mickil
331 posts
Jul 07, 2009
4:27 PM
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I've got a 1923 Vintage in F, which is as punchy as hell and a Hering Blues in A, on which I can almost get a 6OB.
They're both as cheap as chips, so I'm just curious as to why Herings don't seem to get mentioned much on here.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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GermanHarpist
460 posts
Jul 07, 2009
5:46 PM
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I learned to overblow on a Hering Super 20 in A. Unfortunately it cost me that 6 blow reed...
Since then it lays in the drawer. Would have gotten another one, however they don't have it in my Music store and I bought that one in Hungary...
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germanharpist, harpfriends on Youtube
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nacoran
105 posts
Jul 07, 2009
6:11 PM
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My local stores only carry Lee Oskars and Hohners. I'm usually too impatient to wait for someone to ship it to me. (I did get some Huang tremolos, the C/C# set for playing chromatically. The tremolo works great on the low notes but is less impressive in the higher registers. They also taste terrible.) I've never tried a Hering. I've only seen mediocre reviews of them. I wish the local shops would carry more brands. Even online I've never seen one shop that carries all the big brands.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
86 posts
Jul 07, 2009
6:35 PM
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As a new Hering Dealer, I can tell you the price of Herings just went up. They are more in line with Seydel now. I've always had a soft spot for Herings.
Last Edited by on Jul 07, 2009 6:35 PM
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Hollistonharper
108 posts
Jul 07, 2009
8:01 PM
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I bought a Vintage 1923 in Bb a few months ago. I was hopeful that it would be a great harp, with the sound of a MB but with screws instead of nails and a sealed wooden comb--basically a MB Deluxe (which I've never played) for cheap money (I paid about $23 on musiciansfriend.com).
I loved the sound and felt like it would play and bend notes very smoothly.
Unfortunately, the harp smells funny, hard to explain but musty/musky and metallic--I actually resealed it to mask it. I've heard the same comment from others.
Worse for me, was that the profile is too thick for my mouth, which I guess is kind of small. I really like the thickness of a MB, and can go comfortably as thick as a Delta Frost. I think the Hering's comb is the same thickness as that of an MB but the reedplates are extra thick. I tried sanding down the comb but didn't get it perfectly flat (probably not even imperfectly flat) and basically ruined the harp.
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EddyLizard2
38 posts
Jul 08, 2009
1:23 AM
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when i bought some vintage harps some years back I didn't like the 'smell' either (nor from other brands I got at the same time!).
So I gave them a good cleaning before sucking on them.
But then I really liked the crispy sound I got from them.
And I found them to be quite air leaky. So I did my first self 'customizing'...
Instead I could have used them to 'build chops'!
Last Edited by on Jul 08, 2009 1:28 AM
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EddyLizard2
39 posts
Jul 08, 2009
1:31 AM
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@GermanHarpist
You are probably aware of the Hering Tools. They have some replacement reeds in that pack for a C harp I believe.
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MrVerylongusername
399 posts
Jul 08, 2009
1:33 AM
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I don't know. I ordered a vintage 1923 over 2 months ago, but I still haven't received it in spite of several emails to the dealers. Apparently they are still waiting on a shipment from Brazil. :-(
I should have stuck with Harmonicas Direct, but they didn't have the key I wanted so I tried another dealer. The key was listed as available on their website so I naively assumed it would be on its way to me quickly. Needless to say when I finally get my harp I'll never use this bunch of cowboys again!
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Andrew
411 posts
Jul 08, 2009
1:40 AM
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"The key was listed as available on their website so I naively assumed it would be on its way to me quickly."
I discovered that problem too - some websites just list everything on the catalogue.
Harmonicasdirect are honest about what they have, although it is frustrating when they don't have what you want.
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mickil
332 posts
Jul 08, 2009
3:09 AM
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It seems as though availability is more of an issue than anything to do with the harps themselves, at least that's the case in the UK.
Although Harmonicas Direct are very good, it did take a while to get my 1923 from them; I think about 10 days. I've often had stuff arrive from them the next day.
I ordered the Hering Blues from Harponline and it took 5 days. I e-mailed them first to check as to wether or not there are usually problems with availability and they assured me that there aren't any. Also, the harp arrived in the time frame they said it should.
As to the unusual taste of 1923s, that's true. I don't really mind it, but that's a personal thing.
I can't say I've noticed the leakyness that EddyLizard2 mentioned, but I've only got one 1923, so I don't have his experience of them.
I didn't know - as Dave pointed out - that the prices are going up so that they'll be more in line with Seydel's. Nevertheless, I don't mind paying a bit more for them.
When you study their catalogue a bit, it seems as though they have an instrument that resembles many of those that we already play, e.g., the Hering Blues seems very much like a LO; the 1923, Master Blues and Super 20 are like MBs (I'm only going on appearance with the last two, as I don't own either.)
One big difference though is the price: 1923s cost around half that of a MB DLX and they are, at least in my view, easily their equal.
I read somewhere that Hohner threw a bit of a paddy when they saw Kim Wilson playing a 1923. I think that if more people knew where to get them, you'd see them played a lot more.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Jul 08, 2009 3:29 AM
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MrVerylongusername
402 posts
Jul 08, 2009
3:36 AM
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Yeah. Harmonicas Direct's usually get stuff to me next day. 10 days is unusal, but still pretty good when compared with 9 weeks from Eagle Music! Never again!
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jbone
99 posts
Jul 08, 2009
4:26 AM
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back to the hering harps. i tried a few 23's and they were very good to look at and played pretty well, but i seemed to blow out the 4 draw pretty regular. it's been a few years since i bought one and possibly it was partly my playing style at the time, which was maybe a bit forceful. but my big issue with hering has always been availability within a reasonable time. i waited over 3 months for a hering chromatic the first time i ordered one. when i thought i'd cancelled that order the guy shipped it finally and charged me for it, which put us in a bind for a paycheck or two. at any rate the '23 is a good looking harp but i didn't care for the tuning, reed plate screws were usually not tight from the factory, and there was that issue i had with blowing the 4 draw out very quickly compared to say a sp20 or delta frost or big river.
i must at the same time give hering very good marks on its chromatics. i have owned a 7148 and a couple of 5148's for over 3 years. aside from my own ineptness which cost me a reed on a couple of them, they are very nicely built and tuned chromatics, and i use my low C 5148 frequently out live.
i know prices go up, it's no surprise. i wonder what a 5148 is going for currently?
i considered another model, more or less a chromatic tuned harp with no windsavers but i didn't see any very good reviews on it so passed. i think it was a vintage 40. anyone use one of these?
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Kingley
206 posts
Jul 08, 2009
4:51 AM
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Peter Blyth from Harmonicas Direct is the best supplier in the UK. 10 days is very unusual, I supect it was his supplier dragging thier feet.
But I doubt it was Peter himslef. I have always found that if you ring him up Peter always get straight on the case. He'll always get my business because he is a stand up guy.
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mickil
333 posts
Jul 08, 2009
5:28 AM
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Kingley,
I agree with you 100%.
He did have a problem with a shipment at the time. And you're right: if you contact him with a problem, he's on the case quicker than flies on shite. His service is superb.
I use Peter's site for most of my stuff. It just seems easier to get Herings from mainland Europe. Not only that, he doesn't stock many Hering diatonics - no Delta Blues, Master Blues and some others - and I'm trying out a few of these.
I think that The Harmonica Company also derserves a good mention, but they don't stock Herings at all.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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tookatooka
281 posts
Jul 08, 2009
6:30 AM
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I concur. I have dealt with Peter at Harmonicas Direct for a few years and found his service to be exemplary.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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XHarp
97 posts
Jul 08, 2009
6:47 AM
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Like the others, They're a good harp in their own way
I have a few Hering 1923's and I found the just intonation to be OK for 1st position playing and the chords are fuller sounding but to me the use of them for Blues is sketchy.
I'm not sure why the just tuning affects them but I just find it harder to get the same tone out of them for 2nd position blues. If they are going to be the same price as Seydel's and considering the on again off again distributon and availability in the past, I'd go for the Seydel myself.
Of course, I can get the Seydel's locally at any one of three stores within a half hours drive along with MB's, LO's, Suzuki's etc. but the Herings can only come through some web based ordering which makes them less accessible to me.
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"Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
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Ant138
98 posts
Jul 08, 2009
7:13 AM
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I have a vintage in Bb and was very suprised by the quality for the price. It does smell and taste a bit funny but i put that down to the ionised coverplates (vintage look). I ordered mine from Eagle music here in the U.K they e-mailed me to let me know it could take a week or so get the harp but i was very impresseed with the quality for the price. I say try one, at £17.99 its a bargain.
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wheezer
85 posts
Jul 08, 2009
10:03 AM
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I think the Hering harps are good value. I was given a Free Blues that needed a reed or two changed and it plays well for a cheap harp.
The Vintage 1923 is also a good buy. last timme I looked
they were about 1/2 the price of an MD Deluxe and replacement reed plates were only £10 (harmonicas direct).I do agrre that the combs do feel a little thick
but those reed plates are the same size as MB's so if you have a spare hohner comb and a drill they can be fitted to a hohner comb
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harpwrench
46 posts
Jul 08, 2009
2:05 PM
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I at first thought they were a fun to play blues harp, especially after a little gapping work. After a short while, each one snapped either a 4 or 5 hole reed right in half. I know several players that have had the same experience, and don't personally know anyone that gigs with them. Don't know if they've fixed that problem or not. Hohners are a better value for me, I might blow a reed once a year (if even that).
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mickil
334 posts
Jul 08, 2009
2:17 PM
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harpwrench,
Do you mean 23s or Herings in general?
I'm curious cos the reeds' thickness varies a lot on different models. At least, I think it's the reeds, not just the reed plates.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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harpwrench
47 posts
Jul 08, 2009
2:35 PM
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The only Herings I've tried are the 1923's. They do have thicker plates, which swing the reeds harder (giving them more punch). But they also have (or at least they used to have) a thick reed profile from the base to almost halfway towards the tip. They snapped off right there, where it goes from thick to thin, because the flex was concentrated there. I'm not familiar with the other models.
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mickil
335 posts
Jul 08, 2009
2:43 PM
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Thanks, harpwrench.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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mickil
343 posts
Jul 09, 2009
5:46 PM
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For those who've been following this thread or those who might be googling in the future, I came across this interesting page about Hering harps:
http://www.brazilmax.com/news.cfm/tborigem/fe_music/id/16
It reminded me about how, well, almost intimate and serious harp production appears to be. For example, Seydel have one guy who makes all their reeds.
Here's a paragraph from the page:
Manke seems to know a thing or two about tuning, although he is relatively new to the job. He has been with Hering only since 1960 - fellow tuner Osmar Setter has been at it since 1958. Together, the pair tunes most of the 30,000 harmonicas Hering produces every month.
Absolutely fascinating, me thinks. Until recently, I always thought that automotons churned out these things by the truck load.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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lumpy wafflesquirt
73 posts
Jul 10, 2009
11:57 AM
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I have a hering, I think its a free blues [or free harp] or something like that but I got it from Johnny Mars and it has been badged as a Mars Harp. I bought it from him when I went to the Gloucester Blues festival Harp workshop in 2007 with a worn out old Pro Harp that wouldn't bend at all, the new harp was a revelation to me as I was a bit green then even though I'd had harps for about 25 years.
I think it's pretty good but have now replaced it with first a huang silvertone deluxe and now a Suzuki Bluesmaster.
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Patrick Barker
363 posts
Jul 20, 2009
11:44 PM
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I got a 1923, IMO it kinda sucks compared to marine bands and sp 20s
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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cm16600
92 posts
Jul 21, 2009
2:41 AM
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I have a 1923 in G i did have that bad taste ,after playing for 2 month it desaperared.I like it a lot but not as much as my soloist pro.
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MrVerylongusername
428 posts
Jul 21, 2009
6:16 AM
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10 weeks! still no harp :-(
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mickil
393 posts
Jul 21, 2009
7:17 AM
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MrV,
Without re-reading the thread, where did you order it from? Harponline assure me they don't have supply problems with Hering. I've placed two orders so far and got them both within 5 days - to the UK, that is.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
http://www.youtube.com/user/SlimHarpMick
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MrVerylongusername
429 posts
Jul 21, 2009
8:15 AM
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Yeah - it was a dumb move on my part.
Harmonicas Direct (who are absolutely brilliant and always my first choice) did not have the key I wanted, so I chanced it with a different supplier I'd not used before - Eagle Music. Eagle did contact me (after a few weeks) to say they were waiting on a shipment, but it's been the best part of three months now. I could have rowed across to Brazil myself in that time!
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Andrew
458 posts
Jul 21, 2009
11:18 AM
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The Hering factory is actually in GoogleEarth's index, if you're interested.
(I haven't read the thread, in case someone has said that already)
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MrVerylongusername
470 posts
Aug 28, 2009
6:44 AM
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Woo hoo!
Guess what arrived today! over 3 months since I ordered it (BTW Kingley Harmonicas Direct didn't have the key I wanted either, so I just hung on).
First impressions: Very nice looking harp and surprisingly solid and heavy feeling (like a promaster in weight) for something that looks like a Marine Band. The cover plates seem thicker than the flimsy MB covers too. The smell/taste was far less noticeable than I'd expected from other people's reviews. Maybe all that Jack Daniels has killed my tastebuds?! The wooden comb was nicely rounded and felt very comfortable to someone who is primarily a U-block/tongue-block player.
Now the bad stuff. Like the last MB I tried hole 3 draw was thoroughly leaky and lacking in compression, so I did a bit of remedial work. This really bugs me. I never have to do this stuff with a plastic combed harp. Taking Dave Payne's advice from another thread I started by sanding the comb flat. On dismantling the harp, I found the reed plates were quite heavily bowed. I straightened them as best as I could by hand (They are very thick) I spotted what I think was the problem; the draw reed rivets press into the wood and the wood had splintered and there was a quite large hole from the end of the chamber going into the bolt hole. I worked in a bit of beeswax as woodfiller and reconstructed the harp. It now plays very well indeed.
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2009 6:47 AM
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walterharp
33 posts
Aug 28, 2009
7:12 AM
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My experience with the 1923 is pretty much the same. Musty taste from the wood comb, and metallic taste because of the way the plate and cover are set so you get an electrolytic effect... not as bad as licking battery, but you can notice it. Those things mostly go away with some playing. My reed plates were bent also and needed to be bent back, and sealing the comb, embossing and gapping really helped.
On the good side. They are just tuned, so sound richer out of the box than some others. They also have a nice dark tone because of the large cover plates, thick reed plates, and wood comb.
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Sony Boy III
1 post
May 22, 2013
6:08 AM
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I live in Brazil. here I can find the complete line everywhere. The Hering Master Blues is compared to a Marine Band 1896, but cost less then a half of the price. It's a nice harp. Hering use brass reeds. that's the reason it do not last longer, but the factory says that it is responsable for its nice tone. If you blow it hard it will not last longer. i know a pro that use a master blues regulary for 3 years and it still in tune and playing well.
Last Edited by Sony Boy III on May 22, 2013 6:09 AM
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LSC
422 posts
May 22, 2013
8:18 AM
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I had an endorsement deal with Herring for a while, prompted by trying to find an alternative to Hohner.
My initial thought was that the build quality seemed pretty good. As mentioned by someone, they have a weight to them and played reasonably well out of the box. When I first opened one up the reed plates just didn't have a look of quality. This proved correct. Since Herring replaced reeds or whole instruments for me with a phone call it didn't matter much but after a time I just couldn't bring myself to recommend them to anyone. I went to using Lee Oskar until I discovered Seydel, which I now use exclusively. I genuinely believe they are the best out of the box harmonica out there.
How Herring can put their prices comparable to Seydel and still sell the things is beyond me. Of the four brands of which I have extensive experience - Hohner, Lee Oskar, Herring, and Seydel - Herring are by far the least in quality, particularly over any length of time. But that is just my opinion. Others may have a different experience.
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LSC
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S-harp
118 posts
May 22, 2013
10:46 AM
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I agree with LSC ... the quality is not good. Tolerances are bad and I don't find it worth the time to optimize/customize. I've got a bunch of cover plates also ... they're nice, 'cause they fit other harps pretty good, like the Manji/SP20 for example and ads nice texture to the tone.
Too bad, 'cause, like elkriver... , I've got a soft spot for Hering, especially the Vintage ... I like the tone and the thicker plates ... and the look. I sometimes play a couple of low Vintages I've optimized and like.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
Last Edited by S-harp on May 22, 2013 10:47 AM
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bloozefish
95 posts
May 22, 2013
11:53 AM
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I was pretty excited when the 1923s were first advertised....just intonation, screws, etc., so I bought two of them. Like LSC, S-harp and others, I was very disappointed in the quality of the reeds.
and that skanky taste: Yuck!
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S-harp
122 posts
May 22, 2013
12:38 PM
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When they first came out they were still better than they are now I think. The reed quality aside, I don't think Herings machinery in their production is that good. The plates get warped when they punch/cut the groove for the cover. Flatsanding the reedplate is ... let's say, interresting. The reeds not riveted along the slots center ... and so on. But still ... I sort of like them ... like I always like the underdog.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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Martin
348 posts
May 22, 2013
4:29 PM
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A Hering Master Blues in A is one of the worst harps that I´ve owned. I did what I could with it (not much, admittedly since I´m not famous for my tech skills) but it was still hopelessly leaky and generally unresponsive. After a couple of months it died, un-morned.
Costs roughly the same as an S20 where I live.
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Rick Davis
1848 posts
May 22, 2013
6:08 PM
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Tried 'em, hated 'em.
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-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Tip Jar
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SteamrollinStan
1 post
May 24, 2013
7:40 AM
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A....Herring...neee waaa!!!
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S-harp
125 posts
May 24, 2013
11:39 AM
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I would take Hering Vintage over, let's say, Lee Oskar any day.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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