Estragon
13 posts
Nov 10, 2016
8:20 AM
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Hi hope you're all doing well?
Just added a Marine Band Deluxe to my stash, it's the first I've owned (although I've plenty of standard MBs, Crossover, TBird and Lee Oskar).
After an initial bit of tinkering, gapping, checking for air tightness and rebuilding I've had a very enjoyable afternoons play with it, really enjoying the tone and overall it feels good and plays nicely.
One thing I've noticed though is how much the tines move (in a horizontal plane). If I run my fingertip left to right and back again over the tines there is visible movement and an audible click. My Crossovers/ Thunderbird tines only seem to move a tiny amount by comparison and don't click, and my regular Marine Bands don't seem to move at all.
Any thoughts? Is this normal?!
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nacoran
9281 posts
Nov 10, 2016
1:27 PM
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I don't have any Deluxes to test against, but in all my post reading this is the first time I've ever heard anything about tines moving. My understanding was, sealing and screw holes aside the Deluxe was the same comb as the regular MB.
Is it possible that there is a crack in the comb? It wouldn't have to be the tines. A crack along the back could allow all the tines to move a little (well, a bunch of tines to move a little all together). There is a spot on the MB comb (where that one screw goes through and there is almost no wood because the slot is comes so close to the back) that is prone to cracking, particularly when the harp is disassembled.
I've never heard a tine click on an assembled harp for sure, and the noise they make if you, say, run them along a table unassembled, is less of a click and more of a thunk as each tine hits the table after the previous one.
One of the customizers might chime in. The only other thing I can think is that there might be a bow in the reed plates so there is less friction occurring between the plate and the tines?
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Estragon
14 posts
Nov 12, 2016
6:57 PM
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Hi nacoran, thanks for your response. There's no damage so the only sensible option was to take it apart again and rebuild. Despite there being no signs of the cause, sure enough second time it's gone back together again beautifully. I guess I'm going to have to admit human error although I'm not sure how as didn't do anything differently! I've take plenty of harps apart but never had this happen before, most odd. On that note don't you find just disassembling and reassembling a harp nearly always makes an improvement even if you don't work on it as such?
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andysheep8
55 posts
Nov 17, 2016
12:37 PM
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The tines they are a-changin'?
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groyster1
2885 posts
Nov 18, 2016
11:49 AM
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the marine bands I bought in the 80s were notorious for tines moving....when I used toothpick to get dead skin out they would move....and the harp would be ruined....one of many reasons I gave up marine bands back then
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Estragon
16 posts
Nov 19, 2016
8:47 AM
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I don't know about the 80s harps groyster1 but this harp is now rock solid and playing like a dream. Any fault was with me not Hohner.
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barbequebob
3315 posts
Nov 19, 2016
9:15 AM
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What those tines you're talking about wee actually saw marks and those were a HUGE problem with wood comb Hohners from their crappy period of 1981-1995 because instead of resharpening their cutting tools every couple of weeks to a month, it became once in about every 5 years and that alone gave rise to customizers because all of those combs had to have a lot of flat sanding done to them and that alone made those harps leak like a sieve.
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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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groyster1
2886 posts
Nov 21, 2016
9:02 AM
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@estragan.........I quit buying marine bands in the 1980s because of very poor quality and changed to sp20.....I'm aware that mb1896 are much better now...I have star of david mb1896,NOS mb made 50-60 years ago and custom marine bands....they are now by far my best harps....tuned to just intonation
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Estragon
19 posts
Nov 21, 2016
9:09 AM
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All the ones I own are really nice but they are all modern. The Marine Band Deluxe is a practical improvement in terms of access via screws rather than nails (obviously you could convert but for the sake of a little extra cash, no big deal). Also the semi sealed comb eradicates all swelling issues for me while maintaining the classic tone. Love my crossovers too, all the ones I have are quality builds.
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