1 Draw problem
Hi I have a problem with my new Hohner cx12 I had a sticking 1 hole blow and managed to file the end of the reed so it,s ok but I must have upset the 1 hole draw as all I get is the windsaver rattling,any help would be nice.
Thanks Ron
Do you mean that you shortened the reed? This is NOT a good idea because it makes the reed slot permanently leaky and you raise the pitch of th reed, putting it out of tune.
Sticking is almost never because the reed is too long.
Almost always, sticking is due to one of two reasons:
- A sticking valve
- A reed with too little *height* (NOT length) between the tip of the red and the slot
In the case of a sticking valve, the plastic windsaver valve on the opposite side of the reedplate (the outside in the case of a blow reed) has to be pushed up off the reedplate by your breath so that air can get through and the reed can sound. If it sticks, it won't push up right away.
The solution to a sticky valve is to clean it. If you shorten the reed, more air can press directly on the valve, but you also introduce a permanent leak and also change the tuning of the reed (it goes sharp).
So how do you clean the valve?
Cut a thin strip of paper from a grocery bag, moisten it slightly, and insert it between the reedplate and the valve. With *slight* finger pressure, pull the paper out from under the valve. The moisture and the rough surface of the paper will scrub out anything sticky. Turn the strip around (or tear off the moist part you just used) and use the clean, dry part to repeat the process to remove moisture and any residual gunk.
A rattling valve can be caused by adhesion between the upper and lower layers of a valve, and it could be either of the two valves in a hole. You clean between the valve layers the same way as you clean between the valve and the reedplate.
If the reed tip is set too low to the reedplate, you raise it a tiny amount by holding down half or more of the total length of the reed with one fingertip while you gently flex the tip upward with a fingernail or other thin, non-sharp stylus.
Thanks for your sound advice ,I don't know a lot about these Chromatics they seem like a lot of work and I am thinking that I will need a good tool kit for the job ,any advise on which tool kit to go for,got so frustrated with trying to fix it that I sent it back to Hohners in Germany for a look but can't keep sending it back every time I have a problem.
Ron (UK)
Hohner and Seydel both have good tool kits. Lee Oskar also has a good starter kit, though it's for diatonics and doesn't address some of the things you need specifically for chromatics.
A good book can also help. Douglas Tate wrote "Make Your Harmonica Play Well," which is quite good and can be found on Amazon.com.
Alan "Blackie" Schackner wrote what is perhaps the most comprehensive book on chromatic harmonica repair: "Blackie Schackner's Complete Book of Chromatic & Diatonic State of the
Art Repairs,"
He included some of the dame advice, but in less depth, in his "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Chromatic Harmonica But Didn't Know Who to Ask".
Both of Blackie's books are out of print but can be found available from online used booksellers.
Thanks again Winslow I just received my Hohner tool and the book ( make your harmonica work better) as you recommended .
Ron
Do you mean that you shortened the reed? This is NOT a good idea because it makes the reed slot permanently leaky and you raise the pitch of th reed, putting it out of tune.
Sticking is almost never because the reed is too long.
Almost always, sticking is due to one of two reasons:
- A sticking valve
- A reed with too little *height* (NOT length) between the tip of the red and the slot
In the case of a sticking valve, the plastic windsaver valve on the opposite side of the reedplate (the outside in the case of a blow reed) has to be pushed up off the reedplate by your breath so that air can get through and the reed can sound. If it sticks, it won't push up right away.
The solution to a sticky valve is to clean it. If you shorten the reed, more air can press directly on the valve, but you also introduce a permanent leak and also change the tuning of the reed (it goes sharp).
So how do you clean the valve?
Cut a thin strip of paper from a grocery bag, moisten it slightly, and insert it between the reedplate and the valve. With *slight* finger pressure, pull the paper out from under the valve. The moisture and the rough surface of the paper will scrub out anything sticky. Turn the strip around (or tear off the moist part you just used) and use the clean, dry part to repeat the process to remove moisture and any residual gunk.
A rattling valve can be caused by adhesion between the upper and lower layers of a valve, and it could be either of the two valves in a hole. You clean between the valve layers the same way as you clean between the valve and the reedplate.
If the reed tip is set too low to the reedplate, you raise it a tiny amount by holding down half or more of the total length of the reed with one fingertip while you gently flex the tip upward with a fingernail or other thin, non-sharp stylus.