FWIW, personally, i find the "raspy" sound very unappealing. I strongly prefer the darker more focused tone one gets from full length unvented covers for my particular style of playing.
@ Sorin Its easier to just put Marine Band coverplates on and they are louder! They do sound different so I would just try them on one of your harps if you haven't already tried that.
Here is a sample of the raspy beautiful tone IMO of the Marine Band. It is called Lonely Crowd and is on the excellent Double CD by JJ Milteau, it's a great purchase containing some outstanding harp playing across a range of styles; Blues, ballads, Rock etc.,
This song also contains some amazing slow blues style fiddle playing which I've never heard the like of before.
I just want to share that it is posts like these that keep me poor and with no free time. I am not drooling over building myself a couple MB's with SP20 plates. Thanks alot. ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas Updated 2/24/11
Last week I changed the covers of my sp20 for MB covers on the harp. And indeed.... the harmonica sounds more like a Marineband now. I do like it !!! ---------- www.sweetportblues.com http://www.myspace.com/arnoudbluesharp
Hey Greyowl, that is indeed what I did ! I also opened the behind of the mb covers. ---------- www.sweetportblues.com http://www.myspace.com/arnoudbluesharp
@Arnoud73 I've been telling people about that for over a year you are the first person to post about doing it. You probably didn't even do it because you read one of my post either! Anyway!! (sorry about that). It makes a massive difference doesn't it. It takes the mutted muffled sound away. On the higher keyed harps (Db and above) it might not be as a good idea? I don't know. Like Harpninja said: to many ideas and not enough time and/or money!
@chromaticblues: FWIW, i have a set of custom Buddha harps built from GMs and I specified that the covers NOT be opened on keys Eb and above because I prefer the warmer (what you are calling more muted/muffled)tone produced by unopened covers on the higher key harps. But it's a subtle difference--certainly not a night and day thing.
When I said muted/muffled sound. I'm comparing the SP20 covers to the Marine Bands. I guess warmer works too, but the SP 20's sound a little muffled to me. The reason behind picking Db and above is because thats where Hohner switchs to short slot reeds. The overall idea is along the same lines as what you had done, but the difference between sp 20 and MB covers may be to great to do that. I don't know? Just an idea!
I was working on a harp for someone last night - GM, and had a Buddha harp handy in the same key - MB. I played them without covers side by side and on holes 4 and up the tone was as close to identical as you can get. It is important to note that both harps had complete reed work done and were intentionally altered in ways that would make the harps louder and brighter.
Holes 1-3 were a little different, but I think this is where most harps are differentiated from each other. They responded the same but had different tone. Part of this was the fact the GM was using a stock comb. Also, it was wider in my mouth (the MB comb was thinner).
On my light table magnified, the embossing was visibly the same. The reed profiles were the same, and I even gapped the GM the same. The Buddha wasn't my harp, and it would appear to be relatively modern reed plates, but I can't say for sure. Once I put the GM covers back on I was again floored by how the overall tone changed. It sounds like a totally different harp (granted playing w/o covers changes one's embouchure, but that isn't always a huge difference in sound).
I am just again reiterating and beating the dead horse of how factors other than the reeds impact the overall tone. FWIW, I prefer the warmer sound of the high keyed harps. On the lower harps I go back and forth depending on mood. A good compromise for me has been modding lower keyed GM's to be louder and brighter and then using GM covers. The tone sits between a MB and GM.
Ultimately I guess any number of factors are at play here and all add subtle differences to the tone of a harp(though some more pronounced than others); Reed and plates material/thickness, covers:- shape, open or not,type of metal/thickness; comb materials/thicknesses; embossing etc., That's why it's such a maze and throws up endless permutations and interesting possibilities.
Maybe these subtle nuances of tone are more discernable to the player than the casual listener. I know I've tried out different harps same key with my son (who is a good musician) and he can't really tell difference.
I even suspect if you did a blind test with several brands of harps and asked harp players to guess what harps were being played, they wouldn't be able to tell even with a custom harp in the mix.
In the end it's how it feels it plays and sounds to you that matters. When I pick up my different harps they all demand varying and subtle degrees of playing style (all OOTB I should add) ie I might have to attack a 3 draw bend more on one harp, back off a bit on another, adjust the pitch of a note by changing emboucher say if the note is slightly off etc., You are kind of adjusting on the run without really being aware of it generally.
It is all personal preference. The crowd can't tell, and that is double-true if you are playing amped or with a cupped mic.
For me, the eternal battle is always how well I hear myself on stage. I don't play in any really quiet bands, so the added presence is nice. ---------- Mike Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas Updated 2/24/11
I am bringing greyowls thread out of the dead-I recently had an old{25-30yearsold) blues harp covers replaced with mb1896 covers and was amazed at the sound improvement-if I want to replace sp20 covers with mb1896 covers what modifications are needed?I am good with my screwdriver kit but thats about it
if i understand correctly you want to put MB 1896 covers on a SP/20?
if so, you just need to drill holes in the MB plates and use SP/20 screws.
measure and mark where you need to drill the holes. you can secure the plate to a piece of wood w/ masking tape. if you also put masking tape on the flaps where you are going to drill it makes it easy to mark with a pen and the tape helps to keep your drill from 'walking'.
you can use a hand drill. a very small rat tail file is good for burrs and for correcting the holes (widening)if you are a little off. ----------
MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2011 2:15 PM
thanks mark think Ill give it a try with a hand drill so impressed with the old blues harp change my sp20 combs will stay the same they are not pretty but they are good combs
i've put MB covers on several pre-MS Blues Harps and it's a world of difference. i've done the same with some very old Old Standbys---ditto! ----------
MP doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
