Re: [Harp-L] Allegedly rubbish?

Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> · Sun, 8 Mar 2009 10:48:19 +0000

I agree about the basic quality Steve; but from the gripes and  
complaints on harp-l you would think otherwise. In the 1970s and 80s I  
used to be able to get a harmonica out of tune in a few weeks and went  
through them quickly (Marine Bands or Blues Harps) nowadays, they last  
ages (mind you I play better). Not all of them overblow easily, but  
overblows are not the beginning and end of everything. Moreover, the  
airtight set up for overblows affects other aspect of tone in my  
(limited) personal experience and, listening to the great overblowers,  
I can hear that their tone is limited in certain ways too, because of  
the constraints of playing. Overblow is sort of like traditional jazz  
guitar - even flowing tone and technique, horn like sound. A less  
'tight' harp can give wilder tonality, more like rock guitar.
Yes, despite his often wild playing, I think this applies even to  
Jason Ricci, yes and to Howard Levy also. Excommunicate me now guys.
As for the drive to customise - if one is sufficiently expert and has  
the time, then great. But in my view less advanced players do not  
necessarily need to go there. Perhaps it may even be a bad idea. Is it  
better to begin to learn keyboards on a concert grand piano, or on a  
basic electronic keyboard? It is far easier to get something out of  
the latter to begin with.
Moreover, another thing in my experience with the generally wonderful  
modern harps is that I actively enjoy the different feel of different  
instruments. But I do not seek that 'one perfect sound'.
Richard
On 8 Mar 2009, at 03:46, Steve Baker wrote:
Richard wrote:
<I am also simply puzzled why people who buy the
allegedly rubbish and unplayable modern Golden Melodies, Special 20s
and Marine Bands don't complain and send them back?>
I'm not sure if I understand what you're getting at here. Who  
exactly alleges that modern GMs, Sp.20s & MBs are rubbish and  
unplayable? I find the quality of these Hohner Classic models to be  
generally pretty good at the present time. I wouldn't play them  
otherwise. Of course out of the box harmonicas from all  
manufacturers may have fine tuning problems, some examples of any  
given model will be better than others and you might have the  
misfortune to get a lemon, but to imply that the above harps are of  
generally poor quality is misleading at best. My experience of  
playing them for nearly 40 years leads me to believe that the  
overall quality of the current Hohner Classic reed plates is the  
best it's been since the 1960s.
All Hohner harmonicas are sold under a warranty which covers  
manufacturing defects, and if you purchase an instrument which is  
genuinely defective then you certainly shouldn't hesitate to send it  
back. It will certainly be replaced. However, what constitutes such  
a defect is not always easily recognizable for the layman and I've  
seen a lot of perfectly good harps sent back without due reason. We  
usually replace them anyway.
I have yet to find a harmonica from any manufacturer (and I've  
tested them all in the course of my work for Hohner) which I would  
want to play out of the box. Factory settings need to be a  
compromise aimed at satisfying the broad customer base. Personally I  
tune and offset all my harps to my own preferences before playing  
them. I realize this doesn't exonerate manufacturers from the  
obligation to deliver the best possible quality from the factory,  
but I can only recommend players to learn the basics of tuning and  
offsetting. It will empower you to make the best out of your  
instruments so why not give it a try?
Steve_______________________________________________
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Richard Hammersley
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley
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