Turboharp TurboSlide User Manual Download Page 15

15

TurboSlide Harp

– User Guide, page

VER. 11.02.11, ©AntakaMatics, Inc. 2011

TUNING & TWEAKS – TH09 (Seydel Version)

Tuning

: 0n some models of the TH-09

1

, the degree of bending (bend depth) of the TurboSlide can be altered somewhat by 

adjusting the tuning magnets. To do this, you must first remove the cover plates. A small Phillips screwdriver has been 
supplied for this purpose. Once removed, the magnet rack is exposed in which there are ten small screws containing the 
magnets. Loosening the screws will diminish the flattening effect; while tightening will accentuate the effect. 

But be advised 

that the screws do not have a lower “stop.” Therefore you should be careful not to over tighten. If you see the rack 
bending as you tighten, or see the magnet protruding out the bottom, you’ve gone too far. This will not damage 
the harp, but will throw off the tuning of all the other reeds. 

Replacing Magnets:

Your harp should have come with at least one “spare” magnet.* In the event that something happens to 

one of the magnets, for example if the threads or screw slot becomes stripped. Replacing the magnet should normally be a 
simple matter of unscrewing the old one out, and the other back in its place. The TurboSlide is usually shipped with high-
power magnets. Although they can be adjusted,* you might find they are just a little bit “too” strong.  We also supply optional 
“medium” and “low” power magnets which can be easily swapped in. You can purchase replacement magnets on our 
website, or by contacting us directly.

Stiffness

. The slide lever is intentionally designed to be stiff, so as to provide force-feedback the player. But you might prefer a 

softer response. There are two ways to do this. One is to remove the screw marked 

“A”

on the diagram below. This will 

eliminate the right most leaf spring from the mechanism.  The screw can be left out without affecting the function of the 
harp. If you wish to make this permanent, you can simply “prune” the leaf spring with wire cutters, a sharp razor blade, or 
nail clippers.

Stiction.

If you find that the slide mechanism become “sticky,” it might be caused by over tightened retaining screws. Try 

loosening screws 

D, B

, and 

A

one a time to see if this solves the problem. Only a tiny twist will have a big effect. (Note, 

screw

C

is not currently used.) Another possibility is that the cover plates have become a little crushed (like when you sit on 

it. Try sliding a piece of paper between the plastic magnet rack and cover plate. If it does not fit easily, then gently pry open 
the cover plate just a tiny bit and try again.

A

B

C

D

Reed Gapping.

Due to the attractive force of the TurboSlide 

magnets, they tend to reduce the gap of the reed when the 
slide is depressed. Sometimes this can cause the reed to 
“choke.” If you find this to be the case, you might try enlarging 
the gap slightly. Instructions how to do this are available on 
several websites, including ours.

If you run into any kind of trouble, don't hesitate to contact us. We are committed to 
making your TurboSlide experience a satisfying one. If we cannot solve your problem 
remotely, we are pleased to service your harp in our shop.

(1) pre 5-2011: most harps 
provided with adjustable magnets.
after 5-2011 this was made 
available as an option. 

Summary of Contents for TurboSlide

Page 1: ...1 TurboSlide Harp User Guide page VER 11 02 11 AntakaMatics Inc 2011 User Guide PATENT PENDING Models TH 09 09a rev 11 02 2011 ...

Page 2: ...2011 Congratulations on being one of the first kids on your block to own a TurboSlideTM harp the latest innovation from our development bench We hope you have fun with it and greatly appreciate your support and constructive criticism TurboSlide S20 TurboSlide Seydel ...

Page 3: ... The pitch of the note produced by reed is determined by three factors its mass its stiffness and the resonance of the air path which includes the player s oral cavity draw blow AIR CHAMBER BLOW REED UPPER REED PLATE COMB LOWER REED PLATE DRAW REED REED SLOT REED SLOT RIVET Cross Section of the Diatonic Harmonica As you are probably aware the player may alter the mass and stiffness the reeds by sa...

Page 4: ...F A Ab G C Db F G Ab C Db D Eb F Gb B D Eb D Eb F Gb A Bb A Bb HOLE By appropriately altering his her embouchure a player can achieve several of the missing notes not normally provided by the diatonic scale Some notes may be bent lower others overblown or overblown higher These are summarized in the diagram below The lower bendable notes typically provide a smooth transition between the natural pi...

Page 5: ...de represents a NEW generation of harmonica somewhat adopting the characteristics of both the Diatonic and Chromatic harp The physical principle of its operation is shown schematically below N S FORCE δ δ RESTORING FORCE Force due to elasticity of reed MAGNETIC FIELD MAGNET DISPLACEMENT OF REED magnet force Total Force The TurboSlide employs a permanent magnet adjacent to the reed to alter its sti...

Page 6: ...justed manually The current version TurboSlide is equipped with ten magnets attached to a common carriage One magnet for each blow reed For reasons explained later this model does not include magnets on the draw reeds magnet rack magnet cavity N S N S SLIDE PRESS HERE reed TH 09 Seydel Version has 10 magnets TH 09a S 20 Version has 6 magnets ...

Page 7: ...add this feature in a later version of the TurboSlide harp Putting it all together the current version of the TurboSlide provides the missing flatted semitones on the blow notes red box below and greater control over the bent notes of the top register dotted box below FLATTED SEMITONE BLOW TONES DRAW TONES FLATTED SEMITONE C 1 D E 2 G G 3 B C 4 D E 5 F G 6 A C 7 B E 8 D G 9 F C 10 A 262 330 392 52...

Page 8: ... 3 2 1 7 8 9 10 C DC D EC E F G C G AC A BC B C D DC Slowly for soulful expression or rapidly to introduce tremolo One at a time or all at once By a half step or even whole step Better yet because the TurboSlide allows the altered notes to be phased in out at will the player is offered the ability to bend any of these notes smoothly ...

Page 9: ...al reeds through the use of a screw adjustment Model TH 09a Introduced in October 2011 this version is based on the Hohner Special 20 harmonica It was motivated to reduce the cost of the flagship TurboSlide and also to provide our customers with the TurboLid enclosure which they have grown to love Because the reeds are not magnetic a small drop of magnetic coating is applied near their tips This m...

Page 10: ...ble in the conventional fashion there is an advantage to the TurboSlide feature namely the ability to bend them all at once introduce tremolo and special tunings 2 Ability to sharpen bend up the blow reeds This is technically more difficult and has not yet been perfected If successful it would provide a true whammy bar effect 3 Static version concealed magnets without slide to allow easy tuning of...

Page 11: ...60 HOLE The future model TurboSlide could also be equipped with a non moveable magnets to offer static altered tunings For example A EC EC EC F altered tone MELODY MAKER F BC NATURAL MINOR BC D G D F A D A C G C G C G C HARMONIC MINOR D G D F D B AC B AC F F D G D B A D A B C C G C G C E E E Additionally the magnets may be used simply to allow the player to re tune his her harmonica without needin...

Page 12: ...dd this feature in a later version of the TurboSlide harp Putting it all together the TurboSlide provides the missing flatted semitones on the blow notes Red box below Future models of TurboSlide may provide all the missing notes of the chromatic scale Green boxes below FLATTED SEMITONE BLOW TONES DRAW TONES FLATTED SEMITONE C 1 D E 2 G G 3 B C 4 D E 5 F G 6 A C 7 B E 8 D G 9 F C 10 A 262 330 392 ...

Page 13: ... VER 11 02 11 AntakaMatics Inc 2011 A future version of the TurboSlide will also allow tones to be sharped 4 5 BLOW DRAW Blow Bend Draw Bend TurboSlide 1 TurboSlide 2 Over Bends HOLE 6 3 2 1 7 8 9 10 C DC D EC E F G C G AC A BC B C D DC ...

Page 14: ...ing to overblow Notice how much easier they are to hit perfectly The possibilities have yet to be explored Let us know what you discover MAINTENANCE The TurboSlideTM should be treated with care like any other harp The exterior can be cleaned with a soft cloth The interior may be rinsed with water the internal parts are corrosion resistant If you wish to remove the cover plates help yourself but pl...

Page 15: ...The slide lever is intentionally designed to be stiff so as to provide force feedback the player But you might prefer a softer response There are two ways to do this One is to remove the screw marked A on the diagram below This will eliminate the right most leaf spring from the mechanism The screw can be left out without affecting the function of the harp If you wish to make this permanent you can...

Page 16: ...they tend to reduce the gap of the reed when the slide is depressed Sometimes this can cause the reed to choke If you find this to be the case you might try enlarging the gap slightly Instructions how to do this are available on several websites including ours Replacing Magnets This model of TurboSlide does not provide replaceable magnets However if you are interested in reducing or increasing the...

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