[Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
tga...@comcast.net
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?
Thanks
Tag (the Newbie!!! )
tga...@comcast.net
Who's Gary?
Thanks
Tag
----- Original Message -----
From: "george sanders" <georgeg...@yahoo.com>
To: tga...@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:30:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
Get a Manji warranty good for a year, Gary will fix when there is a problem. You can not buy a better out of the box harp for the price.
--- On Thu, 4/7/11, tga...@comcast.net <tga...@comcast.net> wrote:
David Brown
I seem to remember that they are tuned differently than Special 20s & Marine
Bands. I believe the tuning used on the 1923 Vintage harps is called "Just"
tuning and that it is how harps were tuned in the olden days. That said, I
am the last guy on this list who should be talking about tuning so anyone
out there who has the dope on this please chime in.
I will tell you that the nuts on the screws holding down the coverplates on
mine kept coming loose. I solved the problem by buying a cheap little bottle
of TEMPORARY Loctite glue. A tiny little drop keeps the nuts in place. It's
also really good for keeping those little screws holding the grills on
bullet mics in place as well. Make sure to get the TEMPORARY version so you
can take the covers/screws off later.
Poirier, Guillaume
Marine Bands either. One thing that is annoying about it is that it leaves a bad metal taste in your mouth...
Michelle LeFree
> 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
tga...@comcast.net
Thanks again
Tag
----- Original Message -----
From: "david robbins" <drobbi...@sbcglobal.net>
To: tga...@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, April 7, 2011 9:10:15 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
marine bands, durable?? funny
----- Original Message -----
From: <tga...@comcast.net>
To: <har...@harp-l.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2011 6:04 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
>
>
>
>
> 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?
>
tga...@comcast.net
Thanks
Tag
----- Original Message -----
From: "george sanders" <georgeg...@yahoo.com>
To: tga...@comcast.net
Sent: Friday, April 8, 2011 12:58:03 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
He's your Suzuki repair man in El Cajon.
--- On Thu, 4/7/11, tga...@comcast.net <tga...@comcast.net> wrote:
From: tga...@comcast.net <tga...@comcast.net>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
To: har...@harp-l.org
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 4:34 PM
Hi George
Who's Gary?
Thanks
Tag
----- Original Message -----
From: "george sanders" < georgeg...@yahoo.com >
To: tga...@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:30:13 PM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
Get a Manji warranty good for a year, Gary will fix when there is a problem. You can not buy a better out of the box harp for the price.
--- On Thu, 4/7/11, tga...@comcast.net < tga...@comcast.net > wrote:
From: tga...@comcast.net < tga...@comcast.net >
Subject: [Harp-L] Hering 1923 Vintage Harps
To: har...@harp-l.org
Date: Thursday, April 7, 2011, 3:04 PM
gnarl...@gmail.com
Thanks to George for the props. This is Gary, the harmonica repair guy George was referring to. Our warranty policy is currently one year on all harmonicas.
I won't be there for two weeks, as I have some business to take care of in Oklahoma. But it's a good reason to buy Suzuki, isn't it?
I believe that the Hohner warranty is only 90 days. Is this correct?
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Suave Blues Man
http://www.hohnerusa.com/index.php?1614
Sixty days, Brother. Sixty days.
Be Blues...And Jazz,
Suave Blues Man
David Payne
are sealed at the top of the comb teeth, where it counts. Most moisture that a
comb soaks up is right at the top. So what moisture that does get soaked up will
make the bottom of the teeth swell a little and make it tighter, but the
swelling is minimial, that's why people tend to think they are fully sealed. The
reedplates are a little thicker, so it makes a tight construction, especially if
the comb is sanded and sealed. Thick reedplates make a difference because of how
they distribute screw torque.
If you seal one, it's really important to flatsand the comb. If you don't
flatsand, sealing will just make it leak, because the comb can't swell to fill
in the little gaps.
Dave
www.elkriverharmonicas.com
________________________________
From: "tga...@comcast.net" <tga...@comcast.net>
To: har...@harp-l.org
Sent: Fri, April 8, 2011 11:33:37 PM
David Payne
wanted to mention that the Seydel warranty is two years.
Cara Cooke
features. However, they don't seem to like me. Of all of the harmonica
models I have ever tried, they have died on me the fastest. Most harmonicas
last at least a year for me. Many last for many years. These die within a
couple of months, and I have never quite resolved why.
Being a bluegrass player (melody and position/mode oriented), I was never
that fond of the tuning either (the flat 5), but I wanted to give it a fair
trial anyway. To me, the tuning with the flat 5 hole was stronger (worse)
than any of my 1970's Marine Bands ever were. The 1923 was the first
harmonica I had ever played that sounded that "out" to me right out of the
box (by design). However, many people really like it and they loved the
instrument as a whole. It is not a bad harmonica. It just isn't one that I
need to be playing.
Cara Cooke
http://harmonica2.tripod.com
http://manchacaallstars.tripod.com