mickil
486 posts
Aug 24, 2009
4:26 PM
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Ooctober, I think. I think someone said so somewhere in this rather long thread.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
SlimHarpMick
Last Edited by on Aug 24, 2009 4:28 PM
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Gwood420
14 posts
Aug 24, 2009
4:34 PM
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sweet , i must have missed that.. thanks!
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Buddha
942 posts
Aug 24, 2009
4:54 PM
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I'm going out of town later this week but if Issac wants to make a review he can. I have a Manji, firebreath and crossover all in the key of A.
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Aussiesucker
337 posts
Aug 24, 2009
5:57 PM
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I cannot wait to get my hands on a Mamji in Ab.
I just hope that they hit the market here at a comparable price to the US?
It appears that Suzuki tried to convince us that the Fabulous was the way to go but obviously the uptake was a flop ie by the time a serious harp player kitted themselves out with a Fabulous set they could have purchased a grand piano! Thats my take on it ie I could be wrong.
I certainly will purchase a Manji at A$50 or therabouts as this is the going rate for most harps here.
My experiences with Suzuki have been good ie out of the box I have found all their harps play OK. The only exception was with a Chromatix and some correspondence from Brendan resolved the problem for me.
In the end its all a matter of personal preference as to what harps work best for you.
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ZackPomerleau
363 posts
Aug 25, 2009
12:49 PM
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If they are as good as they are claiming to be, I'll be buying a few.
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djm3801
202 posts
Aug 25, 2009
12:58 PM
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Issac makes the perfect point - a great out of the box harp at $40!! Typically not a lot of differnce in $30 - $45 harps, except for Marine band which is abysmal with the stinking little nails for God sake! Why make a harp that needs so much done to it for the same price as a sweet Special 20, Delta Frost, etc> Oh well.. Yeah, Manji is in my future - I have a F harp that never bent well on the 2 draw, so we will start there.
I also agree that, while it is a free world, we come here to talk harp and not to listen to airing of politcal opinions. While I could care less about what people say in sig lines and such, it does tend to polarize people who actually come together for a different reason.
Dan M.
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Kyzer Sosa
38 posts
Aug 26, 2009
12:55 PM
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I think if it hadnt been pointed out in the first place, very few would have noticed...
now, from a beginner harp player here, i can attest that a $40 price tag on a new instument with such innovations will surely put a dent in the old standby's... I plan on giving one a shot, so...
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tookatooka
413 posts
Aug 26, 2009
1:25 PM
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***************
Just in case new readers missed this. It was nearer the front of this thread and may have been overlooked.
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Although the Manji has it's coverplate screw fixing holes offset towards the front of the harp, the comb and reedplates have also been drilled with extra holes for a standard central fixing setup. Also it looks as though all the other reedplate fixing holes are in the same positions as the previous reedplates, except for one extra hole between reeds 5 and 6 at the back of the harp.
It's my guess that although the reedplate is a new design, they still intend to use their existing machinery and jigs for manufacturing. This would make sense as it keeps costs down.
The upside of this for us MAY be that we will be able to mix and match with existing Suzuki harps. Just so long as the reeds are not significantly longer than before, otherwise they may foul any other comb other than a Manji.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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Zhin
326 posts
Aug 26, 2009
6:39 PM
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I have had the oppurtunity to play the Manji a lot. It IS amazing and everything Brenden and Chris have said. I don't have anything else to add besides the fact that it gets my vote too.
Love it.
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http://www.youtube.com/harmonicazhin
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sorin
42 posts
Aug 26, 2009
9:44 PM
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Brendan Power said :
""Appear to be.." is rather vague! Have you actually measured them? The reeds on the Manji are totally different to the Firebreath: longer and narrower. And Suzuki claim that the Manji has the most accurate reed fixing and closest reed/slot tolerances of any harp ever made.
Suzuki wouldn't make this striking claim unless it was verifiable. They never made this claim for the Firebreath. I suggest you come up with some carefully measured and calculated tolerance figures if you want to quesion the Suzuki claim with any credibility."
I think I might be able to get a relative slot tolerance , by relative I mean compared between different harps , I will give it a try maybe this weekend to see if I can do it .It will be an interesting experiment.
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clarksdale
13 posts
Nov 13, 2009
2:10 AM
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I haven't gotten to try the "Crossover" yet.
I did however receive my first MANJI today in the
Key of A.
Seems like a wonderful instrument to me. If you are a fan of the HarpMaster you'll be a SuperFan of the Manji.
I've owned FireBreath and wasn't impressed at all. Owned the ProMasters, like the reeds but hated the CoverPlates and Metal Comb.
Had the Pure Harp, pretty cool, but NOT worth $90! at all!
In my opinion the Manji is the best production Harp out right now for the price (about $40)
I can't imagine the "Crossover" being worth the $20 extra.
Anyone have any comments on that?
Plus i've never played an OUT of the Box harp with a 10 hole Bend as smooth as on the Manji. Pretty Impressive.
I used a toothpick and setup my tradmark 6ob and 7od in about 10 minutes. Didn't really have much Squeal issues. But i'm a guy who mainly uses Overblows as passing notes anyway. I did test the 6 on a sustained OB and it seemed fine. Seems to me that whether an OB squeals or not is sometimes as much the player as it is the harp. Tell you what though, the Set-up Out of the Box was amazing to me on the Manji. Couldn't get a single OB, but i don't ever expect to on any brand stock model. 10 Minutes with my toothpick and i'm good to go to the gig.
Peace,
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$Daddy Rich$
"The Blues is Ok!"
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The Gloth
182 posts
Nov 13, 2009
6:11 AM
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The Manji costs 60$, according to Suzuki's website. That's about the same price as the MBDeluxe, am I right?
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scstrickland
298 posts
Nov 13, 2009
6:54 AM
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The Crossover retails for about $60, I got my Manji fro Rockin Ron's music for less for $45 and free shipping
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hepcat
5 posts
Nov 24, 2009
9:45 AM
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Another Manji fan now. I got A, Bb, C & D over the weekend and can't stop playing them! I have owned MB, LO, Seydel Soloist, Bluesmaster, Promaster and now Manji. Promaster was my favourite. Now it is Manji. It's $45 CAD(same price as Promaster) but plays better, louder and more responsive. The first adjective came to my mind was 'springy'. Love those new harps!
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HarpNinja
61 posts
Jan 11, 2010
6:50 AM
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I'd like to hear an update on either harp from the board. Lately, I have been putting a lot of time into working on my harps. I do a lot of overblowing (including holding on to and bending the ob) as well as playing overdraws.
I am looking for the best out of the box harp for obing and self-customizing to supplement the keys in which I won't have/order a Buddah harp.
Currently, I have Firebreaths, Golden Melodies, and a couple of tweaked Marine Bands I enjoy playing. Out of the box, the FBs are the best, but I do get squealing on the obs. The GMs need excessive tweaking, but the obs are amazing when set up correctly...in tune, no squealing, and easily bent.
I haven't ordered a Manji yet because of squealing (which I don't know if I can eliminate by tweaking), and the Crossover seems like less work than working on a MB myself, but are more expensive and a bit harder to find.
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Mike Fugazzi
http://www.myspace.com/niterailband
http://www.youtube.com/user/NiteRail
http://www.twitter.com/NiteRail
http://www.facebook.com/mike.fugazzi
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bluzlvr
301 posts
Jan 14, 2010
2:13 PM
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Just found this in depth look at the Manji if you're like me and haven't gotten one yet.
http://www.harmonicasessions.com/dec09/Pollard.html
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saregapadanisa
65 posts
Jan 14, 2010
2:36 PM
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bluzlvr, thanks for the link, it's a very factual review.
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Diggsblues
9 posts
Jan 15, 2010
12:26 PM
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So good to have a tech and harp player like
Buddha to explaing this stuff.
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