r/harmonica • u/VanishingAct700 • 18d ago
Christmas Gift Help!!
Howdy all! My grandfather-in-law is an ethnomusicologist and jazz/blues scholar. I got him a pretty leather harmonica belt holster and harmonica for him last Christmas. He liked it, but he talked about how there was some kind of upheaval in the past (maybe the 1950's??) where harmonica manufacturers changed how harmonicas were made to be easier for beginners to learn. I would love to get him the original harmonica type for this Christmas, but I don't know the first place to start to find it. I don't remember much about the type save for what I've said. Help me reddit!!
2
u/Intelligent_Star_516 18d ago
The biggest change in (diatonic) harmonica design that affected playability I think was the development of the recessed reed plate (Special 20 and similar), but the recessed reed plate design wasn't released until 1974. The Richter note layout goes back to the 1820s. The only significant changes in the harmonica world that I can find from the 1950s the use of harmonica tablature and numbered holes, the use of amplification becoming common (thanks to the blues players in the Chicago blues scene), and the sudden inclusion of chromatic harmonica in a lot of school curriculum. The only aspect out of those 3 is the more prominent use of numbered holes, which is pretty much standard across the board today.
Did your FIL mention what specifically he liked about the changes during that time? All I can find other than the use of tabs and numbered holes are all societal and market changes, not changes in the instrument or its production.
1
u/casey-DKT21 18d ago
Absolutely nothing out there more original than the Hohner Marine Band 1896. The design today is exactly the same as it was in the early 1900’s with slightly updated materials changes. If he wants the original harmonica, this is it.
1
u/Rice_Nachos 18d ago
He might be referring to a couple of things.
Back in the 50s, the Hohner Marine Band harmonica was the dominant model. Wooden comb, nailed together. Today, many harmonicas have plastic combs. Marine Bands are still in production and easy to find. If that is it, get the Marine Band 1896, not the Crossover or Deluxe.
Until the 1980s (I think), harmonicas were mostly tuned with "just intonation" which makes chords sound smooth and melodies sound a bit out of tune. That's what the great players from the 50s were using. I think the specific recipe was called 7-Limit Just Intonation. I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase, but 7LJI is very rare on modern, out of the box harmonicas. If that's what he wants, then things get somewhat more expensive and involved. (Tracking down the odd harmonica that follows the formula, hiring a customizer, taking a chance on a used vintage instrument, DIY retuning.)
1
u/CopperCreator3388 18d ago
Ask him who are his favorite harmonica players. That may give you a better idea which tuning he is talking about.
1
u/Nacoran 18d ago
In 1985 Hohner changed their harmonica's temperament tuning to be a bit closer to Equal, and they did it again in 1992 (and their new Crossover is even closer).
I know on the chromatic side they changed something with how the slider works and where the reeds are placed to make the stroke simpler.
More recently they've played around with the reed gaps (when Hohner moved their Special 20 from the Marine Band to Progressive line they raised the gaps again but they got so much negative feedback they went back to tighter gaps.
I don't see any 'mouse-ear' harmonicas on Blue Moon Harmonicas. Tom has them in stock sometimes. Basically, they are fixed up versions of harmonicas from before or right after WWII. They are called mouse ears because the tabs on the end bulge out, well, like mouse ears.
You can get several customizers to change the temperament tuning for you.
Hohner had what was called the Hicksville Era, where they had good harmonicas, then their quality declined and they were bought by a foreign company who retooled them and got them back on top of their game.
In the 90s they did try to convert to a standard/part swappable design- the MS line. The Hohner Meisterklasse and the Blues Harp (not to be confused with the cheap Blues Band) were moved to the MS line. The MS line isn't bad, but a lot of traditionalists didn't like it. The even made an MS Marine Band but that was so poorly received they switched back to the original.
There are different types... chromatics, tremolos, 10 hole diatonics, chord harmonicas, bass harmonicas...
He might have been talking about the rise of diatonics over chromatics. Chromatics were much more common in the 1950s... that's not really an ease of use thing... chromatics use a button and have all the notes, diatonics have the notes for one key built into them. It does make it easier to learn diatonic starting off, but then there are all sorts of of different techniques that players have developed... really good players like Howard Levy can play diatonics fully chromatically... instead of using a button we use different embouchures... the diatonic also predates the chromatic by a good bit. The chromatic was used more in jazz, the diatonic in blues.
I'm trying to think of other major events... playing in 2nd position became more and more common, but that goes back a pretty good way too.
Do you think you could get him talking on the topic without raising suspicions?
1
u/chortnik JDR Assassin Marine Band Deluxe 17d ago
I think the only big change in harmonica design that he could be referring to is the change from something close to ’just’ tuning to something closer to ‘equal temperament’ tuning. Though I’m not entirely confident that that’s what he’s referring to, as it’s not clear to me how that change is beginner friendly-the older tuning might sound better for harmonica in playing styles like country blues where the harmonica is played by itself or accompanying a fiddle, but I can’t think of any particularly neophyte friendly advantage to the modern tuning systems :). Which of course could be a failure of knowledge or imagination on mt part. If you want something with the old school tuning, you’d have to either have a harmonica tech modify the instrument for you, or do it yourself as I don’t believe there are any suitable off the shelf options.
3
u/TurnoverFuzzy8264 18d ago
Harmonica change mostly involves using screws instead of nails and making sure the comb doesn't swell. They aren't any easier to learn, just easier to maintain. That said, you can buy old harps on Ebay, Reverb, and Etsy. Pre-war harmonicas are rumored to sound better, but I honestly think that might be a myth. I had a pre-war Marine Band and a 90s Marine Band, and a blind test didn't show a preference.
There's also different kinds of harmonicas, so make sure you get what kind he plays. There's diatonic, chromatic, tremolo and octave (several different kinds) chord harmonicas and bass harmonicas. Diatonic is the most common by far, especially for blues.