lumpy wafflesquirt
59 posts
May 24, 2009
11:58 AM
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Hi all
Just seen this on an ebay auction.
" IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT BECAUSE OF THE LOW TUNING OF THIS INSTRUMENT IT SHOULD BE STORED WITH THE REEDS IN A VERTICLE POSITION TO PRESERVE THIS TUNING"
this is on a listing for a C.A.SEYDEL SOHNE 'BLUES SESSION' HARMONICA 'low G'
is there any truth in that? ie storing a harp 'flat' can cause it to go out of tune. sounds a bit dubious to me.
perhaps they mean vertical :^)
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MrVerylongusername
323 posts
May 24, 2009
12:50 PM
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Yes.
I have that same harp - a Seydel low G Blues session. I also have a low low F. Amazing sound, but I did find that after leaving them unplayed, they actually closed up. I'm not kidding. The weight of the solder they add to the reeds actually can cause them to sag. The reeds don't go out of tune, but if you've ever gapped a reed too tight and found if wouldn't sound anymore - that's what happens. Easily fixed if you know what you're doing.
Seydel mean store them holes down (or back down) when you do that there's no problems at all.
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jonsparrow
342 posts
May 24, 2009
2:37 PM
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what if you store them on the side? like vertical? straight up. cause thats how my case hold my harps.
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Aussiesucker
283 posts
May 24, 2009
2:49 PM
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Would this also apply to Hohner low key harps? Don't notice any problems yet and have stored them on their sides ie flat for a couple of years + they also don't get much use.
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MrVerylongusername
324 posts
May 24, 2009
3:14 PM
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Jon - dunno, could cause misaligned reeds, but I doubt it. You really have to leave them a long while for anything to move. Keep playing 'em and it's not a problem.
Aussiesucker - no. The Hohner lows are fine. These are an octave lower again and have blobs of solder 2 or 3mm high to weight the reeds.
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Aussiesucker
284 posts
May 24, 2009
4:24 PM
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Thanks MrVLUN. I thought so. The seydel low G must sound like a fog horn? Can't say I have ever heard one.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
60 posts
May 25, 2009
4:40 AM
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Thanks for that MrVerylongusername.
Jonsparrow - maybe your case holdes then that way, but which way do you hols your case?my case could be anyway up at this moment. :^)
Aussiesucker - if i get it I'll let you know what it sounds like.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
62 posts
May 25, 2009
4:49 AM
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One more query,
Does the very lowness mean it is easier or harder to play and bend?
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MrVerylongusername
325 posts
May 25, 2009
5:25 AM
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It is MUCH harder to get the bends, and they are already gapped pretty tight. I can bend the 3 hole, but 2 and 1 elude me completely. I know Ben Bouman can get all the bends, so it is possible.
The low G and low low F superlows are so much different from the regular Hohner Low-D and low C. They have a sound somewhere between a cello and a didgeridoo. Because of the weight of the reeds they have a really slow attack - and they choke easily, so you've really got to be gentle with them. Partly out of necessity and partly from the tonal difference, I use them differently from regular diatonics. A 1-4 octave can honk under the sax and trumpet like a baritone horn or a slow, gentle line can sound almost orchestral with the right effect. Great fun, I think everyone should have one.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
63 posts
May 25, 2009
2:18 PM
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and now I'll never know, I got out bid [sniped] with seconds to go. :^((
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nacoran
22 posts
May 25, 2009
6:43 PM
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You could always buy one from Seydel... they are pricey but not completely unaffordable. There seems to be enough traffic in harmonicas on Ebay so there is a fairly steady price for things. I put in a bid on a boomerang harmonica as a joke (I knew I couldn't afford it) and got outbid by about $150 dollars. Maybe I should have bid more than $2. :p
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