I picked up my third Manji...one in G. I took about two minutes to gap it and that is it. It plays great and I really favor it OOTB compared to my Hohners - even when gapped.
MB's are still the best, but there is so much work involved in just getting the comb set up! Regarding OBs, the Manji is not good OOTB. I can hit all the OBs, but I can't sustain and bend them like on a Hohner. The ODs squeal instantly.
That being said, with the same level of work I'd do on a Hohner I know that it won't do that. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
Less squeals with adjustments huh? I need to work on more of the overblows, overdraws. I can only hit a few including 4,5,&6 overblow. OOTB most harps need a little work for me to sustain the 4. I don't think the manji squeals as much as a seydel from my experience & from the overblow perspective they all beat lee oskar reeds, IMO.
I'd probably switch to marine bands if they had a decent comb & were put together with screws. I guess they call that a crossover but from what I hear their supply doesnt keep up with demand. The manji seems like the next best thing from my experience since I can concentrate on setting up the gaps, et al & get right to playing without fussing with combs & nails which I tried with mixed results & decided I just didnt want to do it when so many harmonicas have good combs and screws.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
I think the MB Deluxe and a bottle of clear lacquer/sealant would be a solid way to go for an OB harp if you don't want to put in all the work...but I tend to have a hard time spending money on something I can do on my own for cheaper.
Personally, I like Suzuki for their people and commitment to the modern harp player - including those in our niche. I'd like to make them work for me if possible.
That being said, the Manji is a great OOTB harp for me and easily my favorite in that regard. The OB piece is a bit more complicated than a MB or GM, but overall, they can be made to work similarly.
I am also at a stage in life where I don't have the time to do all the extra MB work, that I do enjoy and feel great about doing. ---------- Mike VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
if the MB Deluxe w/ lacquer is one way to go, how about a Crossover? $2 more and no lacquer to deal with. ---------- MP hibachi cook for the yakuza doctor of semiotics superhero emeritus
Last Edited by on Oct 05, 2010 9:17 AM
Are they only $2 more? I see them averaging $8 more...but yeah, if I were going to go that route, I suppose the Crossover is a better deal for me personally.
But for $20 less, I can get a Manji, do the same reedwork, and have a comparable instrument.
The con of the Manji is ultimately the welded reeds if a reed were to go down. However, I don't have any spare parts to begin with and would be more inclined to purchase reed plates once they become available. The next option would be sending it to Chris Michalek or Joe Spiers for repairs. The last option would be this...
But...I hate replacing reeds and I don't have spare Manji reeds yet.
Yeah, Im not too excited about the welded reeds. Though, I never replaced the other reeds before but if they become misaligned it's super easy to adjust them. I haven't tried messing with welded reeds for performance is it easy to break them from the plate?
I tried customizing a few marine bands last winter but even the comb that turned out best isnt as nice as the OOTB manji comb which is machined flat. And the one that turned out worst wasn't useable, lol.
I don't know, I really like the manji I have just not sure how much more difficult it is to do reed work on cause of the welding.
I like golden melodies too & they can be retuned but I kinda like the tuning.
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~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
i don't mind replaceing reeds, but i'm not sure i could be accurate drilling a manji reed as there is no starter hole from the rivet. it sounds like too much trouble. best stick w/ the Deluxe and some lacquer. ---------- MP hibachi cook for the yakuza doctor of semiotics superhero emeritus
I got 3 new Manji's at SPAH as they were only $38. A couple of days ago, I took my Bb MB Buddha harp, "A" Golden Melody and an Ab Manji out to compare. Sure, the Buddha had the best basic sound but the Manji was really good too. The Golden Melody just sounds dead compared to the other two. And it's not an old, tired out or dirty harp either. It needed work just to get a couple of the basic draw bends not to squeal....haven't needed to touch the Manji yet. It only OB's well on the 6 but that's fine for now.
You can use Hohner MB/GM/SP20 reeds to fix them in some cases....for example a blown 4 draw on an A harp would be an easy swap.
All Manji are long slot harps, so repairing keys higher than D will not be as slick to fix with Hohner reeds as lower ones.
Long slot Hohners go from wide reeds to narrow at hole 6, Manji reeds do it at hole 8 IIRC. So to fix a blown 6 hole reed would mean shortening a lower-hole Hohner reed (the wide reeds on both are nearly the same width).
The other Suzuki harps (short slot) can also be used for donors, but you'll be needing a reed from a lower hole on the donor harp- similar situation as using a D 4 draw to fix an A 6 blow on a Marine Band, for example.
Slightly off-center reeds can be rotated slightly with a reed wrench, despite being welded. They require more rotation than that to break the weld. Not something I've needed to do much, but I have done it.
Brendan's video repair is okay once.....future repairs not so easy.....
I have factory Suzuki tools for punching perfectly centered holes in the reeds and plates, but I have very few spare Suzuki reeds. If someone needs the hole punching done so they can do their own repair, I'd be happy to do it if you pay the postage. It only takes a few seconds. If you need a bunch of holes punched, I'd need to charge accordingly. I'm not doing run-of-the-mill Suzuki repairs however, unless it's a custom I've sold.
