Hi Steve I got one of these the other day, it’s a lovely harp You really feel like your holding a piece of history with it I’ve recently reverted back to the classics and have a new found appreciation for the gems they really are I can bend hole one easier on them than any other harp for some reason
Glad you like it. There are good reasons why the Marine Band is still the benchmark for diatonic harmonicas, the old cliché "often imitated, never equalled" still seems to hold true despite the improvements by numerous manufacturers in recent years. As you say, this is a really nice anniversary model which doesn't just have the vintage vibe but is also great to play.
Hi Steve, I have a question about the Crossover. A few months ago I bought a Crossover and a Marine Band Deluxe, to compare them. I like them both, but I preferred the Crossover because the comb on the Deluxe has narrower, more rounded tines, making the holes seem larger. It just feels a little too rounded and 'scooped out' for my taste. The Crossover has wider and less rounded tines, which I like better. So I have bought more Crossovers in different keys. I now have five. However, one of them, in D, has the same kind of comb as a Deluxe, I mean it's bamboo but the tines are narrower and more rounded like on a Deluxe. This is the only one of my Crossovers that is like this. I was wondering why some of the Crossover combs are one type, and some another?
To be honest I've never paid any attention to this, playingwise it makes no difference to me. I use a variety of Marine Band instruments, also including custom harps with modified combs where the tines project further and are rounded, and find them all fine to play. I find them all more comfortable than the standard MB combs as on this commemorative model, but the differences are fairly small. The differences you mention probably are the result of variation between different production batches, to the best of my knowledge both combs are meant to have the same dimensions. Also the Ultraglide coating on the front of the comb may vary slightly in thickness, which could affect how you perceive hole size. For me the main difference between MB Deluxe and Crossover is the sound, bamboo is slightly brighter.
Mouse ears harps 😀 I wish I could get it in India! Although I have come to enjoy screws of crossover more than these nails, especially when I need to tune!
That was one of the main reasons behind the development of the MB Deluxe and Crossover models, screws make life much easier for players who service their own instruments. But as a commemorative model, the MB125 is a kind of vintage reissue and the nails are part of that. And the Mouse Ear cover design affects the sound too.
That's because it's a commemorative model. You also haven't seen a Marine band with Mouse Ear cover tabs before unless you collect vintage harmonicas ;-) The box design is a historic reproduction of the original packaging.
Hi Steve
I got one of these the other day, it’s a lovely harp
You really feel like your holding a piece of history with it
I’ve recently reverted back to the classics and have a new found appreciation for the gems they really are
I can bend hole one easier on them than any other harp for some reason
Glad you like it. There are good reasons why the Marine Band is still the benchmark for diatonic harmonicas, the old cliché "often imitated, never equalled" still seems to hold true despite the improvements by numerous manufacturers in recent years. As you say, this is a really nice anniversary model which doesn't just have the vintage vibe but is also great to play.
Thank you mister Baker 😊
It looks and sounds really good, thanks. I’d also like one of those cool Crossover Tee shirts 😃
Ah, you noticed :-D That's an original US Crossover t-shirt, I never saw another one like it.
loka d+ essa harmônica
Nice hat to go with the nice harp
Hi Steve, I have a question about the Crossover. A few months ago I bought a Crossover and a Marine Band Deluxe, to compare them. I like them both, but I preferred the Crossover because the comb on the Deluxe has narrower, more rounded tines, making the holes seem larger. It just feels a little too rounded and 'scooped out' for my taste. The Crossover has wider and less rounded tines, which I like better. So I have bought more Crossovers in different keys. I now have five.
However, one of them, in D, has the same kind of comb as a Deluxe, I mean it's bamboo but the tines are narrower and more rounded like on a Deluxe. This is the only one of my Crossovers that is like this. I was wondering why some of the Crossover combs are one type, and some another?
To be honest I've never paid any attention to this, playingwise it makes no difference to me. I use a variety of Marine Band instruments, also including custom harps with modified combs where the tines project further and are rounded, and find them all fine to play. I find them all more comfortable than the standard MB combs as on this commemorative model, but the differences are fairly small. The differences you mention probably are the result of variation between different production batches, to the best of my knowledge both combs are meant to have the same dimensions. Also the Ultraglide coating on the front of the comb may vary slightly in thickness, which could affect how you perceive hole size. For me the main difference between MB Deluxe and Crossover is the sound, bamboo is slightly brighter.
Mouse ears harps 😀 I wish I could get it in India! Although I have come to enjoy screws of crossover more than these nails, especially when I need to tune!
That was one of the main reasons behind the development of the MB Deluxe and Crossover models, screws make life much easier for players who service their own instruments. But as a commemorative model, the MB125 is a kind of vintage reissue and the nails are part of that. And the Mouse Ear cover design affects the sound too.
It is not so difficult to use a small knife to gently take apart an mb classic to clean it out
Requires patience but it’s doable
@@mindscaper1898 Totally agree, but when you refit the harmonica, it does not remain as airtight as before.
@@pranavpandya48 can’t pliers push the nails in deeper
I've never seen marine bands with that design on the box before?
That's because it's a commemorative model. You also haven't seen a Marine band with Mouse Ear cover tabs before unless you collect vintage harmonicas ;-)
The box design is a historic reproduction of the original packaging.
i would think the anniversary model would have gold cover plates.
They did that for the 100th jubilee in 1996. The point of this version was to make it as close to the original as possible, hence the mouse ears.
@@stevebakerbluesharp just had one refurbished. gold covers with a zajac comb. came out great.
Good luck removing the small screws on the covers to clean it.....back to boiling pear wood.
Those are nails, not screws. And why would you want to boil pear wood?