Thunderbird tunings
I've looked around a bit and haven't been able to find any thunderbird tunings. I got a new one the other day and It was horribly out of tune. -26 to +23 and everything in between. It must have been the first harp tuned on Monday morning following Octoberfest. It sure does take a lot of strokes to move that 1 blow. That was the -26. I put this one to 19 JI and now it is at least in tune with itself. How are they supposed to be tuned
thanks......Mike
I'm pretty sure it wasn't JI to start with, but it was just so out of tune I couldn't figure out what it was. My question I guess is what would the temperament orginally? The 1 hole was -25+ on both reed plates. The 10 hole was +23 on both reed plates. and there were no chords that sounded nice. There were NO notes that were in tune and most were 10-20 off one way or the other. There were very few adjustment marks on the reeds
I got it in the ballpark by the numbers and let it rest for a few days. Then like you suggested I did the next tunings by ear. And you are sure right about the patience. It's like digging a ditch with a garden trowel.
What do you think of Ingham/Sjoberg's ceramic files. hey would be too fine for as far as I had to take these but generally what is your opinion of them. I'm lso looking a the sanding wands from Micro-Mark.
Dick Sjoberg first introduced me to ceramic files. I think they are the least harmful to brass reeds. Having written that, I still use sanding wands and jewelers files for removing copious amounts off materials (e.g. creating Paddy tuned harmonicas)
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Hi Mike, I don't recall the Hohner Thunderbird having a Just Intonation Temperament--but with the typical chordal type playing we hear with this instrument, it's probably not a bad idea tuning modality.
Keep in mind, the reeds on this instrument are "weighted" on the free end of the reed, matching (+/-) the thickness of the reed pad (original thickness of the metal before milling); therefore, will take more effort to sharpen (#)...
...because the heavy reeds swing in/out the reed slots slower (low octave) than your typical harmonica, tuning by breath vs. the John Ingham/Dick Sjoberg Harpmaster Harmonica Tuner requires more skill (read: patience). My recommendation is to tune your reference notes to your chromatic tuner, then tune the the octaves by ear (no beats or ocillations)
Your Harpsmith, Kinya