Vintage harmonicas and Hohner "Remasters"
I've considered buying vintage harmonicas seen on eBay and elsewhere. These are all Hohners that are presently built to lower standards of quality or have been discontinued. Is this a good or a bad idea, and if it's good, any models in particular I should seek out?
I've also seen Hohner "Remaster" harmonicas on offer. They look interesting, if a little too wrapped up in form. Can anyone attest to the quality of their tone and construction?
The Remasters were a series produced for awhile some years ago; they are not currently listed on the Hohner website, so anything you see is remaindered osbsolete product. They consist of an MS (Modular Series) harmonica with a plastic comb like the Big River and covers shaped like the MS Blues Harp. The only thing different about them is the pattered fabric on the cases.
MS harps are OK, and differ slightly from the Marine Band and Progressive series in using longer reeds, which can make the tone a bit more robust but also less nuanced.
Being that Remasters are essentially Big Rivers with unique cover plates and cases, I'll pass on them. I'd prefer to just get a Big River and save the worry about damaging the fabric case (which probably was costlier than a plastic one). Thanks for the information!
Assuming it's in decent shape, would a German-made Old Standby be a worthwhile pickup?
The German-made Old Standbys differ from Marine Bands only in the covers. The guts are the same AFAIK. So, depending on the vintage, it could be a good instrument.
Many of the German-made Old Standbys I see offered for sale are in boxes that show "Hicksville, New York." If my research pointed me in the right direction that puts them between 1960 and 1982. I'll do some further research into what years are good and bad for Hohner. Thanks again for the advice!
Harps from that period, especially the earlier part, are generally well regarded.
I'll be really interested in anything Winslow may have to say about the Remaster. It appears that it comes only in C, which sort of limits it. Also, I'm guessing that the nifty sewn case is more costly to produce than the plastic boxes Hohner supplies with the Marine Band, Special 20, et al. Given the street prices I've seen for the Remaster, I'm left to wonder whether or not Hohner has tried to save money in some other quality aspect of the harp, tho' I note that it's made in Germany, not China. From Hohner's photos it looks similar to the Pro Harp or Big River. E.g., the plates aren't recessesed as with the Special 20. Based on price point and apparent specs it might be based on the Big River model. If looking for a good, playable C harp, I'd think it would be worth the small amount of additional money to stick with the Marine Band or Special 20 (especially if what one really needed was an A harp for David's lessons), but if looking for a spare with a cool-looking belt bag, the Remaster might be worth adding to the collection.