Nibiria
12 posts
Jun 24, 2014
8:06 AM
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I've heard it has great sound, a little leaky, comb swells, etc. etc. I'm sort of okay with that and if I'm not I can replace the comb and it'll fix that. My main question is I've heard the complaint that the cover plates get crushed since there's no back support. I carry a harp in my pocket at almost all times, so would it be a bad idea to do that with an 1896 Marine Band? Or is the information I got false?
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Slimharp
338 posts
Jun 24, 2014
8:22 AM
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Keep it in the case or buy a Special 20 if you want to stay with Hohner.
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arzajac
1411 posts
Jun 24, 2014
9:27 AM
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The MB covers should hold up as well as most other harps. Certainly as well as other Hohner models.
Never carry your harp out of it's case. You can get a soft case, or some other pouch to carry it, like a small cell phone case. That adds enough bulk so that the harp will never get lost in you pocket and get sat on. Lint and debris are also a big problem you want to avoid.
And hygiene. A little kid picks his nose and handles coins. The next thing you know that coin is rattling against your harp in your pocket!
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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Libertad
263 posts
Jun 24, 2014
9:30 AM
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I don't think the recent ones suffer much from comb swell or leaks. I also like the zip cases that the crossovers come with for carrying one in my pocket. Go for it, great sound!
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barbequebob
2608 posts
Jun 24, 2014
9:53 AM
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If you're having a problem with crushing the cover plates, unfortunately, the obvious reason is that you have a tendency to grip your harps far too hard all the time and most players guilty of this often have no idea they'e doing that.
It sounds like you've bought your MB in a brick and mortar retail store and it's not surprising that they may have stock that's 5++ years old they still haven't sold yet. The better online harp specialist stores like
Rockin' Ron's usually tend to have the newer stock on hand and the newer stock have combs that are 100% fully sealed, so there should be ZERO swelling at all. The older stock will have the combs painted black with the mouthpiece area painted yellow wheras the newer stock will have no paint on it at all and at the back opening, on the comb it should have the Hohner name on it. The newer stock also plays a helluva lot better OOTB than the older ones do.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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A440
163 posts
Jun 24, 2014
11:12 AM
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The newest generation of MB1896 is fairly well sealed, has mininal swelling and is fairly airtight. The reeds usually need adjusting OOTB, which means pulling out nails. After opening them a few times, they don't stay together tightly, thats when they get leaky. The problem: nails.
The covers are fine - as good as any other harp. Just don't sit on them.
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barbequebob
2612 posts
Jun 24, 2014
11:17 AM
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@A440 -- I'm not a fan of nails (tho the nails/escutcheon pins on the early GM's/Sp20's were much worse), but a trick that I learned from a really old school chromatic player was that once the nail holes got larger, he advised me to get round tipped toothpicks (but make sure the entire toothpick is round and not squared off in any way), and stuff the nail holes with the point of the toothpicks and then remove the rest of it and the holes should be like new again.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Kingley
3615 posts
Jun 24, 2014
12:30 PM
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+1 on BBQ Bob's tip about toothpicks.
On a Marine Band (or any other diatonic harmonica) You don't need to remove the reedplates to adjust the reeds, only the covers. Most of the time people just gap the reeds. That can be done with a toothpick, a paper clip, I use one part of a pair of tweezers to do mine. Check out Joe Spiers YouTube videos on gapping and you'll see the path of enlightenment on gapping harmonicas.
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Nibiria
13 posts
Jun 24, 2014
1:35 PM
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Thanks guys. One last question on this, and hopefully somebody can answer here: since Rockin Ron's (the shopping cart/checkout portion) won't load, would these be the most up to date models of the marine band or is it not worth risking?
http://www.amazon.com/Hohner-MBC-Harmonicas-Zippered-Carrying/dp/B001GF9AS6
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SuperBee
2088 posts
Jun 24, 2014
2:26 PM
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The pictured harps appear to be current production. I wouldn't buy them from amazon myself. I'd rather support the harp community.
I've been buying harps a long time. The MB 1896 harps I've bought from RR the last couple years are pretty much the best-playing harps I've ever bought from a shop. I like them better than crossovers in some ways.
The weird thing is that it's not just the current production. I bought a few old stock he sold as a special. I could hardly believe that every one of the five harps was completely gig ready ootb.
But it's true. I would go so far as to say the F harp is the best harp I've had in 35 years.
Anyway, I'll stand up for Rockin Ron. He really does right by harp players. I applaud his approach to business.
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Gnarly
1037 posts
Jun 24, 2014
2:49 PM
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That's what I say too!
Last Edited by Gnarly on Jun 24, 2014 3:57 PM
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