MJ: If you can't do the repair work or maintenence work, you can send your harmonica(s)back to the manufacturer to do the work for you, or contact an experienced harmonica repair/maintenance technician in your area.
Or, as Michael said, buy a new harp of the same brand and model. It may be less expensive and time-consuming than attempting to fix the problem yourself.
Leon: There is no disrespect in a statement of opinion. Every opinion is valid and valued. We all learn from others' experiences and opinions.
I like Michael's suggestion, no disrespect to John. It is always good to conserve resources, and many enjoy the satisfaction of repair and refurbishment. I am a pipifitter mechanic by trade, so I fix equipment all day, when I grab my harp I just want to spend my time playing.
Michael's suggestion to try another harp of the same key, brand and model is a good suggestion, after you look into the possibilities I listed.
Along with Michael's "Curly, Moe and Larry" suggestion (his words), I would add another suggestion.
Don't throw away a harmonica if it isn't working. In fact, don't throw away any harmonica.
You may be able to take parts from the un-useable harp in the future, to repair other harps.
I call that "squirreling," "scrounging," or "doing the Fred G. Sanford," from the old TV show, "Sanford and Son."
Fred G. Sanford (comedian Redd Foxx) was a junkyard owner, and saved drawers full of prescription eyeglasses and reading glasses, and would try many of them on whenever he needed to read something.
The problem with your harmonica's hole #5 or #4, blow reed, could be the alignment of the reed above the reed plate (the reed may be off-center of the reed slot), as already suggested; the reed may be stuck in a slot (hair or other obstructions); or a third problem- reed or slot "burrs".
To re-align the reed, you'll need to re-center the reed above the slot. Use a harmonica reed wrench (from a harmonica repair kit), at the square end near the rivet.
Or, you might try a single edged razor blade, in between the reed and the slot, lightly moving the blade and reed in the slot, until the reed is re-aligned above the slot.
If you see hair or another obstruction catching the reed in the slot, remove the obstruction with a tweezers. Avoid touching any other reeds.
If the reed is making a buzzing or squeaking sound, it may be due to burrs on the sides of the reed, or on the sides of the reed slot, or both.
A burr is a jagged, rough, irregular surface or edge(s) of a reed or reed slot. Under a magnifying glass or microscope, it may look similar to:
Burr: VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV, compared to
a regular smooth edge: ____________________.
When a burr or burrs cause the reed to scrape the edge of the reed slot, or when a reed slot edge's burrs scrape the reed, a squeaky sound may be heard, or no sound.
With a metal security strip removed from a product bought at retail store (usually enclosed in a small, white, rectangular self-adhsive plastic case), rub the edges of the slot and reed with the metal security strip, up and down, back and forth, in the slot, until the slot and reed look flat and clear of the slot, when the slot is back-lighted.
When the reed and slot have been de-burred, aligned or had stuff removed, you might hear a big improvement in your harmonica's sound in hole 4 or 5.
There's a couple of things that could be wrong -- the reed could be out of alignment, or stuck in the slot. While not absolutely necessary, having something like the Lee Oskar harmonica repair kit is worth the $30 or so. It comes with a great booklet on diagnosing and fixing reed problems (much of which is also available on the Lee Oskar website).
What kind of harp is it (make and model)? The blow reeds are on the top, so it's worth it to take the top plate off and do a quick visual inspection of the reeds.
You can also get more repair info in the repair forum here, and on numerous websites. Google is your friend. :)
It's the four or five blow on a particular harp that I am using. It doesn't sound right, at all -- like a squealing, grating noise. No amount of cleaning, change of technique/mouth positioning seems to be able to change the way it sounds. I know plenty of people probably post here thinking that they have broken the harp, completely; in reality, a slight change in one thing or another, would fix the problem.
I'm not sure what it is, but I also doubt that I have destroyed the instrument. Could I please have help?
