Also bought a Hohner MB a few weeks back. Turned out to be a disaster - leaky, shit at bending etc. Thought that this would be a good opportunity to get a bit of mod practice. I've retuned before and plinked reedplates - but have little experience of embossing and gapping etc. Anyone got any good advice?
It might be a good idea to use the forum's search facility.
If memory serves, this stuff has been discussed on here many times before.
Also, have a search on YT. I think that there's quite a bit of that kind of thing on there. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
You want to make it play decently? Sand the comb flat and seal it. It will make more difference than embossing... because the amount of air leakage you have inside that harp will blow your mind.
So - WHY do they make them that way? Why buy a harp that needs to be taken apart, sanded, toyed with other than Tradition? When a kick ass harp player like Adam plays Marine Bands, I know I am missing a point, but I bought 2, both horrid out of the box. COnversely, Special 20's have been pretty remarkable. GM's too. Is there a law that says a good harp lplayer need also be a jeweler? Profit margins on these things must be unreal compared to other Hohners. They are made like crap..
I've been setting up = embossing + gapping + sealing + opening the backs MB's from the two weeks before I left for vacation and didn't get a bad one in the 7 new ones I did. All I did at purchase was a good visual inspection to make sure everything looked in line not odd in any way. I think it's a shame that it's so luck of the draw like that. I've also bought a few older harps (prewars) for a collection that I'm doing and besides the obvious fact that they are "broken in" they play so much nicer.
