I got experimental and starting taking everything apart and now... yeah.
I kept getting close to having the mouthpiece on right but I could never get the left screw to tighten up.
Then I took the cover plates off a few days ago and forgot how to put them back on thinking I would be fine since I did it before and put them back on just fine.
Luckily I was smart enough to leave the reed plates alone at-least.
Also in-case you haven't noticed the slide is broken so that's probably not helping when it comes to putting the mouthpiece back together.
Yes I know this was a pretty dumb thing to do, not gonna deny it cause if I did I would just be lying.
Pictures for (Reference???): https://imgur.com/a/q3Qc0bN
Last Edited by A-Rookie on May 15, 2019 4:38 PM
The 260 is essentially the same as the 270 and 280 and not really very different from the super 64. They all have that 3 piece slide assembly and require the same approach to put back together.
Put the blank on the comb, slide on the blank, engaging the spring in the slide, and the channel over the top. Put the mouthpiece screw, at the non-spring end, through the hole and slip the bumper over the thread then mount the mouthpiece on the slide/comb assembly, tightening the screw enough that it won’t fall out but allowing enough slack for you to slip the other screw in and fit the bumper, then apply enough tension on the slide so that the screw and bumper will fit properly through the oblong slot in the slide while you screw it in far enough to remain in place, then take up the slack in the other end, without tightening up in the mouthpiece unevenly. Once it’s all pretty close And not gonna fall apart, start tightening the non spring end, activate the slide to test how it’s going. As soon as you feel the slightest change in resistance, just back off the screw a fraction until the resistance is gone. You want to get as close as possible to the resistance point with out actually getting any resistance. Then do the same on the spring end. It’s probably not important to get it finely adjusted because it’s not gonna play anyway with that comb, but don’t overtighten the mouthpiece.
I mean, the comb is pretty bad yes, but it actually sounds pretty good (except at the end where the big hole is in the back of course) I'm gonna get a replacement comb and slide eventually of course (If the Hohner Shop would hurry up and restock for one).
Last Edited by A-Rookie on May 15, 2019 6:04 PM
That one's pretty far gone, but..., Take all those slide & mouth piece pieces and put them on a dinner plate. Get some Bar Keeper's Friend (or Ajax) and a tooth brush and soak & clean all those pieces. Then get some epoxy and a tooth pick and fill that crack in the comb. Pack it into the back (not too much, just enough to seal the hole) and use the tooth pick to lightly apply some epoxy down the sides of the tines and around the cracked areas that you can see from the front. Find a 3/8" nut *or something close) and epoxy it onto the end of the slide where the button used to be. Let everything cure for a day. Then take a toothpick and some mineral oil and apply a light coating to the inside of all the tines. This will help moisturize the comb and fend off future cracking. Reassemble. Flat piece of slide mechanism 1st, slot to towards the spring end. 2nd goes the slider. There's a little hole down towards the button end that receives the spring wire. You can get the slider on upside down so now would be a good time to test blow and confirm that pushing the button raises the pitch a 1/2 step. If it lowers the pitch, flip the slider over. 3rd goes the channeled piece which holds the whole mechanism in place. Last you've got the mouth piece. It has a slot cut in one end to allow spring movement so that goes towards the spring end. You will want to pre-insert the 2 screws into the mouth piece. Align all the slide mechanism pieces up and insert the plastic tube bumpers into the screw holes. This should hold everything in place while you line up the mouth piece and slide the screws through the bumpers and into the holes in the comb. If you have lost the bumpers, go to your local hardware store and buy some weed eater fuel line. Cut (2) 1/8" pieces. When everything is lined up, get a screw driver and turn the screws backwards unit you can feel them slightly rise up on the threads in the comb and then click down into place. That tells you the threads are aligned. You want to do this because you don't get very many chances to cut threads in a wood comb. Tighten things downs evenly. The tightness of those screws determines the friction on the slide movement. Tighten them evenly until the slide starts sticking then back off a little. If you find the screw holes are stripped, take everything back off and cut about 1/4" off a toothpick end, smash it with a hammer a little bit, put some Elmer's glue on it and poke it down into the hole. Let it dry 24 hrs. and put it all back together again. Now, get on line and go to http://www.brendan-power.com/combs-hohner.php and order one of BeePees 3D-Printed combs. Enjoy your 260 until the next time you want to take it apart and then put it back together with the new comb.
I think (pretty certain) Brendan has discontinued the 260 combs. I would have bought one for myself.
I ordered a new comb from Hohner (Europe) but they sent me a Koch’s Comb.
No problem really, I could just modify it if I had to, but I contacted them about it and they sent me a 260 comb. It’s in the post but should arrive in a couple weeks.
I was just on Brendan's website and it let me put one in my cart. 4 or 5 years ago, when I 1st found Brendan's website and his 3D printed combs, fearing good things never last, I bought a bunch of them. 6, maybe. I'm still not the chromatic player I hope to be, but I have some pretty nice 270's in multiple keys. And spare combs. He has discontinued a couple I was interested in. Mainly the 280 and the big SBD-39 Suzuki Bass. My harmonic budget just did not (and still does not) have the funds to build one of those chromatic basses. I'll just have to take a chance that good thing lasts long enough for me to save up some funds.
Clarification: I think he still makes the Chromatic kit for the SBD-29 and that's the one I'll have to get. Maybe the SBD-39 wasn't selling or perhaps it is too long to accommodate the mod reliably.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on May 19, 2019 9:05 AM
