Buddha
2192 posts
Jul 06, 2010
10:09 AM
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I've claimed there isn't a harp I can't OB out of the box.
I just received a box of new harps 11 of which are GMs. Out of 11 I couldn't OB on 5 of them...I mean at all.
This is the worst batch of harps I've comes across ever. I feel sorry for the guys who are buying these and don't know how to tweak them.
conversely, I have several new Marine Bands in the box that play beautifully.
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"All is bliss"
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walterharp
397 posts
Jul 06, 2010
10:21 AM
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maybe your ob technique is slipping :-)
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ridge
31 posts
Jul 06, 2010
10:32 AM
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Is there a common theme among the 5 that you were not able overblow? Were they all the same key? Is the gapping exceptionally high? Are the reeds made of balsa wood?
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Buddha
2193 posts
Jul 06, 2010
10:37 AM
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I haven't taken them apart yet. 2 G, 1 Ab 1 Bb 2 C very common keys. The other ones sucked too but not as bad.
All of the MBs played well for an OOTB harp. Couldn't get ODs other than 7ODs and couldn't get 1 overblow on ANY of the harps but that's typical.
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"All is bliss"
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HarpNinja
535 posts
Jul 06, 2010
11:22 AM
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Did the GM's have different screws? I noticed they've gone away from the brass this year. I have only bought two GM's in the last year and they both were very inconsistent OOTB.
I have bought quite a few MBs and was so impressed I even emailed a few customizers to see if they noticed any improvements too.
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Mike
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harpdude61
246 posts
Jul 06, 2010
12:56 PM
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Buddha,
Got me wondering...am I one of the guys you feel sorry for??...lol
I just opened a G,C, and D that I bought in May and have not played. I guess I had better luck. I got most of the overbends. 7 OD wouldn't pop on the G and C and the 10 OD on the D. Some of the others took a little work and had some squeel.
I'm curious....are you receiving your GMs in the red box or the blister pack with the harp and box seperate inside?
The guy at my local music store said that was the only way he could get them now.
May mean nothing as far as harp playability, but sometimes change comes in bunches.
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Buddha
2194 posts
Jul 06, 2010
1:01 PM
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If I sent these harp to you as is, I would feel sorry for you.
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"All is bliss"
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jodanchudan
90 posts
Jul 06, 2010
3:08 PM
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In your experience, would you say MB quality has improved generally? I haven't bought one for a while and the last time I did, all was not bliss. It had a very dull, deadened-sounding three draw which I managed to fix, but only by chance (anyone who customises harps would wince to see me hacking at the reeds;I have an anti-talent for technical work like that, I'm afraid). Because of the swelling comb issue and the inconsistent playability I've tended to stay safe and stick with Special 20s, Crossovers and some of the Suzukis, but what I really want is a decent OOTB MB. Is it a pipe dream? Is it time to grow up and face facts?
Last Edited by on Jul 06, 2010 3:17 PM
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Andrew
1051 posts
Jul 06, 2010
4:12 PM
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I bought my second GM, key of A, a couple of months back, and I haven't been very happy with it, but there's still some tweaking I can do to it.
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Andrew,
gentleman of leisure,
noodler extraordinaire.
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rbeetsme
289 posts
Jul 06, 2010
7:52 PM
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I can't get my Harrison harps to overblow...because I still haven't received any!
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blueswannabe
55 posts
Jul 07, 2010
5:18 AM
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@Buddha, I hope you send them back to Hohner or at least advise them of same, even if you can fix them. It's probably a quality control issue (unless they weren't meant or tested for overblowing). Mike
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