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Hello, and welcome. On my right, Ms. Gabriele Hand.
My name is Steve Baker and it is our pleasure to present to you the Hohner Chromatic Harmonica Workshops.
For the first time in the history of our instrument the world's leading harmonica manufacturer has put together a series of videos which will
provide you, the player with the informationyou need to enable you to conduct repair and maintenance operations on your harmonicas yourself.
From time to time harmonicas need tuning and maintenance just like any other musical instrument.
The slide package may need cleaning or lubricating and the windsaver valves my need to be replaced.
To date no one has found a reed material which will not at some time fatigue and wear out.
Because you see, the most important thing when playing the harmonica is the sound and you should never let the fact that the reeds will eventually
wear out prevent you from playing with a powerful throat-vibrato or bending heavily, because if a reed does break you can replace it.
The Hohner Harmonica Service Workshops are intended to show you what a quantam-leap you can make if you learn to perform these service and maintenance operations yourself.
Because once you've got the hang of it you will own instruments which are priceless because they have been set-up to reflect your requirements as a player.
Now when you are learning to do this it's really important to practice at first on an old instrument because harmonica repairwork requires a light touch and it needs
a bit of practice, so when you start peforming the operations which we are going to be showing you in these videos please do it on an old instrument first, you won't regret it.
Hello, and welcome to the Hohner Harmonica Workshops.
Workshop CO1: The Hohner Toolkits
This is the Hohner Service Set, the essential toolkit for everyday maintenance.
It's a compact and highly recommendable set of tools which will enable you to perform most of the basic tasks involved in harmonica maintenance.
The set is suitable for both diatonic blues harps and chromatic harmonicas and is used for the five basic operations of harmonica maintenance:
Reed off-setting, reed centering, tuning reeds, replacing windsavers, and maintaining the slide package.
This is tool number 1: the Reed-Tuning Scraper and it's used for lowering the pitch of the reeds.
Tool number two: the Reed-Lifting Blade with reed wrench.
This is an essential tool for many reed operations. It's used for centering reeds, it's used for off-setting reeds and it's used as a support when tuning reeds.
Number 3: the Hook Tool.
This is sometimes used when off-setting but its main purpose is when tuning reeds situated on the inside of the reedplate.
You use it to push the tip of the reed through the tip of the slots so that you can then work on it.
Number four: the Fine-Tuning File.
This is used when tuning reeds and also for true-squaring them to ensure that they don't stick in the slot.
Tool number five is a reversible screwdriver with a straight-slot and a Pozidrive tip.
This is used both for coverplate screws and reedplate screws.
Number six is a tube of valve glue. This is a red rubber adhesive used for sticking windsavers in place.
Number seven, a complete set of windsaver valves.
The set also includes number eight, a cleaning cloth used for cleaning the covers and the mouthpiece.
And finally number nine, slide lubricant.
This is the Hohner Instant Workshop Set. The essential pro-tools for all Hohner Harmonica Workshops.
It includes the Hohner Service Set and in addition it contains tools which we have specially developed to enable you to replace reeds and also to perforate windsavers.
Tool ten is a combination de-riveting tool. This is really the centrepiece of the Instant Workshop set.
It's a special pliers with two interchangeable bits with which you can punch out the old rivet and also punch a hole in the new windsaver.
Tool eleven is a 1.4mm Reamer. This is used for reaming up the holes in the root plate and in reeds so that they fit the new stud-bolt.
Tool number twelve is a Universal Holder. As you've just seen it's used for holding the reamer but it's also extremely useful for holding the stud-bolts when inserting them.
Tool thirteen is a drill-bit. This is used held in the hand to debur the edges of holes which one has cut in the reedplate or reamed in the reed.
Tool fourteen. This is a 1.4mm tap which is used for cutting a thread into the reedplate in order to mount the stud-bolt.
Tool fifteen is a special screwdriver which is used to affix the stud-bolt to the reedplate.
Tool sixteen is a star-nut spanner. This is used to secure the star-nut to the stud-bolt, thus affixing the new reed in place.
Number seventeen and eighteen are star-nuts and stud-bolts, 50 in each packet, which are used to affix the new reeds in place.
The maintenance-free harmonica does not exist. If you play a lot you're bound to wear them out and the only way to ensure that they last forever is not to play them.