Re: [Harp-L] Reed plate protrusion




On May 28, 2009, at 1:51 PM, Michael Peloquin wrote:



From: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Michael Peloquin asked:

why are MB Deluxes not assembled this way in the first place?

They're certainly meant to be, it may depend on who assembled the
instrument in question. I went through this issue a couple of years
back with one of the people who do the work and will talk to Hohner
quality control about it today. As there is a degree of play in the
screw holes, inconsistency can creep in here. To ask why players who
shell out the cash should have to make minor adjustments themselves
brings us back to the rather tired subject of setting up your own
harps. Look at the state in which much more expensive guitars are
delivered to retailers. Any serious guitar shop will automatically
set up the instrument before selling it and nobody complains that in
some way the manufacturer is at fault because this is necessary. The
problem is, harmonicas are generally not sold by people with the
skills to do the work needed. Buy at Harponline if you want stock
instruments that have been checked through by an expert before
sending them out (shameless plug but no commercial connection in any
way),



Steve,


Why can't the number 1 harmonica manufgacturer in the whole world just listen to its customers?

Because they feel they ARE #1, and everyone should hold them in high regard. But, gone are the days when they could just gobble up the competition. To be honest, I still don't think they have any real competition. But, they DO make too many models and they should go to making fewer BETTER models.


I think all that we as consumers want to hear is: hey we didn't get it right and we will correct that moving forward.

They don't need to care about the few percent that expect a good product. They are following an old inventors creed. "Make something that everyone either needs or wants. This way all you have to do is sell ONE to everyone and the numbers will explode". Just like there are tables for average height, average weight, they built to the average customer. Not realizng that weights can go from very heavy to very light and heights can go from very short (Johnny Puleo) to very tall (Hendrik Meurkens). Average is a very loose criteria.

I am not picking on Hohner or you when I address these concerns. I like Hohner's products and I have for my entire career. The MB Deluxe plays better tha comparable suzukis or seydels IMO, and I am a big Steve Baker fan...

I concur. I play Hohners because that's all that was available to me at the time. Then over the years, I have tried other brands and found that they were either a duplication of a Hohner..or junk. I remember the aura back when we was kids and showed our harmonica to another youngster and they read the covers, looked up in AWE and said "Wow, it's a Hohner". This is where their bread and butter came from. Kids nagging their parents for a 'real Hohner'. (btw, I always bought my own harps. With either my shoe-shine boy, or paper-boy monies).

But, please do not give us these guitar analogy cop-outs... here is my guitar analogy:


Fender sells a deluxe version of the Strat to you with the fret ends protuding out the side of the neck, ripping your palms to shreds, Fender says, "just take a hammer and some tin snips and adjust 'em, they will be fine." That response would be unacceptable. You stated " I went through this issue with Hohner a couple of years back," why could this not have been left at that rather than tell us that this issue lies under the "tired" heading of "player personalized harp setup" This is NOT harp setup, but quality control. Why is there play in the holes? There is no play in a MB or GM (Hohner's 2 other sandwich style diatonics. )

Why must manufacturers act like they know what is best for their customers when many of us already know that the converse is true.

Right, look at the U.S. auto industry. They persisted in making more and more cars that no one wanted.


Look at New Coke, the Selmer Mark VII saxophone, the Edsel, Apple's Cube & Newton, plus countless other corporate product blunders.

When will the next harmonica manufacturer really step up to the plate for us?

My story: (aaaargh, oh brother). I started playing Hohners in 1956. In 1996, I discovered the Herings. Although I was familiar with the Hering Membi and thought it was a piece of junk, I was impressed with the 5148. It is raucous, loud, raunchy, biting, has a lot of 'carry', AND has the best slide in the business. Beings that I never play a chromo in the key it is made, slide is very important to me. I currently play the Hering 48 most of the time. If I want sweet, I use a Hohner.


I also play the Hohner spl-20 diatonic (exclusively). I'm sure there are better harps but at the level 'I' am at, they far exceed my capabilities.

Over the years, I have tried virtually all the harps, but I find them to be duplications of the Hohner.....(or junk). The Seydel is the exception. It falls in between the Hohner & Hering. But, since I started with Hohners, and everything else came along later, why should I change?







Michael Peloquin



http://harpsax.com


http://myspace.com/peloquinharpsax










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