Harp fixing
Thu, 06/14/2018 - 16:42
I would greatly appreciate being able to fix my own harmonics. I do simple mantenance, cleaning etc, but I never had to change any blade, until now. Question: As we get the vanes directly from the manufacturer, with the right specifications, do we need to tune them after setting or do they come to us ready to use?
When you get reeds from harmonica manufacturers they will be close to the note you want, but you will have to adjust the reed for best response and also tune the reed.
You should learn to tune your harmonicas before you start re-shaping or replacing reeds. Any time you make a change in the position of a reed, you may have to tune the reed.
You can search this forum for posts on tuning and start by improving the tuning on the harmonicas you already have. When you choose a method for reed replacement, it is a very good idea to practice replacing reeds on harmonicas that you don't need to worry about - a great way to develop skill is to take an old harmonica, remove a good reed and then put it back in the same slot. By the time you are done, you will need to re-tune it.
This process will teach you how the metal in the reeds responds to your tools, and how to center the reed and make it fit in the slot for best performance. The time it takes to experiment on a couple of harmonicas you don't care about is a small price to pay for the skills you will learn.