Frankie
11 posts
Jan 20, 2018
11:05 AM
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For some reasons the old Marine band is making me feel better than the crossover that I paid more :)
Can it be because my marine band 1896 is in key of A
but my crossover is in Key of D ?
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Spderyak
185 posts
Jan 20, 2018
11:47 AM
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Hard one to answer.One way to look for the answer would be to find some tunes using a.. D harmonica and see if your harp sounds comparable and if you like tunes played with a D harmnonica.
Sometimes I get a new harmonica an I think it is stiff to play..then go back to it later and love it..funny that way sometimes
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SuperBee
5205 posts
Jan 20, 2018
12:49 PM
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D is different to A, and in the case of Hohner Marine band and Progressive series, (including Crossover and extended to rocket and special 20) it is really a different model harp.
What I mean is, from Key of Db through F#, the Hohner harps in question use a different slot template than the harps from C and below.
Slot 3 in an A harp is the same size as slot 1 of a D harp.
I can’t say why they did this, but it’s always been so. I assume they are saving brass or it allows for fewer actual different reeds in inventory. Really I just don’t know, but it must have been a good idea because Seydel also used to do this before they began making harps with steel reeds, and they carried on doing it with their brass harps until a few years ago. In fact it’s news to me that they stopped doing it and now use the same template for all keys in both Steel and brass reed harps.
Just yesterday I replaced a 4 slot brass reed in a Session F harp, using reeds taken from slot 6 of steel A harp (F# reed tuned down to F) and steel C harp (G reed).
So yes, with Hohner the D harp feels quite different to play, beyond the fact that you need to adjust to the scale.
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indigo
442 posts
Jan 20, 2018
8:06 PM
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I think that our natural body resonance is a factor in how we perceive different keyed harps.
A bit like people tend to have more affinity with certain keys when they sing.
I've always preferred lower key harps because i used to struggle with getting the right embouchure with anything over C.
Yet my wife can pick up (say) an F harp and effortlessly get a nice pure tone(she actually doesn't play it) but the tone is there.
It is just another hurdle to overcome in playing this 'easy' instrument.
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Frankie
13 posts
Jan 20, 2018
9:58 PM
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Thanks guys so you people do prefer marine band crossover ?
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SuperBee
5209 posts
Jan 20, 2018
10:53 PM
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I think they’re great harps but these days I would not buy them because I think the marine band deluxe is just as good for what I do, and I’m really comfortable with working on standard marine bands.
If I was starting out, knowing what I think I know now, I’d be a confirmed special 20 guy.
To me, that’s the best value harp. Not too dear, easy to maintain, easy to repair, easy to setup, moustache friendly, non-crushable, spare reeds available, easy on the lips.
The rocket is great too but initial cost is higher.
I play mainly marine band types and I include special 20 in that description although most of my harps are Crossover (4), Deluxe (3) or Marine band 1896 ‘Classic’ (don’t know how many).
I must have quite a few special 20s though. 10-20 in working order probably although I have a lot of broken ones which I sometimes repair and sell. I mainly acquire broken harps these days and mend them. Much cheaper than buying new harps.
I really don’t know why I resisted playing sp20 from the start.
I bought 4 Crossovers in 2011. I still have them and I think they are great but I found out I can get other harps to be just as good and I now think Crossover is too expensive.
Other people love Suzuki harps. I tried too, but I couldn’t get into it. Every Suzuki I bought was not good and I gave up
Many people love Seydel harps.
I don’t but that’s just because I think their brass product is inferior and their steel is expensive, harder to work on and set up well, and uses inferior hardware. The Reedplate threads are prone to strip.
Spare parts are available but relatively expensive and their shipping charge is a bit steep. I dislike the covers of their budget steel harp, and I think the comb is not as good as the sp20.
The 1847 is ok but too expensive for me and I’ve repaired too many to have any remaining faith in the legend of their excellent quality control.
A well-set up Seydel 1847 is a great harp though. Probably as good as it gets. If I wanted to play them I would probably buy from Ben Boumann and get them set up properly at the start.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Jan 21, 2018 4:55 AM
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MindTheGap
2458 posts
Jan 21, 2018
4:20 AM
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Frankie, it may not seem like it now, but later on the different makes and models of harp will seem a lot less different than they do to you now. As long as they are reasonably well adjusted - and even that becomes less important over time.
And they all sound the same, more or less. Particularly to your audience.
There remains a big difference in feel between keys.
It's been seen many times - people often go round the houses with their fav harp changing all the time - only to return to their first one. However, it's a journey everyone must take.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 21, 2018 4:21 AM
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Frankie
17 posts
Jan 21, 2018
10:49 AM
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Excellent advice . What you have is not much important your skill is most important .
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MindTheGap
2459 posts
Jan 21, 2018
11:50 AM
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It's not really advice, more an observation. You'll find loads of discussion of the minutiae of harp makes and models. Lots of likes and dislikes. Definitely part of the fun trying lots of types, tweaking them, swapping bits in and out. Enjoy!
Not many people like Lee Oskar harps, apart from me. So worth getting one of those to find out why you don't like them :)
If you can buy those East Top harps wherever you live, then do try those. I can't find them in the UK anymore but for a while there was one model available (plastic comb, much like a Suzuki Harpmaster) and it really was good. And very cheap!
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 21, 2018 11:53 AM
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