I Opened My Harmonica (& It Wasn't That Hard!)

@Slim Good to hear it wasn’t just my thick “sausage” fingers hahaha

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I agree with you @Slim about longer screws on the LO’s… Maybe you have some pull with Lee Oskar, @Luke? :thinking::joy: An extra 1/8 of an inch of length on the screws would make our lives much easier when it comes time to reassemble. I imagine the downside is that the screws wouldn’t be flush with the nuts, and maybe they could get caught on things? :thought_balloon:

I generally grab a harp in a key that fits my mood, at the beginning of the day, and stuff it in my pocket for easy access. What you say about lint and dirty pockets makes sense @Slim. I may have to reconsider how I carry my harps around. The belt carriers for flashlights that @Dave_Dunn mentions in the thread about “The Case for Harmonica Cases” looks like a good option for when I am wearing a belt.

Great advice to keep from having to open them up so often! :+1:

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Hi Nancy! Welcome to the forum! Happy to have you here. And you’re right, I might as well. Just need to buy and ultrasonic cleaner thing first! :joy:

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Yeah, for pocket use, I love the little nylon zipper cases that come with the Hohner Crossover’s and some of East Tops. No sharp corners to poke into your leg. The Hohner Bluesbands are the only harmonicas I’ll take to the beach. Not risking getting sand in one I paid more than 5 bucks for! LOL

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Re; your reluctance to open a harp. Congratulation Luke - as they say: "There is nothing to fear except fear itself". :innocent:

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@Luke None of my harps fit inside those Hohner single cases. I usually carry my harps in my purse whenever I’m doing a single song performance and a Hohner Flexcase Large for when I do open mics and gigs. And yes, I carry a full case of harps because you don’t know what key the songs are gonna be in.

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I use an Ultrasonic for periodic deep cleaning otherwise I quick clean with Polydent. Anyone out there any experience with this approach?
Thanks
Robert Canada

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Hey there Dave. I’ve never bought a cheap harp. My 12 & 16 hole chromatics are both top of the line hohners. I was browsing through harps online and saw the east top T10-40. It was very inexpensive and thought what the heck I’ll try it, without having high expectations. I love it. Sounds good, looks good, feels good. I’ve got a diatonic on the way. Cost like twenty bucks Australian. Can’t wait to try it, I think your on to something bro :sunglasses:

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If people like being in the land down under here with us, then they’re skips too🦘

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Hi Slim. I keep a session steel in my pocket. The protective sleeve keeps it safe and doesn’t take up any space. And thanks for all of your constant great advice. Your a national treasure here in the United States of Harmonica :+1:

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:innocent: Fort Knox in person ! :laughing:

Thanks, @stonestone63.

Regards,
– Slim :sunglasses:

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I have a similar story about the first time I opened up my harmonica. I was playing on my C Golden Melody, practicing my bends. When I was about to play the 10 blow double bend, it sounded funny. So I checked out my 10 draw and it didn’t make a sound. I had to ask my friend, Todd about this. I also asked this on a Facebook harmonica forum.
Andrew Zajac, the famous harmonica customizer, asked me if I could take some photos of the reed plates. So my grandpa gave me a small flathead screwdriver, helped me open it up, and I took photos of both of the reed plates. I sent them to both Andrew and Todd. The first one to reply back was Todd and he said that it was hard to diagnose so he thought it could be the reed was fractured or it’s misaligned. Then, Andrew sent me a video saying that the reed was stuck/had some dirt stuck inside it or was misaligned and gave me some advice on how to fix it.
So the next day, I followed Andrew’s advice and took the cover plates off my harp. I tried plinking the reed with a sheet of paper. Nothing made a sound. So I tried it with my fingernail, I heard a buzzing noise from the reed and put the covers back on. Once I breathed into the hole, it was back to normal. And also, it’s now easier to bend 10 blow. So I thanked him. It’s really nice what the harmonica community on Facebook can help you with.

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