SBS

[Barry Schaede <barrys@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ihad mentioned in a previous posting that the A SBS was the highest 
pitched of the SBS's and that the last note was the C# 4 octaves above 
middle C.  Not true.  In writing to Steve Baker himself I learned the 
truth.  The following is excerpted from the letter I recieved from him.

...You are quite right about the top hole on the SBS in high A-the harp 
was meant to be tuned as in your diagram, but this turned out to be 
impossiblewith the available components.  I must admit those notes are so 
high and penetrating that Inever really use them - I use the top notes on 
the F, and occasionally on the G, but in high A they're just too piercing 
for my ears!  The reason for this aberration is that the tuners at 
Hohner, who in any case have great problems with tuning high notes 
correctly, can't get them up any higher than that.  As you say, the reeds 
are extremely short and thin and extremely difficult to tune.

To be quite honest, there is little liklihood of Hohner altering the 
specifications of the big Marine Band(ie the reed dimensions, which are 
the for the SBS and the standard tuning) in order to suit me, as this 
would mean retooling at considerable expense.  When these harps are 
standard tuned, nobody plays the top end in any case, so I can't imagine 
them changing things.  Sorry, but I can't see any way around that one...

He goes on to say that Hohner USA seems to not support this product  and 
suggests that anyone who likes ths SBS's write Hohner USA and tell them 
so.  

When I sent the A SBS back to Hohner I was told that the harmonica was 
playable on the first 12 holes and that Steve Baker usually doesn't play 
the last 2 holes.  Well I don't care what Steve usually does I play all 
14 holes on all my 14 hole harmonicas.  My view of this situation is that 
Hohner is marketing a harmonica they know to be defective and they don't 
care.  I don't mean to be casting any aspersions in Steve Baker's direction.
He sent me a polite and friendly letter expalaining exactly what the 
situation was.  My feeling is that he's also somewhat frustrated with 
Hohner's posistion on new harmonica developement.  Any and all comments 
are welcomed.  FJM