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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
MB Vs Promaster??
MB Vs Promaster??
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Rich
3 posts
Dec 05, 2010
2:44 PM
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I hope you guys don't mind having your brains picked again but......
I've only been playing for about a year and love the marine band. To be honest, I haven't had to deal with the swelling and other stuff that seems to happen but I have got a MB Deluxe brand new with a knackered reed and its making me wonder about quality so I'm wondering about the Suzuki promaster for my next harmonica but I have a coupe of questions before buying one:
This may sound strange but the MB seems to fit my mouth perfectly. Other harmonicas just don't seem to fit right. (I have a Hohner Proharp MS & Lee Oskar gathering dust that could testify to that!) They seem too wide and flat to get a good seal. It could be my style or just all in my head I suppose but its there none the less. So, before buying another harmonica to put on my 'no good' pile, I was hoping you guys might be able to answer the following:
1. How does the Promaster compare in feel to the MB or Lee Oskar?
2. Is the Suzuki less prone to the issues that can occur with the MB? (I'll take the swelling prob as solved!)
3. Is the Suzuki 'failure rate' ie burrs, gaps etc better than the MB?
4. Is the Promaster a good choice?
Thanks in advance.
Rich
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tookatooka
1907 posts
Dec 05, 2010
2:50 PM
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ProMaster is rather heavy IMO and slightly thicker plus it is ET tuned. I have one and lots of other Suzuki models thay are well made reliable but unfortunately for Chordal blues the ET tuning lets it down. The manji is a compromise tuning I haven't tried one but some on here like it. Personally the Special 20 is my current weapon of choice.
Damn this site just spat out what I wrote I can't go over it all again. Bugger.
Last Edited by on Dec 05, 2010 3:00 PM
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Philippe
36 posts
Dec 05, 2010
3:10 PM
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Not been playing for very long either. I got a few harps as gifts recently, here are some impressions:
MB: I like the 'dirtier' tone (not sure how to describe it), feels smaller, lightweight. Sometimes though, you stumble on a really bad one and it squeaks.
Promaster: Tone sounds clean, bends sound rounded (not sure how to describe that either). My 3 draw isn't very good at the 1/2 step bend. Jumps from 1/4 to full. Tastes of aluminium.
Seydel blues favorite: Nice harp, good feel, but a bit heavy (Aluminium comb). Bends like a charm, warbling goes fantastic (for me personally) with the wider spaced holes. Hardly has aluminium flavour, very comfortable for tongue-blocking.
Special 20: Nice practice harp but the tone doesn't speak to me so much. Lightweight.
I generally like lightweight harps because you can feel your playing.
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jonlaing
143 posts
Dec 05, 2010
5:23 PM
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I've been playing for about a year and a half, and I love the Promaster, not so much a fan of the MB. I don't play much blues though, so that might influence my opinion. I definitely like the heft of the Promaster, feels substantial. The quality of the sound is bright, and with a little bit of work it's an overblow machine. I don't play much blues on them though. If I'm in the mood for straight 2nd pos blues, then I pick up the Manji. I just ordered a Promaster Hammond, which is almost the same thing, but with some minor differences... I don't know what those differences are, or what they mean, but if it makes a huge difference I'll let you know.
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hvyj
867 posts
Dec 05, 2010
5:35 PM
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I had been playing Suzuki Hammonds as my performing set for a while. Hammonds are better than Promasters, but they have the same design and same reed plates.
Promasters have a smaller body than MBs and the holes are slightly smaller and closer together. The smaller body presents advantages and disadvantages. The smaller holes may or may not take a little getting used to. The Hammonds and Promastrers also have different reed design than MBs and have full length unvented covers. MBs have non-full length vented overs. This affects tone. To my ear. the Suzukis have a more focused or cleaner tone and the MB has a more open or dirtier tone. The Hammonds also have a darker tone than either the MBs or Promasters.
The Promasters and Hammonds will have much better compression (air tightness) and much better response than MBs. The Hammonds will also have more even tone from hole to hole through the registers.
Because of reed design, the 3 hole draw bend on the Promasters and Hammonds is a little tougher to hit accurately than on a MB. But in all other respects, the Promasters and Hammonds are much higher quality instruments than the MB.
The Suzukis are ET which means you will sound more in tune with the band if you are playing with other musicians. MBs are compromise tuned which is supposed to make chords sound smoother, but has a lot of flat notes which, to my ear, sound very unmusical especially if you are playing in positions above third.
I think the metal combs on the Suzukis play better than the wood combs on the MB. MBs have a distinctive tone that many players like. Personally, don't particularly like the sound produced by the unvented cover design. I prefer the more focused tone one gets from harps with full length unvented covers. So, as far as Hohners go, I prefer the tone of GMs to MBs. But I prefer Suzuki Hammonds over any Hohner
The Suzuki Hammonds and Promasters are EXTREMELY durable harmonicas. They will last longer and perform better under sustained use over a much longer time than ANY Hohner.
I'm attempting to be objective, but I do have certain strong preferences. I've never tried a MB Deluxe, but I happen to think that the MB 1896 is the crappiest harp made. I also think that the Suzuki Hammond is the best OOB harp made. The Promasters are not as good as the Hammonds, but the design is almost identical. The difference is that the Hammond combs are machined more precisely than the Promaster combs. MB combs are crap.
Of course, how a particular harp feels to you is a personal matter and an important consideration. Promasters and Hammonds are smaller than MS harps or LOs. But the feel of a Promaster in your mouth will be different than an MB because of the difference in the design of the covers and comb.
Hope this helps.
Last Edited by on Dec 05, 2010 6:05 PM
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Icemal
2 posts
Dec 05, 2010
7:18 PM
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I cant offer much regarding the MB's, but I have Bluesmasters, which I like, and a Promaster which I like a whole lot more. I also have the same problem with getting nice sounding bends between 3 draw and 3 draw full bend on the Promaster.
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hvyj
868 posts
Dec 05, 2010
8:34 PM
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In my experience, 3 draw whole step bend and step and a half bend and the "blue third" quarter step bend are NOT a problem on a Promaster or Hammond. It's the half step bend that's a little difficult since the harp seems to want to drop a whole step when you try to bend 3 draw to the half step. I think this is because of the shorter, fatter reeds. The Manji has a longer, narrower reed design, as do Hohners.
Personally, I don't like the way Manjis sound. They have vented covers and, to my ear, Manjis are tonally similar to a MB, but are a higher quality harp. Manjis also have compromise tuning. Personally, I'd take a Promaster or Hammond over a Manji, but this is a subjective preference.
Last Edited by on Dec 05, 2010 8:43 PM
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Kyzer Sosa
894 posts
Dec 06, 2010
12:00 AM
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The aluminum comb is just the cats meow... my promaster is far and away the most responsive. I would say ootb, but all my harps are out of the box. My ears are not so finely tuned that i can tell a difference in ET and JI. I promise you I couldnt tell which is which in a blind taste test. For me, it's all about familiarity with the differences. i wear New Balance tennis shoes. Ive tried Nike, Avia, Reebok, and Asics.
sorry... back to the issue. to me, the manji and the MB have such a similar feel that i cant tell the difference between the two. MAYBE the manji is a little smoother in the mouth due to the rounded tines, and that may very well be the only difference i can feel.
its very much a personal choice dude. anyone who puts in their time to learn it properly, and especially in he hands of a talented individual, any harmonica can sound like a real beast of an instrument.
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jim
486 posts
Dec 06, 2010
12:50 AM
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Go for promaster. The only real disadvantage you may find is when you're sensitive to electrolytic taste (2 alloys together plus aluminum). But even then you can buy a custom wooden comb and fix it.
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www.truechromatic.com
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hvyj
869 posts
Dec 06, 2010
7:56 AM
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Or you can get a custom composite comb which has all of the advantages of wood and none of the disadvantages.
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Greyowlphotoart
199 posts
Dec 08, 2010
8:33 AM
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I like Suzuki harps generally (though I struggled a bit with the Manji, it's ok now but I'm still uncertain about the tone. It's, well.....brash) Of course I also like some Hohners (GM's & SP20's) Haven't tried an MB, but have got a MB Deluxe in D, which has quite a nice tone but takes a bit of puff and is not as fluid as some of my other harps. (I used it on my posting of 'The thrill is gone' and it sounds ok.)
A really good harp for the price is the Suzuki Harpmaster which has a lovely creamy, crackly tone (sounds good enough to eat)
I also have 1 x Promaster 350 valved which has a nice bright tone, aluminium comb and full length coverplates which glide easily. I ended up taking off the valves 3 to 10 as I couldn't get on with them. I left the valves on 1 & 2 because I can get the semi-tone bends down on them ok. I have tinkered with the reeds on 7 to 10 and can get all the overblows/overdraws. I find this harp good for both blues and sweet melodies alike.
I have just received a Promaster 350 in Bb and have tried it OOTB and the tone is similar to the 350V
It overblows on 4,5&6 and comes close to overdraws on 789&10 (these need a little work). Amazingly it O/b's on hole one, I can't normally manage these, so there's a plus!
I will take the covers off now and tweak it, but I am pretty impressed so far.
EDIT:- 10 minutes of tinkering with the reeds and overdraws now on 7,8,9&10. Really must find a use for them now!! This is a really nice harp, It's crisp, yet has a slightly dirty edge to it and it's very responsive.
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 10:38 AM
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chromaticblues
373 posts
Dec 08, 2010
9:34 AM
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Rich I play Marine Bands and I would rather rubb shit in my eyes and rinse it out with vinegar than start using promasters! I'm just kidding. I would never rinse my eyes with vinegar!
Honestly these two are nothing alike. I don't think you could have picked two more dissimiliar harps to compare. This really is the apples and oranges thing.
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hvyj
881 posts
Dec 08, 2010
9:42 AM
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I agree with chromaticblues. These 2 harps are about as different as you can get. But, unlike chromaticblues, I WOULD rinse my eyes with vinegar rather than play a Marine Band.
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Aussiesucker
680 posts
Dec 08, 2010
12:25 PM
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As said the comparison is like apples and oranges. Both are fine harps. MB fabulous sound but lousy build! Promaster ok sound but solid bit of bling! Have to disagree with hvyi in that the Promaster body being smaller ie not so. Both are small harps but the Promaster is slightly larger. The only harp in the Suzuki range that is same size as a MB is the little Folkmaster which is an ok, sweet sounding, harp and really inexpensive. Not in the same class but good for the money as a knockabout harp.
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