[Harp-L] Re: Manji Review

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

I picked up an A and a C about three weeks ago. I work on my own harps so I'll compare the Manji with some tweaked Marine Bands it seems aimed to compete with.

While I really like what I've been able to make of the instrument the Manji is not an out of the box miracle. In fact both keys I bought seemed somewhat unresponsive. Disassembling the harps I found out why: The reedplates were visibly bowed. The A harp was the worst I've seen. Gently flexing with the thumbs is an easy enough fix and did wonders for playability.

The comb itself is flat and smooth and looks like a nice piece of aged cheddar. Rounded corners make it preferable to a MB and there's no concern about swelling. There is enough play in the screw holes to slide the comb forward and make it just shy of flush with the reedplates.

Covers are excellent. The corners are rounded and Suzuki seems to have addressed the issue of cover plates not sitting flush with the reedplates along their full length as on some of their other models. They are both faster and more comfortable than Hohner's offering. The MB deluxe at $5 more and now the Crossover at $15 more both still have the sharp edges.

The vaunted slot tolerances make for good playability but you still need to gap for your particular style. I recommend the beeswax/nail polish fix for overblow squeals but I've never considered this a difficult task. Once done the overblows are crisp and bendable and equal my MBs in this regard. Overdraws are not as easy as on the MB but still decent. The regular bends are also really smooth and stable.

Manji's tone is lovely. A bit brighter than a MB but not harsh or brittle. I would say it's more bell like. I like the tone of both the MB and Manji equally and would pick up either depending on my mood. As a bonus, the timbre on Manji's bends seem closer to its unbent notes than experienced on a MB.

My only disappointment with the Manji is the top octave. I've tried different gapping but can't seem to make it as fluid as my Hohners. If not for this drawback I might very well make the Manji my main harp.

Bottom line is that the Manji is great value for those who don't mind opening up their harps. A lot of the work associated with customizing a MB has been taken care of. A little gapping, arcing and nail polish and you're good to go.

Paul


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