From: "Stuart Barer" Date: Fri, 30 Aug 96 10:01:54 EST Subject: Hohner and Quality
>I don't think it's just the wood. My most recent nostalgic purchase >of Marine Bands (I certainly would not play these for important gigs >or studio work) the cover plates are inconsistent and misshapen where >they meet the reedplate and consequently leak like sieves. It's >maddening to have spent the money in good faith and gotten such lousy >machining. > >Then again, I watched a Hohner rep, Sissi Jones, work for two and a >half hours at SPAH fixing every harp the sixty or seventy people >brought to her session on harmonica repair with endless patience and >no break.
Well maybe if they made them right the first time............. What about reed plates with sharp edges that stick out too far and rake across your lips while playing? I got tired of getting harps in the mail from Farrell, sending them back to Hohner, and they're still not playable. I ended up buying Filiskos and replace reeds as needed. I offered Joe my "out of the box" Marine Bands but he wasn't interested. He says that typically, he'll send harps to Hohner for repair several times until they are suitable for his purposes.
