Do harmonicas get old?
Kinya,
I'm 47 years old now and playing seriously after not playing for more than 20 years. I have about 25 old harps from back then that are that old. I notice when I try to play these they don't play well at all. They're not responsive and take a lot of air to get started. They're difficult to bend also.
Do they deteriorate with time? Can I re-gap these and essentially have new instruments? Should I keep them for donor reeds, or are the reeds shot at this point?
Thank you.
For those of us who repair their own harmonica's and do it for others, you never have enough parts. However I will say that I have some 15 - 20 +/- year old SP20's and they still play nice. Of course I had to coach (customize) them to make them play just right.
Good advice all the way around. I'm constantly amazed with how well the Hohner Special 20 harmonicas are built and play.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Quality and response has advanced light years while you were on hiatus, especially if your harps are Hohner. You'd be better off springing for some new harps like the SP20, or the Crossover if you prefer Marine Bands. The old soldiers can be used for practicing repairs, tuning and gapping, but the effort required to make them play really well just isn't worth the time.