Open the back of Harmonica

Hello Marko,

The Hohner Silver Star (540/20) is part of the budget line of beginner harmonicas produced and assembled at Hohner's China facility. Similar harmonicas under different names include Happy Color Harp, Blues Bender, BB King, etc. These harmonicas can be a little fussy ...

Due to the materials and manufacturing processes, there is little you can do to improve the performance of the Silver Star. Having said that, let’s try one more thing before giving up on this instrument.

(1) Remove top and bottom cover plates
(2) Disassemble the reed plates from the comb. It would be a advisable to label the reed plates … sort of like leaving bread crumbs behind, so you can find your way back ;o)
(3) With the reeds exposed, notice the reed gap – the distance between the free end of the reed and the reed plate.
(4) Starting with the #1 reed, position the rivet in between your thumb pad and index finger, then gently squeeze. This will lower the gap of the reed closer to the plate (be careful not to over do it or the reed will be stuck inside the slot).
(5) In the event you were too aggressive, simply use a wooden toothpick underneath the reed and push the reed back up.
(6) Repeat this procedure for all reeds, especially #1 ~ #6
(7) Reattach the reed onto the comb, and the cover plates onto the reed plate.
(8) Play it and decide if the harmonica responds better. If not repeat all steps.
(9) If your still not happy, I strongly recommend you purchase a Hohner Special 20 (which the Chinese made Hohner harmonicas were modeled from).

“Play the notes people want to hear © 2008

Kinya
the Harpsmith

Hello Marko,

If we are still referring to the Hohner Silver Star (540/20), it may look similar in form factor, however, the reed plates are significantly inferior to the original Hohner Marine Band (1896), Special 20 (560) and Golden Melody (542).

Regarding the comb ... interesting enough in the late 90's former Hohner USA guru Rick Epping traveled to China and made improvements to the comb. If you view the combs without the reedplates, you'll notice horizontal "sprues" in the slots. Sprues are the entry points to where the hot plastic is injected into the molds. For all the Chinese combs as well as the German models, the spruces serve as stablizers to ensure the comb will not distort during the cool down process. Technically, once the plastic cures, the sprues are not necessary. In fact, I always cut them out to allow easy passage for my tools and to permit greater air flow.

For Hohner removing the sprues add to the cost of labor, so Rick Epping decided to use this situation to his advantage. He retooled the molds to improve air management by creating sprues that took on the shape of an airplane wing. Look carefully and you will see the leading edge of the wing and the ailreon. Very coooool.

Kinya