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TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:01 pm
by IaNerd

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 5:38 pm
by triona
Looks quite interesting.
https://www.turboharp.com/tunemaster-harp
But it is "out of stock".
Did you already see any of these, or even had one in your hands for a test?

Even as it was not released on April 1st, it looks to me a little bit like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stobfk1Mfjk

:mrgreen:


dear greetings
triona

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:02 pm
by EdvinW
This looks nice! But it only works on the blow reads, right? It's really hard to see in the video, and I get t he feeling he is hiding the bottom reed plate. Still cool though, there's a lot you can do by only changing the blow reeds!

Some ideas for Richter (in C say):
Switch back and forth between Paddy and ordinary Richter.
Lower 2B, 5B and 8B one half step lets you play first position harmonic minor minor using bends.
Lower 6B half a step to get the seventh in the second position major scale. The middle 'g' thus becomes a bent note, but for songs that need the seventh a blues player could handle that.
Lower 5B for more bending room on hole five. In combination with the previous suggestion this would make the octave between low and middle 'g's fully chromatic using bends.

With all these alternations revertible, the old tale of people retuning harps between songs at a gig suddenly becomes a not-so-impressive feat! :)

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:02 pm
by triona
EdvinW wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:02 pm
This looks nice! But it only works on the blow reads, right? It's really hard to see in the video, and I get t he feeling he is hiding the bottom reed plate. Still cool though, there's a lot you can do by only changing the blow reeds!
I think he is pretty much hiding everything essential on this video. But you are right. The draw plate was not involved at all. Maybe this is due to the fact, that they are situated in the inside of the harp, which might not allow some magnetic ore any other mechanical device.

EdvinW wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 1:02 pm
With all these alternations revertible, the old tale of people retuning harps between songs at a gig suddenly becomes a not-so-impressive feat! :)
I don't think that the possibility of retuning a harp between two songs in a gig is the aim. Would you unscrew the coverplate of a harp and retune any reeds with a screwdriver on stage in the middle of a concert like seen in the video? If this is true at all (and no fake for the sake of a joke or some kind of guerilla marketing), I would buy me one of these to test new tunings more easily before buying or retuning lots of new harps. If it were only possible to do on the blow reeds, this were a severe argument, that this most probably will not gain very much acceptance eventually. At least I would consider it only a half thing.


dear greetings
triona

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2019 5:22 pm
by EdvinW
triona wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:02 pm
Would you unscrew the coverplate of a harp and retune any reeds with a screwdriver on stage in the middle of a concert like seen in the video?
Why not? :)

And it's not about unscrew any coverplates, they just pop off. The full process seems to take less than half a minute. I've seen guitar players tuning mid gig. If someone talks a little between the songs this could buy you all the time you could need.

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 2:55 pm
by Alan
I haven't seen one of these, but I do have a couple of turbo slide harps. I'm confident this is a real instrument and equally confident that it works as shown the in the video.

I would guess that you are all right about this model only having tunable blow reeds. There might be some way to place a magnet in the right position to affect a draw reed but adjusting the distance from the reed to affect tuning would be a challenge.

If the reeds are bronze or brass, they have to put something on them to make them respond to the magnet or use steel reeds.

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 4:07 pm
by triona
Ok, if you think so. Then let us wait till it is on stock again.
Maybe the first one who might purchase it can write a review here.

Considering about magnetism as the function principle: If it is working with the reeds directly being affected by magnetism (*), magnetic reeds are the precondition that it is possible. And respectively unmagnetic reedplates are another precondition as well. The shiny white surface of the reedplates shown in the video can be an indication that it is the Seydel Steel reedplates. These are the only ones I know having steel reeds. The reedplates of these are manufactured of German silver (= nickel silver = white copper), which is not magnetic.

But I do not know whether the "steel" reeds themselves are magnetic. They are made of an alloy. And the formula of the alloy is not known publicly. I could ask someone at Seydels, if they know. But I do not know, whether they will disclose the alloy formula - if they know it themselves anyway. Does anyone here know for sure whether the alloy of the Seydel steel reeds is magnetic? Maybe I can test it the next time I have disassembled one.

(*) Alternatively an indirect mechanical affection of the reed would be conceivable as well. But I guess that were even more hassle to build.


Btw: Does anyone know how the Turbo Slide Harp is working?
Or is there a link to where it is described?


next btw: This idea could be some alternative to Brendans idea with modular reedplates. (See here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=263 and here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=258). Let us see which one is ready to use first and available for anyone too, respectively which one might be the most economical solution eventually. A kind of niche product are both of them.


dear greetings
triona

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 6:13 pm
by Lizzy
https://youtu.be/zPcxPZGBwQg
I have a turboslide and it works with Seydel steel reeds. And yes, the reeds are magnetic.

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2019 7:54 pm
by triona
Thank you.

It really seems that this turbo slide technics only work on the blow reeds.
For applications like shown in Brendan's video this is sufficient.
But with the TuneMaster harmonica it would supply only half of the thing that I would wish.


dear greetings
triona

Re: TuneMaster harmonica

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2019 7:35 pm
by EdvinW
Now it seems to have disappeared from the TuroHarp webpage. Anyone know what happened?