Finnegan
13 posts
Sep 27, 2015
1:46 PM
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The picture below is of my Bb 1847
Are these tight gaps or wide? It plays just fine which is the most important thing and is pretty much OTB.
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Happiness is taking things as they are.
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SuperBee
2844 posts
Sep 27, 2015
11:19 PM
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They look about right, maybe a little close but depends on the blow side too.
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Finnegan
15 posts
Sep 28, 2015
4:32 AM
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Interesting you should say a little close. I've set the blow reeds just the same as the draw.
The 2 blow is probably the weakest of them all and feels like it's clogging if I put any pressure on it.
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Happiness is taking things as they are.
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SuperBee
2847 posts
Sep 28, 2015
5:35 AM
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Just open the 2 blow a little. Maybe only a couple or 3 thou. It's a bit hard to say from photo but I probably have 1 draw set a little wider than you have it there...if you are getting good response and reed responds to both light and hard pressure, bends come easy and you are comfortable with how the harp plays, it's right.
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Finnegan
16 posts
Oct 04, 2015
1:38 AM
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Just an update,
I had a look at the blow reeds and opened the 1,2,3 and 4 up just a little, concentrating on the 2 blow which was a bit weak.
I tried the 2 closer and it clogged straight away but wider is much better, still not quite as strong as the others but much better.
Thanks for the help.
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Happiness is taking things as they are.
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SuperBee
2856 posts
Oct 05, 2015
12:00 AM
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i'm glad i was able to assist a little.
If that reed still sounds out of kilter with the rest of the harp, its perhaps got a problem other than gapping. Gapping is the most common and obvious thing and probably will have the most dramatic effect for least effort, but its not the whole story. i'm sure i dont know the whole story either...but the next chapter is probably the reed shape and how it enters the slot...if you look through the slot from the bottom in such a way that you can see a sliver of light, and then press on the reed from above to see how the reed closes off the light...you will see if the reed cuts off the light all at once, or for instance the tip of the reed enters first, or the belly etc...the common wisdom is that the best results come where the reed enters the slot all at the same time..if the tip enters first the note will not sound as strong as it could otherwise...reshaping the reed involves supporting it and applying pressure at appropriate points to achieve the desired result.. its quite likely the reed will need to be retuned and gapped after this operation. i usually check and adjust the reed shape first, then gap, tune and re-gap if necessary
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Finnegan
17 posts
Oct 05, 2015
10:12 AM
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I think we're getting there now, I've had another look and all the reeds look he same in terms of gap and shape.
They all look like the 5 draw in the photo, reasonably straight and curling slightly up at the end.
One thing I have done is open the gap of 2 blow a bit more than the rest, this seems to have done the trick.
As for tuning, I don't have a suitable tuner, I only have a 'Snark' for tuning my whistles, but is something I'm now going to get.
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Happiness is taking things as they are.
Last Edited by Finnegan on Oct 05, 2015 10:13 AM
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ME.HarpDoc
17 posts
Oct 19, 2015
2:00 PM
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I've read the posts on this beginners forum about gapping, tuning. Watched Joe Spiers videos on gapping as well Azerjac's video on tuning.
They all come down to "that looks/sounds about right". I'm really, really novice about looking under the hood of my harps, playing everything right out of the box. But if I can improve my bending (forget about overblows for now) by learning how to properly gap my reeds, I need some really basic instruction. I've heard about using tools, files, toothpicks, paper, etc.
Even what I've seen on this beginners forum seems over my head with lots of opinions. Any suggestions for resources will be greatly appreciated.
Last Edited by ME.HarpDoc on Oct 19, 2015 2:01 PM
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SuperBee
2890 posts
Oct 19, 2015
2:20 PM
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What do you need? Measurements?
Joe spiers gapping video tells the story, but maybe its hard to follow because hd starts at the top and works down?
The truth is that there is no one size fits all solution, this is why people reset gaps.
I can give you gap measurements that work for me, and for the people i work on harps for, but this would only be a kick off point. As joe demonstrates in those videos, if you play it and its breathy, slow to respond, you need to make the gap narrower. If you play it and it chokes/stalls, you need to open it up a little. Always consider both reeds in the chamber. They dont have to have gaps exactly the same, but dont let them be wildly different.
We are considering gaps in thousandths of an inch. If you are used to those sort of increments, no worries. If not, maybe pick up a set of feeler gauges.
Id personally aviod using paper to adjust reeds. Toothpick (stout) is a pretty good tool.
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Rontana
204 posts
Oct 19, 2015
3:13 PM
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@ME.HarpDoc
I'm not sure if this will help, but at some point I copied this and put it in my file of "harp things I should probably remember but will likely forget."
I believe it was off a forum discussion that Joes Spiers was weighing in on. This is very general, but his thoughts here might be helpful.
J- Breathe the chord lightly, if the note comes in late tighten the gap, if it comes in sooner open it. Typically the lower note of the 2 reeds sharing a chamber will like a wider gap than the higher pitch
The lower note on holes 1 through 6 would be the blow reeds, on 7 through 10 the lower notes are the draw reeds. There's a lot of trial and error here because some people play softer than others, some harder.
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SuperBee
2891 posts
Oct 19, 2015
3:27 PM
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I'd agree with that. But when talking about a wider gap for the blow note, it may be only 1 or 2 thou
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SuperBee
2918 posts
Oct 28, 2015
1:08 PM
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reedology article
blues harmonica.com lessons on gapping with kinya pollard
Last Edited by SuperBee on Oct 28, 2015 4:24 PM
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SuperBee
2919 posts
Oct 28, 2015
1:18 PM
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2004 harmonica sessions article on gapping
Last Edited by SuperBee on Oct 28, 2015 4:26 PM
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SuperBee
2920 posts
Oct 28, 2015
1:22 PM
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zajac article on 5 things to do which will improve how your harmonica plays (includes gapping)
hohner lesson on gap setting
Last Edited by SuperBee on Oct 28, 2015 4:31 PM
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SuperBee
2922 posts
Oct 28, 2015
1:49 PM
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Or you could use my search term 'adjusting reed gaps' and bring up most of those results. Plus some others which may not be as solid.
I've only posted reputable sources.
You'll see some advice about using a slip of paper to adjust reeds. My personal advice is to avoid that approach unless you really don't have something better. A stout toothpick is a very suitable tool, but you want something which allows you to develop a feel for the task. Some of the advice I've seen advocates methods I personally find a bit cumbersome, but to each their own. Get 'hands on', keep your brain engaged and you'll quickly get the gist.
It's likely you will damage some reeds while you learn to do this. You probably won't damage many. I probably have ruined 5 reeds in all the time I've been doing it...probably 7 years now, I don't know. I've adjusted hundreds of harps, heaven knows how many reeds, maybe 1000.
When you bend one (or 2) too far, that's when you learn the limit. The others Ive damaged were because something distracted me.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Oct 28, 2015 1:51 PM
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SuperBee
2923 posts
Oct 29, 2015
6:21 PM
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Here's the Seydel instruction:
Seydel gapping instruction
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