harpdude61
2102 posts
Sep 04, 2014
6:34 PM
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Sorry if this has been brought up..but I just received two new GMs in the mail from good ole Rockin Ron.
The "A" harp I ordered is in a newer box that shows Rachelle Plas on the box and a pic of a GM that says "PROGRESSIVE" on the cover plate. The harp inside does not have this cover plate. Standard GMs like always.
The "F" harp is in a box that says Golden Melody No. 542. Again, with the same harp.
I want two new harps that say "PROGRESSIVE" if that is the latest and greatest.
Surely Hohner wouldn't pack an old harp in a new box.
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harpdude61
2103 posts
Sep 04, 2014
7:03 PM
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AMAZING!! I sent Ron a copy of the above post and my phone rang two minutes later.
He has talked with Hohner. He doesn't like that this is confusing his customers. Hohners says boxes and harps come from different places..so...
He says the harps that say progressive may not appear until late this year. Hohner says the harps are exactly the same except for cover plates.
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HarveyHarp
604 posts
Sep 05, 2014
7:27 AM
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I would think that Hohner would send you new cover plates to replace the ones you have. I know I would.
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HarveyHarp
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Diggsblues
1528 posts
Sep 05, 2014
7:39 AM
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At SPAH I got a special 20 progressive and Hohner said it was not any different than the old special 20.
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GEEZER1
217 posts
Sep 05, 2014
8:17 AM
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You can't blame Ron for this. He did the right thing and called Hohner. This is another example of Hohner's Arrogance. They think you have to buy from Hohner no matter what.
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Todd Parrott
1241 posts
Sep 05, 2014
1:58 PM
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All I can say is that the new Golden Melodies with the new cover plates are much more PROGRESSIVE than the old ones. lol
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DanP
267 posts
Sep 05, 2014
5:08 PM
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I recently received a Hohner catalog and it looks like the Special 20 will not say Marine Band on the cover any more. For the past 40 or so years, Special 20s have had the same covers that said Marine Band because it has the same reeds and reed plates and the same tuning as the standard 1896 Marine Band.
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harpdude61
2104 posts
Sep 06, 2014
8:22 AM
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GEEZER1...no one is blaming Rockin Ron..I was praising him.
Matter of fact he asked me to share this letter he received.
Ron,
There is no difference between a Special 20 stamped Progressive and a Special 20 not stamped Progressive.
The Progressive line is simply a re-categorization to make the differences in features of our 10-hole diatonic harmonicas more apparent. Categories are:
Marine Band = Classic, Deluxe, Crossover, Thunderbird
Progressive = Special 20, Golden Melody, Rocket
MS = Blues Harp, Big River Harp, Blue Midnight
Enthusiast = BluesBand, Old Standby, Blues Bender, American Ace, Pocket Pal, Hot Metal
So a Special 20 stamped Progressive is no different than any other Special 20. Therefore we will continue to sell the old cover plates until they run out without changing our distribution. I do not know how long that will take. My opinion is it is safe to say we will run out by the end of the year on popular keys.
Bill Bucco
Reed Instrument Service Manager | HOHNER, Inc
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harpdude61
2105 posts
Sep 06, 2014
8:24 AM
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I'm sure it would have cost more for Hohner to align harps with cover plates and packaging. Still, in a business sense it would have been the right thing to do.
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Kingley
3687 posts
Sep 06, 2014
8:49 AM
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"I'm sure it would have cost more for Hohner to align harps with cover plates and packaging. Still, in a business sense it would have been the right thing to do"
From a business sense point of view, it makes sense to clear your old stock first. Hohner probably didn't have enough of the old packaging left to cover the other materials left over in stock (in this case cover plates), so had to use the new packaging instead. Considering that like most businesses they get their materials from a lot of different suppliers, that would be the most logical conclusion to arrive at. Hohner like any other business are in business to make money.
The harmonica is exactly the same except for a word stamped on the cover plate. It plays the same, has the same tuning and reeds, same comb, same cover plate materials. Are you happy with the harmonica you received from a playing point of view? Does the harmonica missing a word on the cover plate affect it's performance?
Let's take a scenario here for a moment. Let's say you've gone into a store and bought a new saucepan for cooking and on the box picture it has a bright red circle on the bottom of it. Then when you open the box at home the saucepan inside has a dull red circle instead. Would you take it back to the store and complain or would you just use it as is? Would the colour of that circle adversely affect the saucepans ability to cook food adequately?
Last Edited by Kingley on Sep 06, 2014 8:51 AM
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Bilzharp
15 posts
Sep 06, 2014
9:14 AM
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It's not uncommon for marketing to not exactly be on the same page as actual product. I have a nice glossy 1953 Hohner catalog from their Canadian distributor that shows the "Mickey Mouse ear" cover plate on the Marine Band model, even though they had stopped making that style 20 yrs. earlier!
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harpdude61
2107 posts
Sep 06, 2014
10:22 AM
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Kingley..I understand exactly what you are saying, but some businesses would rather lose a little money than cause confusion for customers and retailers. Ron says he hears this everyday. I'm sure many of the thousands of customers that don't follow these forums may think they have the wrong harp or got cheated.
"New and Improved" with the same ole product inside.
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Goldbrick
672 posts
Sep 06, 2014
3:30 PM
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Lets face it - Hohner is a company that is not particularly interested in customer satisfaction
Any harp you buy from them is a crap shoot.
When they play well they are great but you could get a real turkey just as easily,
I have never had an unplayable Lee Oskar or Suzuki out of the box. The same cannot be said from Hohner
I agree that the collar should match the cuffs- yes its the same product but they should give you what it pictures on the box
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Kingley
3690 posts
Sep 06, 2014
11:49 PM
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Peter Blyth at Harmonicas Direct gives great customer service and always goes out of his way to be helpful. He always gets my business.
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A440
197 posts
Sep 06, 2014
11:54 PM
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Hohner management seems to be out of touch with the market. Instead of putting new "product category" names on harps, or tinkering with packaging, Hohner would do well to focus their investments on product quality and innovation. They seem oblivious to the advances Seydel and Suzuki have made over the past decade.
And from a marketing point of view, replacing the words Marine Band with Progressive on the cover of the SP20 is more likely to hurt the image rather than help it. The SP20 is one the best selling harps in the world, so why tinker with the name? The Marine Band heritage is part of the SP20's reputation. It is known as the Marine Band for people who prefer a plastic comb and recessed reed plates. Dropping the MB name kills that association.
Last Edited by A440 on Sep 06, 2014 11:59 PM
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Kingley
3691 posts
Sep 07, 2014
12:30 AM
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A440 - Hahaha I don't even know where to start with your last post. Have you been living in a cave somewhere? In the past decade Hohner has made huge leaps in product quality and innovation. Or are you oblivious to that? They have retooled and have far better quality control than they have ever had. The 1896 Marine Band is a superb harp out of the box now and is easily as good as any Suzuki or Seydel (or any other manufacturer). It can play overblows out of the box more often than not. It has a fully sealed comb, decent gapping and pretty good tuning. The Marine Band Deluxe and Crossover models are even better still. Apart from some very minor gapping (which I do with any harp) to suit my way of playing, they all play superbly out of the box and will do everything I require of them and more. The Special 20 and Golden Melody are also equally as good. I really wish people would stop trying to compare or judge the Hohner harmonicas of today as the same as the period in the 80's and 90's when they were rough. The Crossover in particular is one of the best out of the box harmonicas around by a running mile and is far, far better than any Suzuki Manji I have ever played. In fact all the Manji's I own have had to been embossed, gapped and had the combs flat sanded before they were anything like playable to a decent level. Whereas all the 1896 and Deluxe harps I've bought in the last few years have been playable right out of the box.
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Gnarly
1108 posts
Sep 07, 2014
12:49 AM
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I do the warranty repairs for Suzuki--
If you buy a Manji or any other Suzuki, and you feel it doesn't respond properly, call us up at 800-854-1594 and ask for either Daron or myself (Gary Lehmann)--
I believe the Suzuki harps are as good or better than the competition!
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sonny3
208 posts
Sep 07, 2014
4:05 AM
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Im not sure about the name on top but the GMs that i've Bought all overblow out of the box with no gapping.That is pretty cool.Based on my experience Hohner quality is very good now.
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arzajac
1461 posts
Sep 07, 2014
5:02 AM
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Ah marketing!
Nobody likes change. Honer makes an insignificant change and folks panic thinking you have changed their beloved favorite harp. Gets people talking.
It's free publicity and meanwhile, no one will *not* buy one off the shelf because it has a new word stamped on the cover. Especially if the girl behind the counter reassures you that the official word from Germany is that they are still the exact same old harp despite the big marketing splash. "Yay Hohner! You did the right thing!"
Every year, Hohner should put out an ad campaign with new artwork and catchphrases to deliver the same message: "We haven't changed the product again! - Just like you wanted!"
Meanwhile, every manufacturer's harp suffers from mass-production syndrome. You can get a good one or you can get a bad one. It's the luck of the draw. They are all the same. I mean, aside from the fact one model sounds differently and plays differently than the others. They still are all the same.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Sep 07, 2014 8:57 AM
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1847
2142 posts
Sep 07, 2014
11:11 AM
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Especially if the girl behind the counter reassures you that the official word from Germany
perhaps the girl behind the counter, did not get the memo....
the official word, comes from China......... just sayin.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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