Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

Dear Kinya,

I've only been playing harmonica since August--though I'm completely addicted and play pretty much every day--and am having trouble with the 2 draw on my Hohner Special 20. I know what they say about new players and the 2 draw, except that it used to be fine, and I have no problem with the 2 draw on my Marine Band or Suzuki Bluesmaster. continue reading...

I have 2 harps with blown reeds ( one with 3 and one with 5 reed) . The question I have is should I buy reed plates and screws and repair these (I was thinking of cost ) or is it about the same just to buy new? . I have replaced reeds in lee oscars  but the marines look like they could take some time and effort. Can you buy the screws in your local hardwre stores? 

I was looking through the archives and saw mention of a video series to customise a Marine Band.  Did you ever film it? I can't find it in the equipment section.

Thanks.

hello Kinya, I have an enquiry from a client who has broken a reed in his SBS 365. 

I know these harps have extra long reeds in the low octave, but im wondering if the rest of the slots match up with the 10 hole marine band. Particularly, can I replace a reed from slot 11 on the 365 with an 8-slot reed from a marine band?

regards, Dave

Hi Kinya,

I realy enjoyed your video tutorials on tuning!

I checked my favorita A harp (Marine Band Deluxe) the other day and was very surprised that I had to calibrate my korg CA30 tuner up to 446 hertz to get the "needle" in the center position on the 1 and 4 hole blow. Than I checked some other Hohner models in A and they were exactly the same although I found numerous places on the internet where it says that Hohner uses a base pitch of 442 hertz. What could be the case here?

Best

Twiggy

I bought a Manji and noticed that the 1/2 step and full step bend are very hard if not impossible to get.  the Step and a half bend is fine.  Could this be a gapping issue?  I can bend and have been playing for several years so bending should not be the trouble. 

Thank you

Hi Kinya,

I have a few questions related to reed type charateristics and tuning.

What reed metal type is less prone to fatigue/ change in pitch post tuning?

What difference does the metal type make to overtones?

Do you have and any specific technique/tips with regards to tuning to encourage stability in the tuning? continue reading...

Hi Kinya,

I have a fairly new Seydel Session Steel that I'm really enjoying but while working my 3 draw bends slowly down and up, I'm often getting a slight squealing on the release of the bend. Is this a common problem and is there a simple fix?

Thank you,

Hugh

Kinya, continue reading...

Hi Kinya,

Is RO okay in the ultrasonic with the recommended cleaning solution or is distilled best?

Thanks,

Hugh