jonsparrow
1517 posts
Dec 29, 2009
11:02 PM
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well its the first non hohner harp iv ever played. picked it up from easyreeder at the gussow clinic. i was really scared to buy it cause im a marine band guy an i was afraid id like it too much. an i did at first until i got home an really compared the two. all though with some reed work an retuning i probably would like it more then a marine band, but all that is not enough to make me switch over. any way on to the review. over all the quality of the harp is amazing. you can see on marine bands how the cover plates are never centered perfect an what not but the manji is all perfect looking. the comb is beautiful. its got the logo an the key on the comb maybe laser etched im guessing. the cover plates are really nice all though the do flex a bit an could use support screws. the vents on the sides are a little sharp. i imagine if you stuck your tongue in there it could cut it. its not a leaky harp but it does require more air and force to play then a marine band. i donno about a stock marine band cause i dont have any. it is very smooth on your lips and the numbers are laser etched so you dont even feel them. the holes are very consistent from one to another and it does over blow out of the box. 6ob is easy 5ob is there but you have to be careful or you will get some noise, 4ob has alot of noise. it plays very smoothly an has a real nice sound to it. the marine band is alot more edgy an punchy. i think comparing the two would be like comparing the manji as a classical guitar and the marine band as a resonator guitar. they both sound great but it depends on what sound you like. but out of the box the manji is way better playability wise. like i said if i do a little bit of reed work an retune it id probobly like it allot. but i do like the size of the cover plates on the marine band more. the manji feels a bit like a sp20. all this makes me wonder about the crossover....
edit: one thing i noticed right away is how nice it plays the higher notes. it plays em just as smooth an easy as holes 1 through 6.
Last Edited by on Dec 29, 2009 11:06 PM
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Ryan
53 posts
Dec 29, 2009
11:21 PM
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Why would someone stick their tongue in the side vents?
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Sirsucksalot
126 posts
Dec 29, 2009
11:27 PM
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Who doesn't. Its all the rage in Europe. :) I'm gonna try an electrical outlet next.
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jonsparrow
1518 posts
Dec 30, 2009
12:55 AM
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i donno. maybe they were trying to be like rick estrin.
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jonsparrow
1519 posts
Dec 30, 2009
12:57 AM
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oh ya another thing i like about em is the corners of the coverplate and reedplate are nice an smooth as opposed to the marine band so when your down on the 1 hole its not uncomfortable.
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Sirsucksalot
127 posts
Dec 30, 2009
1:59 AM
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I'm gonna have to get one.
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djm3801
284 posts
Dec 30, 2009
2:56 AM
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Nice writeup, Jon. I have one in F and find it requires less air than a stock marine band to play. Agree totally on your high note observations. Play clearly and easily, even on an F harp.
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Kyzer Sosa
61 posts
Dec 30, 2009
6:00 AM
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I bought a Bb, before Christmas, and it just blows my Sp20 in the same key, right out of the water.... amazing difference in tone.
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Bluzdude46
350 posts
Dec 30, 2009
6:55 AM
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Ok can we not use the phrase "down on the 1 hole" it just sounds.....bad
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joshnat
23 posts
Dec 30, 2009
7:34 AM
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I had been playing MBDX's for several months, but when I got a couple of Manjis (A and G) I started looking forward to the songs in those keys in the playlist so I could use them. I found them to be much more comfortable to play, breath-wise. I would find myself out of breath after a long solo on the marine band, but much less so on the Manji. So, I got a few more, and found that the higher keys (D, F) are a different story. I'm guessing the reeds are shorter on these higher keys, as the breath effort is much greater than on the lower keys. I hadn't noticed such a difference in effort between keys on the MB's.
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harpwrench
136 posts
Dec 30, 2009
9:53 AM
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The high keys use the same long slots. You might try adjusting the gaps, that should do it.
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Tuckster
324 posts
Dec 30, 2009
10:01 AM
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While we're on the subject... My C Manji has a ringing 3 draw. I can hear a very metallic ring. Only on a straight draw,if I bend it at all,it goes away. Is the reed hitting the cover plate? On a 3 hole? The reed's not THAT long.
Edit: It also does it on chords involving that hole.
Last Edited by on Dec 30, 2009 10:04 AM
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toddlgreene
314 posts
Dec 30, 2009
11:08 AM
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reed off center perhaps? Hold the reed plate up to a light.
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~Todd L. Greene
crescentcityharmonicaclub@gmail.com
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jonsparrow
1520 posts
Dec 30, 2009
11:08 AM
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strickland said that his Bb does that too. but mine is a Bb an it doesnt do that. it might be gaped to high.
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Ryan
54 posts
Dec 30, 2009
6:23 PM
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You often hear a metalic ringing sound on harps that have been emossed super close. I think it might be caused by a microscopic burr that's hitting the reed but not stopping it from playing. You may not even be able to see it when you hold it up to the light. When ever I emboss a reed a little too much and this happens I either center the reed a little more or I'll use a shim to clear it. I've tried plinking before but it doesn't ussually seem to work if the reed is playing but has a ringing or a slight buzz. Since the manji reeds are welded instead of riveted I wouldn't suggest trying to center them, I would just use a shim and try to clear the slot. I may be completely wrong about this, and Joe Spiers would be the best person to ask.
Edit: I just remembered, in one of the Manji promo videos, Brendan Power said that harps that have a really close reedslot tolerances (like custom harps or the manji) tend to have a slight metalic ring to the notes. So maybe it's just a normal thing caused by close tolerances, as opposed to a microscopic burr. Although if it's just one reed making the noise I would guess there's a problem, and I would try to clear the slot like I suggested.
Last Edited by on Dec 30, 2009 6:53 PM
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jonsparrow
1522 posts
Dec 30, 2009
8:19 PM
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thats a different noise i think. a ringing metallic noise is one, but i think there discribing the actual reed hitting the cover plate like what happens on some low keyed harps. on occasion it would happen on the 1 hole on my low F.
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Ryan
56 posts
Dec 30, 2009
9:52 PM
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Tuckster said "My C Manji has a ringing 3 draw. I can hear a very metallic ring." which isn't how I'd describe the sound of a reed hitting the cover plate, plus it's fairly unlikely that the 3 draw on a C harp would be hitting the cover plate. If it were me I'd scrape a shim along the slot, just to make sure there's nothing coming in contact with the reed while it plays. I know that if there's a microscopic burr it can cause a slight buzzing noise as the reed plays, and I think it may also be responsible for causing the metalic ringing noise you sometimes here on some embossed reeds(although it's possible that ringing noise is just the result of super close tolerances, and can only be fixed by widening the tolerances).
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jbone
241 posts
Dec 31, 2009
3:52 AM
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jon, i appreciate your input on the manji, but isn't comparing a stock- even a high end stock- harp to a custom sort of like comparing a ferrari testarossa to a dodge neon? these are different animals. a custom has had all the typical issues absolutely resolved on an individual harp basis. suzuki has here a vastly superior design and much better mass production techniques, but there are still issues to be dealt with, based on things i've seen in buyer reviews both here and on other forums.
my personal experience with the 2 manji's i have- in A and D- are all positive. superior ease of play, excellent reed response from 1 through 10, easy bends, nice sounding octave/chords, comfortable on my lips, no swelling comb, open rear covers, the list goes on.
i have not tried a mb crossover as yet. i have had a couple of custom mb's but it was years ago and i have lost track of them now. but typically a custom costs at least the price of a manji, after buying the harp for customization. roughly double the cost of a manji from rockin' ron's music.
my opinion- which anyone is free to agree with or disagree with- is that the superior reed to slot tolerances and over all improved design of the reed plates, puts the manji at least ond notch above any other mass produced harps. i have tried a lot of brands and models and manji is as close as i've come to a truly functional hassle-free otb harp.
i'd love to be able to afford a b radical, a set of custom mb's, and while we're at it a ferrari to drive them around in, but meantime i am settling and quite happy to do so, for the manji, which i am slowly building a set of as my wallet can stand.
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Kyzer Sosa
67 posts
Dec 31, 2009
4:05 AM
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amen jbone...Im looking to replace all my Sp20's with Manji's by this time next year...assuming the next one I get is anywhere near close to the first one I got.
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ness
132 posts
Dec 31, 2009
6:23 AM
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jbone> I think you've hit the nail on the head. There's always a lot of talk about 'OOTB' harps, and it's pretty common to get conflicting reviews. But, Suzuki does seem to get it right more often than most of the others.
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ness
133 posts
Dec 31, 2009
6:27 AM
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jon> You mentioned that you are a 'Marine Band guy' and were scared you would like it too much. I'm curious if you've softened on that some after having the Manji for a while.
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JimmyFamous
21 posts
Dec 31, 2009
7:19 AM
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jbone, great post!
I like the "comparing a ferrari testarossa to a dodge neon?" line. Because when I play my Manji It feels like a Farrari compared to a Model T.
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Jimmy Famous
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Tuckster
326 posts
Dec 31, 2009
8:22 AM
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Well, I finally opened the Manji and had a look. The gap seemed good,not too high.There's a big tuning scrape at the pad end,almost the width of the reed and a couple millimeters long. Torsional instability? I not sure it's as evident to a listener as it is to me. I made a quick recording and the ringing is only evident if I listen closely. Hopefully I'll get used to it.
Thanks for the help, guys.
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jonsparrow
1526 posts
Dec 31, 2009
10:24 AM
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@jbone: i dont really get what you goin at. i wasnt comparing the manji to anything. i was just showing what i noticed about it. if i mentioned anything about a marine band it was marine bands in general not a custom one. i still know what ootb marine bands play like.
@ness: iv been playing the manji non stop so far an i adjusted the gaps slightly an now i really like it allot. im thinking about getting more.
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jbone
243 posts
Jan 01, 2010
5:30 AM
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jon> it appeared to me that you were saying you had a pre existing bias toward a custom mb, and then were trying to review a harp you had reservations about. that's not wrong itself, but spoken of in the same line, it did appear that an albeit high end stock harp was going to be compared to a custom harp. hence the remark about ferrari/dodge.
note ootb is "out of the box" or stock.
my experience with marine band stopped with 2 customs i got about 10 years ago. before that however, i had given up on mb's due to the inconsistency of their manufacture and tuning. it seemed like i seldom got one that was good to go out of the box in the 80's and 90's. i know hohner has retooled since then and also put a couple of harps out to compete with other manufacturer's higher end harps- the mb delux and now the crossover. i admit i have yet to try either of those models. once bitten twice shy!
i also know that in recent years there have come on the scene a lot of guys willing to do various levels of customizing, and a lot of guys also who work on their own harps. i generally keep mine clean and occasionally regap here or there and that's it. so my search for years has been for a very high performance, low maintenance,and reasonably priced harp. which i think i've found in the manji. i really don't know how a manji stands up next to a high level custom mb. the cost difference has kept me from getting any more customs since the late 90's, and unfortunately back then i was a much rougher player and blew a reed or two on one of my 2 customs. i also had one "walk away" at a jam one evening. so my personal experience has been that i had to change my playing style, becoming more focused and using less force, and also i have kept trying different brand and model harps in search of the "right" one. to me the manji represents the best of the best ootb harp out there currently, for a very reasonable price, and so far i have had no trouble getting what i asked for from a vendor in terms of key. since these two manji's i have play so well, i have not even taken the covers off as yet. as long as a harp sounds good to an audience, despite what i may be hearing up close, i just don't mess with it until i have to! and also fortunately, reed plates either are or will be available for the manji should the need arise.
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jonsparrow
1534 posts
Jan 01, 2010
9:01 AM
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i guess im not that good of a writer so it got confusing.
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barbequebob
283 posts
Jan 01, 2010
11:22 AM
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Well, the Manji is a very well made harp overall, but they still don't come close to a custom harp because the amount of hand labor time done with a custom is easily 100 times more than anything coming off an assembly line and no matter how good the out of the box product is, they can ALWAYS be made better by a customizer because what you in a sense get out of the box is a raw product and the custom is further refined, but you HAVE to tell the customizer what you play, your playing habits, style, breath force you play with, etc., because where out of the box is for the masses, custom is tailored to you and you ONLY. Unfortunately, the average player often has no real clue about where their playing really is at. Realistically, jbone has it 100% correct using the car comparison, or better yet, in car comparison, a Hyundai Accent vs. any model Aston Martin or a Rolls Royce, and that means absolutely no comparison.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by on Jan 01, 2010 11:25 AM
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