Re: [Harp-L] Re: Marine Band vs Marine Band Deluxe



Steve is right. Extra reed work is never the part of any harmonica model. I worked at the one company where it was and it went out of business. It is incredibly time consuming. BTW, I tried it on the assembly line for like two days and went practically nuts and went into white-collar work at the company. There's a big difference between sitting around your house doing this and trying to do it in a factory. Mind you, I've never had a Marine Band Deluxe. Only Deluxified Marine Bands.

David
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 

Steve replies:

The MBDL has a number of extra features in comparison to the Classic model which I feel make a considerable difference to the player:

Screw together assembly for ease of maintenance.
Comb is triple sealed with additional Ultraglide coating on front to prevent swelling and enhance playing comfort.
Covers opened up at back for greater volume and much increased stability.
Slightly higher cover profile at front prevents reed rattle on low draw notes in low keys.
Front corners of covers are closed for enhanced playing comfort.
Edges and corners of reed plates rounded off for greater playing comfort.

There is no additional reed work, in both cases the reeds are mounted, riveted, offset and tuned twice to ensure clean octaves and full chords. Reed work as performed by harmonica customizers is something which can't be emulated in industrial production without increasing costs astronomically.

I was closely involved in the development of this model and my personal aim was to create a modern Marine Band which played better, was more stable, more service-friendly and also offered harmonica customizers a great starting point by eliminating the need to modify the covers, seal the comb and fit for screws. It certainly works for me. As with all new Hohner harmonica models, the staff in the R&D department played a central role. 

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de
www.european-music-workshops.com
www.harmonica-masters.de


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