geordiebluesman
544 posts
Feb 01, 2012
1:28 PM
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Hi Guys, i Have a few Custom marine Bands that i love very much but i have a chance to buy a pair or custom Hohner Blues Harps at a great price but i don't know how these harps play or sound, can anyone enlighten me?.
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HarpNinja
2117 posts
Feb 01, 2012
1:42 PM
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The won't be as nice as the custom MB's, so are hopefully prices accordingly.
Are the new BH or non-MS? I think the MS stuff can be tweaked to play well to very well, but they aren't very good stock.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
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jimbo-G
93 posts
Feb 01, 2012
1:53 PM
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Only from what I have read, the non ms blues harps are just MB's with cheap covers.
The ms blues harps in my opinion play as good if not better after being tweeked as mb's.
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nacoran
5159 posts
Feb 01, 2012
2:16 PM
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I've got 3 Blues Harps in my playing set. I like their sound well enough. I'm more of a plastic comb guy though. They tear up my lips enough that I try to get the band to play in other keys, but then so does my Marine Band (not my custom combed one though). Mine are all MS I think.
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Nate
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groyster1
1735 posts
Feb 01, 2012
5:18 PM
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the old original blues harp are far superior with mb 1896 coverplates but I guess I much prefer open vented coverplates as opposed to the closed covers that the original blues harp had-it was all just a gimmick by hohnerIMHO as apparently they had the same reeds
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Chinn
38 posts
Feb 01, 2012
6:45 PM
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I play 1896's, Pre MS and MS Blues Harps as well.
I love the tone of an 1896 but absolutely hate the shape and the covers. The unfinished edge catches and hurts.
The Pre MS Blues Harps have great tone and very good covers. I don't find them cheap at all, especially not when compared with the seemingly unfinished 1896 covers of the same period. I do like to fold the rear inside lip flat to open the back of the cover up (much like I do on 1896's)
The MS Blues Harps have the best covers by far, best hand position and most that I've had are very easy to play. However, the tone OTB is not my favorite.
I have found that embossing the MS BH's helps somewhat.
My understanding from every site I've read is that the Pre MS Blues Harp is simply an 1896 with a different cover. Setting them side by side with covers off seems to back that up.
For tone and ergo comfort, I like the Pre MS BH's best, but for ease of playing and hand hold, I like the MS BH's best.
Last Edited by on Feb 01, 2012 6:47 PM
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geordiebluesman
545 posts
Feb 03, 2012
12:58 AM
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Thanks guys, these two harps are on offer by a customiser and have been tweeked to play good so my main concern is tone and comfort, they seem to have a lot of deep engraving on the covers which does tend to be abrassive.
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MP
1996 posts
Feb 03, 2012
10:41 AM
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oh, i thought hohner made a new harp called the Marine Band 5 Blues Harp.
nevermind, carry on.
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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jimbo-G
97 posts
Feb 03, 2012
12:45 PM
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@ mp
Lol, id buy one!
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