[Harp-L] Re: Hering 1923 Vintage Harps

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

tag asks:
> Anyone here playing the Hering 1923 Vintage Harps? I've got one and it seems to be like an upgraded Marine Band. Side by side and the two look to be Identically built except the 1923 has a sealed comb and seems to be heavier made.
>
> So here's my question. How do they hold up for a beginner like me? Are they as durable as the Marine Band? What are their bad points. Why don't I read more about guys using them?

I have a bunch of 1923's. I regard them as an inexpensive alternative to 
the Marine Band Deluxe. Both models share several characteristics, 
principally their partially sealed wood combs (sealed only on the 
exposed surfaces), screw construction and their non-equal temperament 
tunings. The Herings have a thicker reed plate (1.2 mm vs .9 mm) and 
heavier cover plates which make the instrument have a nice heft in the 
hand. The thicker reed plates give the 1923's a loud sound that cuts 
nicely in an acoustic setting. Some have complained of the reed plate 
screws loosening spuriously, but I haven't had much of a problem with that.

The Herings play nicely once the reeds are gapped to your preference 
(which is a first step for any of my harps). One thing you really need 
to consider with the Herings is their historically-correct tuning, which 
is 7-limit Just Intonation, the same tuning of the Marine Bands in the 
day of the classic blues players. This sounds like a good idea and it is 
if you want to emulate the Walters to a tee, or if you do a lot of 
tongue-blocking, in which case the 1923's chords sound very nice and 
rich (ergo the reason for this tuning). The most noticeable feature of 
this tuning, though, is that the 5- and 9-draw notes are ~very~ flat. 
This is fine when you are TB'ing Juke, but beware of the problems that 
arise if you try to play regular melodies with these harps, especially 
if you are playing along with other instruments. You will sound 
annoyingly out of tune compared to string instruments, for example. This 
is not the tuning for your local bluegrass or Irish circle.

My advice to a newbie? I'd recommend starting out with a few Hohner 
Special 20's. They have gone up in price but they are still a bargain, 
IMO. The recessed plastic comb is very lip- and embouchure-friendly and 
it is nice and airtight. Their screw construction makes them easy to 
work on (but get a #1 Pozi-drive screwdriver) and they are usually 
pretty well playable out of the box. [Your next stop should be Joe 
Spier's Youtube lessons on how to adjust reed gaps... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh79GaDVmC8] The SP 20's compromised 
tuning is far more versatile that either the7-limit JI of the Herings or 
a straight 12-TET tuning (like a Hohner Golden Melody in which chord 
sound harsh to my ears). It works in almost any setting, sounding good 
with other instruments or blowing lots of chords.

The Hering Vintage 1923's are fine harps, but I'd start elsewhere. Since 
I have learned to customize my own harps, my set of customized 1970's 
era Marine Bands are so sweet that they have completely displaced my 
Herings, which are now gathering dust. I have often wondered what a 
customized 1923 would play like, but I am having so much fun playing my 
MB's that I haven't found the time to do so. Never the less, I still 
carry my set of Special 20's. They are my aces in the hole.

Hope that helps.

Michelle