Even my friend Lee Oksar (who makes the equally awesome Lee Oskar harmonica) acknowledges that Hohner makes great harmonicas. If you have a very good condition old Hohner Marine Band, or 64 Chromonica, then there could be a player prepared to pay a reasonable price for it. Check out the spotlight post from our host Dave Stutts. Figuring out the age of a harmonica is by no means easy, nor is it always relevant to the value of the instrument. Your email address will not be published. (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); The significance of the six-pointed star has been the subject of much debate. 0 bids. The A440 is a little bigger than before and the key on the right tab of the upper cover is now stamped into the metal, rather than engraved. Hohner 125th Anniversary Marine Band Vs. Pre-war Vs. Stock MB - YouTube Enter your email address and hit Grab It to get started. There were also a few changes to the box around the time of WWII. Youll get 3 free video lessons where youll learn. Your harmonica will survive. Even some fairly common harmonicas may be considered collectible by some people. Although the comb is the same length, the covers have changed substantially. 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. Super 64X (7584) Reed Plate Set. Why are Suriname, Belize, and Guinea-Bissau classified as "Small Island Developing States"? If the harmonica had a plastic comb, you could simply soak the whole thing in lemon juice overnight. Special 20 vs. Marine Band - size matters to me - Harmonica Forum If it don't have little screws, don't take it apart, leave it alone. These do not give you any indication of the instrument's age; they are merely the dates various trade awards were given. It's still sitting in a Mason Jar in my shop. Hohner Marine Band Deluxe - Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas if you hold the instrument with the low notes to the left, Herr Hohner's portrait is on the lower cover. Hohner 1896 Marine Band Natural Minor Harmonica. Ready to suffer a little for your blues? We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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,. (The 270 has always been straight tuned.). The only reason I doc it one star is that I wish it had better key labels. The Hohner Marine Band 364 is a quality instrument, just like the Marine Band 1896. All of the above raises the inevitable question of hygiene - is it safe to play something that has been in someone else's mouth? C $13.89. Hohner Marine - in Chicago, IL - Shoppok Can someone please help me. I hope to be helpful to you on your harmonica journeys. A later catalog shows an octave tuned harmonica with the same name, given the model number 1896 and claiming a patent date of August 24th, 1897 - the date of the patent claimed on the covers used on the Marine Band 1896 and several other models. It was made in 1896, and it still has the same design. Check your inbox in the next minute or two for your first lesson. Item was in great shape from being a amp from the late 90s. Got something to say? (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); 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. Special Financing - Ends Jan 1, 2024. Also, Matthias Hohner seems to have just a little more hair on the top of his head than he had in his previous portrait! Here are answers to questions that I get about Hohner harmonicas time and time again: Everybody agrees that Hohner is an excellent brand of harmonica. How to clean a marine band harmonica that cannot be unscrewed? If you do it carefully the small pins will come out intact and you can push them back firmly into the same holes after you have cleaned up and adjusted the reed plates. Enter your email address and hit Grab It to get started. it won't stick to its place. Hohner Marine Band, Blues Harp and Marine Band Deluxe The 270 has always had a wood comb with nailed-on reedplates. $4.99 shipping. Heres my Hohner Marine Band 1896 full review. The wooden comb, and the edge of the reedplate that is exposed between the coverplates and the comb, both help to make this harmonica very rough on the lips when played for long periods of time. The picture of Matthias Hohner is slightly simplified compared with earlier versions and the laurel around his picture is also a little different. 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. First launched in 1896, this model has been regularly played on stage by probably every famous harmonica player you can think of from Bob Dylan to Neil Young to Adam Gussow to Howard Levy. If youre looking for a traditional blues harp to play Muddy, Walter (s), Sonny Terry Ted and dont customise, this is it. Today its still manufactured in much the same way as when it was first produced in 1896. The soft green case is 1960s. My speculation is that the Marine Band 1896 is a relic, long ago surpassed by better thinking and better materials, and maintained in production only to please purists and romanticizers. 4.2/5 Stars Total. The Hohner Golden Melody is a bit larger than the Hohner Special 20. T&C Which Hohner Harmonica is the Best? - My Top 5 Hohner Harps Pear wood comb is triple-lacquered, minimising swelling and ensuring greater volume and faster response. Lets get down to business. Chromonica is a term that Hohner uses for several different ones. In 2015, Sotheby's sold a rather battered Hohner Vest Pocket Harp, something that would normally struggle to fetch a few dollars on eBay, for a whopping 4,000 - about $5,425! 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! Tone The tone of this harmonica is supreme. A longtime favorite of many country artists, the model 34B Old Standby is always ready to express spontaneous musical soul. $270.00. C, A Harmonic Minor, A Natural Minor, A Flat Natural Minor, B Natural Minor, B Harmonic Minor, B Flat Harmonic Minor, C Harmonic Minor, D Harmonic Minor, D Natural Minor, F Natural Minor, F Sharp Harmonic Minor, F Sharp Natural Minor, C Natural Minor, A, A Flat, B, B Flat, B Flat Natural Minor, D, D Flat, E, E Flat, E Natural Minor, F, F Sharp, G, G Natural Minor, G Harmonic Minor, D Flat Natural Minor, E Harmonic Minor, E Flat Natural Minor, Excellent all round harmonica. Harmonica - cleaning tips? - Everything Else (Music related) Forum A440 Vintage Hohner MARINE BAND Harmonica- No. The number A440 stamped on certain Hohner harps indicates neither a limited edition, nor a model number - it tells you that it is tuned to standard concert pitch (see FFAQ10). Its uniquely authentic sound has defined the role of the harmonica in the blues tradition and made it the benchmark by which all others are judged. If youre looking to emulate that old woody tone authentically at any cost, then look no further! 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. Vintage M. Hohner Marine Band Harmonica Germany G Key With OG Box - Sounds Great. Maintenance with the older harmonicas was hit and miss, with no guidance. From the photo with the best focus, it looks like it's possible that it's not a rivet, just a screw head that has broken off. 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. It is a Marine Band No. 3 comments. Required fields are marked *. The wood comb sandwiched by the visible edges of the brass reed plates, topped with the stainless steel cover plates is a winning combination. Cheers! The Hohner Pentaharp isnt actually one of my favorite Hohner harmonicas, but it is one of their newest offerings, so I thought it would be cool to check it out and tell you about it. Marine Band Crossover Harmonica - Key of C. Marine Band Crossover Diatonic Harmonica - Key of C. 10 reviews Write your review Item ID: MarineCrossC. It's simplistic in its design but beautiful in its achievements. C, A, A Flat, B, B Flat, D, D Flat, E, E Flat, F, G. The most popular models are either single-sided or double-sided Echo harps, but the single-sided ones can be combined into quadruple or sextuple corncob setups, with a different key on each row. 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. The U.S.A. PATENT AUG. 24th 1897 and MADE IN GERMANY claims are no longer present on the upper cover and the lettering of the name MARINE BAND is substantially larger. Ive had several beginners who were struggling while playing these, and then theyinvested a bit more into a Special 20, a Lee Oskar, or a Golden Melody and they came back ecstatic at how much easier it was to play. Also the Seydel 1847 models are a bit larger than the Hohner Marine Band harps. Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. Perfecting the modern harmonica - Craftsmanship Magazine Hohner has established themselves as the go-to brand for harmonicas rightly so high quality harps, for a fair price, that play well. For low tunings, we recommend the Hohner Thunderbird, which has been designed from the ground up as a low tuned harmonica, but still has similar tone and feel to the classic Marine Band. [7] There are various subdivisions of the Marine Band. A440 Hohner - Etsy When I first wrote about this next example, I described it as being "something of an oddball". One came without a box, the other came in a box identical to the next example, but as the key stamped on the box did not match the key of the harp, it was obviously not the original one. Compare. Vintage. Custom Pre-War Marine Band - The Harp Dude Today it is still manufactured in much the same way as when it was first introduced in 1896. Just a Q-Tip moistened with water or ispropyl alcohol. On the Harp-L forum, Joe Broecker explains the current code stamp on the Hohner MS series diatonic harmonica reed plates. Check out my free beginners kick-start course. 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. you have to use your ear and i'm not trained enough to know the right tune for each hole, i don't know flip jers, but he seems very professional, he could retune