Re: [Harp-L] Question for all you Marine Band Customizers

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Bradford Trainham" wrote:
<Have any of you who customize/deluxify the various Marine Band harps ever
<turned your attentions to the 365?  In this case, I'm speaking of the
<"standard" as opposed to the Steve Baker Special?
<What I'd want would be to keep the harp from losing so much air, especially
<on the low end, to have holes 4 through 6 set up for over-blows and to
<render the others as responsive as possible to their possibilities of
<bending on the higher end. 
<Along with that, I'd like to explore some tuning tweaks to the individual
<reeds, particularly the 5 draw as I'd be playing the harp in other than
<second position sometimes. 

I own 3 model 365s in different keys, all set up in SBS tuning.  Out of the box, all three of them were leaky as hell--practically unplayable, in fact.  I found this quite distressing, because I think the basic setup of these harps is fabulous. Big low end, high register up in the clouds. You can do a lot with one of those harps--when it's working, that is.  (I'm pretty sure Jelly Roll Johnson is playing one on one or more of the cuts on his most recent CD.)  

I sent the lot to Jimmy Gordon, who managed to make all of them playable, if not exactly as playable as a Filisko marine band.  But it's a pretty good trick to make any kind of purse out of a sow's ear.

Distressing as my experience was, I'd be even more distressed to hear that Hohner is still turning out 365s that leak like a rusty bucket.  I mean, c'mon.  It's 2008.  That kind of nonsense is SO 1960s.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp