HOHNERMarine Band 1896 Diatonic Harmonica with Brass Body, Curved Covers, and Side Vents (Stainless Steel, 5-Pack)

Not too long before purchasing this set I bought a Marine Band harp in Ab from my local music store. I already had six Hohner Golden Melody harps in my collection, as well as one Lee Oscar, all of which are very good harps. But, from the first song I played on the wooden combed Marine Band I was amazed at the clear, rich tones it produced. When I came across this set I knew it was something I had to have. The price is simply outstanding for a five harp set. Another bonus is the zippered, padded case. I expected a cheap vinyl soft-sided case, but it turns out it's quite sturdy and well made, probably worth twenty bucks in itself. Needless to say, the harps are of the highest quality, with each reed of all five harps in perfect tune. I know they will be getting a lot of use!

we received a hohner marine band harmonica as a gift for our 1 year old son. he loves it and quickly figured out how to play it.but we think perhaps food got stuck it in because it doesn't make a sound when you inhale.so we bought him a johnson harmonica on amazon for $10. there is a noticeable and significant quality difference. you have to blow harder and the sound isn't as loud/strong as the hohner.after about 2 weeks we decided to buy this kit of 5 harmonicas in different pitches for our son. it isn't always the case, but in this case, you really do get what you pay for. for us, the extra $20-$25 per harmonica over the johnson harmonica is worth it, even for our 1.5 year old son. we want to encourage this hobby and we think a better instrument that is easier to play will facilitate his interest in harmonica playing.

the Marine Band is a great harp. this set was very good value for money. the case may come in useful too.the harps were not set up ideally to be easily playable for me. really this just amounted to the gaps being set too wide.its easy to fix, but because of the nailed-together construction of the 'classic' 1896 marine band, its a problem for some folks. its not a problem unique to this harp though; many harmonicas of all brands and models are hard to play because of this issue. IMHO, a person who wants to play the harmonica really has to learn how to adjust the reed gaps or purchasing a new harp will always be hit and miss. 4 out of 5 of these harps were hard to play until i adjusted them. now they're all sweet.my 4 star rating is based on the value for money and basic soundness of the product.

You've got to love how Hohner has maintained the tradition of the Marine Band line. When I play this harp, I feel like I'm playing a piece of history. It sounds amazing straight out of the box, or you can customize it and really make it into something special. If you want to do something basic like replace the nails with screws and open up the covers, it's actually pretty easy and there are some good videos around to show you how. The price for this set is amazing ($125 at the time of this review), and you won't find these harps any cheaper.I also wanted to add that I have experience with Hohner's customer service, and I can't remember a time when I received better service. They are truly a great company to deal with.

I had a Marine band C harp that I started with, and then decided I needed more keys to play on selected songs with our band. So I bought this and resold the unplayed C harp for $25, keeping my slightly older one.This is a great set and a pretty decent deal compared to buying them individually online or especially compared to going in to your local music store and buying them (or at least my local music store - which was charging up to $54 each for these same harmonicas...absurd in my opinion)I then added several other harps...and now I have one more than the case will hold (rats!)My only complaint? Why don't they sell just the case so as I expand I can keep consistent cases?

Great harps

For some reason I have trouble with dead notes. I’m not hard on them but seems like I have more problems than I should.

So I started learning to play a few weeks ago and needed a set of different keys. After some research and a history lesson I chose these and am thrilled so far!I go out on the river and toss on any key backing track I want on YouTube and start playing along.For a beginner it's fantastic practice! I recommend picking up a set if you're interested in learning or if you already have a C and just want the other keys like I did.They all have their own sound, and it's a lot of fun!