hvyj
1893 posts
Oct 22, 2011
10:28 AM
|
I've been fooling around with an MB Deluxe that was given to me as a birthday gift. I usually play ET harps and the MBD is compromise tuned. Out of curiosity i put a Hetrick bamboo comb on the MBD and i liked it much better with the bamboo comb. I'm not a fan of MBs but I think the MBD with a bamboo comb is actually a pretty nice harp. I'm not sure why the bamboo comb plays and sounds better--it may be the material or it may be because it's flatter or perhaps both.
Anyway, of course chords sound a little sweeter and tighter on the MBD than on my ET harps, BUT to my ear, chords sound FATTER on the ET harps.
Now, split intervals don't any sound fatter on ET. But to my ear chords definitely do.
Contrary to what I was expecting, there's slight beating on the MBD, especially on the low end. I'm not bothered by it, but I was surprised since there seems to be so much discussion about chords beating on ET harps, which doesn't bother me either.
Chords on the MBD sound tighter and more "sing-songy" to my ear, but the "sing songy" effect may be due to the vented covers. I prefer the fatter chord sound from the ET harps.
Last Edited by on Oct 22, 2011 10:30 AM
|
JInx
101 posts
Oct 22, 2011
10:43 AM
|
For me, a major triad with a justified 3rd is 0ne of the most beautiful things out there.
|
arzajac
676 posts
Oct 22, 2011
11:57 AM
|
What the hell does "justified" mean?
HVYJ: I am assuming you are amped. How do the chords sound acoustically? Is there any difference to you?
----------
|
JInx
103 posts
Oct 22, 2011
12:03 PM
|
A just third is the one found in the harmonic series.
|
Adam Hamil
1 post
Oct 22, 2011
12:50 PM
|
The MB deluxe is much more on the "Just tuned" side of the spectrum. Putting a bamboo comb on a MB deluxe pretty much turns it into a MB crossover, minus the tuning differences. I personally love the bamboo combs for their resonance and raspy tone. The tuning on the crossover is compromised. All the notes are very close the ET but the chords sound very sweet and fat.
|
orphan
102 posts
Oct 22, 2011
1:12 PM
|
@ Adam Hamil
I noticed this is your first post. Welcome to the forum!
|
hvyj
1894 posts
Oct 22, 2011
2:17 PM
|
@arzajac: Actually, i've only been fooling around with it acoustically. I'll find some time to set up an amp to compare what it sounds like amped.
Acoustically, the MBD sounds very nice. And, of course, the vented covers make hand "wahs" sound pretty good, but I don't know what it'll sound like amped through a cupped mic. In general, i prefer the more focused tone one gets from a harp with unvented covers. But the MBD w/ the bamboo comb on it is not leaky and has decent compression and pretty even response. I was pleasantly surprised since an OOB regular MB is such a piece of crap.
@Adam Hamil: The MBD tuning is the same as on a SP 20. It's NOT just intonation, but it is more in that direction than the Crossover. I think the rasp comes more from the vented covers than the bamboo comb. But I definitely think the harp is more articulate with the bamboo comb. That may just be because the custom bamboo comb is flatter, but I'm not sure.
Last Edited by on Oct 22, 2011 2:24 PM
|
groyster1
1517 posts
Oct 22, 2011
8:49 PM
|
the 3 mb deluxe harps are superior to the ootb crossover I have-the bamboo comb is not superior to the sealed pearwood comb-the deluxes are beter than the crossover IMHO
|
hvyj
1898 posts
Oct 23, 2011
6:46 AM
|
I put a custom Hetrick comb on the MBD I have and the tone and articulation are definitely improved with the custom comb. But like I said before, that may have more to do with relative flatness than the material. But the stock pear wood comb did not seem leaky. It's only partially sealed, though.
Btw, I played the MBD through a tuner. As good as it sounds by itself I suspect I would sound somewhat out of tune if I tried playing it with a band. The draw 3 is so flat it's almost a blue third.
|
barbequebob
1771 posts
Oct 23, 2011
11:43 AM
|
The MBD tuning is the same as the present MB/Sp20 is and it is MUCH different than the MBXover is. The Crossover is closer to ET and the MB/MBD/Sp20 is tuned much closer to just intonation, which makes chords sound clearer and richer. ET chords stronger, I disagree completely as they sound more dissodant and harsh to my ears.
The present MBD is sealed only on the outer edges and the Crossover is fully sealed, and next year, the MBunfortunately, is how the averqge /MBD's combs are going to be fully sealed from the factory.
The 3 draw on the MB/MBD/Sp20 is tuned 11 cents flat and the Crossover is 5 cents flat. If you smackany note too hard, the pitch drops considerably and you wind up playing as much as 30 centds flatter when you play them too hard, which, unfortunately is how the average player too often plays, and why you never have harps tuned to true A440 just for that reason alone.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
harpwrench
534 posts
Oct 23, 2011
12:48 PM
|
The first thing some guys do for themselves is unscrew a screwed harp and retighten everything. Sometimes the will harp play better, if the parts weren't seated well to begin with. Just another reason for things to seem different when you change a comb, that's all.
|
barbequebob
1773 posts
Oct 24, 2011
7:41 AM
|
One thing I should add to Harpwrench's point is that periodically screws do loosen up over time no matter who makes them and so every few weeks or months, one should open the harp an retighten the screws, but make sure you don't overtighten them or risk stripping the threads and making the harp leak like hell when you do that.
Hvyj, the reason why 5 draw doesen't seem flat on the MBD/MB/Sp20 is that they are NOT tuned 29 cents as in 7LJI, but at about 10-12 cents flat. That same note in 19LJI would be tuned 1.5 cents sharp. On the MBXover, that note is tuned 5 cents flat, same as the Manji.
----------
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
|
hvyj
1900 posts
Oct 24, 2011
8:31 AM
|
@barbequebob: On the MBD I have, the 5D is dead on perfectly in tune at A442, not 10-12 cents flat. One of the things I HATE about compromise tuning is the flat 5D so I'm pretty sensitive to this and was very surprised by the 5D not being even slightly flat on this harp. Go figure....
|
