selkentblues
18 posts
Aug 29, 2011
4:57 AM
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As a relative newcomer to harp forums I have noticed reading throught the threads that there is quite a bit of hostility and dislike of the Hohner MS models.
Simple question...Why?
I have 4 in my collection and they all seem fine to me.
Is it because of some urban myth that they are made to a lower quality so that Hohner can sell plenty of replacement reedplates, combs etc?
After all, Hohner certainly ARE the kings of marketing, as has been proven over the years everytime they have christened a harp a "cowboy" harp, or a "boyscouts" harp, or a "scottish" harp (Highlander) etc.
It is certainly true that they have never been ashamed to jump on a bandwagon.
But thats just smart business practice isn't it?
Or is it because they (MS models) are genuinly are not as well made as the pre-MS models?
Just interested to hear all your thoughts.
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Stickman
688 posts
Aug 29, 2011
5:18 AM
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I like mine. I recently have been combining BR covers with BH combs and occasionally adding Blue Midnight reeds.
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Miles Dewar
1090 posts
Aug 29, 2011
6:17 AM
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That aren't customs........ lol
Nothing is wrong with them.
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Fingers
79 posts
Aug 29, 2011
6:51 AM
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I have 4 MS Marine bands from the 90,s i sealed the combs and they are great harps....only problem is the oil i sealed them with gives me a headache!! lol so i will stick with Seydel harps.
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HawkeyeKane
108 posts
Aug 29, 2011
7:02 AM
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I love MS harps! I mean, I don't get quite as good of response from them as I do with say a SP20. But I still love their tone and interchangability.
I think what most people have a problem with is the overhang of the reedplates across the top and bottom of the holes. It can have a tendency to wear out the lips and the corners of the mouth.
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Hawkeye Kane
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hvyj
1723 posts
Aug 29, 2011
7:11 AM
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I used to play MS ProHarps. Pre-MS Pro Harps were nice. But then they were replaced by MS ProHarps which were my performing set for several years. The MS harps have poor compression, they are leaky and are not durable--reeds go bad quickly. Out of disgust I eventually tried Suzuki Hammonds. It was like driving a Cadillac instead of a Volkswagon.
I have to acknowledge that the Big Rivers have pretty decent tone. It's the vented covers. I usually prefer UNvented covers, but the BRs do sound pretty good. But after playing MS harps for a while, I don't find the MS series to be high quality instruments.
Hohner came out with the MS models to compete with Lee Oskars which have replaceable reedplates. It's good that MS harps have replaceable reedplates because if you play your MS harps a lot you will need to be replacing the reedplates since reeds go bad so quickly. Hohners in general are not particularly durable anyway, but the MS series are even less so.
Last Edited by on Aug 29, 2011 7:21 AM
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Blues13
148 posts
Aug 29, 2011
7:21 AM
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My first harp was a Big River in C. It didn't play well, was almost imposible to bend and felt leaky. It stayed in a drawer for more than a year. A few weeks ago Mike(HarpNinja) did a youtube vid on reed profiles
and I decided to experiment on the Big River. Now it's a nice playing harp.
I thihk that they are inconsistent and for the price you can get a much better harp but if your are ready to tinker with it the Big River is a good buy.
Martin
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Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Isaac Asimov
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KingoBad
878 posts
Aug 29, 2011
7:39 AM
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"Is it because of some urban myth that they are made to a lower quality so that Hohner can sell plenty of replacement reedplates, combs etc?"
Simple answer -
It is because we played them and didn't like them...
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Danny
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arzajac
616 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:01 AM
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I know that when they were first introduced, they were going to replace the Marine Band with the Big River - which is why the coverplates have similar artwork on them). The Idea behind MS was that it was all made by machine - the classic harmonicas all made by hand, they tried to use automation to improve tolerances and quality.
But the result was a terrible harp. They switched to making MS harps "by hand" again and that improved things but the quality control is still about as consistent as other Hohner harps - some are really good, most are fine and some are really bad.
There's nothing wrong with MS harps per se, but they don't have the same potential as other harmonicas. I think most customisers work on Marine Bands because they can get a much better end result from them. I don't think you will find a customiser selling a $300 MS harp.
I do basic stuff on my harps to get them to play well. I have tried a few MS harps. The best I can do is get them to work fine. But some of my Marine Bands sound extraordinary after my having done basically the same things to them.
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hvyj
1724 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:20 AM
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@arzajac: Btw, GMs use the same reedplates as MBs--only tuned to ET. So, GMs customize extremely well, too. Gotta get rid of that leaky plastic comb, though.
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groyster1
1332 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:24 AM
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I agree the big rivers are a little leaky but the open covers in the back give them good volume-I have a blue midnight which is a much stronger harp with good blues tuning they only come in A and G
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Tuckster
875 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:28 AM
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I don't have a problem with MS harps. I like the fact that you can replace reed plates. They were one of the few that you could do that with for a long time,but that of course has changed. I don't have a problem with reed life like hvyj,but we're all different. I haven't killed a reed in a long time,but it's usually 4 or 5. I have a big problem with Seydel reed life. Blues Session & Soloist Pro are really poor IMHO. Even Rupert Oysler admitted that to me and suggested the Session Steel. I may have to try one 'cause I love their playability. My girlfriend bought me my first blister packed MS Blues Harp in B and I must say it's a very sweet playing harp-very consistent across all 10 holes. I don't know if I got lucky or Hohner has stepped up their game due to competition. I also have a couple of Manjis and don't find them any better than an MS,particularly on holes 2 & 3.Maybe better on 6-10 though.
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hvyj
1725 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:38 AM
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@Tuckster: I gig a lot, so i play my harps a lot and I often rock pretty hard. But since I stopped using MS harps i haven't blown out a reed in over 3 years. So, FWIW, i tend to think it was the harps and not my technique.
I would most often have D 3 go bad on the MS harps.
Last Edited by on Aug 29, 2011 8:59 AM
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HawkeyeKane
110 posts
Aug 29, 2011
8:59 AM
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Honestly...I think the fact that Hohner is now selling SP20 reedplates could very well make the MS obsolete with a few exceptions.
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Hawkeye Kane
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Bart Leczycki
41 posts
Aug 29, 2011
9:21 AM
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A few years ago I played on Golden Melodies and sometimes on Pro Harps/Marine Band Deluxe. I have bad experience with Hohner MS, bad quality and durability.
Maybe they sent to Poland "second quality" instruments, I really don't know...
==============================
www.myspace.com/bleczycki
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colman
71 posts
Aug 29, 2011
10:15 AM
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if you look long enough you can find fault with anything,from your perspective.i`ve played just about all hohner harps and had fun honkin` on every one.i use MB most of the time because thats what was there in 1968 when i started.if i get a harp that sticks or is a bit off the best reed setup,i just do a reed adjustment,and the MS harps work as good as any,for me...
Last Edited by on Aug 29, 2011 10:17 AM
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nacoran
4511 posts
Aug 29, 2011
10:42 AM
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I have a handful of MS harps and they play nice. I haven't compared them to the pre-MS versions of the model though. I think maybe that's where some of the hate comes in. People had a harp they really liked and then it was different. Sometimes, like the Meisterklasse, it was a pretty expensive harp to boot. They might have had better luck if they'd just introduced new lines instead of messing with what people thought worked. :)
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Nate
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mr_so&so
458 posts
Aug 29, 2011
10:46 AM
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Personally, I started with Big Rivers. I prefer the sound to SP20. I've tried a whole bunch of harps over the last 4 years, but I still have a set BRs that I still play. Contrary to what Hvyj says, I've found them to be very durable. I've never had a reed go bad. They often need some gapping to get them to play well, but that is not unusual for inexpensive harps. I'm not a big overblower, but with some simple gapping they can be made to overblow too. For my money they are great carry-around harps.
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selkentblues
19 posts
Aug 29, 2011
12:45 PM
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Interesting to hear all those contradictory viewpoints.
You know the longer I play harp, and different harps, and listen to other players and viewpoints (mostly on You Tube), the more I realise that everyone is different.
Sometimes I hear a high profile player (no names no packdrill) saying...
"I prefer this one, to that other one..."
...and then he plays them, and I think...
"Hang on...I prefer the sound of the other one!"
So yeh, it seems thats just how the great "harper in the sky" intended us.
We are all different.
...and thats a good thing.
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Tommy the Hat
265 posts
Aug 29, 2011
1:17 PM
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I may be new to harp playing but I'm not new to life. Issues like this(in all areas)are common but before the internet they weren't as complicated
Subjects like "what is the best..." are very subjective and before the internet decisions weren't driven by information overload. Today we have so much information it can actually make it more confusing.
I knew a Gibson player (guitar) who swore ther wasn't a Strat made that he could play and knew many Gibson players who agreed with him. Complete trash, they fret out, the wood is crap, the neck is bolted to the body, while Gibsons go half way thtough the body and on and on. Of course a lot of this had a bearing on tone...naturally. Yea, like the audience knows.
With any of this it comes down to the player and what he wants and likes. And what he can do. Some may choose a brand and blow reeds all the time, he'll say that brand sucks while others never have that problem. Again, it's what "you" like and what you find easy or good sounding or comfortable or whatever. If I had to listen to every thing I read or view on the net I'd be morphing weekly. I doubt anyone in the audience cares about wood combs or plastic or hear anything other than whether they like a song or someones playing. But "you" have to like it and if you prefer one or the other then that is fine. Another player may disagree...100 players may disagree. That too is fine, they aren't you.
Right now I'm trying different things. I have seen posts suggesting I would like brand X compared to Brand Y. By listening to them I find that now I really try to talk myself into liking brand X. But that is only because everyone says I should. When I really A-B it, I think I like brand Y.
You know, I shave my head and I use a shaving brush to shave my face as well as an old style double edged blade. Would you believe there is a forum for that stuff too? I had a look see and guess what. They have the same discussions and debates and disagreements and all of it. You can't do this or use that. Someone else swears they never had a problem with this or that cream or blades while others look down on that stuff like it's beneath them to use it. Shave to the left first, no the right, front to back. You need this...no that...no that is no good, try this and you'll never go back. Blah!
Yes, you're right, we are all different. So my choices will be to go with me and "my' taste.
If we all liked the same thing we'd all be married to the same woman.
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Tommy
Bronx Mojo
Last Edited by on Aug 29, 2011 1:19 PM
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Matzen
232 posts
Aug 29, 2011
1:41 PM
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I did the same as "Blues13": "A few weeks ago Mike(HarpNinja) did a youtube vid on reed profiles
and I decided to experiment on the Big River. Now it's a nice playing harp."
Now I'm quite happy with my "Big Rivers"!
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selkentblues
20 posts
Aug 29, 2011
2:40 PM
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@ Tommy the Hat
Spot on my freind.
Couldnt have said it better myself.
Ive had a gazzillion different hobbies over the years and you always get peer pressure and dick waving with whats hot and whats not.
I used to be into photography back in the day, and if you didnt have a Leica or a Contax you weren't worth talking to.
Same with Bikes, and guns, and fishing gear, and god-knows-what else Ive wasted my money on over the years.
And don't even get me started on guitars!
Seriously, if you turned up at any gig without a Fender or Gibson, you were just laughed at back in the 70's.
Fact: Scott Goreham did his Thin Lizzy audition with a Les Paul COPY!
Now THAT took balls back then.
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Bluzmanze
6 posts
Aug 29, 2011
3:53 PM
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As with anything that people are passionate about,there will be diff of opinions,and well thought out ones.My main inst is drums,and I have played with a lot of players using all kinds of gear,and I think it comes down to the sound you want in your head, your physicality,and your technique to get there.I have seen guys with no name amps,a little known or not well regarded guitar and a pedal or two get a great sound,conversley I have seen guys using a 3500.00 re issue Les Paul thru an orange amp and get just an ok sound.I have a few drum kits and cymbals set ups,and change them up according to the style of music and the sound of the band I am playing with.Sometimes your taste in axe's can change because you and your style has changed and you may find an instrument that you were not that impressed with before now fits the bill.I just bought my first MS harp a big river in G to replace my SP-20,and while I really like my SP-20 in D and F,I have never really liked my SP-20 in B flat or G,and while the Big river requires a little more effort on the low bends,it doesn't fight me like my low key SP's do,and I like the BR's sound,and it just sounds "Bigger" than my Sp's.I have found with instruments you generally get what you pay for,but whether low mid or upper cost and quality sometimes you can get a really good,or bad one.
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selkentblues
21 posts
Aug 29, 2011
4:27 PM
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@ Bluzmanze
Yeh...I'm a fan of the Big River as well.
I like the fact that its humble, but capable.
Its well-designed, I like the cover plate which my finger sits in nicely for a sturdy grip, its airtight, and it plays really well.
I can certainly play some things ("shake" vibrato for instance) better on the BR than I can on the supposedly "superior" SP20.
And it hasn't got those overlapping reed plates which cut your mouth like the other MS models have.
If I had to recommend a good "everyman" harp to someone starting out, I would defintely tell them to get a Big River.
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boris_plotnikov
586 posts
Aug 29, 2011
10:25 PM
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Stock MS sucks air as have huge gaps and leaky comb (except bluesharp). After regapping any MS can become slightly better. Blues harp MS comb can be enough airtight after some polishing. So gapped and embossed reedplates on a polished bluesharp comb can be enough good harmonica, I used some of them in odd keys before going to sedel
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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easyreeder
2 posts
Aug 30, 2011
5:34 PM
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I'm not married to one particular harp (except perhaps the one Seydel I own, best harp I've ever had), but I have a couple of Bluesharp MS and they are two of my favorite harps to play; G & Bb. Airtight, easy bends, and rich, interesting tone like no other harp I own.
I swore off Hohner years ago after receiving a 100th anniversary edition Marineband as a gift that was unplayable out of the box. Worst harp I ever owned and one in a series of unplayable Hohner products. Later I was desperate for a Bb harp and the only thing around was the Bluesharp MS. I loved it immediately, especially the sealed comb.
My first Big River was also unplayable, and I tossed it in a drawer for several years before learning how to adjust reeds a bit. It was my first "don't care if I ruin it" attempt, and immediately became one of my favorite harps. Then I bought a Seydel.......
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groyster1
1335 posts
Aug 31, 2011
8:57 AM
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@easyreeder
I also bought the commemorative 100 anniversary and it was the worst ootb harp I ever bought even the cheap hohners you can buy @cracker barrell in the key of C sent the mb1896 to harvey harp who made it play how it should
Last Edited by on Aug 31, 2011 9:18 AM
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HawkeyeKane
131 posts
Aug 31, 2011
9:01 AM
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@groyster
Only Hohner I've ever found at cracker barrel is a Blues Band. Do you know if those use the same size plates as a SP20? a lot of the cheap models do it seems.
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Hawkeye Kane
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groyster1
1336 posts
Aug 31, 2011
9:21 AM
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@Hawk
they are pretty close to the same size but the sp20 reedplates are recessed so doubt they are interchangeable BTW rockinron sells replacement reedplates for sp20s
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HawkeyeKane
132 posts
Aug 31, 2011
9:24 AM
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I know. I've been investing heavily in them. LOL
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Hawkeye Kane
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groyster1
1338 posts
Aug 31, 2011
9:29 AM
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what would we do without rockinron?
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HawkeyeKane
134 posts
Aug 31, 2011
9:31 AM
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Rely on musiciansfriend and the like. Don't think I could ever go back to that though.
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Hawkeye Kane
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acerimusdux
16 posts
Aug 31, 2011
3:42 PM
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Biggest thing I see with the MS harps is they are pretty much all essentially the same design, same size, about the same reeds (there are two size reedplates but not a substantial difference in playing them), so if you like one you'll like others, if you dislike them, you will dislike them all.
The Blues Harp is a bit different; because the comb is wood, and wood isn't as strong, the chambers need to be smaller (larger dividers). This is the reason some think it is less "leaky".
Much of the "leakiness" of the MS harps is a myth though, I think. They are larger harps with large chambers, and so they require more air. But they also deliver a nice tone, and the longer reeds give you nice control on bends.
Other than that though, I think if you are going to buy MS, you might as well buy the Big River. Most of the differences in the pricier harps are cosmetic, and marketing gimmicks, IMHO. Nothing wrong with greblon covers and gold paint, if that's what you want, but they don't change the playability of the instrument really.
Now, I happen to like smaller harps, like the Suzuki Bluesmaster and the Marine Band (or MB deluxe). But those Big Rivers aren't bad at all for the money.
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jim
974 posts
Aug 31, 2011
3:44 PM
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Answer to your post is: EVERYTHING
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Free Harp Learning Center
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groyster1
1342 posts
Aug 31, 2011
6:22 PM
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try the blue midnight if you want blues tuning they are MS also
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Todd Parrott
670 posts
Aug 31, 2011
7:53 PM
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Funny that Seydel harps seem to be based on the shapes of the MS harps. 1847 = Big River, Session = Meisterklasse, etc.
I realize that the reeds are different though.
I dislike Seydels for the same reason I dislike the MS harps - the size.
MS harps, however, are not bad harps. They can actually make pretty good custom harps - maybe not overblow harps, but good harps. Chris Reynolds has had really good success with customizing them.
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boris_plotnikov
587 posts
Aug 31, 2011
11:27 PM
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BTW the worst harp in mean of quality/price ratio are Hohner JJ Miltaeu and Hohner Cross Harp. Enough expensive harps with absolutly crappy leaky comb with some sort of paint (gold or silver) which makes it even more leaker than bigriver/proharp combs. While Blues Harps can be good enogh.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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hvyj
1737 posts
Aug 31, 2011
11:49 PM
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I question how durable the MS reedplates are.
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colman
74 posts
Sep 01, 2011
11:37 AM
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When i hear most anything on any harp blog,it sounds like a bunch of [white] folks with enough money to blow on whatever they want.blues harp comes from [black] folks with little money.they put cheap a$$
harps on the map. now look what we have done to musical ART.give me a marine band an i`ll assimilate
some old black cat.
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barbequebob
1723 posts
Sep 02, 2011
7:42 AM
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Two big problems with the MS harps are the fact that the reeds are set so far away from the player that it was absolutely a necessity for them to have a tighter reed slot tolerance to make them decently playable, but that distance wastes too much air in the comb chambers, and the other problem is, like Seydel, the use of Pozidriv screws, and in the US, those screwdrivers can be hard to find, and the cover plate screws have a big problem of getting easily shredded at the slot where the screwdriver goes even when you use the correct screwdriver.
The MS Marine Band was never sold in the US, only in Europe, and for those in the US wondering what it is, it is basically the same thing as the MS Blues Harp, and all you need to do is substitute those cover plates with that of the BR (the oly differnce between the covers of the BR and the MS MB is the engraving on the top cover plate).
I was one of the players that tested the prototype of them back in 1991 along with a large number of pro players and we almost unanimously HATED it and the single most common comment was that it sounded too much like a Lee Oskar and they were using short slot reeds in them (until the retooling in 1995-96), and any of them lower than the key of C, it was difficult to get a good, consistent bend even for highly experienced pros.
they were also largely unloved by European pros and many of them ordered the classic MB's from internet harp stores in the US like Coast To Coast Music, the now dfunct Kevin's Harps and Joe's Virtual Music Shop because of those raeasons.
BTW, the JJ Milteau model has never been sold in the US.
I haven't tried the Blue Midnight, and Hohner says it's an old tuning from their vaults and the only thing that makes sense is that it is either tuned to 7LJI (like nearly all Hohner diatonics until 1985) or 19LJI (like all Hohner diatonics except the GM from 1985-1992) and the easy way to hear it difference is going to Pat Missin's site where he has sound files using a key of C diatonic that you can hear what the differences are both as individual notes as well as for chords. My guess would probely be 19LJI.
The MS harps made after 1995 were much better instruments and if they came out with an MS MB using the Cross Harp reed plates, but instead of using the wood comb of doussie they still use, and opted to use soomething more like Mark Lavoie's fully sealed custom maple combs that allows you to use 5 reed plate screws rather than only 2 that the doussie combs use, giving you a much tighter seal, those probably would've done much better.
They're still largely unloved by the overblow players by a HUGE margin.
In many ways, the Seydels, especially the 1847, is what the MS harps SHOULD have been, and unlike the Hohner MS series, the reeds are much closer to the player, so that there's far less waste of air (and the slot tolerances are even tighter than in the MS series.
The MS series since 1995 uses long slot reeds from Bb and lower, medium from B thru D, and short slot from Eb and higher. In the low tunings like Low Eb, they were actually out of the box more playable than any of the other Hohners (tho not even remotely close to a customized MB in those keys) and the Seydel 1847's outplayed either of them in those tunings.
Since I haven't had a chance to try the MB Thunderbird, I can't comment on that just yet.
Rick Epping years ago told me that the MS reeds were more durable, but you can't rule of playing technique as a factor when it comes to that because, as you know, anyone with crappy technqiue won't make any harp plast very long.
BTW, for a short time sold ONLY in Europe, there were MS Special 20's as well.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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selkentblues
48 posts
Sep 02, 2011
7:53 AM
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@colman
Not to get into a race argument or anything my friend, but Harps were Chinese invention (or at least free-reed instruments were), made popular and accessable by German engineering and ingenuity.
Sure black folks played the blues on them, bit white folks played folk music on them too, and what we have today is a combination of both.
Surely that the best thing?
(...though I DO agree with your sentiments about the Marine Band...nothing sounds better when its played RIGHT)
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SELKENTBLUES
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MrVerylongusername
1911 posts
Sep 02, 2011
4:14 PM
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Nate said:
"People had a harp they really liked and then it was different."
Amen - and not just different, but a whole lot worse. This was at a time when Hohner had a huge quality control problem. I'd actually found a Hohner that played well for my style, and then it was replaced by one that didn't. It took almost 20 years for me to buy another Hohner.
Hohner has finally woken up to a world where they are not the only player. That competition has to be a good thing. I got a Big River a few weeks ago. It played pretty well. A world apart from the dreadful MS harps of the early 90s.
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joe
86 posts
Sep 07, 2013
12:29 AM
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the MS models have been discussed in a few places but
i thought i would see if there is a current view on
these
i have Pro Harps in A and G and a Blues Harp in C
their sound is 'okay' but they are very unresponsive
instruments and very affected by muggy weather
even in the cooler climate i'm in now they have settled
a bit but they are still blocking, tight and unbendable
@arjazac
what is your current opinion of these harps?
can you do anything with them?
joe
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UTC+10
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WinslowYerxa
396 posts
Sep 07, 2013
8:08 AM
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Harmonicas are not a Chinese invention.
Even the free reed as used in the harmonica is not a Chinese invention.
In the Chinese sheng and and more generally Asian khaen, the reed is part of the reedplate - it's made by cutting a tongue shape into the reedplate and lies flush with the surrounding plate. This type of reed will not sound unless it's coupled with a pipe whose length tunes it to the note that the reed will sound. So instruments built using this type of reed require an attached pipe for each reed in the instrument.
The European free reed is mounted ABOVE the reedplate and will sound without being couple to a tuned pipe. As a result, the European free reed can be built into any shape where the reed will fit.
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Winslow
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Sep 07, 2013 5:09 PM
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JInx
522 posts
Sep 07, 2013
8:21 AM
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"MS models...whats WRONG with them?" -they're not crossovers
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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arzajac
1140 posts
Sep 07, 2013
2:05 PM
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Wow! Two year old thread! Live long thread, live long!
MS harps are not Crossovers, or any other Marine Band type of harp, that's true. They are made with completely different reeds, plates and design. An out-of-the-box Marine band type harp is excellent potential which is why they are a very common choice or custom harps.
MS harps have much less potential. But you can still make a very loud and responsive harp with them by doing straightforward work on them. Their biggest problem is airtightness. Forget about using stock parts, though.
What's really great about MS harps is that the Big River is the cheapest version but it has the best cover plates. All you need to do is replace the comb with one that is more airtight and you have a pretty good harp.
The comb that comes with the Blues Harp is alright but it needs a lot of work to be flattened and then sealed again. At twice the price of a Big River, it's cheaper to just get a BR and get an aftermarket comb. Same with the Proharp.
At that point, with advanced reedwork, embossing, gapping and tuning, it can easily be much better than a stock, out-of-the-box harp (even a Crossover!)
You can even get them to play overbends to a pretty useful level, but that's a lot more work than it's worth and they never will be as high-performance as a Marine Band-type harp.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Sep 07, 2013 2:05 PM
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JInx
524 posts
Sep 07, 2013
4:53 PM
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Yup. I have a D big river/Hetrick bamboo. It s great, very brassy and crlear. Only problem, in my novice attemptz at adjustment, I stripped her bolts and now she's locked shut. I'll eventually pick upa New br and try again.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
Last Edited by JInx on Sep 07, 2013 4:54 PM
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groyster1
2371 posts
Sep 07, 2013
5:19 PM
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I replaced 2 big river combs with hetrick combs......the leaks disappeared.....replaced a few sp20s with hetrick combs which only made them more attractive......the MS harps are ok but better to spend extra for superior hohnersIMHO
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nacoran
7112 posts
Sep 07, 2013
6:07 PM
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I like Blues Harps except the tines rip my lips. I've played MS and pre-MS Blues Harps and I prefer the pre-MS ones (although my sample size is a total of 5 harps, with one of them having been tweaked before I got it.) Still, I like the pre-MS one I got off eBay better than any of the 3 MS ones I've compared it to, tine issues aside. I plan on converting it over to screws and a new comb eventually, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. When I do, it will be in my gig kit.
I haven't played any of the other MS models.
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A440
101 posts
Sep 09, 2013
3:35 AM
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Nothing is "wrong" with MS harps. But in my experience you can get a better harp for the same price - the Special 20, Golden Melody, Marine Band, Seydel Session Standard, and Suzuki Bluesmaster are all better performers - more responsive, better compression, less leaky, more consistent. If I have a Special 20 in the same key, I will always prefer to use it on stage (or in the recording studio) instead of an MS harp.
Yet the newest MS Blues Harps, MS Pro Harps and MS Big Rivers are all decent enough harps. Hohner just needs to lower the price by 20% for them to be good value for the money. And the OOTB CONSISTENCY needs to improve. I purchased four MS Blues Harps in 2012: two are very nice, the other two are leaky and have poor response and sticky reeds - even after adjusting the gaps. I just don't have the impression that the reeds and reed plates are machined to same tolerances as the Special 20, Golden Melody or Marine Band.
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