MP
949 posts
Nov 04, 2010
9:40 AM
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why don't we beat up on inanimate objects rather than eachother?
i choose the HERING BLUES as my punching bag.(also the BLACK BLUES)same harp but black coverplates.
it looks to be a very well designed instrument and has some weight to it-a little heavier than a SP20 and roughly the dimensions of a LEE OSKAR.
in fact it seems like a cross between the two. it seems almost GERMAN in quality.
don't be fooled. the pride and joy and signature sound of the diatonic IMO is the 7th chord, and these harps suck at it. the HERINGS middle register from #3-#6 is whimpy rendering the 7th ineffective and anything else you play between those holes. it has little volume,very short decay, and....it seems to somehow lack subtle overtones.
ever notice how no one advertizes custom HERING BLUES harps?
anyway, we've talked about favorite harps- how about least favorite? the ones you love to hate.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
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bluesharper
198 posts
Nov 04, 2010
9:54 AM
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Well heres something i hate about a harp but not the harp it self. Should that go in a new topic?
Okay the Marineband. I hate the nails for coverplates they all fell off and now i have only one nail left in it. I have to use an elastic band to keep the covers on.
Micheal (Bluesharper)
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9000
41 posts
Nov 04, 2010
9:56 AM
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The last few times I saw Peter Madcat Ruth he was playing these and endorsing them. I was using them quite awhile and loved the Hering Blues. I stopped using them at a time when Hering was having big problems with distribution. The Black Blues are tuned equal and that didn't fit well with my style. Both models are thicker than a Sp20 or MB and force you to open up more and a lot of people don't like that but I think it encouraged me to relax, open up more and improve my tone. I was always impressed by the loud volume. I guess this just goes to shoe us that we're all different and our harp needs are going to be different. I am really happy that we have quite a few great choice in harps today. I don't think it's always been that way. My case has quite a few different models and brands that work well for me.
All the best on your harpin' journey,
Jay
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MP
952 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:03 AM
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@bluesharper,
you know those pins they use on dress shirts? maybe you can find 'em in an old sewing kit. if you clip them off to the length of the MB nails they are good replacements. they are a little thicker so you have to use a bit of force to get them in.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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Littoral
171 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:12 AM
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@bluesharper
"I have to use an elastic band to keep the covers on."
Can't imagine that.
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nacoran
3148 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:22 AM
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Piedmonts taste awful. I mean, really, really truly awful. The 'flavor' fades after a few hours of playing. They don't project sound well and the paint on the cover rubs off after a day, which wouldn't be so bad, except the key rubs off too, and you are left with 7 harps that all look alike that you have to hold in the light just right to read the key on.
They are really quiet, which, if you are just practicing is fine and they come in a neat little case that's probably worth as much as what you paid for the harps. They are easy on the lips and darn near indestructible. They are so cheap you don't worry about destroying them and may even get some of your early tinkering practice in on them.
At least they don't cut your lips like Blues Bands. Or your hands. Seriously, how bad is a harmonica when it cuts your hands?
I've been pretty happy with all my harps that I spent more than $5 on. Blues Harps aren't real comfortable, in fact, I'd have another five years of real playing under my belt if my first 'real' harmonica hadn't been a Blues Harp. I put it down and didn't try it again until I'd exhausted several other instrument choices. They aren't good to put hours in on for practice, although they sound ok.
I like Lee Oskars, except those stupid little square holes that seem designed to catch mustache hair.
I'm not a fan of non-sealed wooden combs and unsanded protruding reed plates.
Ok, I guess it's more of a list of things I don't like about certain harps than harps I hate. Truth be told, I still have Piedmonts that I play for fun sometimes, and although they cut my lips with wood combs or protruding reed plates I still play my Blues Harps and Golden Melody because they have some good qualities too.
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Nate
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Joe_L
794 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:29 AM
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I'm not a fan of Huang Silvertones. I know some folks like them. I didn't.
I didn't expect much from the crappy Hohner Hoodoo Blues harps. I bought them because I wanted the small case. The case wasn't very good, either. I only paid $8 for it, so it wasn't like I was out any real money.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Nov 04, 2010 10:40 AM
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Buzadero
619 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:31 AM
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"I only paid $8 for it, so it wasn't like I was out and real money."
NOW, I miss TNFrank.
That sentence would have taken this thread right down the verbal excess path.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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Joe_L
797 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:42 AM
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@Buzadero - Dare I say that it's less than the cost of a couple of drinks at the local watering hole? I could send him the Hoodoo Blues Harps as a gift from the forum members.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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MP
953 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:43 AM
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you know, i almost wrote, "now that TNfrank is no longer the punching bag....."
anyway, how about the totally mis-labled GLH (GREAT LITTLE HARP)? right up there-or down there-with the souza bands.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
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steve j.
23 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:44 AM
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I bought a 10 dollar , cheapo because I need that key and their Lees were 42.00 ,,,, it was wasted money,
You can get Lee O on ebay for 30.oo shipped.
If 1847s were not 100 bucks , thats all Id would want. I have 1 in A.
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Chinaski
136 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:46 AM
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While surely not the worst harp you can buy, Lee Oskars have always sounded like shit to me..
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Barry C.
25 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:58 AM
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Seydel Blues Session - reeds as thick as bricks - or at least play like one (LOVE the 1847 though!)~
Steve J. - I've heard the soloist are much better then the session. But once/if you play an 1847 you'll never go back!
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~Banned in Boston!
Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2010 12:30 PM
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steve j.
24 posts
Nov 04, 2010
11:01 AM
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Barry , I just bought a Session , and it was exactly as you say, I wonder if the soloist as anywhere colse to the 1847's?
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HarmonicaMick
231 posts
Nov 04, 2010
11:34 AM
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I'm not too nuts about Hohner's Blues Harp; not the harp itself, but rather one or two dodgy quality issues I've had. Saying that, a good one with Big River covers on it is a harp of great fantasta-maciousness-atudity-arisms-abilities (translation: very good).
@ steve: to my ears, the solist is a lot more muted than the 1847. Probably cos of the zillions of supports on the back of the covers.
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MrVerylongusername
1346 posts
Nov 04, 2010
11:53 AM
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If I want to try a new tuning out, I'll generally buy a POS harp first before retuning a £30 harp - after all I might not like the tuning.
My vote is the Golden Cup diatonic - the only reason I can tolerate the abysmal tuning is the fact that I'm retuning them anyway. Dreadful. Once they've been tuned they are as good as any other low-budget Chinese diatonic (i.e. playable, but leaky and quiet)
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paul45
45 posts
Nov 04, 2010
2:14 PM
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I bought a Huang Silvertone..I think that was the model of that piece of crap. I just remember not enjoying having that Huang in my mouth.......
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nacoran
3151 posts
Nov 04, 2010
2:37 PM
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MrVLUN- You are the only person I've ever heard of who actually bought a Golden Cup! (Or at least who admitted it.) I have to admit, the bright plastic colors on the tremolos caught my eye...
I just got my first Silvertone in an eBay action along with three used MB's. I haven't cleaned it up yet
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Nate
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MrVerylongusername
1347 posts
Nov 04, 2010
5:06 PM
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LOL!
I have a paddy golden cup, an augmented golden cup, a James Conway drone tuned golden cup; my next project is a powerbender golden cup!
Crikey!, I'm starting to sound like Frank!
At least I'm not fooling myself about what they are: unashamedly shit harps!
If I like a tuning, I invest in a SP20 or Lee Oskar, to get a decent version, but I'd rather risk £4 first, instead of £30.
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groyster1
543 posts
Nov 04, 2010
5:18 PM
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johnson harps Ive had some that played decent but some that were total POS
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Greg Heumann
851 posts
Nov 04, 2010
5:42 PM
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" I wonder if the soloist as anywhere colse to the 1847's?"
NO! I agree - not a big fan of the soloist. The 1847's on the other hand are great harps, IMO
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/Greg
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Xpun3414
39 posts
Nov 04, 2010
6:52 PM
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@ MP..I agree,my first harp is a GLH..boy is that misleading. I really dont like it but keep it cause its the first harp I ever brought(back in July) I now have a MB 1896/20 & love it. quick question..what to buy next.. a D or Bb I cant make up my mind,so I'm lookin for help here. (sorry its off topic)
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nacoran
3158 posts
Nov 04, 2010
10:57 PM
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Xpun, that's a tough call. Bb and D are two of my favorites. D plays along great with Celtic stuff. It's high enough so it's really fast but low enough so it doesn't blow your ears out. Bb is great for playing along with horns. If you want to play along with the horn section it's a great choice.
(I'm partial to Bb too because it falls in just the right spot in my vocal range that I can sing it high or low.)
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Nate
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boris_plotnikov
292 posts
Nov 05, 2010
12:03 AM
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I think Hohner Meisterclass, cross harp and signature series are worst harp for the price, almost the same sh*t as big river, but much pricey. Marine Band classic need too much modification to cost it's price, but it can be great, while custom Meisterclass and Cross Harp can be just OK, not perfect.
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SuperBee
32 posts
Nov 05, 2010
5:09 AM
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i bought 3 solist pros...thinking they were harmonicas. easy mistake to make; they look very similiar to harmonicas. turns out "solist pro" is German for "epilator". It turned out OK though. I kept 1 and sold the others to a couple of fellers at the bicycle racing club.
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Rubes
133 posts
Nov 05, 2010
5:27 AM
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@ SuperBee,..................... now that is #%&*@ funny!!!!!!
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MP
960 posts
Nov 05, 2010
9:29 AM
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@Xpun3414, either one, you won't be sorry. or....get 'em both at the same time.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
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hvyj
796 posts
Nov 05, 2010
10:09 AM
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There's a lot of lousy harps out there. I realize this will probably be a distinctly minority opinion, but I think the crappiest harp made is an OOB Hohner Marine Band.
I mean, the damn thing is leaky, put together with nails and has a wood comb that is not flat and swells so it quickly becomes uncomfortable to play. Absolute piece of shit. I could never understand why people buy them--I also don't happen to like the way they (or the Suzuki Manji which is an imitation of the MB) sound, but that's subjective and purely a matter of personal taste. However, objectively speaking, even the Piedmont is better constructed than a MB.
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Rift
5 posts
Nov 05, 2010
11:29 AM
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I know I am going to catch a lot of crap about this but its my opinion and my experience with them. Special 20's are awful. The ones I have played anyway. I started off with Hohner Pro harps which i kinda like but mine was in need of retirement. I bought a special 20 in key of A because everyone talked about them like they were the best thing going. Half the holes didnt work or were out of tune. Me being the idiot that I am, I bought 2 more figuring the one I had was bad. I needed a C and a G so I got them. The C had a bad 6 blow and the G was unplayable because so many reads would play or sounded horrible. The one positive to this experience is I learned how to tune and gap a little by trying to fix these pieces of garbage. I got them to the point now where they are playable and now they sit in a shoebox doing nothing because I hold a grudge. For $25-$35 these should be at least acceptable to play OOTB. I bought a set of Suzuki Bluemasters after that and have never taken the covers off them. They are not perfect but they are what I expect when I buy a harp, Playable!
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chromaticblues
255 posts
Nov 05, 2010
12:26 PM
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@ Rift Yeah I can't argue with your comment about ootb SP 20's. It seems they had a run of some really bad harps. I thought this had been taken care of. The problem is they built so many shitty harps and sent them all over the world! So when all the dumb asses like me get done buying them. All the other people can enjoy the good ones.
I don't look at it that way, because I don't play any ootb harps anyway! How I do look at it is what is the most responsive and exspessive harp after being modified! There isn't a single Susuki on my list of harps worth buying! I have a general rule of thumb. If it is made east of Germany! I'm not interested!!
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hvyj
797 posts
Nov 05, 2010
12:44 PM
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@chromaticblues: You are talking about apples and oranges. There's not an OOB Hohner made that has compression and response anywhere near as good as a higher end Suzuki. IMHO, OOB Suzukis are superior to OOB Hohners by orders of magnitude--I mean, after I started playing Suzuki Hammonds I kept wondering how I possibly could have put up with playing Honers for all those years.
But, you may well be correct that a CUSTOMIZED Hohner turns out better than a customized Suzuki. I like my custom Buddha Harps (made with GM covers and reedplates) better than my OOB Suzuki Hammonds. But I find the compression and response of OOB GMs to be clearly inferior to OOB Suzuki Hammonds. I've never played a custom Suzuki, though.
Now there are those who find Suzukis too "tight" because they are used to playing Hohners that require more air to get them too respond. But that's only because Hohner has such a large market share some players think that's how a harmonica is supposed to be because they don't know any better. Frankly, i suspect that's the reason MBs remain popular despite their crappy construction.
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Rift
8 posts
Nov 05, 2010
1:11 PM
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@chromaticblues: You should try giving the Suzukis a chance. I felt the same way as you did before I have the problem with the special 20's. I never thought I would buy a Japanese made harp but now I love them. I have Bluemasters, Harpmasters, and Manjis. I didn't mean to saw the special 20's were a bad harp, but the ones I had were embarrassing.
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bluemoose
375 posts
Nov 05, 2010
4:56 PM
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C harp from the Alcatraz prison gift shop. Looks cool, plays like crap.
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MBH Webbrain
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Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2010 4:56 PM
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Rift
9 posts
Nov 05, 2010
5:28 PM
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harp from the alcatraz gift shop? i dont care how bad it sounds, thats just badass to own it. priceless.
Last Edited by on Nov 05, 2010 5:29 PM
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nacoran
3169 posts
Nov 05, 2010
5:34 PM
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Bluemoose, it's not about how it plays, it's whether it would make a good shiv! Are the reed plates nice and thick? Is the cover nice and sharp? Can it be easily concealed?
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Nate
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chromaticblues
257 posts
Nov 05, 2010
6:22 PM
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I'm not saying this because I have a Hohner love! I have been trying everything that has come along. Hohner qaulity control is terrible! Now having said that I work on alot of different harps and I have seen some bad Suzuki harps. Those are the hardest harps to make work well! I'm just going by my personnal experience with working on harps.
@ hvjy I don't have the slightest idea what your talking about as far as it talks more air to play hohners. I'm just amazed that people think that. The suzuki manji from hole 7 - 10 is the best harp made. If I could make the perfect harp I'd have the Hohner crossover with the 7 through 10 holes having manji reeds. The problem is the reeds are different sizes, but I do believe the Manji is the best harp 7 - 10, but 1 - 3 all Suzuki's suck! The good Hohners are the opposite. They are great on the low end, but its more work to make 7 - 10 work real well. All this is due to the reed dimensions. I have spent some time measuring the lenght, width and thickness of reeds. The material used to make the reeds makes a difference also. I don't have any idea what material does what, but it does change the way harps sound.
I like like the Hohner and seydel design. I think there harps are the best when working properly.
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hvyj
800 posts
Nov 06, 2010
2:11 AM
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"I don't have the slightest idea what your talking about as far as it talks more air to play hohners. I'm just amazed that people think that."
People think like that because it's true. OOB Suzukis have tighter reed/reedplate tolerances than OOB Hohners and they have better compression (are more air tight). So, it unquestionably takes less air pressure to get the desired response out of a Suzuki.
I agree that it is easier to hit an accurate half step 3 draw bend on a Hohner than it is on most Suzukis because of reed dimensions/design. But, I do NOT agree that the other low register draw bends are more difficult on Suzukis.
Hohners may be easier to work on and customize. But I am talking about OOB harps.
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djm3801
332 posts
Nov 06, 2010
3:26 AM
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Marine band. Like buying a new car and, for it to run right, it needs major engine work. On the box it should read "should only be purchased by tinkerers."
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wheezer
174 posts
Nov 06, 2010
3:31 AM
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IMO the best of the cheap harps are Hering Free Blues,
strange as this thread started with a members bad experience of Hering. The only thing is I don't know what they play like out of the box 'cos the ones I have were given to me with blown reeds which I replaced. I embossed, gapped and tuned them and they play really well.
I believe that the Free blues costs about $19 in the U.S.
but in Europe they are available from Thomann for about £8
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mojojojo
59 posts
Nov 06, 2010
6:04 AM
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second the nomination for silver star...
i guess no-names like "Aria" or similar ilk with the cheap tin reeds don't even qualify to be bad.
I was really down on marine band, also due the nail (tack?) problem. But tried it again after practicing more regular and it didn't seem all that bad anymore.
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MP
963 posts
Nov 06, 2010
9:25 AM
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bluemoose,
alcatraz prison gift shop!? nice! fritz hasenpuscht once built a mic with a piece of grille he got from a prison cell in alcatraz. his mic and your harp would make a matched set of serious mojo.
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MP
hibachi cook for the yakuza
doctor of semiotics
superhero emeritus
Last Edited by on Nov 06, 2010 9:26 AM
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tmf714
316 posts
Nov 06, 2010
11:22 AM
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@chromaticblues- no doubt,the Suzukis are horrible on the 1-3 holes. Two of the worst harps I ever purchased-the Suzuki Bluesmasters.
----------Thomas Fiacco III
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chromaticblues
261 posts
Nov 06, 2010
1:38 PM
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Yeah I have worked alot of suzuki's and the qaulity control doesn't seem to be what I would expect from a japanese company. The manufacturing methods are better than any other company period! that doesn't make them better. Why did they make the Manji? Because short slot harps are vastly different than the German harps. The funny thing with the Manji is suzuki won't admit the German reed dimensions are better than thier's so when they came out with this great new harp with long slots that was going to knock Hohner out. They still made it shorter reeds than the hohners. The Manji and Fabulous are by far IMHO the best Suzuki's, but still weak on holes 1 - 3. If they bite the bullet and just make those three holes like a Hohner. Then I'll be the first in line, but untill then I know the difference. If anyone doesn't agrees with me. Thats fine! Do your thing!
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