Nail Polish, what color would look best on you?
Sat, 03/27/2021 - 09:06
Hello Harp Techs, the topic of taming squealing reeds and improving overall playability of our harmonica is popular. For those interested, check out our friend Brendan Power's technique published on YouTube:
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hello Kinya,
I have actually tried that and so far I see 2 downsides to it.
* It becomes more difficult to gap the reed if you want to increase the reed gap without actually changing the reed shape or breaking the nail polish at the rivet end.
* That method a little bit contradicts with "setting the zero point" method, because why would I want to increase the zero point using the .02 schim only so that I seal that gap with a nail polish later on. I might just as well make the zero point way tighter. Or should I...?
Well I (perhaps) found out why. Having that seal at the rivet end makes the reed lose some dynamic range, because it takes a little stronger breath force before it initiates with it's bottom sealed off like that. For a loud player that would not be a problem but if one really aims for dynamis that could be an issue.
Can you please share your experience with this method and what are your thoughts on that?