Discovery 48 air tightess

[SJB]

Has anyone tried sanding the front of the comb on the Discovery 48 to make it more airtight?  The plastic mouthpiece feels very nice but it doesn't put any pressure on the center of the slide/comb because it cannot be curved like a metal mouthpiece.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[SlideMeister]

Don't own a "Discovery" one, but I've yet to own any Chromatic that didn't benefit from "hand done" flat-sanding; especially a "lower-end" model like the Discovery.

[beads]

I've only had mine apart once, just to clean. I had a leakage problem when I put it back together because I had one outer edge of the mouthpiece against one of the reed plates. If I recall correctly the edges of the mouthpiece fit over the reed plates. Worked much better when I took it off and put it on again.  I don't know if taping the slide would help. I'm still new to the Discovery so I don't want to try any modifications. It may get better the more I play it. It does seem to be a bit quieter than my other chrome. When I took the screws out I took note of the tension. The mouthpiece screws were just snug, not tight. I noted the position of the screw slot and put the same screws back in the same holes and with the slot stopping in the same position. The reed plate screws were pretty tight. Good luck. Let us know how, or if, you resolve this.

[SJB]

Well here’s what I did. I took it apart and adjusted the offset of the highest reeds. I then put it back together being careful not to over tighten the reed plate screws. The surface of the comb is sort of molded and not really sanded, but since it is a 2 piece slide (no back plate), I’m thinking that sanding would only make the slide fit looser. There’s a limit to how tight the mouthpiece can be because of the way the it wraps over the comb on the ends.  Anyway it seems to being playing much better now, and I guess it just is what it is.  Not as airtight as my Hering Special 48, but the Discovery tone is better/richer.

[beads]

Thanks for the update. The lower half of mine works better than the upper half. If I can't adjust to it I might have a look at the gaps. I think the Discovery has the thicker reed plates.

[The Lone Harper]

Swedish customizer Joel Anderson replaces the Discovery mouthpiece with what I believe is the very airtight Silver Concerto mouthpiece. Apparently this transforms it from a so-so chromatic which is let down by its mouthpiece into a very impressive instrument!

https://www.jaharmonicas.com/custom%20harmonicas/value%20chromatic%20harmonicas/discovery%2048/discovery%2048%20top%20of%20the%20line.html

[SlideMeister]

Not for MY 1200. bucks! Aaaagghh! Somehow, I don't believe it's going to sound THAT good

[Edward Brock]

I'm just a simple minded guy I guess because there are Some things in this World
that I just absolutely can Not understand. I would never in my life think about putting
an expensive Silver Concerto mouth piece on a Discovery. To Me, that doesn't make
sense. And then, if I understand it, selling it for $1279...  Really?  I am at a total
loss trying to wrap my head around that one.  Of course everyone is entitled to do what
they want but "I" just don't get it. But what the heck, what do I know..

[Grizzly]

According to Joel, the mouthpiece is only one thing he does to improve instruments, including reed and windsaver work. Not that I think $1200 is affordable.

Tom

[The Lone Harper]

According to Joel, the mouthpiece is only one thing he does to improve instruments, including reed and windsaver work. Not that I think $1200 is affordable.

Tom

I think the $1200 price tag is for the 'whole shebang' in regards to what amount of work and modifications he does. The thing is that he finds the stock Discovery mouthpiece unsatisfactory and that a better mouthpiece results in this case in a far better instrument.

When I addressed complaints about the Discovery mouthpiece with a Hohner rep, he said that an upgrade in the mouthpiece would add around $30 to the price that would be a disincentive for buyers. This seems a shame to me since for an extra $30 you would probably end up with a much better instrument.

[beads]

Will a 270 mouthpiece fit?

[Grizzly]

Will a 270 mouthpiece fit?

I think so, if it's from a 270 Deluxe. But there's still the issue of a three-piece mouthplate and slide, and all the leakiness it aspires to.

Tom

[SlimHeilpern]

I'll just add my own experience with the Discovery vs. much more expensive models as I've been playing the Discovery as my main axe for a while now (which I know some folks might find a bit surprising).

I was previously playing CX12s for my gigs and rehearsals but in recent years, perhaps because they tightened up the tolerances, I've found the windsaver action to be unreliable. Might be fine for a couple of weeks at most before I have to address one or more windsaver issues, so I was spending too much time fighting with that, cutting into my practice time.

But I prefered the CX12 sound and responsiveness when playing with my live rig compared to any of the other harmonicas I own (I own a lot, but all are under $1000). So one day I was trying to decide on a model to replace the CX12 for live use (without having to change the rest of my rig), trying all my harps with the rig, and I liked the Discovery the best (this is using it close-mic'd and cupped into a high end condenser mic). The tone is quite different from the CX12 and softer (not an issue when mic'd), but it sounded really good in this context.

Yes, it is not as airtight as other harps.

But...
- I like the mouthpiece just fine
- It's airtight enough to get nice vibrato and bends
- It's dynamic enough for my needs
- The windsavers seem to be much better behaved (perhaps because of the minor air leakage putting less stress on them???)
- They come in a very small semi-soft zipper case (which I prefer greatly over those big bulky plastic jobs)
- I've now purchased a total of eight of these harps (I'll explain why below) and every single one has played perfectly right out of the box.
- They come with that humorous chart showing which styles you can play on which model chromatics (OK, maybe not a plus)
- And then there's the price...

Unless you're ordering something like an EastTop direct from China, the Discovery is perhaps the best value on the market. But the price at various sites does fluctuate wildly. I've been buying them because I have no idea how long they'll be available as cheaply as I've been finding them. I think I have enough now to last me quite a few years, so I've told myself to stop :-). When the harmonica is cheaper than the reed plates, perhaps something odd is going on.

I just picked up my last one (at least for now) from Guitar Center, where with a coupon I ended up paying about $100 including tax and shipping. All I can say is if I didn't think these were professional grade harps (despite how they're being marketed), I wouldn't be using one on the gig or at rehearsals.

Don't get me wrong, I love playing the more airtight harmonicas, they are a bit easier to play. But the Discovery is working well for my live setup, is _reasonably_ airtight, and is saving me maintenance time and up front cost. So I've compromised :-).

- Slim

[SlideMeister]

Hmm! Now I wanna try a discovery

[SlimHeilpern]

Hmm! Now I wanna try a discovery

Just think of it as a Super Chromonica with a simpler slide assembly, screw-on reedplates, more comfortable mouthpiece, plastic comb, and ergonomic coverplates.

- Slim

[Grizzly]

Of all the elements, the coverplates, according to some players, contribute the most to the sound. Super Chromonica coverplates apparently do fit the Discovery 48, which makes it sound like one of them. Worth a try, if you own each. Swap and see if it works.

Tom

[SlimHeilpern]

Of all the elements, the coverplates, according to some players, contribute the most to the sound. Super Chromonica coverplates apparently do fit the Discovery 48, which makes it sound like one of them. Worth a try, if you own each. Swap and see if it works.

Tom

Yup, especially with regards to projection and how a mic responds. I've done this before but ultimately decided I like the Discovery coverplates just fine when close-mic'd, and they're more comfortable in the hands.

- Slim

[Grizzly]

Amen to that, Slim. Maybe I'll work on mine to make it less leaky. Even with windsaver issues, my go-to is still my beloved CX 12s.

Tom

[HUGO]

I honestly blew past this model without a second glance until reading Slims post #12. Now, it's on my Wish List.

 I find Hohners' description of this German made model interesting:

The resilient ABS body makes the instrument a reliable companion under all climatic conditions.

- Hugo

[SlimHeilpern]

I honestly blew past this model without a second glance until reading Slims post #12. Now, it's on my Wish List.

 I find Hohners' description of this German made model interesting:

The resilient ABS body makes the instrument a reliable companion under all climatic conditions.

- Hugo

Hi Hugo -

Keep in mind that I'm probably in the minority with my praise for this harp. I learned to play on an old and very leaky 270 so I'm used to having to work a bit to get a good sound. Your mileage may vary.

As for that Hohner quote, I believe that's market-speak for "the comb won't crack like our higher priced models with pearwood combs do" :-).

- Slim

[HUGO]

Hi Slim

 Thanks for the response. Good to know.

 Leaky 270s' were something I too cut my teeth on. Nice to think this is serviceable facsimile of it.

- Hugo

[mozharp]

I like my Discovery. It has a sweet tone.

As others have said, the leakage is caused by the MP. Sanding the comb won't fix that. You can do the vaseline trick to help. There are strong opinions on putting vaseline on the slide, but it works for me. Brendan Power has a video of harmonica "quick fixes" that explains how to do it.

I put 270 cover plates on my which does open up the sound. Then again the stock cover plates while softer sound more mellow.

I put a 270 Deluxe MP on mine, but that's also leaky so I did the vaseline trick. I flat sanded mine also, but the big change was the vaseline!

However you slice it it's a sweet little harp for not too much money. It's main weakness is the leaky MP, but it's not a fatal weakness. It has the same Hohner reeds as a 270 Deluxe, same reed plate thickness too.

Apparently you can buy a Discovery with the air tight MP from Joel Anderson for $420 if you get the "basic" setup: https://jaharmonicas.com/custom%20harmonicas/value%20chromatic%20harmonicas/discovery%2048/discovery%2048%20basic.html. That should be a stellar harmonica.

[SlideMeister]

There're always ways to tighten them anything up.

[Ed McCullough]

Stan Harper said the first thing he did with any harmonica was to sand the comb surfaces flat.
People also talked about the Discovery's mouthpiece being leaky. I recommend my method of using a can of aerosol paint and gradually adding VERY thin layers of paint to the side of the slide that faces your teeth.

[John Broecker]

Hello, A.J.

You are the "Titan of (Harmonica) Tightening".

I'm learning quite a lot about the Hohner
Discovery slide chromatic.

Harpists seem to agree that "you are
only as good as your newest harmonica".

(Not meaning you, A.J. The "You" in the
quote means "you players in general".)

Best Regards to the Titan

JB