HarpNinja
2082 posts
Jan 18, 2012
6:04 AM
|
Can anyone comment on the quality of the pre-MS harps like the Blues, Pro, and Cross?
I know the Hohner Marine Band MS wasn't a great harp, but how horrible are they? Aren't they just a Big River with a wooden MS comb?
----------
Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 6:17 AM
|
Baker
199 posts
Jan 18, 2012
6:38 AM
|
As far as I know the MS Marine Bands were just like a big river (Same shaped cover plates) with a wooden comb. I've tried a couple of these and they are comparable to a Big River.
I tried one pre-MS Blues Harp. A friend of mine's kid had one knocking around. It was nailed together like a classic Marine Band. This one played exceptionally well. Much better then the current Marine Bands. It was loud, responsive, bends were really easy to reach and maintain accurately. Nice tone, nothing like the MS version.
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 6:45 AM
|
easyreeder
116 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:03 AM
|
I owned several pre-MS blues harps starting from back in the 70's. I agree with Baker, they played wonderfully, smooth easy bends, plenty of volume. I remember the cover plates being less robust. I recently saw a post somewehere (here?) that claimed they were identical to a Marine Band except for the cover plates. That doesn't fit with my experience, although I've never looked into it. They were, in my experience, much shorter-lived than Marine Band, but I don't remember having problems with swelling combs the way I did with MBs. If I owned them today they would probably last longer because with experience I've learned to create tone without volume. Compared to an MS, I'd say they probably had a warmer, clearer sound, but it's been 30 years.
|
timeistight
298 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:06 AM
|
The pre-MS Blues Harp was a little brother of the Marine Band. The pre-MS Pro Harp (and probably the Cross Harp -- I've never seen one) were little brothers of the Special 20. The pre-MS Meisterklasse was an older, German brother of the Suzuki Promaster.
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 10:00 PM
|
HawkeyeKane
638 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:08 AM
|
I like the MS Blues Harp very much myself. But I have played the pre-MS ones before and they were awesome. I would agree with Baker. Very much like the classic Marine Band in terms of responsiveness, tone, and bending. Truly wish they'd start making them again, maybe in the MB lineup.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
jim
1157 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:20 AM
|
MS marinebands are current MS bluesharps. That's all they were.
Pre-MS crossharps, proharps, bluesharps are same as MBs.
Taking into accout the period when they were produced - quality is pretty low.
Though nevertheless - pre-MS meisterklasse is a great instrument.
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
MrVerylongusername
2155 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:38 AM
|
The original bluesharp was a Marineband with unvented covers. Pearwood comb (different colour paint), identical reeds http://www.patmissin.com/ffaq/q9.html
The MS Marine band had vented covers - essentially a wood combed Big River, the MS Bluesharp does not.
The Pre-MS proharps are Special 20s with coated covers for a darker tone. My favourite Hohner harp from the 80s. I never had a quality problem with proharps. I did with handmade Marine Bands.
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 7:43 AM
|
jim
1158 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:43 AM
|
yes, proharps were same as sp20.
I meant the reeds of course...
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
barbequebob
1803 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:57 AM
|
I got to try to prototype of the MS MB and they frankly sucked big time. The early MS harps were allusing short slot reeds and anything below key of C were hard to get a consistent bend was frankly, a bitch, even for many highly skilled pros and Hohner got tons of letters in the US that were nearly unanimous in its distate for it and a few players threatened to publicly ditch their endorsement deals with them if they went that way.
They never issued them in the US and only in Europe and they are the same thing as a BR, and the comb was the same doussie wood comb that was used on the MS Blues Harp and the now discontinued MS Martin harps and the covers are the same as the BR's, and the only difference in the covers was the engraving on the top cover plate.
The pre-MS Blues Harps were essentially the same as the MB with a different cover plate, and some players have thought they got kinda soggy feeling quick. When they were first issued in the 60's, they were supposedly set higher to bend easier (tho I believe maybe more in terms of standard pitch more than anything else).
The pre-MS Pro Harps were exactly the same as the Sp20, but instead of nickel plating on the covers, they had the black matting on them to darken the tone a bit and also for players with nickel allergies. Until the mid to late 80's, they weren't issued in the US until they closed their North American offices in Don Mills, Ontario, Canada and their Hicksville, LI, NY offices and moved everything to their present HQ's in Richmond, VA.
In the 70's & 80's for many blues players, if you didn't get a MB, your alternatives were usually gonna be the pre-MS Blues Harp and the pre-1990 Old Standby, which is WAY different than what you see now.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
jim
1159 posts
Jan 18, 2012
8:00 AM
|
wow
----------
Free Harp Learning Center
|
arzajac
721 posts
Jan 18, 2012
8:39 AM
|
I have bought many pre-MS blues harps on ebay. Without the coverplates, you cannot tell the difference between them and a MB of the same era.
They span the Hickville period where they came in vinyl cases and were (still are) very good harps to the more difficult period where they came in plastic boxes and were of low quality.
----------
|
Oisin
912 posts
Jan 18, 2012
8:44 AM
|
I have a couple of pre-MS Pro-harps and they are excellent harps, very airtight and responsive, 100 times better than the MS Pro-harp.They come up from time to time on ebay here in the UK and they are always around the £20+ price range, which for a second hand harp is expensive so there is obviously a demand for them. The black coating on the pre-MS ones is different to the coating on the current Pro-harps, to my mind much easier to move your lips across.
Here are a couple currently for sale..
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HARMONICA-HOHNER-PRO-HARP-GERMANY-BLACK-BOXED-MUSICAL-INSTRUMENT-MUSIC-OLD-/180737738824?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Harmonicas_RL&hash=item2a14cf0848
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOHNER-MARINE-BAND-HARMONICA-KEY-G-PLEASE-SEE-LISTING-/110810746829?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Harmonicas_RL&hash=item19ccd5cfcd
I also have some pre-MS Blues Harps and they are not so good, probably due to the wooden combs, very leaky.
I also have one pre-MS Masterclasse and it is a superb harp, one of the best I own.
A few people have commented above about the MS marine band and I agree with everything they say. Totally different to a normal marine band and not very good, look exactly like a Big River with Marine band embossed on the coverplates. I have 2 of these and I actually saw some for sale in our local music shop here in the UK...must be old stock.
----------
Oisin
|
timeistight
299 posts
Jan 18, 2012
9:45 AM
|
The coating on the pre-MS Pro harps varied. I have ones with a flat finish, others that are shiny.
|
hvyj
2062 posts
Jan 18, 2012
11:02 AM
|
I used to play pre-MS Pro Harps as my performing set for a number of years. Same configuration as the Sp 20, but with black Greblon coated covers. The coating varied somewhat over the years. Some players made fun of me for paying more for Pro harps claiming that they were just Sp 20s with black covers. But to my ear the tone was a little darker and fatter, which i liked. Very nice harps.
My disgust with the MS Pro Harps was what eventually drove me to discover Suzuki Hammonds.
Pre-MS Blues Harps were crappy little harps put together with nails and with combs that swelled. But I think regular MBs are crappy little harps, too. The difference was you could bend the living hell out of BHs and they would not jam. MBs were more temperamental, but had different and arguably better tone, perhaps because of their vented covers. BHs had UNvented covers. Of course back in those days my breath technique was not as developed as it is now.
|
Fingers
137 posts
Jan 18, 2012
12:07 PM
|
I still have both MS and pre MS Marine bands from the 90s i prefer the MS! slightly larger and play great once the combs are sealed!! but Seydell 1847 is now my harp of choice.
|
groyster1
1693 posts
Jan 18, 2012
12:18 PM
|
I had one old blues harp cover plate changed to a mb1896 cover-it sounds much better plus had nails replaced with screws making it more user friendly-I think maybe the old blues harps had the same reeds as the mb1896,correct me if Im wrong
|
GMaj7
6 posts
Jan 18, 2012
12:25 PM
|
I have a bunch of pre-MS Blues Harps. No doubt in my opinion - just that an opinion - they look cool. Doesn't go any further then that though..Just a MB with a different cover and with a FEW exceptions, most of them just don't play that well regardless of what you do to them. However, there was something different about the pre-MS Pro Harp.. which is similar to a current Sp20. Someone gave me one once. It played very very well. I saw that Sissi commented on this at SPAH and said something about them being hand built by Hohner
|
Todd Parrott
816 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:44 PM
|
Mike, there's a lot of good info in this thread, as well as inaccurate info.
I own a bunch of pre-MS Pro Harps, tons of pre-MS Meisterklasses, an MS Marine Band, and a couple of pre-MS Cross Harps. Here are my observations about each of these:
MS Marine Band - You asked, "I know the Hohner Marine Band MS wasn't a great harp, but how horrible are they? Aren't they just a Big River with a wooden MS comb?" Yes, they are the same as MS Blues Harps with cover plates just like the Big Rivers. They aren't bad harps at all, but of course were no replacement for die hard Marine Band classic players. (Seydel must have liked them, because their flagship model, the 1847, is a Big River clone in my opinion.)
Pre MS Pro Harps - I loved these harps, even though they did seem to be basically Special 20's with black covers - some were shiny, some were not. And, as hvyj pointed out, they did have a darker tone, probably because of the paint. To me, they seemed to blow out faster than other harps, but so did Special 20's at that time. Anyway, when they did, I'd just put Special reed plates in them, or, just put the Pro Harp covers on the Special 20's. Some Pro Harps were great; some not so great out of the box. Not sure why they didn't just make a Special 20 with black covers. Still don't understand why they don't do this now - black covers are cool.
Pre-MS Cross Harps - These harps were the best harps ever made by Hohner in my opinion. They lasted forever. The cover plate had the words "Hohner long-life" printed on them, and this was very true in my experience, even though they had thicker reed plates, which is harder on the reeds. The comb was painted gold, but seemed to be a more brittle plastic than the Special 20 combs, and the covers were also a flat black finish, which dampened the tone. Steve Baker said I just got lucky, but why the long-life stamp? To me, this would have been the harp to compete with Lee Oskars' reed life, but instead they opted to go with the MS series. Sad. The reason I only had 2 is because they only came in G, A, C and D. As you know, I don't like low keys, so I got C and D, and by the time I had to replace them, the MS series was the only thing available. Plus, I was a poor 14 year old kid, and those harps were $40 back then.
Pre-MS Meisterklasse - Everyone knows I loved these harps, but because of the TONE and the look of them, not because they were so great. These were produced during some of Hohner's worst years, according to Steve Baker and others I've talked to. I've found that there is a lot of inconsistency with the reed slots, for instance, on some the slot is too long - longer than the reed. The reed plates were also chrome plated, which eventually wears off, just as it does on Suzuki Hammonds and Promasters. Not sure about the flatness of the combs. These harps sounded particularly well in the higher keys because of the covers. Place a set of pre-MS covers on a Crossover or Marine Band, and you get that same great, warm tone as the old Meisterklasse. It seems that this harp inspired Suzuki to introduce the Promaster. Pre-MS Meisterklasses can still be customized, as Chris Reynolds did with a D that I had, but I don't think they are ideal for OB/OD harps.
Basically, it seems that the MS series was introduced to compete with Lee Oskar's replaceable reed plate selling point, and was supposed to introduce a system with interchangeable parts. However, if they would have left things alone, the parts would have still been just as interchangeable as they are now with the MS series. As we know, the MS parts won't fit the handmade models and vice versa, and then the poor Golden Melody is just an odd ball all by itself. Sure, players use the MS series, because when that's about all you can find at Guitar Center are 3000 Blues Harps in all 12 keys, what else do you expect the average person to buy? Need a Golden Melody? The music stores won't have it. Need a Special 20? They may have them in C or a couple other keys. In my opinion, the MS series is the worst thing that ever happened. I've said many times that if they ever discontinue the Golden Melody, I wouldn't even play Hohners.
Btw... It would be interesting to see a GM clone from Seydel or especially Suzuki.
Last Edited by Todd Parrott on Apr 04, 2017 10:08 PM
|
barbequebob
1804 posts
Jan 19, 2012
9:54 AM
|
The original reason Hohner gave for the MS series was that because of allegedly changing European health laws, no harmonica was to be made small enough to fit inside a baby's mouth. It was their first time using an almost fully automated production line using robotics from start to finish but they wound up ditching some of the robotics because a number of things were found to be eventually better done with human hands. My favorite thing about the MS series were the cases they came in.
The MS series were better after they retooled in 1995-96 and they went to a longer slot reed from Bb and lower, but when they first used short slot reeds, the damage was done and since the reeds are placed much further away from the player, a lot air gets wasted in the comb chamber. The Seydels are in a sense what the Ms series should've been, as they have the reeds set much closer to the player, but with even tighter slot tolerances than the MS series. I'm not a fan of the Pozidriv screws used in either the MS series or the Seydel (the MS uses Pozidriv #1 screws and the Seyde uses Pozidriv #0).
The pre MS-Meisterklasse uses berillium coper alloy for the reed material, which I've always found too bright for my personal taste.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
Fingers
138 posts
Jan 19, 2012
11:50 AM
|
@TOD! i agree the MS marine band is about the same size as a Seydel 1847 but for me that is where the similarity ends Seydel 1847 has stainless steel reeds, and non-vented open back covers, and the best non custom comb on the market, also the reeds bend like butter OOTB! i still use my MS marine bands in D and C! but i have put Hetrick diamondwood combs in them.
|
Todd Parrott
817 posts
Jan 19, 2012
12:43 PM
|
@Fingers - Yes, I understand the differences between the Seydel 1847 and the MS Big River or MS Marine Band. My comment is just a friendly way of firing back at Hohner MS haters. :) No harm intended and no disrespect to Seydel. They make good harps.
I'd love to see a new Seydel model that's smaller in size like the size of the handmade Hohners or Suzukis, and without the curve in the cover plates.
When you get down to it, there's only so much you can do with a harmonica design, but there are more options to explore with cover plates, which seems to be something that no manufacturer has seriously tackled as of yet. We have 4 different Marine Band style covers, tons of Special 20 style covers, lots of Promaster style covers, and MS style covers (Seydel). I like the new Olive harmonica, but once again, the same style as the Promaster.
The covers on the old pre-MS Meisterklasse were really a nice change - nothing too drastic, but still different enough to produce a nice tone.
|
Fingers
140 posts
Jan 19, 2012
1:15 PM
|
@Todd! ahh i am with you mate i guess i took you literary! myself i like the chunkier style harp......they don't call me Fingers cos they are small!! lol.
|
florida-trader
89 posts
Feb 11, 2012
6:07 PM
|
I didn't notice this post a couple of weeks ago but I just wanted to let any of you who are Pre-MS Blues Harp fans that I just posted a listing on eBay this afternoon for a complete set of 12 mint condition Pre-MS Blues Harps including the original case. I purchased them from a gentleman about a year ago thinking they would be a good restoration project. However, when I opened a couple of them up I could see that they had never been played so I put the covers back on and left them alone. They are in absolutely flawless condition.
Here's the link to the eBay listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Complete-Set-12-Hohner-Pre-MS-Blues-Harps-Original-Case-Mint-Condition-/190639526442?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c6300522a#ht_500wt_969
----------
  ">
|
arzajac
744 posts
Feb 11, 2012
6:43 PM
|
Very interesting!
Tom, how many nails are there in between the tines on the draw side? It's not clear by those photos... And are they all the same in that respect?
Thanks.
----------
|
florida-trader
91 posts
Feb 11, 2012
7:16 PM
|
There are 2 nails on the draw plates - between the 4-5 and the 7-8 slots. And yes, all the harps are identical in that regard.
----------
">
|
nacoran
6725 posts
Apr 22, 2013
6:41 PM
|
I know it's an old thread, but I just got a sonic cleaner and pulled out some harps I got in a lot on eBay and never got around to cleaning. One is a pre-MS Blues Harp, and I'm a fan. I think it's replacing my MB in that key (although the MB is no sloucher).
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
Sherwin
66 posts
Apr 22, 2013
8:00 PM
|
@ nacoran, or anyone else using an ultrasonic cleaner on their reed plates.
Will the ultrasonic cleaner remove the tarnish from reeds and plates? I'm not concerned with the appearance so much as I hate the taste of the tarnish, and don't like inhaling it, I use toothpaste and a toothbrush so far so good, though certainly tedious.
Sherwin
|
arzajac
1035 posts
Apr 23, 2013
3:05 AM
|
Sherwin: No. An ultrasonic cleaner will not remove tarnish. An ultrasonic cleaner is a lot like a million tiny mops. A mop can make my floor shine but it can't really pick away at something encrusted onto the floor. The ultrasonic cleaner won't power-wash anything but it will have no trouble getting into every nook and cranny so long as the ultrasonic waves can get there.
----------
|
MP
2721 posts
Apr 23, 2013
11:44 AM
|
from timeistight-
"The pre-MS Blues Harp was a little brother of the Marine Band. The pre-MS Pro Harp (and probably the Cross Harp -- I've never seen one) were little brothers of the Special 20. The pre-MS Meisterklasse was an older, German brother of the Suzuki Promaster."
my gigging G MB 1896 is actually an older Old Standby w/ MB covers. it is wonderful. at one point, the MB, Blues Harp, and Old Standby all used the same comb and reed plates. these harps all had three nail holes on both sides of the reed plates( the middle hole was for Old Standby covers as they only had one nail per side.
Pre-MS Blues Harps and older Old Standby's make awesome MB 1896 harps.
ditto that pre-MS Pros were just like special 2Os w/ black paint.
pre-MS Cross Harps were really nice, loud, well made harps and bear no resemblance in tone or play-a-bility to the MS thing in my parts box. i remember Johnny Mars had several of these in his kit.
when the pre-MS Meisterklasse came out me and my harp buddys jumped on it. We were all very dissappointed.
how could such a beautiful harp sound so lifeless?
A. they were made during Hohners bad years.
Todd Parrott and i disagree on this harp. He loves 'em.
but then again, he probably sends his harps to harpwrench so they are up to snuff.
as far as the Meisterklasse being a brother of the Suzuki Pro i'd say yes and no. The Pro is a copy. Interesting point. When the Klasse went MS, the Suzuki Pro copied the shape.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Apr 23, 2013 11:58 AM
|
Littoral
839 posts
Apr 23, 2013
12:38 PM
|
Sure am glad I kept everything...
MP "Pre-MS Blues Harps and older Old Standby's make awesome MB 1896 harps."
That's good to hear. I don't don't have many Pre-MS Blues Harps because they were pretty mushy to me but I'll be digging them up to revive. Back in the pre-MS days I mostly played Special 20's and I have a lot of those. Any thoughts as to the changes made to Special 20's?
I also have early GM's that are a serious pain to work on. Low Eflat and Low F, even.
|
HawkeyeKane
1607 posts
Apr 23, 2013
12:45 PM
|
Trivia on this subject....
Johnny Cash's harp of choice was the pre-MS Blues Harp.
----------
Hawkeye Kane
|
Littoral
840 posts
Apr 23, 2013
12:48 PM
|
@MP "at one point, the MB, Blues Harp, and Old Standby all used the same comb and reed plates. these harps all had three nail holes on both sides of the reed plates( the middle hole was for Old Standby covers as they only had one nail per side."
So I dug one up, crusty as it is, I see 2 on one side and 3 on the other -like the MB. True?
Last Edited by Littoral on Apr 23, 2013 12:54 PM
|
MP
2723 posts
Apr 23, 2013
12:51 PM
|
Littoral
. "Any thoughts as to the changes made to Special 20's? "
the Special 20 is now better than it has ever been. This goes for all the Hand Made series. GMs, MBs, etc. the MBDs had a few problems at first but now they seal the combs and have gotten the bugs out of noisy low register draw notes.
during the bad years the tolerances on SP/20s was drastic. lotta space between the reed and the slot.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
|
MP
2724 posts
Apr 23, 2013
12:57 PM
|
@MP "at one point, the MB, Blues Harp, and Old Standby all used the same comb and reed plates. these harps all had three nail holes on both sides of the reed plates( the middle hole was for Old Standby covers as they only had one nail per side."
I see 2 on one side and 3 on the other. True?"
the three large holes are for cover plate nails. blues harps and MBs used two per side. the Old Standby uses the one large hole inbetween the others.
does that answer your question? i'm not sure what you meant.
maybe you are refering to reed plate nails and you are correct. at one point between 85 and 92 the reed plate nail configuration is what you show in your picture.
now, the large cover plate holes came in threes.
modern harps are back to two large cover plate holes and the modern old standby is not something one would want to buy.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Apr 23, 2013 1:06 PM
|
Littoral
841 posts
Apr 23, 2013
1:16 PM
|
Thanks, I misunderstood. I was focused on reed plate nails. Here it shows 2 and then 3 across the back (+ 2 more on the ends).
|
arzajac
1037 posts
Apr 23, 2013
2:27 PM
|
Littoral:
Those photos show a pre-MS Blues harp from the "bad" period. There are two nail holes in between the tines on the draw side - that's how you tell when it's from.
"I don't don't have many Pre-MS Blues Harps because they were pretty mushy to me"
That's a good description of why they are not stellar harps. You can make them more responsive and brighter but they are still "mushy". If you try too hard they end up sounding like a kazoo.
----------
Last Edited by arzajac on Apr 23, 2013 2:27 PM
|
MP
2728 posts
Apr 24, 2013
11:59 AM
|
"I don't don't have many Pre-MS Blues Harps because they were pretty mushy to me"
"That's a good description of why they are not stellar harps. You can make them more responsive and brighter but they are still "mushy". If you try too hard they end up sounding like a kazoo."
that is a pretty apt description of harps from that period. particularly the MB/Blues Harp two nails bottom reed plate
version.
most experiments on those harps failed. i think i had a few exceptions to the rule.
i rebuilt an SP/20 from those years and the best i could get it was to sound like a good OOB harp.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Apr 24, 2013 12:00 PM
|
Kingley
2562 posts
Apr 24, 2013
12:13 PM
|
The pre MS Pro Harp was a superb instrument. They were real workhorse harps.
Last Edited by Kingley on Apr 24, 2013 12:13 PM
|
florida-trader
289 posts
Apr 24, 2013
12:41 PM
|
For any of you who might be in the process of restoring a pre-MS Blues Harp I have four sets of cover plates that I had powder coated that I would be happy to donate to the cause. When I first started experimenting with powder coating last year I pulled the covers off of everything I could find and that included a few of the pre-MS Blues Harps. I never have tried to sell them becuase I did not think there would be much interest and I'm sure the reed plates got used on other projects. So if anybody wants these covers let me know. They are yours for free.
----------
Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
|
nacoran
6733 posts
Apr 24, 2013
1:49 PM
|
Tom, I'll take them if they need a good home!
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
MP
2730 posts
Apr 25, 2013
12:29 PM
|
one of the problems with pre-MS Blues Harps,perhaps the main problem- was that the covers aren't very deep and the backs are almost closed. no side vents either. this made for a mushy, smothered tone, and reeds hitting the bottom cover plate on lower key models. same deal w/ older Old Standbys. ( those were beautiful embossed covers BTW but not very functional).
if i rebuild either one of those i replace the cover plates w/ MB 1896 plates. anyway...
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Apr 25, 2013 12:31 PM
|
florida-trader
290 posts
Apr 25, 2013
1:19 PM
|
Sorry Nate. Someone beat you to it. They are gone.
----------
Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
|
nacoran
6738 posts
Apr 25, 2013
10:16 PM
|
Lol, oh well. I snoozed, I loozed? I snost, I lost? Hmm, that doesn't rhyme well put into the past tense.
MP, it's interesting... I've always been on the fence with opening the backs of my Sp20's. I do it on about half of them. I kind of like the compressed sound they make closed, so I guess it figures I'd like a harp that emphasizes that sound even more.
I guess I'll start keeping an eye out for beat up Blues Harps on eBay. :)
----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
|
MP
2732 posts
Apr 26, 2013
11:16 AM
|
nacoran,
or older Old Standbys where the artfully embossed covers were a thing of beauty.
----------
MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
|
