I like working with rivets to replace harmonica reeds. I feel like a medival craftsman tapping away, and learning how these things hold a reed in place is something you need to know if you want to master harmonica upgrading on a high level.

Rivet technology is definitely not for everyone. Replacing reeds with screws and nuts, or just screws takes less time to learn and the tools take up a lot less space. But even if you only replace reeds with screws and nuts, you still need tools to remove reeds, so you might as well try rivets. The worst that could happen is that you fail and then have to start over with screws and nuts.

I have tried replacing reeds with the rivet they came with and find it very frustrating. It is so much easier to do this with new rivets that it is well worth doing whatever you need to do to get some rivets. Like call Hohner and ask for the repair department.

This video is an informal short course on using brand new rivets to replace reeds with. Reed Replacement with rivet(weB0

I am using the Farrell rivet tool which is no longer available, BUT you can get something very close to this from

Elizabeth Romel
8524 Summer Vista Ave.
Las Vegas NV
89145

the reed tool pictures and description (plus out-dated price) are at:

http://www.harmonica-workshop.com/

Let me know if this information is useful.

Thanks!

Richard