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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Number 1: I attemped to take a shim out from under the saddle. Couldn't do it. Are there half thickness shims available?
Number 2: Anyone ever hear of an harmonica in D#? |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | #1 : You can make one out of a good hard consistent material of the desired thickness
#2: It would also be listed as an E-flat. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | 1 - You can substitute any hard plastic or film, such as a Credit card or laminate as a shim.
2 - No, but I've played "Cannon in D" in "G".
:rolleyes: |
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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Hey Brad, I've played your Al Di Meola, and that has the lowest action I have seen on an Acoustic, why would you want to lower it? Or are you talking about your balladeer?
The shims I have seen just lay in the slot, they are not pressed in or tight, you may need a tooth pick or a string end to help pick them up.
I have some spare shims if you need any. You can also make them out of thin pieces of hardwood that you can buy at hobby shop They are used for models. I have even carefully sanded down the stock shims on an angle (using a hard flat surface) to form a wedge when I want the action lower on one side. |
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August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | Kim K. from Ovation service once told me to use milk carton material for shims. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Thanks gang.
The shims are a hard pheonlic material. I beleive the pick-up also get signal from the top, not just the strings. Am I right? So, any material that will not dampen vibration should work.
I know the action is already very good. I just wondered if the set-up guy at the factory left any room or if there was different thickness to the shims.
If I had the time I'd answer my second question with a picture of harmonica with a capo clamped on it. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I don't know if it's standard, but I asked the factory, via the dealer to send me some more shims, and I got half thickness shims, which worked just fine. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | WWW.HARPHOUSE.COM
e-flat harmonicas a-plenty.
I guess I should have just done a google search first.
BrianT...if we want to do Southern Man with tuned down guitars wouldn't you need a g-flat harmonica? |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . or an F#. |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Brad, if you want to experiment with shim thickness for action, you can get Evergreen StripStyrene plastic at any good hobby store. It comes in .005" graduations in thickness and .020" or so graduations in width. Old Guard Hobby on Van Dyke around 16 Mile should have it. Just cut the length of the strip you need to fit.
Roger |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Originally posted by cliff:
. . . or an F#.
Could be an E##, depending on how many trips around the circle of fifths (or how many circles around the fifth) you've made. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Hohner, Lee Oscar, Herring, Suzuki & several other manufacturers make diatonic harps in all 12 keys. If you're stuck my company is a Suzuki dealer, but the £/$ exchange rate isn't good for importing right now. |
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September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | I know nothing about harp playing, but when we were playing "Saint James Infirmary" in Am, the harp player was using a harmonica in D flat? At any rate something other than A.
noel |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | A minor = C major |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | For blues it's called playing in 2nd position or "cross-harp" For A you'd use a D, C would be F, D/G and so on. For Country & folk styles (straight harp) you'd use a harp in the same key as the song. For minor keys there are harps available tuned to minor scales, or as BruDev said you could use a harp in the related major key |
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Two Questions
