Lamentations! Frustrations!
Arg!
I have been trying to learn how to work on my own harps with the aim of setting them up for easier overbends. My harp of choice is the basic marine band, so yeah nails are annoying, but as I've been fiddling with harps of all flavors... it's like a 50/50 chance that I make them worse. I've gone through Richard Sleigh's videos twice and much of Andrew Zajac's content on Youtube, but...I just seem to be missing something. Reed shaping makes sense, and I seem to be able to do it, but gapping really just baffles me.
My understanding is that you want the gap to be about the width of the end of the reed itself, but my experience with actually setting the gaps that way seems to have divergent results. This divergence has led me to go in circles, adjusting, then un adjusting to the point where my collection of worse harmonicas is growing.
Anyway, I guess I am looking for advice from anyone who has gone from *don't know what I am doing* ---> *I can set up my harps the way I want them.*
Addendum: I posted too hastily, as it seems like others have made similar posts to this effect, so I am going down the rabbit hole of old threads here.
Hello Matt, welcome to the whacky world of Harp Tech. You are correct, this is alot to unpack. Allow me to organize my thoughts and I will respond shortly.
Your HARPSMITH, Kinya
Hello Matt,
[Q1] Screw recommendation for the cover plates? Through and through like the crossover? Best place to order?
[A1.1] The HOHNER Pozi-Drive Binding Posts, found on: Crossover, Thunderbird, Rocket, Rocket Amp, Octave, AutoValve are available: https://www.hohnershop.com/screw-for-cover-plates-marine-band-crossover-thunderbird-and-octave-auto-valve/
[A1.2] Another option would be to use 1-72 x 1/2" Machine Screw and Nuts, available: https://micromark.com/products/round-screws-package-of-25-2-56-x-1-2?keyword=2-56 and https://micromark.com/products/nuts-package-of-25-2-56?keyword=2-56%20nuts
[A1.3] For the Cover Plate fasteners comb clearance holes use a 5/32" drill bit
[Q2] Some of the reeds had a slight yaw. Does that matter? I seemed to be able to correct it by putting a little more force on one side of the rivet than the other while setting the zero point with my thumb.
[A2.1] Place your reed plate--with the reeds side facing you--on an illuminated surface (i.e. light box, ipad, iphone, etc.). Use a reed wrench on the rivet pad to pivot and center the reed inside the slot. The goal is to have an even sliver of light on both sides of the reed.
[A2.2] If you don't have a reed wrench, slip your .001" feeler guage into the misaligned gap--then like a crow bar--leverage the reed to center
[Q3] Most of the reeds (especially the lower ones) seem to have more space on one side of the channel than the other, pretty consistently on the higher side rather than the lower side (as in toward 10). The rivet heads seem for the most part square with the reed plate....Is this defect or design?
[A3] Since the late 1800's, HOHNER has used the same rivet installation processes for attaching reeds (not including the MS models). When I toured HOHNER in 2008, I watched how the assembly Tech rivet into place the reeds of a Marine Band 1896. Essentially, it is a manual process. Fortunately, the majority of the reeds are near perfect within the reed plate slot.
[Q4] The 10 draw reed grazes the low side of the channel when it vibrates. This is my fault, I slipped when removing one of the brads (with many explitives muttered). I spent quite awhile reshaping it, but I am not quite sure how to rectify.
[A4] You must remember, reeds are made of spring metal (brass), which like a clock spring will coil/recoil. Metalurgically speaking, reeds have microscopic lattices that shift when we mishandle them. Your task will be to carefully stroke the surfaces of the reed with your fingernail (supported underneath by the other fingernail) and return them to their original flat shape. As far as pivoting the reeds to CENTER, refer to A2.1,2
[Q5] Parameters for chamfering the tines? I am planning on using a dremel + sanpaper disk.
[A5] The HOHNER Marine Band 1896 comb is made of Pearwood. It is relatively soft, so BE CAREFUL!.
- Apply 3/4" Blue Painter's Tape onto the BLOW/DRAW mating surfaces of the comb. This will hold the tines in place and prevent it from snapping off at the base.
- Chuck a Dremel 1/4" Barrel Sander (best with a drill press), then with your comb perfectly flat on the drill press table, slowly push the comb forward into the spinning Barrel Sander--aimed dead center between two mouthpiece tines (2 at-a-time).
- This process will remove (45 deg chamfer) the sharp corners from the mouthpiece tines
- Finish shaping with sanding pads (320g-400g). ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SANDING PADS AT 90 DEG. Otherwise you will break the required airtight seal between the comb and reed plates.
- Apply up to three coats of Verathane Semi-Gloss Polyurethane
- Lightly sand with 600g to finish
FINAL WORDS
This project is challenging. It requires the patience of a Zen Monk and dexterity of a Surgeon. If you can pass this test Grasshopper, the music you will play on this instrument will be glorious!
Your HARPSMITH, Kinya
Kinya,
Thank you so much for the thoughtful, comprehensive answers. I will put all of the above into action and circle back here once I have something to show. Patience is...not my strong suit, so this will be good practice for me ;-)
Hello Matt,
DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY PLAYING YOUR HARMONICA ;o)
P.S. as a benchmark, the quality and consistency of the "out-of-the-box" HOHNER Marine Band 1896 harmonicas are exceptional.
Your HARPSMITH, Kinya
Hello Kinya,
The harp work is still in progress, as the right screws for the reed plates got lost in the mail. I made do with size #0 brass screws from the hardware store, but they are not pan head. Anyhow, here's a photo:
I have a follow-up question for you regarding reed gapping. I used the base gapping recommendations you posted elsewhere in the forums to set the reeds using the feeler gauge method you described in your videos. Overall the harp seems to have a warmer, fuller tone, but I still need to tinker with the gapping for a few holes for bending and overbending.
With respect to overbendability, the 5 hole got a lot easier, the 4 hole worse, and the 6 hole stayed the same. For the 4 hole, it is now pretty difficult to stall the reed, whereas, before, that was the easiest one to get stalled and overbend.
Before I go willie-nillie adjusting reeds again, I want to make sure I understamd what actually makes overbending easier on a hole. If younshare your thoughts on the matter, I would be once again very grateful -- thank you!
Alright, so an update...
Kinya, I watched a few of your videos, which were excellent and very helpful. Not sure why the algorithm kept them out of from my Youtube feed, but I am glad to have access to them now. I spent the better part of the day, yesterday, prepping for and then working on my beloved Bb harp. This is the one I am most upset about messing up, since it is the harp I played for my first on-stage performance (as small as the performance was, it's still a first step, right)? Should not have cracked it open in the first place, but here we are.
First the good -- I took the Bb apart again and worked on the gapping. I ended up liking the feeler gauge method best, and found it to be pretty quick and assembly-line-ish (set the zero, check the gap, up or down/adjusting/plinking until right, check with one size larger gauge, final check with target gauge, move to the next reed). This all seemed to go really well, and I got very excited about hearing how these refinements would sound. (Side bar: The feeler gauges were also helpful for removing the beeswax mess I made the other day in an ill fated attempt to improve airtightness).
Now the bad -- I moved on to working on the comb, sanding away all of those nasty tool marks (shame on you, Hohner!). Sadly, idiotically, I took the recommendation to use wet/dry sandpaper to mean wet...wet/dry sandpaper. I sanded merrily until the comb was quite smooth on both sides, as well as a bit thinner, like you talk about in your videos on combs. Feeling very satisfied, I rinsed the comb off and set it out to dry, then took a dinner break. After dinner, I returned to the comb to find the tines......horribly warped.
After much, much cursing, I ended up using a hot iron, a wet coffee filter, a cast iron skillet, and a hair dryer to try and unwarp the tines. This actually worked to make the comb flat again, but some of the tines still poke out unevenly on the face of the harp. I decided it would be a good idea to compress the comb overnight, so I went ahead and widened the holes on the harp and the reed plates and screwed the reed plates onto the comb. I am using #0 x 1/4 brass screws to affix the plates. I left the harp to continue drying overnight.
This morning, I inspected the harp. The tines are still poking out, but maybe it is still ok, since I was planning on chamfering them anyway? I also ordered some shellac, as that seemed like one of the more non-toxic methods of sealing the comb.
So, that's the status. Some questions, Kinya, if you don't mind:
Ok, that's a lot. I know you may not have time or the desire to answer any of all of the above, but thanks for any advice you might impart!