Harmonica Issue
For almost a year I have taken part in the Blues Harmonica.com lessons. I have been using a Hohner Special 20, key of A during these lessons. I am coming along with the bending, although still trying to achieve the 2 draw whole step bend. My 3 draw bend is working fine. Recently I purchased a Hohner Crossover, key of A. I can do all the same bends with this harmonica as with the Special 20, except the 3 draw. I am having trouble getting this note to bend. Does this indicate a problem with a new harmonica, or is it just that the harmonica needs more playing time to get the reeds loosened up?
Playing time and the related issue of breaking in a new harp is more a matter of the harmonica breaking in the player than the other way around.
The reeds in the Crossover and the Special 20 are identical. It's just the surrounding cabinetry that differs. Often newer players find big differences among different harmonica models that experienced players barely notice. I think that as you gain experience, the commonalities come to the fore and the differences recede into the background.
But let's assume it's the harp and not you. Bending is affected by airtightness and by the profile of both the blow reed and the draw reed relative to the sirface of the reedplate.
The first and simplest thing you can do about airtightness is to loosen and re-tighten the reedplates screws.
To do this, first remove the covers and store the nuts and bolts in a jar lid or somethin similar that will keep them from rolling away and getting lost.
Then, take a screwdriver with the right head and size, and loosen the screws that fasten the reedplates to the comb. Loosen them by maybe 2 turns.
Now, the re-tightening is the trickier part.
First, begin in the middle of the reedplate and work your way out to the right and left ends, screw by screw. This help prevent trapping any warpage between two tightened points.
Second, you want the screw to be tight, but not so tight that it causes the reedplate to buckle and introduce leaks. Finger tight - where the screwdriver resists the pressure of your fingertip - is the gold standard.
BUT -
The screws cut their own thread into the lower reedplate and the automated factory assembly may not have finished the job completely. For each screw, fasten it down really tightly at first to ensure that the thread is fully cut. Then loosen it again, and re-tighten to the finger-tight standard.
Reed gapping is trickier. Each reed should have a gap between its tip and the surface roughyl equal to the thickness of the reed tip. Longer reeds need a bit more of a gap and shorter ones a smaller gap.
While you have the covers off the harp, look at the draw reeds - the exposed ones on the lower reedplate. If Draw 2 or 3 seems like it's gapped significantly higher or lower than its immediate neighbors, you can flex it upwards to raise the gap (do it gently) or downwards to lower the gap.
The blow reeds also contribute to the bend, and you can examine and adjust them like you can with the draw reeds. But because they're mounted on the inside of the top reedplate, you may need to completely disassemble the harmonica to examin and adjust them.
Thank you for the information. I followed your instructions, as well as the video from Chapter 18 in your Harmonica for Dummies book. I removed the cover plates and followed the instructions for airtightness. Visually, the reeds appeared gaped the same so I didn't mess with them. The result is that I can bend the 3 draw better now though not quite as good as on my Special 20. I am going to attribute that to the knucklehead behind the harp. The more I work with the new Crossover the better it seems to getting the bend like my Special 20. I guess it is true what you say about the harmonica breaking in the player.
Also I have both your Harmonica for Dummies and Blues Harmonica for Dummies books and they are the best books out there for learning the harmonica. I had two previous books that both taught one couldn't bend by tongue blocking. I believe your books and David Barrett's lessons are the best way to go for anyone learning the harmonica.
Thank you again for helping us novices.
I'll be interested in Winslow's response. With my limited experience, and having both Special 20s and Crossovers in my collection, it's possible that the issue is simply muscle-memory learning the differences in how the two different models respond to bending on certain reeds. E.g., the holes on the Crossover are narrower (and tapered) than on the SP20, the SP20 has closed-end cover plates where the Crossover's are open, and there may be slight differences in the reeds and plates, as the two harps come from two different Hohner lines. But it may also be that the 3 draw reed in the Crossover needs a little re-shaping, and if Winslow advises that, "Your Harp Tech" Kinya Pollard on this Forum would be a good source of info on how to do that, and you can check out free videos on Richard Sleigh's internet site re shaping reeds. Hope it all works out. While different in a few ways, the SP20 and the Crossover are both great harps.