Get Shorty (Tales of a Six-Shooter) - Mel Bay's Harmonica Sessions

Get Shorty (Tales of a Six-Shooter)
Harmonica Workbench with Kinya Pollard
Mel Bay’s HarmonicaSessions® eZine
February 2010
No, this is not going to be a story about Chili Palmer or Billy the Kid, but about the joys of
playing a six-hole Richter tuned harmonica.
Problem
Regardless of the “right” amplifier and bullet microphone, for many harmonica players with
small hands (like me) it is uncomfortable to create and maintain the essential H 2 M (handsharmonica-mic)
seal. H 2 M is an immutable law of sonic physics, which enables the
harmonica player to create a tone chamber that will produce the elusive big, fat, and nasty
tones from their harmonica.
Added technical note… Due to the side air vents machined into the cover plates, Hohner
Marine Band and Suzuki Manji harmonica players have to work double duty to create a H 2 M
seal. In addition to covering up the unused holes (i.e. 7 through 10), effort is also required to
plug the four cover plate vents with their hands.
Solution
Select shorter harmonicas that will fit entirely and comfortably into your tone chamber. “But
wait a minute,” you say, “Aren’t most diatonic harmonics four inches (4” / 10cm) in length”?
“Yes” would be my first response, followed by another question, “How often does your
second position playing venture past the sixth hole?” If your response is rarely-to-only when
I play “Whammer Jammer,” then you are a good candidate to build and play the two and
three quarter inch (2.75” / 7cm) Six Shooter.
1

For those of you pondering the answer to my last question, look at the reed layout of a
typical Richter tuned diatonic harmonica. Notice how in holes 1 through 6, the higher pitched
reeds are installed on the bottom draw (inhale) reed plate. Now glance over to holes 7
through 10 and you will find that the higher pitched reeds shifted over to the top blow reed
plate.
This is why your playing pattern is completely different on the first six holes of your ten-hole
diatonic harmonica. It is as if you are playing two completely different harmonicas!
The first commercially available six hole Richter tuned harmonica that I am aware of comes
from Seydel www.seydelusa.com. Unfortunately, the “Big Six” harmonica is only available in
the Key of C.
2

Project
I could not miss the opportunity to retrofit my Marine Band Deluxe (MB DLX) harmonicas to
Six-Shooters.
For this project, we will need the following BOM (Bill of Materials):
• One Hohner Marine Band Deluxe (#2005) harmonica
• One set of Seydel Big Six cover plates with bolts
• One Corian comb machined to fit Hohner reed plates and Big Six cover plates.
Available from Randy Sandoval of Genesis Harmonicas www.genesisharmonicas.net
3

Remove cover plates from the Big Six harmonica.
Remove cover plates from the MB harmonica
4

Mark the cut line, slightly to the right of slot #8.
Clamp the MB into a soft jaw vise.
5

Using a fine tooth (24t) hacksaw blade, cut and carefully remove the unwanted section.
6

Clean the burrs and round off the edges of the reed plates with a modeler’s sander.
Don’t miss the opportunity to build your inventory of donor reeds for future replacements.
Remove and store both blow and draw reeds 7 & 8. Refer to past issues of Monster
Harmonica Workbench for lessons in reed removal and replacements.
7

Using the Blow (top) reed plate as a template, align on to Corian comb (large slots to your
left). Mark pilot holes with ink marker.
Secure the Corian comb over a scrap piece of wood. With a 5/64” bit, drill through the
Corian comb for the two reed plate bolts.
8

Install reed plates onto comb and temporarily secure with reed plate bolts.
Align cover plate onto harmonica and mark holes.
9

Clamp harmonica into soft jaw vise and drill 1/8” holes through reed plate and Corian comb
for cover plate bolts.
Disassemble reed plates from comb, debur holes, and clean all debris left over from the
drilling process, then perform reed plate modifications, reed profiling, and tuning. Refer to
past issues of Monster Harmonica Workbench for lessons in reed slot sizing (embossing),
reed profiling (gapping) and tuning.
10

Install cover plates, secure bolts and admire your work ;o)
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Notice how the length of your Six Shooter fits perfectly in front of the Bullet Mic. This will
enable you to execute a perfect H 2 M seal by completely closing off any leakage. Cool harp
mics and gear from Greg Heumann of Blows Me Away Productions www.blowsmeaway.com
Now armed with your Six-Shooters, get back onto that bandstand and blow them away!
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Celebrity Hands
Yes, (or not ;o) you are correct, these hands belong to internationally acclaimed Carlos Del
Junco. www.carlsodeljunco.com
“Play the notes people want to hear” © 2008
Kinya Pollard
The Harpsmith
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