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DATE: Thu, 07 Jan 1993 10:48:26 CST
From: Dick Anderson
Subject: Replacing Bad Reeds

Hello Everyone!

Re:

>I have a box with about 15 Hohner harps (Pro, Marine Band, Blues, Special 20)
>in it with one reed bad on each.

Don't throw those away! You can replace the individual reed if you are
handy with small tools and can re-tune reeds with an electronic tuner.

First punch out the bad reed rivet from the bottom. Then select a reed
from your "parts harp" to replace it with. The reed you replace it with
should be the same tone or lower than the original reed and the same length
or longer so that you can tune it up by filing or scraping on the free end.
(If the replacement is higher in frequency, you have to file on the rivet
end to lower the pitch and this weakens the reed considerably.)

The replacement reed and rivet will stay together as you punch the rivet
out with an awl or pin punch. Take this reed to the reed plate you are
replacing and line it up with the slot in the plate and the hole for the
rivet. (I use scotch tape to keep everything in alignment while I tap the
rivet into the hole with a small hammer and set the rivet by light tapping
until everything is solid.) Don't tap too much or you will flatten the
rivet and the reed will be loose.

You now have a reed attached to the reed plate of the harp in question, but
the fun is about to begin. First adjust the aligment of the reed by
holding the reed plate up to the light and gently twisting on the rivet end
of the reed until you see light through the slot on both sides of the reed.

If the replacement reed is too long, just get some small diagnonal cutters
or a flat (not curved) set of toe nail clippers and take off a little from
the length until the reed will swing through the slot. Work slowly here
because if you take too much, the reed will sound very airy.

Test the reed by plucking it with a small knife or screwdriver. If it
doesn't swing freely, look for problems like improper alignment or a bent
rivet which doesn't center the reed in the slot.

Now set the "action" of the reed to about 1 to 2 thicknesses of the reed from
the reed plate. If this offset is too much, it will be hard to get the
reed started. If the offset is too little, the reed may not start
vibrating when you blow.

You now have a new reed installed which will sound when you blow into the
harp, but it is probably a wrong note especially if you used a lower tone
reed than the original, but this too can be fixed. Get out your electronic
tuner and reed files/scrapers and go to work. I have been able to tune
reeds up by more than 2 whole steps and get a reliable and good sounding
tone. This takes practice.

I have found that the new kit from Lee Oskar contains some helpful advice
and a new tool which I hadn't used before and which I now find
indespensable in tuning reeds, the Reed Scraper. This tool is a scalpel
like chisel which is used to scrape material from the reed tip. Using this
tool, I have been able to remove material evenly from the reeds and get a
very smooth finish. Again, this takes patience but the reward is yet to
come.

When you have that new reed tuned up. Why stop there? I find that I
really enjoy playing on a harp that is in tune so I continue to check and
re-tune all the reeds that need it. Have you ever wondered why those new
harps sound so good right out of the box? For me, the reason was tuning.
When you get the whole thing in tune with itself, it will sound like new.

The best part of this is that I have done this to 4 of my better harps, 2
Golden Melodies and 2 Meisterklasses and the repairs are holding up very
well. In fact, I can't tell which reeds I replaced unless I open the
covers and look at the rivet and scrape marks on the reeds.

Don't avoid this because you think it might be hard. Folks have been
telling me this was hard for years, but when I tried it, I was successful
my first 4 out of 4 tries. And... I'm not into hock to Mr. Hohner for 4
new harps.

Several places sell specialized tools for reed replacement and tuning.
Here they are:
Reed tuning and light repair: Lee Oskar Corp. , Kevins Harps
Reed replacement and mods: F R Farell Co.
Electronic tuners: Workshop records, Austin Tx.

Sorry I don't have all the addresses and phones here but if needed, I'll
get them at home and send them out tomorrow.

tune
"I'm warning you... I have a HARMONICA, and I'm not afraid to ^ use it!!!"

Dick Anderson CCMO Matls Engineering Telnet 229-3110
Hewlett Packard Direct Dial 1-303-229-3110
3404 E Harmony Road HPDESK dick_anders~p4000
Fort Collins Colorado 80525 mail anders~pfcpq.fc.hp.com