Patrick Barker
260 posts
May 02, 2009
8:26 PM
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The bamboo combed marine band you may have heard about under the radar (the bamboo combed harp) is now on the Hohner website (http://hohnerusa.com/index.php?1840). Anyone know when its going to be available for purchase? Price range?
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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oda
91 posts
May 02, 2009
8:49 PM
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Steve Baker had a pretty thorough response up on HARP-L
Here's some noteworthy excerpts:
Price: 60 $
Release: Hopefully, in the US, in time for SPAH
and this last part, his closing words, were very interesting in that Hohner really is taking steps to get their employees to be the best they can be:
"Consistency out of the box is hard to guarantee but Hohner is engaged in active measures to further improve quality control including teaching employees to play so they are better able to judge quality. We're also working on improving tuning accuracy and consistency. These harps should offer anyone who works on their instruments an excellent starting point as well as being good out of the box"
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ZackPomerleau
71 posts
May 02, 2009
9:12 PM
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With all the better stock harmonicas out there, and customs for a little more, I say just go for that guys. It's crazy what they are pulling.
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Aussiesucker
256 posts
May 02, 2009
10:33 PM
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What do they mean by the term 'crossover'? Is it a crossover between wood and something more resilient? Seems expensive?
I will stick with what I have found to be good consistent quality harps out of the box and without 'gimmicks' ie Suzuki & Lee Oskar.
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mickil
178 posts
May 03, 2009
4:09 AM
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@ ZP: I think you may be right. I know that others are charging big bucks for their top-of-the-line harps.
Nevertheless, I still don't understand why Hohner have taken all this time to come up with an MB that's meant to last. I thought that was the point of the MBDLX.
I got fed up with the whole thing and bought a Hering 1923, as a similar alternative. Strange taste at first, but it does sound and feel pretty damn good to me.
I'm still not sure whether or the comb is completely sealed. Hering USA says:
"Features pressure sealed wooden combs that never shrink, warp or expand..."
URL: http://www.heringusa.com/index1.html?ext180.html&1
However, the little piece of paper in the box warns not to get the comb wet. Can anyone enlighten me?
@ AS: I think Crossover refers to the tuning, i.e. it's supposed suitability for different styles, though I'm not sure about this.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
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wheezer
71 posts
May 03, 2009
4:25 AM
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Mickil. I have just had a 1923 in for some reed work.
The comb is not completely sealed. In fact it is done the same as the MB Deluxe i.e. around the edges, across the front of and in between the tines. In fact the basic construction of the MB Deluxe and the 1923 are remarkably
similar. The biggest difference are the mighty 1.2mm reed plates in the Hering You can find the Hering on the internet for £19.95p inc.p.p. from Eagle Music. That is about 1/2 the price of the MB Deluxe. Also you can get new reed plates for the Hering from Harmonicas Direct for £10.00 plus £1.50 p.p.
For me it would have to be the Hering.
I have a couple of vids on youtube (enter N62KNM) about these harps
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Hollistonharper
81 posts
May 03, 2009
4:50 AM
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Ok I tried a 1923 recently and really liked it except for 2 things-the funny taste/smell and the width of the comb. I sealed the comb, which helped get rid of the smell thing. But the harp is too thick for my mouth. Any of you customers know how to reduce the thickness of the comb? This harp sounds and plays great otherwise...apologies for contributing to the hijacking of this thread.
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wheezer
72 posts
May 03, 2009
9:03 AM
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Hollistonharper, sandpaper on a piece of glass for a flat surface and then re-seal the faces
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Patrick Barker
261 posts
May 03, 2009
9:47 AM
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A good custom harmonica is usually more than $85 dollars. Most the time if they are in the $85 range they only include a comb sealing and sanding plus tuning and gapping. If a $60 dollar harp already comes with a sealed comb and a reasonably good reed setup, I'd rather spend the time tuning and gapping it myself. I have no doubt that a $100+ dollar price range custom harp could blow these high range factory harps out of the water, but that's $40 dollars more.
I don't mean to put down custom harmonicas; you should definitely buy them if they're in your price range. All I'm saying is that higher priced factory harps aren't totally impractical.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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mickil
179 posts
May 03, 2009
10:06 AM
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PB, I've got to add my apologies too for hijaking your thread, but I've got to ask wheezer a question...
wheezer, thanks for the info. I expect that this may have been asked and answered a zillion times on here already. But, how do you seal the MBDLX or 1923 comb so that it may well outlast you? Is it straightforward or a right royal pain in the rear? I love 'em both, but feel ripped off by the garb on their websites. That quotation I cited above from Hering appears to be a porky! I'm sorry if you've answered this on a vid; I find it really hard to hear you on my netbook's sh*tty speakers.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
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Patrick Barker
262 posts
May 03, 2009
10:51 AM
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mickil- check out the elkriverharmonica youtube user- he has some good video's on sealing combs. I think harmonica players tend to use salad bowl sealant.
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"Without music, life would be a mistake" -Nietzsche
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mickil
180 posts
May 03, 2009
11:14 AM
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Thanks PB. I'll do that.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
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harpwrench
33 posts
May 03, 2009
1:48 PM
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Makes me wonder, why would the factory employees need to know how to play them? Does that mean they're going to test the harps at some point in the process, by playing them and adjusting them? Wouldn't bother me personally, but....
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Blackbird
74 posts
May 03, 2009
3:52 PM
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@ Harpwrench:
I think the whole bit about the employees being players is twofold:
1. Perception to the public. If Hohner offers this quoteable information as part of their manufacturing and culture, it makes the public think (in marketeer terms) that the employees are capable and care about the end result of the product. Whether it's true or not doesn't matter - this is marketing and advertising.
2. Awareness and accountability. On a real level, consider this: If you're a minimum wage 'parts assembler' on a line, and all day long, you're buidling widgets, and it's "rivet here, rivet there, check for XYZ, next!" maybe you're not a widget user, nor do you actually care about widgets, or even know what makes a good one. You're punching the 9 to 5 clock making your hourly wage and maybe preoccupied with other things.
Then the boss comes along, and says "y'know all of those widgets you've been building? You're going to learn what they are, why you do it, and what makes a good one from a bad one!" So you then learn about widgets. At that point, awareness then becomes accountability. If you *know* you're making a bad widget, you're guilty of self-sabotage because the boss knows you know, too. Suppose then, you put your widget (ok, harmonica) on a bellows and have a new knowledge of what good vs. bad is supposed to sound like, and what to do about that before it leaves your station. Before it was "If it makes a sound, pass it on". Now it's "did it make the *RIGHT* sound? If yes, pass it on. If no? Fix it." And the guy who doesn't fix it gets to be embarrassed, if not fired.
So I think it's honestly a combo of the two - public perception, and real world attempts at higher quality control. If the guy on the line doesn't care, he's gone. If he does, Hohner puts out a far better out of the box instrument. Everyone wins.
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wheezer
74 posts
May 04, 2009
7:26 AM
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Mickil, for sealing combs I use acrylic varnish. It is a bit of a pain waiting for the coats to dry but I like to build up the varnish and then sand back so that the comb is totally flat. Tha advantage is that the comb looks really nice when finished.
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mickil
182 posts
May 04, 2009
2:06 PM
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wheezer, thanks for coming back with that.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
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