Hohner CX12 Gold Chromatic

Hi Kinya,

I've just picked up a near new Gold CX12 from eBay at a great price. It arrived tonight and I've noticed that on some of the reed slots the previous owner has elevated the windsavers using a thin piece of string. I'm not sure whether this has any purpose and assume it's safe to remove them? They appear to be only on holes 3, 5, 7 and 9 on the top reedplate and holes 6 and 8 on the bottom. I've tried to see if there's any difference in playing as a result and it appears that I can bend the holes 3 and 7 down a semitone. Is this a common customising technique do you know?

Thanks

Adam