CJames
5 posts
Nov 08, 2009
7:29 AM
|
I recently bought my first Marine Band the other day and i think it's amazing (Bb) plays/feels and sounds better than my other blues harps and golden melodys. However I'm a bit scared off from buying other keys because of all the maintenance i hear they require (i'm a student so i'm poor and can't afford harps left right and centre). Does everyone's Marine Bands need setting up at some stage? or is it better to go for the Deluxe - if so is the sound similar?
|
Andrew
732 posts
Nov 08, 2009
7:50 AM
|
Even the deluxe needs setting up.
If you're amazed by an MB out of the box, then you've been very lucky!
I've set up all my harps, MB's and MBD's. I've only wrecked one out of 17 so far, and that was through aggression rather than unexpected accident!
----------
Kinda hot in these rhinos!
|
CJames
6 posts
Nov 08, 2009
8:03 AM
|
Yes! i was very suprised myself but i absolutely love it. I'm not a perfectionist but i know good tone when i hear it - whether or not it's just a matter of time before i start seeing negative effects. Would you suggest a MBD over a MB though? I'm in the period of still finding the best harp for me. If anyone has any suggestions it would be appreciated. It always boils down to 'each his own' though.
|
Andrew
733 posts
Nov 08, 2009
8:52 AM
|
I only have two MBD's, A and Bb, and I never play them. That's partly because they feel different in the mouth and have hole sizes and spacings that are slightly different from those of an MB. They are there as backup for if my MB's in the same keys die.
Maybe you think it should be the other way around, but my MB in Bb was the worst OOTB I've ever had, and yet after many adjustments and much playing it has finally been broken in and is my favourite harp.
----------
Kinda hot in these rhinos!
Last Edited by on Nov 08, 2009 8:56 AM
|
nacoran
340 posts
Nov 08, 2009
11:28 AM
|
I haven't tried the MB line yet, but don't forget the top of the line Crossover. I've also heard good things about the Hering Vintage 1923 as a slightly cheaper clone of the MB.
|
congaron
239 posts
Nov 08, 2009
12:19 PM
|
I can't say about the tone comparison, but i have two marine bands..A and D. They are both sweet harps.
The A harp need a very tiny tightening of hole 3 draw and the D needed it on hole 10 blow to get the 1/2 step bend. I also adjusted holes 5 and 6 for overblows on the A. 4,5,6 on the D. Hole 4 just doesn't seem to want to do it on the A for me.
This may sound like a lot of fiddling around, but i'm talking minimal adjustments here. All of the ones on the D harp were with the covers still on using a toothpick and paper clip. I took the covers off the A to try and get the 4 hole but It's beyond my level of skill i guess. On the D it was already there ootb. Only 5 and 6 needed a slight adjustment.
If I wasn't trying to learn overblows, both harps were good after 5 minutes of reed gapping on one hole with covers on.
They are the two harps I took to work last night. I like the size, the shape, the tone, the light weight...really everything, including the playability.
|
Andrew
734 posts
Nov 08, 2009
3:27 PM
|
Yes, sorry, CJames, your question was about the tone.
There is a very small difference in tone, but I just can't define it. Perhaps the MBD is a little louder and brighter, but for that reason I actually preferred the standard MB for a while. I've just been playing my MB and MBD in Bb,and the MDB is easier to play, whereas I thought I had got used to the MB. I think I've gapped down the MBD tighter, though.
----------
Kinda hot in these rhinos!
|
CJames
8 posts
Nov 08, 2009
5:43 PM
|
ah ok, yeah I can't even say right now what it is about the MB but it kinda really hit me - don't get me wrong i love my golden melodys but i think the combined surface area of the comb + reedplate has a really wide/flat feel whereas with the MB i can really sit it far in my mouth (no pun intended) and it just feels a lot nicer. Also the tone is really thick and powerful, much more so than my blues harps but i can definately feel slight leaks here and there. I guess after breaking it in and letting the wood swell, some of those leaks may dissapear but in the long run I have to build up my confidence and learn how to set a MB up myself!
I think for myself, the Bb is just a really nice key - i'm still getting all of them and this is my first Bb so perhaps after trying a few more MB in different keys i will think otherwise but i hope not...
|
The Gloth
177 posts
Nov 09, 2009
1:27 AM
|
I'd say the Deluxe is indeed louder and brighter than the MB. And much more responsive and easy to play. I don't find it feels "different in the mouth", as the front shape seems identical with the MB. So I would say "go for it", maybe try a Deluxe in G or A, the difference is more marked in the low tones.
A contrario, the Hering vintage feels really different : it's much thicker than the MB, and tastes horrible. The sound is really different from the MB's, and it's not as efficient if you wanna make overblows etc. And it doesn't seem very resistant either : maybe it's me, but I broke my Hering after two weeks, during the first tune of a gig. And the replacement reeds cost nearly as much as the harp itself. I won't buy Hering no more.
Last Edited by on Nov 09, 2009 1:30 AM
|
Andrew
739 posts
Nov 09, 2009
2:56 AM
|
I only own one GM, but I have a lot respect for that harp. I'm going to buy another.
I find the MBD's profile to be just a little bit slimmer (even if it's only subjectively) than the MB. I've ordered a 1923 in the key of E because it was cheap.
----------
Kinda hot in these rhinos!
|
joshnat
8 posts
Nov 09, 2009
7:45 AM
|
I played Hering 1923's exclusively for a while and I love the feel (they're really heavy), looks and tone. I believe they're tuned true JI, which sounds really rich on chords. But they kept failing, and as I replaced them, the setups were really bad out of the box. I switched to MBDX for most keys, and I really like them. They are not as rich sounding on chords as the Herings, but they really have held up. For keys I couldn't get a MBDX for, I have ordinary MB's. They sound pretty similar to me, and play similarly, but not exactly the same. The MBDXs feel tighter, more responsive and more comfortable, because the comb edges are more rounded and sealed. I much prefer them to the ordinary MBs, but they are more expensive.
I've got one Suzuki Manji, and it's more responsive than my same-key MBDX, but I don't like the tuning as much. It's closer to ET than the MB's, although it's still got a bit of JI to it. And I don't see much of a difference between the wood composite comb vs. plastic. I much prefer solid wood for mouth feel. But I do enjoy playing it, and if my MBDX's start to fail, I may replace them with Manji's (as they become more widely available).
|
CJames
10 posts
Nov 09, 2009
7:53 AM
|
In terms of the wood swelling of MBs, does everyone here just take the comb out and sand it down? also, do the deluxes swell as much?
|
