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todd allen asks:
Does any one here have anything good to say about the Marine Band 365 / 364 /
SBS or Soloist type Harps 12 and or 14 hole Diatonic. Thinking of getting one.
looks like Hohner has recently updated there website since I was there last.
Very nice.
Todd
Todd, you've had several good replies. I'm a big fan of these "extended"
diatonics, so here's my "short" version:
The Hohner harps are all built on the same thick comb as described by
others. The thickness doesn't bother me at all, but it's very easy for
me to adapt to harps with different hole sizes/spacings. Whay's more
troublesome for me is their length. Unless you have hands like an
Orangutan, you can't cup even the 12-holers. I have to partially cup
them like a chromatic. Still, their size and comb thickness account for
their increased loudness and rich tone, which they definitely have in
abundance. I especially love the low tuning of some of the models; they
aren't all tuned that way though and the ones that aren't are difficult
for me to deal with. That's because even with the low-tuned models, the
upper holes, especially with the 14-holers are nigh on to useless to me
because they are so squeaky-high.
As to the 364/365 versus the SBS, it matters what style of music you
play and what embouchure you like to play with. I say that because the
stock 364/365 are ~made~ to tongue block. There are amazing chords and
splits all up and down those harps. It's amazing what hymns and gospel
tunes sound like played that way with these harps -- almost organ-like.
For me, though, it is very difficult to transition to playing melodies
with them, although I'm sure I could do it with some diligence. I just
don't bother with that because of the SBS tuning.
Someone who replied said they didn't "get" the SBS tuning. It's not
complicated. The first 3 holes are just like a "low-tuned" model in the
same key. Holes 4-13 are just like a regular 10-hole diatonic and hole
14 is sort of "tacked on" because the SBS is built on a 365 frame
(hmm... sounds like a good name for a blues ;). The benefits of this
tuning are manifold. One is that you still have nice chords and splits
all the way up and down the harp. But, the key benefit for me is that
you have that 4th octave on the low end at your disposal. I like to use
that additional octave to add another dimension to my playing, e.g.,
soloing low and then moving up the harp echoing that same solo in higher
octaves. The SBS models are, for me, easier to deal with in terms of
melody playing than the 364/365s because they are layed out in a way
more familiar to me. With any of these Hohners, sealing the comb (or
adding one of Chris Reynolds' cool Diamondwood replacement combs) and
replacing the nails with screws makes for a vastly superior instrument.
But, stop the presses! Enter the Seydel 12-hole Soloist Pro harps. IMO,
they are far more player-friendly than the Hohner SBS models. They are
tuned the same way as the lower 12 holes of the SBSs, they have a very
nice lip-friendly sealed wood comb, they are held together with screws
instead of nails and they sport some very slippery stainless steel cover
plates. The fact that they also do away with those upper two holes makes
them far easier to cup. They have a very cool tone, too, especially on
that low end, and unlike almost any other OOTB harp I have ever bought,
I haven't felt the need to reset the reeds. What's not to like? They are
cheaper than an SBS, too. I picked one up at SPAH in Minneapolis and
haven't put it down yet. Several other keys will be my next harp purchase.
I hope that helps you decide, Todd. Really you can't go too far wrong
with any of these fine instruments. Recall that Rice Miller played these
babies a lot, including on the amazing "Bye Bye Bird" (that low-C ~kills~).
Now I never leave home without my low-C 12-hole Seydel Blues Soloist Pro!