Ask Harp Tech Expert Kinya Pollard

Hello Kinya! Now that blues chromatic lessons are going on the site, do you have any suggestions for a chromatic that has some age on it where the slide is getting sticky? Should it just be disassembled and cleaned and put back together, or should one use a lubricant (Hohner for example has one in their kit, but I've also heard that some players don't use it due to the fact that it can get into the wind savers). P.S., one of my students, and you know who you are! used vegetable oil! ;-)

Getting very fed up with swelling combs on Marine Bands- almost to the point of giving up on them and switching to something else. I've tried a Crossover, which plays better but doesn't sound as warm and woody as a MB. The SP20 is easy to play but again doesn't have the MB sound. Two questions: does anything else out there approximate the MB sound? And, if it doesn't, what's the easiest way to seal the MB comb?

Hi Kinya,

I have a Honer Chomonica 270 that I bought bout 23 years ago and has been sitting in the box. Never really learned to play it.
Anyway, I started to fool with it now that David has some lessons on the chromatic and I find the harp to be leaky and takes alot more air
to get a sound.

Can this harp be adjusted like a diatonic? I can gap my own diatonics with no problems but that is abit different with the flaps and such and double reed plates?

Thanks 528hemi

Hello Harmonicats,

When playing octaves (two reeds of the same pitch one octave apart simultaneously), do you hear a tremolo … a quiver or beat?

Most players (and audience in the know) find this extremely annoying. Essentially one of the two reeds is out of tune.

Maybe it’s time to begin a dialog regarding reed tuning … what do you think gang?

“Play the notes people want to hear” © 2008

Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith

Noted harp customizer Joe Spiers is a member of BluesHarmonica.com... not to put him to work or anything ;-)... just wanted to acknowledge him... he''s a great builder.

Kinya,
What do you think of the Suzuki Fabulous vs the Manjii?
Thank you!
Steve

"Harmonicocus" is a new word in the harmonica lexicon that Barbara, my wife invented.

At the time, Barbara was working on her pre-med studies and decided to break up the day by swinging by my workshop for a visit. I had recently disassembled a customer's harmonica, with the exposed reed plates and comb spread out on my workbench. She marveled at the grotesque gunk I was scrapping off the harmonica. Apparently it reminded her of a microbiology experiment she was working on, hence the medical term Harmonicocus. continue reading...

Hey Steve,

Thanx for your question regarding Suzuki harmonicas. In the December 2009 issue of Mel Bay’s Harmonica Sessions, I wrote a review of the new Suzuki Manjit harmonica. On the first page I wrote:

“As a Harp-Tech, I have always been a fan of Suzuki’s craftsmanship. Their harmonicas are a marvel of precision engineering. As a harmonica player, however, I became frustrated with Suzuki harmonica’s lack of “vivedus” (Latin: ‘to live’, ‘be alive’). Fortunately, the new Manjit by Suzuki altered my belief system”. continue reading...

Apparently he was not aware that by replacing the string, he would have been able to restore his guitar to its original playing condition.

Sound preposterous? Maybe … but how many of you harmonica players throw away a perfectly good instrument over one blown reed?

"Play the notes people want to hear" (c) 2008

Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith

Every now and then, I see some thread on a site complaining about Hohner quality - particularly how it's declined over the years. A "G" Special 20 harp I have that is very leaky around the 2 & 3 blow reeds got me wonderin' about this as well. I'm thinking on upgrading my harp selection this year - possibly with the Crossover.

What is your opinion on Hohner quality these days? Are there particular Hohner harps that are better quality than others?