SuperBee
5684 posts
Dec 23, 2018
4:35 AM
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i found a B harp in a box of junk harps i was given. its a Marine band from year 2000 and was intact. Being a B harp it hadnt even had much use.
i cleaned it up and put it in my kit, but it was pretty ordinary as a player. i mean, i could get it to do what i needed but it was fairly hard work.
Today i took it apart and went to work on it. the comb was just old and had dried out and had some splits so eventually I decided to put it on an aftermarket comb too.
it is a very good harp now, but i dont remember the bright idea i must have had to prompt me into restoring it. Maybe i do; ive been playing 'Early in the Morning' on an E harp in B, and i recently heard Jr Well's early version on which he plays 1st position. i bet thats what i was thinking about, throwing in some 1st position stuff into what i'm doing. i quite like singing in B
oh well, i'm glad i worked that out.
apart from that, a B harp is quite a good thing as far as harp keys go, regardless of its relative usefulness as an accompaniment key. its low enough to play the top end without being too squeaky and high enough to be pretty nimble
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Thievin' Heathen
1096 posts
Dec 29, 2018
1:28 PM
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I once bought(Ebay) a box of harps which came from Nashville. It was full of new Marine Bands, Special 20's and Lee Oskars in B and F. I've always wondered what the story on those? I don't recall ever having an opportunity to use a B, but there is a lot of Americana in B. When I customize a harp it almost always goes flat so a couple of those B's became Bb's or some Bb Alt. tuning.
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