First casualty! Hohner Special 20

If your reeds are actually breaking then you need to tone down your power button ! Unless the harps are $5 throw-aways then your playing style is responsible. :point_left:

– Slim

3 Likes

Thanks for the info @Slim. Being new and the web being my only source, I’m trying to get a feel for life expectancy, metal fatigue, typical repairs and adjustment. Currently I see the reeds like guitar strings. 80/20, phosphor bronze, plated, nickel, steel, coated, etc. Seems like you can spend a considerable effort tweaking a harp but not worth it if it doesn’t last long. I see Seydel has a Stainless steel which not sure how it sounds but should last longer. I see some people use some type of resin at the base of the reeds, some have Teflon gaskets, others burnish the slot, some valve. Just trying to learn about the instrument as a total newbie. It helps satisfy my obsessive nature when those around me need a break from my practice.

4 Likes

@rich3, no, no reeds were broken on my harp. Only by practicing too much bending did I manage that the reeds - 2 and - 3 had “bent” quite a bit. Since they were difficult to adjust in the long term (too overloaded), I fixed them with tooth wax in the screw area. However, I would like to point out that it is not that easy! @Slim showed it here in a photo. Since I used to learn a precision engineering profession, it worked very well.
Of course, the reeds must be set well in advance! There are numerous tools and tips for this on YouTube or the Internet.

It’s up to you to decide how much you dare. But in my opinion, small repairs are also part of playing the harp.

If you still have a warranty on your badly playing harp, contact your customer service.

Otherwise you listed all the points in your last post.

5 Likes

A good harp should last years, and reeds rarely break in my experience, though it can happen if you’re playing too hard for too long. The Seydel’s with their stainless steel reeds have the best longevity - and can sustain really hard playing the best.

3 Likes

Thanks everyone for the life expectancy info. Now I know tweaking could be worth the effort. On tweaking,
@AstridHandbikebee63 this method words great, and is fast, plus tools/supplies are cheap. Use Brendan Powers method of reed work New TOOL & METHOD for IMPROVING HARMONICA REED RESPONSE - YouTube. I didn’t have any thin shim stock so I ran a . 02mm feeler gauge into the slot to cut the paint. Makes a huge difference on bends without embossing so no tonal change just removes the tendency to squeak. Allow me to practice bends at low air flow which really helped me learn.

4 Likes