Happiness is a clean harmonica so I rinse mine in warm soapy water after every couple days of hard use. I also want it dried well after cleaning but before putting it back in my case. I’ve never seen a harp dryer so I built myself one other day.
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This is amazing. Think of selling these.
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I thought you were going to have little PC fans under the coverplates
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Fantastic. If you were worried about wandering off and forgetting it you could just add a timer switch to the gpo.
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That’s really clever.
I’ve never seen anyone using soap and water every few days on harps. Hope it’s not wood combs. I thought you just used alcohol wipes and occasionally opened harps up if they were “gunked up”.
There was a volunteer behind the Seydel table at SPAH in 2009. She was from Mississippi and probably in her late 70s/early 80s. I asked what was so special about the Seydel harps (with stainless steel reeds). She said, “Why honey, you can wash ‘em in the dishwasher!” I’d been playing over 40 years and had never thought of cleaning my harmonicas in the dishwasher. Expensive education. It was $50 for the harmonica and $900 for the dishwasher.
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I have plastic combs so I just soak in surgical alcohol and wash them out with cold water leave them to air dry. I have a tiny spray bottle I take to gigs with surgical alcohol in once I’m done playing I spray them run em under the tap when I get home tap em out leave em on the drainer over night.
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I dip mine in alcohol and it is dry in a few seconds. I then set them out on my deck and let the sun warm them up. Getting them clean and warm makes huge difference. I have determined harps do not like clod weather or humid days. When I air dry mine they are so responsive I can lightly blow over the reeds a could of inches away from my harps and they will sound both draw and bend. When the humidity rises it is more difficult to play I/M/O.
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It’s very true about the cold weather expansion and contraction can really upset a harp. I put mine on a towel just next to the boiler it’s just enough warmth to dry them without melting the plastic etc.
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