how old is my hohner marine band harmonica
They are 23 inches long, and each chord takes up 4 holes. The wood comb sandwiched by the visible edges of the brass reed plates, topped with the stainless steel cover plates is a winning combination. Money no object? Mike "Fathead" Easton (Pennsylvania) Mr Easton has been in the harmonica repair business since 2000. Here is your shopping list from www.micromark.com. Co. of New York: The covers on this instrument are "upside down" compared with the current incarnation of the Marine Band, ie. That's a tough one. The Hohner company has produced more than forty different models bearing the name Marine Band over the years, ranging from simple Richter diatonics with twenty reeds, to huge multiple tremolo instruments with almost almost two hundred reeds and all sizes and types in between. Unlike many of the other contestants on this list, this harmonica comes in a custom, vintage-design case. Yes, they are the original harmonica that all the old blues masters played. Its got a loud bright tone, its easy on the lips, very responsive, very easy to bend and its very EXPENSIVE! If it don't have little screws, don't take it apart, leave it alone. All these models have been in production for over 20 years. Im putting these 2 Hohner harmonicas under the same heading because my response to these questions is similar. Probably any small tweezers or files would do - probably a cosmetic set would have the right tools. But even worse, the Hohner Hot Metal and Hohner Old Standby are what I consider to be terrible harmonicas, and I recommend running in the other direction from them! The hands and the star are just slightly different from the previous version and the WIEN and PHILAD. The star vanished during the Nazi era and has never returned. Harmonica Construction and its Effects on Sound and Feel, Original cover design from 1896 ensures the classic blues sound, Greatly reduced swelling behaviour through double-coated pear wood comb. If you get it wet enough for the comb to expand (by dunking it in water) the wood may not even dry back to its original size. Rather than a pair of tabs at each end of the cover, there is a single tab at each end the full width of the cover. The Marine Band has been Hohner's most popular model of harmonica for generations. Basic harmonica maintenance is now straightforward, the right tools easily gotten. If youre currently considering buying a Hohner Blues Harp or a Hohner Big River, heres my advice: The Hohner Blues Harp, has a wooden comb. The current version of the Blues Harp is part of Hohner's Modular Series and was introduced in the 1990s. Pins can be made either by flat filing the pointy tip off brass upholstery brads (hold it with pliers) or by balling the end of some copper wire over a gas stove. To have a look please message me. Hohner 590 Big River MS-Series . The Hohner Blues Bender is not a great one. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The medals on the lower cover now have single circles, the star is smaller than on the previous version, with the hands and cuffs also slightly different in style. The claim REG. Learn how your comment data is processed. Vintage M. Hohner Marine Band Harmonica Germany G Key With OG Box - Sounds Great. Calculating probabilities from d6 dice pool (Degenesis rules for botches and triggers). My draw notes seemed to have got stuck, so I cleaned them with witch hazel (maybe surgical spirit would do, or lemon juice, but we have run out of lemons) and lifted each gently with the Honner tools to ensure they were moving freely up and down in the reed plate. (function (w,d) {var loader = function () {var s = d.createElement("script"), tag = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js"; tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);}; if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load", loader, false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload", loader);}else{w.onload = loader;}})(window, document); However, the one that concerns us here is their model number 1896, Hohner's best-selling diatonic and probably the most well-known harmonica in the world. However, I have since learned that this is by no means an uncommon specimen. In my opinion, the Fender Blues Deluxe is a better purchase in the budget harmonica category, even though its a few bucks more. This attractive and robust instrument is a quality staple for beginners and a sure performer for seasoned veterans. This one seems to be the final incarnation of the pre-war Marine Band: It is similar to the previous one, except that the abbreviated forms GESETL. I will require that you send the instrument to me, paying for the shipping and insurance each way. Enter your email address and hit Grab It to get started. The box is only slightly changed from earlier versions. * 0-80 x 3/8' brass bolts #70189 round head, or #70191 for hex head (strictly a matter of taste) * 0-80 nuts if you choose not to tap threads into the bottom draw reed plate, and the four 0-80 nuts you will need to secure the cover . Its undisputed. Her willingness to let me blow into it suggested that maybe many other lips had been on its mouthpiece that same day, so I declined, at which point she said "It's perfectly OK - I've given it a good cleaning" and she put the harp in her mouth and proceeded to blow and draw with great enthusiasm. This one is probably from some time in the mid-1920s: The harmonica is slightly smaller than the preceding specimens, measuring 4" x 1", with the mild steel covers 2/3" deep at the front, and 3/4" at rear. The archetypal blues harmonica with the traditional HOHNER tuning. If you already own a Hohner Blues Harp or a Hohner Big River harmonica, and youre wondering if its a good harmonica to learn on: fear not, youre in great shape. Translated: 1-216-1011018/1 is the article number. How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. The purists irrationally cleave to the notion that the sound of the Marine Band 1896 is the sound that was, for better or worse, the sound of the old time legends. Cookies Its a total classic. It has a bunch of awards on the bottom. If you can afford it, Id recommend springing for it. 4.5 of 5 stars (38) Reviews. All Need Adjustment Cleaning Polishing & Lots of TLC3. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 5 out of 5 stars (895) Required fields are marked *. The first production runs turned out some rather unresponsive harps with short lived reeds, but these problems were address with longer scale reeds, improved tolerances and a better reed alloy. There may be more subtle changes in construction that could further date a harmonica (such as the rounded rivet heads on prewar 64s) but that stuff is beyond my expertise. As the patent for the Marine Band cover design was granted in August 1897, the following instrument presumably dates from 1896 or early 1897 as the lower cover says PATENT APPLIED FOR: The covers on this instrument are nickel-plated brass and still have the trademark on the top and Hohner's picture on the bottom, the trademark having a small six pointed star inside the circle. For rivets, use a center punch to guarantee centering a drill, and drill off the end which has the least material until you can pull it through from the other side by using a narrower screw inside, pulled with pliers. The low monthly subscription of $16.95 gives you full access! At the end of this video (after 9:00s) I am giving some playing examples with the Marine Band, youre welcome to check them out and also to check out the lesson if youre new to harmonica. In the last few years, I traveled through four continents while performing and teaching music, and I also run the blog GuitarSongsMasters.com - one of the world's top five most-read guitar blogs. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage M. Hohner Marine Band Harmonica Key of C Germany No 1896 at the best online prices at eBay! Pickup near South Perth in Kensington. The Golden Melody is the most comfortable of all the Hohner line, has the darkest tone, and is the only harmonica tuned to Equal Temperament instead of Just Intonation, which means its especially good for playing single notes in tune. Cheers! 1896 Harmonica Made in Germany by M. Hohner with Box. If you want to learn more check out my full Special 20 Review. Do this on both sides. Ready to suffer a little for your blues? Ending Today at 17:11 EST 12h 5m. Ive also spoken with representatives from Hohners main competitors, like Suzuki and Seydel, and they too all agree that Hohner is a great brand of harmonica. This page tells you pretty much everything I can about the value of your old harmonica without actually seeing it. Can someone please help me. Just a Q-Tip moistened with water or ispropyl alcohol. Hohners main Chord is known as the Hohner 48, because it plays 48 chords. Looks This harmonica is absolutely beautiful to look at. P4 A-440 Germany Vocal Old Style with Box. . Just leave plenty of length so you can twist the other end like a fern frond using needle-nose pliers, then possibly hammer the swirl perpendicular against the harmonica shell. The Hohner Marine Band Crossover is part of the Marine Band series, top-of-the-line professional quality instrument for the discerning player in modern blues, rock, jazz, soul or funk. if you hold the instrument with the low notes to the left, Herr Hohner's portrait is on the lower cover. Why do small African island nations perform better than African continental nations, considering democracy and human development? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Completely assembled with screws for easy maintenance. If youre looking for a traditional blues harp to play Muddy, Walter (s), Sonny Terry Ted and dont customise, this is it. It responds quickly to blows and draws alike, just as you would hope it would. I pulled out this Marine Band 1896, and the thing bends like a champ! You can hear the sound of the Fender Blues Deluxe versus the Hohner Blues Band in this excerpt from my Fender Blues Deluxe Review. If youre on a tight budget and you can save $20 bucks or more, I guess you could get a Big River instead of a Special 20, but if possible Id try and save up for a Special 20 or a Golden Melody. They were apparently hoping to cash in on the fame and name recognition of the Marine Band to boost interest in their new instrument. The go to harp for players such as Jerry Portnoy and Kim Wilson, although this iant publicised as the Marine Band Deluxe isnt marketed in the US. They are not pins or rivets.They are small nails. Best Beginner Harmonica Which Harmonica Is The Best For Beginners? On the upper cover, the lettering is fractionally larger than on the previous examples, both for the name MARINE BAND and the Hohner signature. Newer revisited version of the classic Marine Band 1896. I spotted an old F. A. Bohm tremolo harmonica lying on one of the tables and tried to suppress my look of interest as I approached it. Vintage Hohner Trutone Pitchpipe No. Chromonica is a term that Hohner uses for several different ones. Ending Today at 5:24PM GMT 16h 54m. On the Harp-L forum, Joe Broecker explains the current code stamp on the Hohner MS series diatonic harmonica reed plates. This harmonica has a rich and expressive sound that defines what most people think of when they imagine the sound . Do new devs get fired if they can't solve a certain bug? Shortly after then, the "A440" was dropped and other small changes made to the designs on the cover. I resisted. Contact Ive literally never met one person who doesnt agree. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. Aside from the boast of U.S.A. PATENT AUG. 24th 1897, the covers on this one seem identical to the previous model, however the combs are very slightly different, the earlier one being 4 1/16 inches long and the later one being 4 1/32 inches. Some time in the mid to late 1920s the design of the box also changed, with a picture of the US Marine Band being pasted to the top of the box. Thats right: billion with a B. I think its safe to say that they know a thing or two about making harmonicas! Also the comb is now shorter than any of the previous models, a fraction under 4 inches long. How do I clean the windway on my recorder? Thanks for contributing an answer to Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange! Item was in great shape from being a amp from the late 90s. Then in the mid to late 1990s, at the same time as Hohner retooled and made dramatic improvements to the tolerances between reed and reedplate, they went back to using seven nails for both reedplates and also added a production code stamped into the reedplate. Privacy Registered Company 10370912. The fine tuning of the instrument was also changed several times from the original 7-limit Just Intonation, to various more tempered tunings during the 1980s, then to something a little closer to Just Intonation in recent years. If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. This is the quintessential blues harmonica from the Chicago Blues Era. The 364 has 24 reeds, giving it a better note range. Check out my full Hohner Golden Melody review. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Joe Filisko for the loan of several of the pre-WWII examples shown above. A longtime favorite of many country artists, the model 34B Old Standby is always ready to express spontaneous musical soul. Footnote: I should add that this is very much a work in progress and I would love to hear from anyone that has any examples of variations that I have not covered above, particularly if you have any reliable means of dating them accurately. (function (w,d) {var loader = function () {var s = d.createElement("script"), tag = d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.src="https://cdn.iubenda.com/iubenda.js"; tag.parentNode.insertBefore(s,tag);}; if(w.addEventListener){w.addEventListener("load", loader, false);}else if(w.attachEvent){w.attachEvent("onload", loader);}else{w.onload = loader;}})(window, document); 4.2/5 Stars Total. This is a diatonic harmonica that works well for beginners and is one of the best selling harmonicas that the Hohner company has to offer. If you are lucky, the pin/rivet is wide enough to replace with a harmonica bolt and flat nut. and GESCH. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Compared to the Special 20 (which has what's called an enclosed construction), this Hohner Marine Band harmonica has side vents that give it a "brighter, more vibrant sound," says Barrett,. Once the harp has had the chance to dry out thoroughly, there is relatively little danger of any communicable diseases being passed on. Accessioned with original cardboard box. You can see an interesting list of famous Marine Band players right here.