Playing a harp while giving out advice
My wife says I look like a clapping seal.
Yes, I do.
Andrew's blog
M1.6 Tap
A Marine Band 1896 harmonica is held together with nails. You can convert it to all-screw assembly. Fasten the reed plates to the comb without having to use nuts by using a tap to make threads into which you can turn a screw. This tap is for 1.6 mm screws.
A pilot hole for this tap can be drilled with a 3/64" drill bit - that's a commonly-available drill bit in the US and Canada.
M2 Tap
A Marine Band 1896 harmonica is held together with nails. You can convert it to all-screw assembly. Fasten the reed plates to the comb without having to use nuts by using a tap to make threads into which you can turn a screw. This tap is for 2 mm screws.
A pilot hole for this tap can be drilled with a 1/16" drill bit - that's a commonly-available drill bit in the US and Canada.
Video: Replace Marine Band nails with screws and install new comb
This is a quick and easy way to install a flat comb in to a Marine Band harmonica. The stock comb has dimples to make room for the ends of the rivets which hold the reeds. My combs provide more surface area to make an airtight seal with the reed plates and the rivet ends need to be flattened.
This is a harp in the key of G. The end result is a fantastic harmonica that is loud and responsive. I was happy with the instrument but was not satisfied with the 4 overblow due to the shape of the reeds (out-of-the-box profiles).
I spent a few minutes and did some re-shaping of the blow and draw reeds to make them more efficient. It's much more work than just gapping. But the end-result is a 4 blow that is not tight and plays normally with hard pressure as well as a solid - and bendable - 4 overblow.
Other models including Marine Band 364, 365, pre-MS Meisterklasse, Seydel Big Six, Easttop 008
Made to order.
Models currently available for immediate production include:
Original Hohner Meisterklasse (pre-MS)
Marine Band 365 (Convert to screws)
Marine Band 364 (Convert to screws)
Lee Oskar
Fits Lee Oskar harmonicas.
Suzuki
Fits the following harps:
Suzuki Manji, Promaster, Suzuki Olive.
Also fits
- Dabell Contender
- Dabell Noble
- Suzuki HarpMaster, BluesMaster (*)
- Bushman Delta Frost(*)
The stock Manji comb is slightly smaller than the reed plates. My comb is a hair bigger than the plates so that the harp is more comfortable to hold.
HarpMaster, BluesMaster:
Seydel 1847
Fits Seydel 1847, SOLIST PRO and FAVORITE
More information and instructions for installing my combs are found on the Combs page.
Hohner MS series
Fits the following harps:
Big River, Blues Harp, Crossharp, Proharp, MeisterKlasse.
Please note, Hohner assimilated a few harps into the MS line over the years:
Golden Melody
Fits Hohner Golden Melody classic harmonicas. This is not meant for the Progressive type which has a different design.
More information and instructions for installing my combs are found on the Combs page.
Special 20/ Rocket
Fits Hohner Special 20 and Rocket harmonicas.
Note: For best overall performance, don't change the comb of a Special 20 or Rocket harmonica. I recommend using the stock ABS comb and work to get better performance by using The Reed Plate Claws™ to straighten reed plates. I only offer Special 20 and Rocket combs because some hobbyists like to experiment with the tonal qualities of switching from an ABS "recessed" comb to a solid surface "sandwich-type" comb.
Marine Band
Fits the following harps:
Marine Band Deluxe, Marine Band Crossover and Thunderbird. Also suits Marine Band 1896 harmonicas if you want to change the nails to screws. This includes:
- Marine Band 1896 (1950s to current *).
- Pre-war Marine Bands, including "mouse ear".
- Pre-MS Blues Harps
- Wooden-combed Old Standy.
- Pre-MS Meisterklasse
Custom harmonica ($100 deposit)
To order a custom harmonica, I ask for a CAD$100 deposit.
I will contact you promptly and we will discuss your needs. I will ask you specific questions about your custom harmonica and provide you with a firm delivery date.
If you wish to order more than one harmonica, please send me one deposit per harmonica. You can select the quantity at the bottom of this page.
Payments are made using Paypal as you Check Out. Canadian residents can also use eTransfer to send me the funds. Contact me for details.
Full Toolkit (The most complete toolkit available)
The most complete harmonica tool kit on the market.
Full Toolkit:
Is my vintage Marine Band a lemon? How to spot a bad Marine Band harmonica
Restoring old harmonicas can be rewarding. Some of those old harps have a lot of soul!
Some Vintage Marine Band harmonicas are worth restoring because they have the potential to become responsive instruments with that earthy Marine Band sound.
But some are not.
Hohner went through a difficult time in the late 80s and early 90s and the quality of their harmonicas suffered. No matter how much work you do on such a harp, the result will be a serviceable harp at best. When they were first bought, a lot of them were hardly played because of the poor quality and they were simply put away. Today, these harps are surfacing on online markets as Vintage harmonicas in great "cosmetic" condition! They are cosmetically excellent because they have had barely any use due to their poor quality out-of-the-box.
How can you tell the difference between the good and the bad vintage Marine Bands? Here's a simple way. This method can help you spot a lemon over 90 per cent of the time.
Take a look at the back of the harp. Flip it upside down and look closely under the cover plate. How many nail heads can you see in between the reeds on the draw side (the bottom reed plate)? If you can see three, the harp is from a good period - either before or after the difficult time in the 1980s and 1990s.
If you can only see two nail heads, you have a harp that is most likely not going to be as playable as you would like it to be no matter how much work you do on it.