Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

I've been watching your videos about replacing reeds.  It's my 5 draw which sounds like a very common problem.  My first question (which might answer my main question):  how do you get reeds to sound when you are just playing the unattached reed plate? My main question:  how do I know which reed plate is for draw notes (and has the broken reed) and which one is for the blow notes?  Thank you for your advice.

Hi Kinya,

I just bought Godel Melody harmonica and there are few thing I really like about it. I really like to shape of it, if fits nicely into my hand and, as it has full coverage cove plates, it fit also perfectly into my mouth and do not chop my facial hair.

Bad thing is that I prefer sound of Marine Band, which is more bright and chords sounds much better. Is it possible to tune Golden Melody to sounds like Marine Band? Will any custom comb help? 

Thanks.

dear tech

recently I broke my hole 5 draw key of A and D. Today I broke 5 draw key of G.....:(

Im a golden melody user and its time for me to order single reed and repair it. I have all the tools. that will be my first try.

do you have and opinion about "what happen with 5 draw" ?

thank you

Hi Kinya,

I have a bunch of old 1960's Marine Bands from the Hicksville, NY era. My question is, can they be made to play as LOUD as a new, currently available standard Marine Band (NOT Deluxe, Crossover, T-Bird, etc.)?

Seems to me the new ones are simply louder. I can adjust the old ones for smooth playability/bending, but they seem to have a softer/muted tone. Is this just a fact, or am I missing some adjustmemts/modifications?

Thanks!

LL

Hello Harp Techs, who among us does not wish to add more sand into our hourglass? We all seem to not have enough time. This is especially true, when it comes to working on our harmonicas. continue reading...

Hi Kinya

I've loved your 'Harpsmith' videos! 

I am wondering if I need to re-tune a G Marine Band Deluxe I have that has started to make a buzz off the 2 Draw when bent down a step. 

The Harp is showing as dead on tune when drawn with the Harp Ninja, but a new harp I've just got shows it about '1/4 past on the dial' (is that 1/2 a semitone sharp?).

Could this be a sign that the reed is going flat due to playing over time?  continue reading...

Hi Kinya

I am new here and nice to meet you all. 

I started with LoA few days ago with Marine Band Classic, and after 4h practice one day, I basically ruined harmonica's comb as it swelled a lot. Now holes are not equal size and wooden barriers between holes can be moved relatively easily. I used sand paper to take a bit of comb that sticks outside of the reed plates but after 1h of playing holes become different size and I think it influence the reeds. continue reading...

Kinya,

Have you ever experienced harps going sharp over time?  This seems counterintuitive to me, but I have noticed that harps I use often, are reading about 5 to 7 cents sharp on the 4 blow and 4 draw for example.  It is perceptable to my ear.  I hear recordings of myself and they sound unpleasant.  This is compounded by the fact that my 5 draw is consistently running a few cents flat (on it's way to being blown out by me overplaying), so the contrast is noticeable. continue reading...

I'm having a hard time getting my reed plates off the comb...

There is usually one or two screws that are really tight and I'm afraid I might have stripped my lee Oskar philips screw driver. 

Does anyone else have this issue and have any ninja tricks they can share to remove really stubborn screws? I have a powerbender that I'm trying to setup and I have one screw I can't remove.

Hi there!

Sorry to bother you one more time.

So, I´ve been tuning my harps, and I have a huge problem:

The variation of the pitch. I guess is from the temperature difference between my mouth and out.

In a video you talk about keeping the harps warm, but how do you do it?

Thank you so mush.

Best regards.