dchurch
318 posts
Dec 06, 2019
11:15 PM
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A month or two ago I bought a new Hohner Crossover. I’m just getting around to posting some thoughts about that choice.
When I started playing I had to get a classic Marine Band. I honestly didn’t like it as much as the Special 20 or GM. But years later I’ve grown to love them especially after just a little work.
I normally buy original Marine Bands and then replace the nails with screws and improve the comb. I could just buy the MB Deluxe but the work is easy and rewarding. To me the Crossover seems to be a better step up from the standard Marine Band. I like the bamboo comb with chamfered tines and it’s already bolted together. I’ve also gone the route of adding a custom comb to the standard MB. That makes for a real nice harp too and there is slightly less work involved.
I’ve learned that getting a really great playing harmonica right out of the box is largely a matter of luck. I really hope for good quality parts and something that plays decent as is, but I expect to at least adjust some gaps.
I was excited when my brand new Crossover arrived but I knew right away my luck was poor this time. This one was pretty darn leaky so I wasn’t completely shocked when I cracked it open and saw this.
I’m sure this is not a typical Hohner comb surface but I have seen plenty of similar saw marks on wood Marine Band combs. I guess Hohner uses the same cutters for the bamboo. I could have asked for a refund… but I figured it was less hassle to just go through my standard steps of sanding, gapping, and check the tuning.
Okay, after about 20 minutes of work I really love this Crossover.
I’m not sure that I love it more than my other Marine Bands, but it’s definitely a contender.
It’s a fine harmonica. Still, I’ll probably stick to buying standard Marine Bands and doing my own upgrades.
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SuperBee
6360 posts
Dec 06, 2019
11:56 PM
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Wow. I haven’t seen one that bad.
I don’t see all that many Crossovers though. I have 5 bamboo combs from a Hohner and they’re all really good.
I suppose I’ve had 20-30 others apart here, but never saw a mark like that.
Years ago I decided to commit to playing xovers, but after the initial purchase of Low F (ok, that’s a Tbird but essentially a Crossover with a conical lower cover) C G D A i never bought another.
That was 2011 or 2012 I think. I still have all those and I’d play them I reckon if I didn’t have those keys in custom harps. (I do sometimes use the Low F but really just don’t have much call for that key).
Sometimes I pick one up and play it and really, they are pretty good. I mean, very good.
But, all these years down the track I’m just as happy with an 1896, Deluxe, Sp20, Rocket
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jbone
3079 posts
Dec 07, 2019
7:47 PM
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I'm still mostly an OOTB guy. I will regap here and there if it's needed but I want to drive the thing, not build it! I have yet to try a Crossover but I do have several Deluxes which are a good part of my working kit.
I suppose I could put a flat sanding kit together but I have not done it yet. I imagine if I saw a comb as bad as the above I'd see about a new comb.
I did do a few nail to screw conversions some 15 years ago or so but it was labor intensive and since I was not doing any reed work, the results didn't stand the test of time.
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dougharps
2044 posts
Dec 08, 2019
8:44 AM
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I agree about luck of the draw on OOTB harps. I usually set gaps as well as well as loosening and re-tightening the reed plate screws on a new harp. I never saw a Hohner with a comb that rough.
I have a couple Hering Vintage 1923 Just Intonation harps that had marks that bad, but I never have found a Crossover or MBD that wasn't reasonably smooth. That one you pictured is pretty bad!
I might sand one like that or perhaps just get a Zajac or Blue Moon comb for it and save the hassle of sanding it that much to get it smooth.
Edit: your Harp Plane tool would be good for fixing this, and if I foresaw buying and improving a number of harps in my future I would buy both a Manji and Marine Band plane. As it is, I have too many harps already and most are on good combs, either original or replacement. Your price seems reasonable, and if I were building a set of one brand of wood or composite comb harps, it would definitely be something I would order!
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Dec 08, 2019 8:56 AM
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Thievin' Heathen
1183 posts
Dec 08, 2019
11:03 AM
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I thought the Crossover was supposed to be one of the German hand built models. It's hard to imagine that one going across a work bench. Funny thing, you probably voided your warranty through discovery. You see some peculiar quality control issues sometimes when you open up your harps. I've seen reeds that were practically cut in half with a tuning "scratch" and I've seen entire reed plate pairs with no tuning marks at all.
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groyster1
3495 posts
Dec 09, 2019
4:54 AM
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it was my understanding that marine band classics are also hand built...….the pre war marine bands certainly must have been hand made.....they play too well to have not been......but the current marine bands also play very well
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dchurch
320 posts
Dec 09, 2019
9:33 AM
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Yes, this is one of the most obvious flaws I've seen too. But honestly I have found a lot of saw marks on Marine Band combs. They have the same arched marks but typically not as deep or long. Sometimes minor saw marks are hard to see without some side lighting. Here's an MB that I haven't sanded yet.
It seems to me that Seydel produces better wood surfaces. But I have taken apart way more Marine Bands.
Maybe Hohner cuts the tines in a thick block then saws the block into several combs and the last cut from the block is susceptible to drifting?
I don't know why they aren't cutting the combs slightly over size then running them through a final thickness sander.
SB- I agree the Marine Band Crossover is a very good harmonica. I love this one now. It just happened to have a pretty severe flaw OOTB. To be fair the other side of the Crossover comb looked good and was pretty darn flat.
Thievin- It's cool to think our harmonicas are "hand made". But then again it introduces the human element, like: Someone having a bad day, in a hurry, or being hungover... I worked with Quality Control on the Alaskan Pipeline in the 70's. The quality of work on Friday afternoons and Monday mornings was always sketchy.
Boo to a warranty clause. How would you know if the harp had a serious problem or a simple fix without taking it apart?
I take every new harp apart. Usually within the first week of getting it. If for no other reason than to set the gaps the way I like them.
-jbone I understand that harmonicas should play well OOTB. I think for the most part they at least play okay. This Crossover is an example of why sometimes they don't. I noticed this one leaked badly straight away. Sometimes the problems are more subtle. I guess it just bugs me when I buy a harp and it doesn't play great, so I just expect to do a little work on anything I get. I agree the Deluxe is a very practical option compared to DIY fasteners. I don't mind doing the fastener conversion, in part because I know that I'm going to take the harp apart anyway to do other improvements.
Dougharps- Ya thanks I went to work on this comb starting with 220 grit. I made some dust to get to the bottom of that gouge. I probably did 3 minutes of solid sanding, which made me wonder if I'd notice the thinner comb in my mouth.
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Last Edited by dchurch on Dec 09, 2019 9:34 AM
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