Seydel 1847 Slipslider Project

[dominico]

Demo video (from my basement)
https://youtu.be/ABmjrQxieNI?si=GHeWadC-F4kqJPXJ
Standard Richter tuning in G: Slipslider to play in A minor in the middle and upper octaves.

[WoozleHarmonicas]

Fascinating stuff!
As I explore embedding magnets into my 3d prints for more than just fastening and mounting purposes, I’m sure there are going to be a lot of options that I just hadn’t considered. Great work, Dominick! I’ve got some initial reactions that I think might be useful, but I’m trying to flush them out a bit in my brain before I respond. Hopefully we can chat about it sometime.
Cheers!

[Brendan]

Belated thanks for your video, Dom. It certainly shows that your ingenious assembly works to alter draw reeds pitches in the Seydel 1847. The magnet spring back is cool, and the fact it works on both blow and draw reeds is a first. Well done!

BTW I sent your demo video of it to Jim Antaki and Seydel, with positive words

Bertram Becher came up with a much more limited approach to the magnetic draw bender for his own use. He installs it in his Big 6 harps, specifically to lower just a couple of notes. He kindly gave me a sample; here's a photo.

IMG_20240429_164543_840.jpg (1.97 MiB) Viewed 38 times

[FingerSinger]

Brendan, this is similar to Seydel "All Minor" harp as far as I understand.
This is something I'd consider to switch between Paddy Richter / Richter / Country tuning, if only I

1. played Seydels and not Suzuki with phosphor bronze reeds
2. didn't have nice shiny promaster gold coverplates which I really don't want to drill

The first one probably can be solved by gluing micro magnets to the middle of the reed - so it doesn't affect the pitch by itself but allows reed to be moved by magnetic field.

[Brendan]

The first one probably can be solved by gluing micro magnets to the middle of the reed - so it doesn't affect the pitch by itself but allows reed to be moved by magnetic field.

Good luck with that! Jim Antaki spent quite a lot of time trying to extend his Turboslide invention to harps with non-steel reeds by gluing magnets on reeds. He found he couldn't find an adhesive that held them on reliably over time. The combination of the reeds constantly flexing and the magnet trying to grab on the Turboslide magnet meant they inevitably became detached.

I've tried it as well, without success. It's also a very fiddly job and difficult to avoid getting glue in the reed slot.

But maybe you can achieve it - I hope so! If you do, please let us know what glue does the job.