Re: [Harp-L] Marine Band Crossover

[Arthur Jennings <timeistight@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for the information, Steve. Very interesting.

Can we expect to see bamboo comb versions of any other harmonicas? How about
a Golden Melody Crossover?

On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 5:17 PM, Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I'd like to provide some background information on the forthcoming Marine
> Band Crossover and answer some of the queries raised by Sunnyside and
> Jonathan Compton. As Hohner's harmonica consultant, I've been closely
> involved in this development from the word go and have been playing
> prototypes since 2007.
>
> We've been looking for alternative high quality renewable natural materials
> suitable for harmonica combs for years and I've tested loads without finding
> anything that worked better for me than the pearwood traditionally used in
> Marine Band combs. Bamboo seemed a suitable candidate, as it's been used in
> Asia for millenia and grows really fast while requiring no aging, unlike
> pearwood.
>
> About 18 months ago I got the first fully sealed laminated bamboo combs to
> test (on the basis of an MB Deluxe) and immediately fell in love with the
> playing feel and response. I've been playing them ever since and as I got
> more stuff to test, I began replacing the pearwood combs in my Deluxes wth
> bamboo. Now I rarely play pearwood any more except in the case of custom
> MB1896s. I recommended Hohner to use this material in a 10-hole model and
> tests continued. Last autumn we ran a series of blind tests on reed profiles
> with myself, Howard Levy, Joe Filisko and Michael Timler from Harponline. As
> a secondary issue we also compared identical instruments with different comb
> materials (pearwood, solid plastic, bamboo), in each case giving points out
> of 10 for volume, tone, response, bending, overblow and general playability.
> The results were analysed by the Hohner R&D department. Interestingly, all
> the above test players independently (at different times and places, without
> collusion and without knowing the others' preferences or the materials
> tested) gave the bamboo comb the highest overall rating by a significant
> margin.
>
> Hohner decided to use this material in a new Marine Band model, the
> Crossover, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Fair last week (and which
> Sunnyside got to play, hence his enthusiasm). The comb is completely
> water-resistant, with bevelled corners and channel openings, and the
> laminated construction makes it very stable. The sharp edges of the reed
> plates are de-burred. The "new compromise tuning" lies between the
> traditional MB tuning (itself a compromise between just and equal
> temperament) and 12TET.  It's basically how I tune my own harps  -  all
> thirds (2, 5 & 8 blow, 3 & 7 draw) are tuned only 6 cents flatter than the
> root note and the 7ths in the draw chord are tuned equal. This still gives
> good chords, but allows you to play in more than just the first 3 positions
> and still remain reasonably in tune with other instruments. All parts are
> fully compatible with the Marine Band Deluxe. The Crossover will come in a
> semi-soft zipper case.
>
> To Jonathan Compton's points:
>
> Price: US$60 isn't cheap, but I share Joe Filisko's opinion that it's the
> best harp Hohner have ever made, at least for my purposes. The current reeds
> are extremely durable and my prototypes have lasted very well despite heavy
> abuse.
>
> I won't comment on the comb thing except to refer to the test results
> mentioned above, the excellence of the players involved and their undoubted
> probity. For whatever reason, we all independently had a clear preference
> for the harp with the bamboo comb.
>
> Launch date: I wish we could get series production running sooner, but I've
> got mine ;-). We're looking at a US launch in time for SPAH.
>
> Hype: I wrote the Crossover promo myself  and tried hard to avoid hype and
> dubious claims.
>
> Reed plate thickness: 0.9mm reed plates are the standard thickness used on
> all Hohner Classic models. They are currently exceptionally airtight, bright
> and responsive. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
>
> Consistency out of the box is hard to guarantee but Hohner is engaged in
> active measures to further improve quality control including teaching
> employees to play so they are better able to judge quality. We're also
> working on improving tuning accuracy and consistency. These harps should
> offer anyone who works on their instruments an excellent starting point as
> well as being good out of the box,
>
> Steve
>
> steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> www.stevebaker.de
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>



-- 
Arthur Jennings
http://www.timeistight.com