Elwood
20 posts
Apr 15, 2009
3:24 PM
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Sure, people buy it for the name... But what do you think of the product? Blues Harps have got some poor reviews for having reedy sound and being difficult to bend. Mind you, in the 21st century, any idiot can write a review.
Myself, I've got two Blues Harps and I'm undecided, as I'm still developing my tone and therefore can hardly go around blaming the instrument.
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DaDoom
82 posts
Apr 15, 2009
3:30 PM
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Hi Elwood
If you use the forum search function you'll find quite a few opinions on the Blues Harp.
It was my first harp - I bought it right after having seen Adam for the first time. I think it sounds great, bends and OBs well. Just a bit rough on the lips, thats all. Oh and did I mention that it's cheap?
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snakes
183 posts
Apr 15, 2009
3:37 PM
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I have one and that is enough. Leaky and hard to bend. Key of C. I can get way better harps for close to $10 less per harp.
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dmarxs
5 posts
Apr 15, 2009
3:43 PM
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I got one Bb the other day whilst in Canterbury UK, was not much of a choice and never tried one before so thought I would. Sadly I was not impressed, very leaky, but worst was the fact it was so out of tune, it could not have been more out of tune if it had been soaked in acid. I've tried to tune it up but it's just not happening.
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scstrickland
40 posts
Apr 15, 2009
3:47 PM
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I love mine! key of C, Bb, G, A. I prefer the replacement reeds to the stock reeds and I file down the sharp edges.
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jonsparrow
106 posts
Apr 15, 2009
4:26 PM
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i wouldnt buy one because of the name. like if fender came out with a guitar called "rock guitar". "blues harp" just sounds like a toy.
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2009 4:27 PM
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Aussiesucker
248 posts
Apr 15, 2009
5:05 PM
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I have a couple in Bb & G but find that I hardly ever play them. Not loud & with nice tone but not up to par with other harps in the same price range. I don't like the taste or smell of the wood.
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Blackbird
65 posts
Apr 15, 2009
5:06 PM
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I started on one, and remain undecided. Once they're broken in well, they bend nicely, but they're hit or miss like any other harp so far. I like them a notch better for their intended modular design vs. Marine Band nails, but otherwise can't love 'em or hate 'em - just play 'em.
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GermanHarpist
274 posts
Apr 15, 2009
5:18 PM
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Feels like you have a quality instrument in your hands. Until you start trying to hit that blue 3rd... lol.
Actually, I would like to check it out, but my only Blues Harp (C) lies at a friends place. However, as far as I remember it didn't play any better or worse than all the other Harps... Otherwise, nice and robust with a wooden comb... good "raw material" as jRicci would say.
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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Preston
275 posts
Apr 15, 2009
7:44 PM
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Hi Elwood,
I think I've got a pretty good answer for you. A little background first: I started out playing on a Marine Band and hated the way the comb swelled. I tried a couple of plastic combs and decided my personal preference was for a wood comb. I purchased my first Blues Harp thinking it was the "cat's meow" as it came with a factory sealed comb AND screws holding it together (superior to the nails holding a MB together. I mean, after all, nails are for chicks and drag queens, right?).
Anyway I bought and played only Blues Harps for about a year. In the mean time I got really into customizing and tweaking. There was another thread on the forumn that drew attention from Jason Ricci and Buddha, and they both voiced there opinions AGAINST the effectiveness of the Blues Harps for overblowing. At first I bulled up against them, but then I thought to myself, "These two dudes are the two of the best there are in the world, and I'd better listen to what they have to say." I went out and bought another Marine Band, modified it to my amatuer customizer specifications, and now I am completely sold on the Marine Bands again.
So, in summary, out of the box a blues harp is really not that inferior to a Marine Band, and even has a few perks. But if you are into Overblowing and overdrawing, the Marine Band or Golden Melody are your Hohner harps of choice.
I'll end by saying you CAN overblow on Blues Harps. I'm not saying it isn't possible. It's just the other MB and GM are more Overblow friendly, if that makes sense.
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2009 7:50 PM
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isaacullah
178 posts
Apr 15, 2009
9:58 PM
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Blues harps are just as fine for bending or overblowing as most other out of the box harmonicas. They can definitely be leaky, perhaps leakier than other types, and that can make them harder to play. The leakiness can make the leaky holes harder than normal to bend/overblow. You can improve Blues Harps greatly with the standard repetoire of most DIY customizers (sanding comb and reed plate, embossing slots, proper gapping, setting reed profiles), but that may be too much for some people. You can definitely get a better OTB harp for the same or even slightly less money. I used to buy Blues Harps and Marine Bands, now I buy Seydels (soloists and Solist Pros). These are much better OTB harps, and Soloists are cheaper than Blues Harps.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Last Edited by on Apr 15, 2009 10:01 PM
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Ant138
75 posts
Apr 16, 2009
1:10 AM
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I think the Blues harps are the most consistant out the box harp. Ive got them in A,C and D. Ive tried other makes and models but the Blues harp seem to be the best ive tried so far. There real easy to bend with and i dont get any problems with the ones ive got. I suppose its different strokes for different folks as i know Hohner are not consistant with quality but you could do alot worse.
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DaDoom
84 posts
Apr 16, 2009
1:58 AM
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The whole discussion about OTB harps is problematic due to the big quality fluctuations. One harp is good the next is unplayable. I think that's something one should keep an eye on too: consistent manufacturing quality. That's why I like SP20s and Suzukis.
@isaacullah
Are you speaking of the Seydel Blues Soloist Pro? The one with the wooden comb and the rounded channels? I'd definitely like to test one. How are they OTB? Are they any good for OBs or do they require some customizing?
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Elwood
21 posts
Apr 16, 2009
3:27 AM
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Thanks, guys. These are all good answers.
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RyanMortos
144 posts
Apr 16, 2009
8:44 AM
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Was the first model I got (not because of the name, it was a gift from someone that knew I was interested). It is a bit leaky considering being partially sealed. I havent tried sanding the plates & comb for a tighter fit yet. The reeds are more difficult to bend. Im not doing OBs/ODs yet (I suppose I should take the time to do that sooner then later but, I dont know how to properly gap harmonicas at this point). I like that it has screws as oppossed to nails. Overall I dont see a reason to completely disqualify this model if you like it but there probably are others one would like better.
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~Ryan
PA
Ryan's Tube - Containing [0] uploads and counting...
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isaacullah
180 posts
Apr 16, 2009
2:01 PM
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@DaDoom: The soloist pro is what I have now. I achieved my first overblow (6ob on a Bb harp) on it within 2 hours with NO customization. I've since gapped it down and profiled the reeds, and the OB is super super easy to hit. Since then I've been able to translate my overblow technique to different harps (Blues Harps, Marine Bands, Spec 20s, and Lee Oskars) with pretty good success. None of those harps OB as good as the Seydel though. I hear from Dave Payne at Elk River Harmonicas that the standard Solist is also good, although it needs more setting than the soloist Pro. At $25 a pop (as opposed to $30+ for equivelant Hohners), the Soloist is going to be the harp I buy from now on as my Hohners blow out.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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djm3801
87 posts
Apr 16, 2009
4:49 PM
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Better than a Marine band, not as good as a Special 20, but a good sound.
Dan
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Patrick Barker
232 posts
Apr 16, 2009
10:09 PM
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If you really like this harp out of the box, I've gotta wonder if you've ever tried a sp 20 before. I have not had good experiences with blues harps.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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DaDoom
85 posts
Apr 17, 2009
3:23 AM
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@isaacullah
Thx for the info. I'll definitely get one. I couldn't attend the Seydel event last year in Klingenthal otherwise I'd already have one ;) (and I would have met Adam in the process which is surely worth much more than any harp).
Unbelievable but true: I live at the border to Germany but there's not one shop selling Seydels. I'll have to order them via Mail.
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Even more unbeliavable: there's a road I've been driving through for the last 20 years or so and I've never noticed that there's an instrument store. An absolutely inconspicuous little shop. A few days ago someone mentioned that shop - I can't even remember in what context. So tonight on my way home from work I decided to pull over and check that shop out. It took the old man 10 minutes to get to the counter from the back of the shop. I then asked him if he sold any harps. He tells me that he might have something...maybe. Another 5 minutes of rummaging later guess what he finds in one of his drawers? A bunch of Seydels Blues Soloist! Bought one in Bb and I must say it plays great! Can't wait to check out the Soloist Pro - I suppose it must be even better.
Last Edited by on Apr 17, 2009 1:57 PM
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Leanground
53 posts
Apr 17, 2009
4:57 AM
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I prefer Marine Bands because of sound, feel and tradition but like many of us have compulsive needs to try, then collect all types of harps.
I use Blues Harps for a carry around harp on my belt because the covers don't crush as easy.
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jiceblues
93 posts
Nov 16, 2012
5:31 AM
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With some light customizing , a BLUES HARP seems to be very good for me .Comfortable , easy to play and nice sound .My first choice set is 7 BH's , my second , SP20's .I can't tell you about OB'S & OD's , i don't do it .
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Littoral
651 posts
Nov 16, 2012
6:46 AM
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Crazy, this world of opinions thing. I have a whole lot of years and experience playing and I had been using the blues harps as my primary harp for the last 10 years -prior to about 2 years ago when I started fixing my old MB's. I am now slowly replacing them all with as many crossovers as I can afford. I have always gotten plenty out of the blues harps -you just gotta go get it sometimes, it's there. There were some certainly inconsistencies but I come from the time of MB lost when a good one was a serious crap shoot. Crossovers, that's a good harp.
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S-harp
76 posts
Nov 16, 2012
6:58 AM
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I don't agree that the quality is consistant. Some are great, most suck. I have two BHs in my gigbag and play them now and then BUT they both needed tweaking to get there. When fixed they play great. Throw on Big River covers and you get loud with a nice crisp tone.
Regarding OB' and so on ... they work fine, but your technique needs to be more spot on.
Are they worth it? Well, maybe, if you have time and like tweaking.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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laurent2015
534 posts
Nov 16, 2012
7:44 AM
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It seems that tweakings are anyway unavoidable since the gapping shouldn't be the same for blow and draw reeds.
I think that Blues Harp is "the poor parent" of the Marine Band.
BTW, BH was also my first diatonic around '72-'73, I paid it equivalent of 7.50 euros (price label still sticking, great quality glue...).
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isaacullah
2200 posts
Nov 16, 2012
9:34 AM
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Holy old thread batman! Wow, it's interesting to re-read my opnions after three years... IMO, Blues Harps ain't worth the money. I blew out all of the ones I used to own back then, but still have almost all the Marine Bands and Spec 20's that are of the same vintage. Plus, now that I've got a better developed ear,and know a lot more about what tone I want, and what different models of harp sound like, I now know that I just don't like the tone of Blues Harps much...
As for my other opinions in that old post: I still think that the Solist Pro's are great harps, but I did blow reeds pretty quick in them back then (likely my own fault). After reed-replacement, i've not had any more problems with my Solist Pro's. To be honest, I think I'm getting LESS finicky about my brand/model with time. For me, now it's all about convenience. I don't have the time or inclination to tinker under the hood as much as I used to. I need a harp that's pretty airtight out of the box that I can get to where I want with about 20 minutes of gapping. I pretty much only buy Spec 20's or Seydels these days, though I own a lot of Marine Bands. I find that I don't blow out reeds very much anymore either. All things change as you progress! :)
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Joe_L
2155 posts
Nov 16, 2012
11:10 AM
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I've been playing MS harps for years. Mostly Big Rivers, but lots of Blues Harps. I've gone through a bunch of them. I used to buy the replacement reed plates, but after the latest price increase on the reed plates, I won't be buying any more reed plates.
Recently, I've sent a bunch of them to MP for reed replacement.
I won't be buying any more new MS harps. I like them, but I liked being able to cost effectively replace the reed plates.
I'll probably go back to Marine Band harps or the Suzuki Manji. I like both of them and I don't blow out as many harps as I did years ago.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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1847
344 posts
Nov 16, 2012
12:58 PM
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you can buy a hohner blues harp that is made in china
or you cam by a hetrick comb and get stainless steel reed plates made in germany
if you just have to have a hohner buy a hetrick comb
it is a one time purchase
get the crossharp reed plate and use your blues harp coverplate
i just put two ms hohners together one with a wood comb
and one with at titanium comb
they are very nice although i do not expect them to last..... not like a seydel
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jiceblues
94 posts
Nov 17, 2012
1:46 AM
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I have DORTEL combs on mmost of my BH's , they upgrade a lot .Crossharp reedplates ( 1,05mm) ? i'll try it . Thank you 1847 .
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groyster1
2078 posts
Nov 17, 2012
5:42 AM
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its not clear to me whether this thread is about the old blues harps or the MS blues harps,which I have never tried out....when I first bought harps I tried mb1896 and blues harps...both had comb swelling,I thought mb1896 had better tone and sounded far more bluesier than the blues harp,which was a big disappoitment to me...
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jiceblues
96 posts
Nov 17, 2012
8:07 AM
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We are talking of MS BLUES HARPS .BH combs don't swell .
But , if they are made in CHINA , i wonder if i'll buy BH's anymore...
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STME58
289 posts
Nov 17, 2012
8:28 AM
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I just bought my first Hohner Blues harp, in C, last week. Either the quality has come up sense this thread was started in 2009 or I got lucky and got a good one. THe case says it is made in Germany, not China. The comb is dark wood and nicely sealed. It does not swell and the edges are not rough on the tounge. All the notes that should bend do so easily and I can get 4,5 and 6 overblow and I have not opened it up and changed anything. Overall it seems like a good solid enjoyable to play harp.
When I bought my first Marine band around 2009 I went through 3 to get one good one and I had to trim the comb after it swelled to keep it from being painfull to play. The last 3 Hohners I purchased, 2 Crossovers and a Blues Harp, have been excellent and have required no modification. Has something changed for the better at Hohner in the last few years?
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Gnarly
404 posts
Nov 17, 2012
8:52 AM
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Well, Michael Timler joined the force, for one.
And Steve Baker is doing good work.
I'd say the short answer is yes!
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TheoBurke
193 posts
Nov 17, 2012
9:06 AM
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My experience with Blues Harps is generally positive. While I prefer a harmonica with faster response and sharper , more piercing tone, Blues Harps , in the lower registers--G, Bb, A-- have a texture and grit that can make for some fine, mournful, sweet-sad blues. It seems that because they are a slower, slurrier playing harp I find myself shaping my phrases more, shying away from fancier licks and concentrating more on groove and feeling. The downside is that I need to excercise more concious control over what I try to do--unlike some other harmonicas--MB Crossover, Promasters, Seydel Blues Sessions-- Blues Harps choke and clog more often if your attack is too quick and hard. I love the sound, but this is a harmonica I bring a different game to.
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TED BURKE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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laurent2015
537 posts
Nov 17, 2012
9:34 AM
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"slurrier playing harp"
Ted, I suppose you meant "more slurred"?
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jiceblues
97 posts
Nov 17, 2012
9:44 AM
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I agree with you THEO , if i want to play fast , i grab a SP20 or a MBDL .BH's have a nice sound .Sometimes , they are a bit leaky , i wax the comb , fit the reedplates with bolts and nuts , and that's all .Or i install a custom comb...
Just seems that quality improved for BH's .
Thank's to MICHAEL TIMLER and STEVE BAKER !
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TheoBurke
195 posts
Nov 17, 2012
9:53 AM
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Yes, that's what I meant.
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TED BURKE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-VPUDjK-ibQ&feature=relmfu
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
Last Edited by on Nov 17, 2012 10:41 AM
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laurent2015
538 posts
Nov 17, 2012
10:16 AM
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I noticed that kind of defect as well, why I said that BH are "the poor parent" of the MB.
But like jiceblues said, the harp can be broadly improved. Mine is still nailed BTW, not screwed.
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jiceblues
98 posts
Nov 17, 2012
10:42 AM
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If the harp is nailed , it's an old one .I played screwed BH's twenty years ago .
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1847
348 posts
Nov 17, 2012
11:28 AM
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qoute ' but after the latest price increase on the reed plates, "
i just now noticed the new price $50.00!
what the heck?
they were just 27.00 just recently
maybe they are making them in germany again
if i am not mistaken they were being made in china
and assembled in germany
i did find some at the old price
key of c mostly and some odd keys f# db
i am enjoying playing the one i just assembled with a hetrick mahogany comb, it took an hour to sand down the draw plate
the rivets were sticking out incredibly far
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jiceblues
99 posts
Nov 17, 2012
12:04 PM
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50$ ? my god ! they are 25$ at the HOHNER C SHOP GERMANY !
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Frank
1420 posts
Nov 17, 2012
12:04 PM
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I always file the rivets flush with the reed plate first with a small file- one rivet at a time, takes about 2 seconds a rivet, then flat sand it...
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STME58
290 posts
Nov 17, 2012
12:35 PM
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I picked up a Blues Harp at the shop where my son takes sax lessons for $38. Rockin Ron lists the for $34.
I notice that Honer charges almost as much for a set of reed plates as the harp costs. One way of looking at this is that all the labor is in the reed plate assembly and tuning. A plastic comb and a set of stamped steel covers probably has a manufacturing and material cost of lees than two buck so perhaps is is reasonable that the reed plates are only a few buck lees than a harp. I don't need to pay extra for a harp just so the reed plate cost seems like a better deal!
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jiceblues
100 posts
Nov 17, 2012
12:48 PM
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Sure ,if you got a nice custom comb , you'd better buy reedplates than the whole harp .Or HOHNER could make BH's with well-finished combs , as the MBD or CROSS ,but they don't want to go that way .BH's are mostly bought ( in FRANCE) by guys who don't know a thing about harps , just play a few times , and throw it in a drawer...
Only strange boys like me assume to do gigs with BH's .
Funny , no ?
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STME58
291 posts
Nov 17, 2012
1:12 PM
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"Only strange boys like me assume to do gigs with BH's ."
One of the things I find great about music is you can make it with anything, Washtub Base, Cigar box Guitar, set of mechanics end wrenches layed out on a foam pad and played like a zylophone. I have even heard some pretty good classial pieces played on toy pianos!
I was trying to make the point that giging with an instruent that may not be the 'best'is not strange. I am afraid however, that I may have made a different point about myself:-)
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A440
49 posts
Nov 17, 2012
2:02 PM
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The new Blues Harps are really pretty good. I mostly play Special 20s, MB Deluxes and Crossovers. But I recently bought a few Blues Harps. Initially they are a bit stiff, but after being broken in, they now play wonderfully. No problem with Bends. I find OBs to be a little harder than with SP20. They are really enjoyable to play. Overall the BH is not as loud as the SP20 or MBD, so you need to work them a bit harder.
Hohner has really improved the quality and they are much better than the versions sold a few years ago. I feel they are better harps than Big River or MB out of the box. I recommend trying one out, just make sure you get one made after 2010.
Pat Missin's review:
http://www.patmissin.com/reviews/mbbhmbd.html
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arzajac
892 posts
Nov 17, 2012
7:34 PM
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In summary, I think they are overpriced and inconsistent out of the box. They can be worked on and you can make a good harmonica out of them with a lot of success.
That's my two cents. I hope it helps.
The current Hohner Blues Harp is no different than any other Hohner MS system harp. They all have terrible combs and the reed are set up inconsistently. By that I mean that out of the box, you can get one that plays fairly well or you can get one that plays poorly.
I can't say that the quality of MS harps has changed in the past ten years - I have bought old MS harps on ebay and I have new ones bought recently.
You can work on any of them to make them into a very good harmonica, though. The Blues Harp has the advantage of coming with a wood comb. It's a very bad comb, but at least it can be improved. The combs of the Big River and the Pro harps are mostly a lost cause because they are made of hollow plastic.
The Blues Harp combs need to be flat sanded. Once that is done, you need to fill in the grooves that channel air in between tines. You can fill them up with drops of varnish or wood filler. Then the comb can be sealed again. You will then have a fine comb. Round the tines if that is your taste.
The reeds are MS reeds. They are usually, but not always poorly set up. This is completely fixable by making sure they are shaped properly - apply pressure to push the reed through the slot and see if any portion of it goes through first. The goal is to have most of the reed go through the slot at the same time. You can change the shape of the reed using a toothpick to apply pressure on one side of the reed and your fingertip on the other to guide where you want the pressure to go.
Then, gap to your preference.
You will have a very good harp at this point. If you want to overbend, you will need to do more work. You will need to emboss the slots the full length. the reeds will need to be centered. You will need to profile them to have very little curve to optimize overbends.
MS reeds are short-slot reeds which means that they will torque when you choke them to overbend. You will need to use a foreign substance to deal with this.
Once that is done and you have tuned it, you can end up with a Hohner Blues harp that can play sustainable and bendable overbends comfortably and without squealing. I happen to have a BH in the key of D that I use daily.
It's not my favorite harp, but there is nothing wrong with it. It would have been easier and faster for me to set up a Marine Band but the point is it can be done.
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groyster1
2080 posts
Nov 17, 2012
8:30 PM
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as far as MS harps,there are 2 big river harps that I changed the comb to hetrick and the leaks disappeared.....the open backs & vented covers give them great volume
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isaacullah
2202 posts
Nov 18, 2012
8:25 AM
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"MS reeds are short-slot reeds"
This is the heart of the problem with the whole MS series IMO (comb and coverplate issues aside). Short slot harps will just always always sound and play differently than long slot harps. No amount of tweaking (profiling, corner waxing, etc.) is going to change that fundamental difference. I'm not saying tht you can't make great sounding music on a short-slot harp, I'm just saying that it won't ever sound like a long-slot harp. I have discovered that I personally prefer the tone of long-slot harps for just about everything, so I stick with long-slot models (Spec 20, MB, Golden Melody, Solist, Session, etc.)
Does anyone have a comprehensive list of long and short slot harps by make and model? I also have it in my head that several makes of supposedly "long-slot" harps actually switch to short-slot after a certain key (D and higher?). Is that correct? Does anyone have a list of all these harps?
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View my videos on YouTube!
Check out my songs on Soundcloud!
Visit my reverb nation page!
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jiceblues
101 posts
Nov 18, 2012
9:31 AM
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I don't understand what you say ...MS reeds are longer than MB reeds .
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STME58
293 posts
Nov 18, 2012
11:49 PM
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After reading the comments about poor bending and leaky Blues Harps, I got out my tuner to see how the bends were really doing. I found it was tough the get the 2 draw on the C harp below F# and when I did I could hear a lot of air leaking. Most of my playing is single note melodies unaccompanied so being sharp on a note does not stick out like it would in a cord.
I took the harp apart and found evidence of leaking between hole 2 and holes 1 and 3. I was surprised to see that even though the instructions said there were 3 screws under the cover plates, there were actually only 2. It is not that one was left out, there was no hole through the comb for another screw.
I checked the reed plates and the comb on a granite table. They seemed to be very flat. I coated the comb with bee's wax and found the coverplates stuck firmly, more evidence that the parts are flat. After reassembly, I could easily get the 2 draw down to F and the air leaking sound was gone.
Thanks everyone for a good discussion that helped me learn something about my playing and about my instruments.
Last Edited by on Nov 18, 2012 11:49 PM
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