Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

I don't know if Kinya has mentioned this yet but I find a magnitized screwdriver essential when installing tiny cellphone or Suzuki screws used in reed replacement. I like the Wiha brand screwdriver a lot but they don't have and magnitized screwdeivers. But they have this instead. It's fabulous... works like a charm. 

Wiha Magnetizer / Demagnetizer

Hey Harpsmith,

This is a picture of my G harmonica, Draw Reed, with the 2nd hole draw scraped almost completely. what I tried to achieve is to reach the note C and on the 3rd draw the note E to get the "Easy 3rd! Do it!" tuning, but I only got to C#, even after scraping all that metal... did I do something wrong? (although the free end of the reed looks scraped perhaps, it is not, it is scraped until the thick part)

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Hohner says this about the new Rocket and Progressive Special 20 reed plates: "Special 20 reed plates have been slightly altered to accommodate their use in the Rocket, HOHNER’s newest 10-hole Progressive harmonica.  The plates are identical except for the additional cover plate screw holes on each side needed to accommodate both models." continue reading...

Hey Harpsmith,

I got myself an SCX-48 Suzuki 12-hole Chromatic, which I really like except for when I go to the 9-12 holes, there It has softer/quiter sound, and it takes a decent amount of extra breath in order to produce that tiny sound. I tried the CX-12 by Hohner and it was "balanced" across the spectrum as you like to put it, same breath for the same tone every single note so I dont think it is mostly my embochure... are there any "treatments" I can give my 12 hole chromatic in order to make it louder and easier to play on the higher end?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Kinya,

I have a Progressive Series Special 20 and I want to remove the cover plates. Which Wiha screwdriver do I need to buy? I have the Pozi driver that you recommend for the reed plates.

Thank you, Mike

Hey harpsmith:)

- I saw that you recommended in you reed slot sizing series the seydel setup pack, so I got one :D but it is not like the one you used, it is smaller and a bit different (im talking about seydel setup pack vol.03). is it to be used in the same way you showed in your video? 

- for making the harp more suitable for overblows, do you think gapping and slot sizing is "enough"? do you recommend first gapping and then slot sizing, the other way around or it doesnt matter?

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Yes, Harp Techs--it's that time again. Pull out your CC and stock up. It's MicroMarks summer sale!

www.micromark.com

Disclosure: Kinya is not connected to MicroMark, outside of being a customer himself, and recommending MicroMark as a resource for small tools and supplies.

Your Harpsmith, Kinya

Hi,

As the head says, Im starting to sense my Manji's are going out of tune. I would like to retune all the reeds to, preferably, what is closest to the manufacturer, can you please point me to a specific chart I should follow?

Thanks so much

For those interested in replacing broken reeds on your harmonicas Richard Sleigh is having an rivet removal/replacement anvil machined that's an upgrade of the "out of production" Farrell Tool. He's taking orders at a discount right now. The price will go up after the one week sale. You can see Richard explaining and using the prototype at www.hotrodharmonicas.com. The Sleigh Light Box is available there also. These are "game changer" tools for working on harps. continue reading...

In response to the subsribers interest in upgrading their Hohner Marine Band 1896 cover plates, I assembled a pictorial “how to” article. After the modifications, you will find your Marine Band 1896 harmonica to be more crush resistance, louder, and arguably gorgeous.

STUFF continue reading...