I am new to this site and the first thing I read about is how every "...serious U.K. (harp) player" plays only harmonicas that have been customized. So, am I right to understand that these days no "serious" professional simply purchases a harp at a music store and plays it on a gig as it comes out of the box? Having played professionally for over 40 years (chromatic and diatonic), "out-of-the-box" is the only way I have ever played a harmonica---straight as it comes from Hohner. I guess I feel it is somewhat a cop-out to do otherwise--like it's part of the challenge of playing a harmonica, or, put in terms of contemporary athletics, playing the game straight instead of using performance enhancing drugs.
With this said, I will admit to having the good folks in the Hohner repair shop specially tune Marine Band harmonicas for me to A=440 Equal Temperament instead of the tuning Hohner uses for Marine Band harps, which is (approximately) A=442.5, Just intonation. I need harmonicas tuned to standard orchestra pitch because I play the piano at the same time I play the harmonica, and when on tour I need to make sure the harmonicas are in standard tune with the pianos that are provided by the venues. Until I discovered that Hohner would retune a Marine Band, it was quite difficult for me to tour outside of my home area because I was never satisfied with the sound I got trying to match my harmonicas with pianos tuned to another pitch. It's a big enough challenge trying to play a harp on the rack without it sounding like a toy, let alone not be in tune--this only emphasized shrill toy-like sound qualities. In contrast, when the piano is perfectly tuned to the harmonica, a powerful synergetic wedding a the tones takes place that creates a combined sound that seems bigger than the sum of the two parts.
My home studio pianos are tuned to A=442.5, and I use harmonicas I buy at the local music store. I save the A=440 harps for when I am touring and playing pianos properly tuned to A=440. Also, the intonation of my home and studio pianos are somewhat modified to partially match the Just Intonation of the "out-of-the-box" C Marine Band diatonic harp. This is the key harp I normally use for the six or seven keys in which I commonly perform.
I sometimes wonder why Hohner doesn't simply produce Marine Band harps properly tuned to standard pitch and equal temperament. In this day and age of people playing in multiple keys upon the same diatonic, the need to give the harmonicas a tuning in Just Intonation is unnecessary.
All diatonic Marine Band harps used to be tuned to A=440 until around 1982. I have a couple of pre 1982 Marine Bands and they are, indeed, not in tune with the harps made after 1982. So, if any of you have concerns about this same issue, please pass it along to Hohner if you haven't already. Perhaps Hohner may go back to the tuning they used before 1982 if enough harmonica players voice their concern.
Best wishes,
Patrick Hazell
http://www.patrickhazell.com http://www.myspace.com/patrickhazellcom