Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

Hello Kinya I have been messing around with tuning some of my older harmonicas. And I use a dremel 8220 which might be a bit of over kill. This time in tuning I ran into something that has not happened before. I was re-tuning a MS Big River Harp. The tuning came out fine. But the reeds on holes 1,2, and 3 on the blow plate. Fell back into the slot after tuning them. Could it be that on low power on my dremel that the vibrations just from one tap. Forced the reed back into the slot. Or could it mean that it is a weak/bad reed. continue reading...

Copied from a recent Richard Sleigh blog, 

After more than two decades of flipping between the terms embossing and burnishing, I finally resorted to looking the words up in a dictionary. I was shocked at how wrong the term embossing is and how right the term burnishing is.

I am making a new tool that makes reed / slot work a lot more easy and accurate than ever before and I wanted a name for it that was, well, accurate. I’m calling it the Reed / Slot Burnishing Tool. continue reading...

Hello Kinya, continue reading...

dear Mr Pollard

I would like to know if its possible to replace a broken reed on my suzuki manji by a suzuki bluesmaster reed if I prepare correctly the manji hole or the dimension of the reed is not the same ?

I see a little video on youtube about that with Brandon Power and I want to confirm with you before I start this operation.

Thank you

I am very new to the harp.  I started with a very cheap Hohner (if you can call it a Hohner, it was made in China).  I quickly upgraded to a Special 20 and love it. continue reading...

Hi Kinya thanks for the information on reed waxing. I ended up taking the draw reed plate and put it in hot simmering water. I reed a article that Todd Parrot wrote. Were someone left there harmonicas in a hot car and the wax melted and then cooled down. And Todd Parrot suggest hot simmering water or heat gun. And the hot simmering water melted the wax off. And I was able to re-wax the reeds again. This time getting it right. But he also mention using chapstick as a way of waxing the reeds. continue reading...

Hello Harp Techs,

I'm constantly surprised at how many customers and students are gobstruck after I play back the recordings I made of them playing the same riff on the same harmonica--with different coverplates. continue reading...

Hi Kinya I have been experimenting with reed waxing. I have experiment with two MS big river harps. So that I don't mess up my Golden Melody Harps. I have experimented with orthodontic wax and bees wax with mineral oil. And I have watched Richard sleigh videos. continue reading...

Deer Mr. Pollard

Im a new crossover user And I want to be sure to clean this gear correctly. I dont have the ultrasonic cleaner for the moment. Can I put the reed plate inside a bottle with a 50/50 alchool solution and shake it ? (Not the bamboo comb :) I can finish with brush thoot. it is a good idea? 

Thank you

Hi Kinya continue reading...