Scoltx
31 posts
Mar 08, 2009
6:26 AM
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I'm looking for opinions on these harps from someone who has already A->B compared these 2 models. I'm looking to find the best wood combed harp out of the box. Playability and tone are the two primary factors.
Current harps I own include, 3-MB 1896, 5-Blues Harp,
4-SP20,2-Golden Melody,1-Pro Harp,1-Big River,2-LO,
1-Suzuki Bluesmaster and 1 -MB 364. Hit and miss on consistency out of the box for some of them. The best setup out of the box of the bunch was the Suzuki, but I'm not as fussy on the tone (to my ears) compared to the MB's or Blues Harps.
How similar in tone are the Soloist Pro and the MB Deluxe if at all. How would they compare tone wise to what I might already own?
The Seydel gets the price point at around $41 US vs MBD at around $52.
Thanks for your opinions folks! :)
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isaacullah
83 posts
Mar 08, 2009
6:10 PM
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I have NOT A/B tested the two, but I do own several standard Marine Bands, and recently bought a Soloist Pro. The soloist pro blows the Marine Band Standard out of the water. It's a whole different league. Overblows that i struggled to achieve on the MB's came very easily on the Soloist Pro. Comb is super comfortable and WELL sealed. The cover plates are stainless steel, and are PERFECTLY smooth. My lips slide very easily across them (I'm a lip purser). There are NO hole numbers stamped on the cover plates, so it's extra smooth. It's also MUCH weightier than a standard MB... After purchasing the Soloist Pro, I, for one, am never going back to playing Hohners.
Cheers,
Isaac
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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Andrew
149 posts
Mar 10, 2009
12:02 AM
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As a result of this last post I have just ordered a Bb Solist Pro.
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Ant138
68 posts
Mar 11, 2009
2:02 AM
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Hi ive got A MB deluxe and wasnt that impressed. Ive got one in A and the reeds tend to rattle and hit the cover plate sometimes if i play too hard, it is a loud harp and its easy to bend notes on but but the 4 hole draw is a bit sticky. All in all not that great for a £35 harp. Try the Seydel it seems they cant do a thing wrong at the moment. The only decent harp Hohner seem to make is the Blues harp.
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Andrew
154 posts
Mar 11, 2009
2:10 PM
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Yeah, the MB deluxe is not a perfect MB, it's just an MB with an extra $15 of care. I think you get your $15 worth, but that's as far as it goes.
All this is fine until you've bought your dozen harps and you work out the price and you realise you've spent the equivalent of an entry-level Yamaha flute but without the quality.
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Scoltx
35 posts
Mar 11, 2009
2:49 PM
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Well I guess I'll give the Seydel a shot first, I think in one of Adam's videos he gave Seydels a thumbs up as well. So with the good things I'm hearing about the Seydel and the not so positive reviews of the MB Deluxe it seems the obvious choice between the two. Then I can always A - B it with a standard MB myself.
Last Edited on 11-Mar-2009 2:49 PM
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Andrew
156 posts
Mar 11, 2009
3:06 PM
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The MB deluxe is sweet. I'm just not sure how sweet!
There's no doubt that it's better than a standard MB.
I'll probably buy another D harp soon. I'll be comparing a MB deLuxe in A with a Seydel in Bb before deciding what to buy.
Last Edited on 11-Mar-2009 3:08 PM
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Andrew
164 posts
Mar 13, 2009
1:38 AM
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Well, my Seydel Solist Pro arrived yesterday, and today I've done some gapping, and here are some early thoughts, based on one Seydel in Bb and one MB Deluxe in A (gapped).
The finish on the Seydel is a lot better than the normal MB and also better than the MB deluxe - it looks good, feels good, it has two pozidrive screws, but it doesn't play a lot better than a standard MB: it's pretty leaky (but I'll probably do a little more gapping) - the MB deluxe is a far better instrument to play, for only a little more money than the Seydel.
But something that surprises me is that on the Seydel the 5-draw is a lot more bendable than on any MB!
Sorry, you asked about out of the box, I realise. That's a very difficult call (no, dammit - the MB deluxe was better out of the box), and it might be worth a thread on gapping. The only thing I can say is that the Seydel out of the box looks suspiciously as though it's pre-gapped for 4, 5 and 6-hole overblows (the other gaps were too wide for my liking)!
So my mind's made up - if I buy another D harp it will be a MB deluxe.
Last Edited on 13-Mar-2009 2:10 AM
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Tryharp
124 posts
Mar 13, 2009
4:34 AM
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Nice review Andrew,
Ive never tried a Seydel. To me, and I think increasingly other serious harp players, the out of the box performance is not that relevant. Harmonicas are made for a mass market, not harp nerds like us ( & I assume that we are only a small part of the market compared to the Xmas stocking market). I'm sure if Hohner or anyone else wanted to make an out of the box harp, that played beautifully they could do it, but at the end of the day it comes down to the bottom line $$$$$. For mine, its the sound, if you want quality, customise it yourself or pay someone who can do it. So far for me, and the type of blues I want to play, the MB has no peer.
TRYHARP - Take it easy.
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Scoltx
36 posts
Mar 13, 2009
4:38 AM
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Thanks Andrew for the review, I have a couple more questions tho. How about tone, how does Seydel compare with the MB deluxe or even a regular MB. Does it have that open sound of the MB or more compressed sound like a SP20 or Blues Harp? My guess would be the latter as the cover plates aren't vented like the MB. How about volume?
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Andrew
166 posts
Mar 13, 2009
5:03 AM
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Yeah, it occurred to me on the train that I should have mentioned the tone.
The MBs are a lot louder and clearer and brighter than the Seydel, but that may be because the Seydel is leaky. Also in my flat I have to play quiet, which really doesn't do any harp justice. I need a week's waiting on train platforms where I can give it a blast and break it in before I feel that I really know the instrument.
P.S. I'm going away for 4 days this afternoon, so if anyone asks me any more questions and I don't reply, please don't think I'm being rude.
Last Edited on 13-Mar-2009 5:05 AM
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Scoltx
37 posts
Mar 13, 2009
7:09 AM
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Thanks again Andrew, I'm looking forward to your impressions after you've played it a bit. In the long run I'll probably end up buying one of each and come up with my own preferences.
Tryharp, I agree with you statements, I'm not opposed to re-gapping and other tweaks, I'm even doing the minor ones myself. I personally can't justify $100 - $150 for a customized MB when I can get close to what I want with an out of box harp (ie screws instead of nails, sealed comb etc) then just bring it up to my preferences with some tweaks. If I were building a race car I'd start with a muscle car not a station wagon. The muscle car is not going to be a race car off the showroom floor but it's a lot closer than a station wagon. If you see where I'm going with this.
I guess if I were a pro the bar would be higher and a professionally customized harmonica might be the way I'd go. Who knows maybe somewhere down the road when my Harp chops are better.... :)
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