^0 for hohner ms20 blues.
@Dai@Slim I’ve never had a problem with Hohner harps. I think the Marine Band Deluxe is probably their best overall harp for the money, imo. I’m not a HUGE fan of the new Golden Melody. I’m gonna put up my review of it in a few days. Great harp, but not quite as good as the old imo.
Yeah @HarpinBobbyMcB way to bring this conversation back to topic man! East Top 008k can’t be beat for the money imo. I’m headed to the NAMM show in a couple weeks and looking forward to meeting up with the East Top people and learning more about their full product line.
That will be cool to meet with the folks at Easttop, they got something going right. You can tell them you have at least one big fan in me… I’ll always remember my first whirl in the world of harps with the 008k.
As I play the new one, I really now appreciate the extra weight as compared to other models. It “feels” hefty, strong and tight all the way around
She’s a whole Lotta woman with a whole lot of luvin’ for the money!
I have a Special 20 and an EastTop 008, both in C. I like learning on both harps because one has a recessed cover plate and the other is more of a sandwich and I have had to learn to adjust to the physical specifications of both. I don’t have a lot of experience or ear training and that was another reason that I wanted two very different harps, to learn to hear the different tones of each harp and to figure out what sound I find pleasing. I found that although the EastTop was easy to play from the get go, it did seem to need a little more lung power than the Special 20. Another reason that I bought the EastTop was that eventually I am going to want to learn how to do simple repairs. All in all I am happy with this harp, it was and is a good place to start learning on many different levels.
Maintaining a consistent gap between the free end of the reed and the end of the slot is crucial for achieving optimal sound and performance in a reed instrument like the concertina.
I guess mine was a “Friday Lemon” … At least it sounds really good and is quite loud compared to the older Golden Melody models.
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