1896BX Marine Band Tuned to Key of C Harmonica with 0.9mm Brass Reedplates, Single Laquered Pearwood Comb, and Arched Stainless Steel Covers

We got harmonicas for the family. We got some less expensive harmonicas for the kids, and the Marine Band is heads and shoulders above in terms of richness of sound and intonation. The construction is solid and the case is a nice addition. I noticed that there's a little bit of a space designed into the seam of the case to let air in which is probably a good thing. The instructions say to let it dry out a bit after use instead of just popping it in the case. The case is plastic, it'd be nice for the price if the case were a little nicer, but the logo image and design on the top of the case is nice. They've probably been shipping with the same case for decades and that's part of the antique feel. Very pleased with the Hohner Marine Band. Udemy has some great lessons for harmonica that you can find at a good price, especially when they run specials around the holidays.

The all time classic. Legendary harmonica that needs to introduction! Heard on a bazillion recordings and live performances! You can't go wrong with this!

As a new harmonica player I have been searching for one that is easy to learn on. As a fan of great sound (read hi-fi nut) I also want a harmonica that sounds musically excellent. I am rating this product having tried the Suzuki Promaster, Promaster Valved, Manji and Fabulous, Hohner Special 20 and Mesterklasse and Seydel Blues Session Steel. Of them all, this one is my favorite. I can understand why this is the most famous and popular harmonica of all time. It's well-deserved. If you want to learn harmonica and enjoy it, then I can recommend this product. Not to mention that this is used by many, many professional players. What a deal. Why is this so good? To me it sounds more tonally rich than the others. The plastic variants are fine but uninteresting. The all metal ones tend to feel great in the hand but to have a sound lacking in character. If you want to go all the way up to the Suzuki Fabulous then you can overcome that downside but you need fairly deep pockets to get there. Most other harmonicas just make sound but this one makes music.

I'm a beginner and wanted to pick up playing because of Bob Dylan. The riff in 'Like a Rolling Stone' is so cool. Dylan used a Marine Band, so I wanted to use it too. Sounds a little lame, but that's who I am. Hendrix used a Strat, so I'm going to buy a Strat. :) Shipping was blazing fast, that's why I love Amazon. I could go to my local Sam Ash or Guitar Center, but I never felt welcomed. (Maybe because I'm a poser) I mean I did buy the Marine Band just because Dylan used it...Lennon did as well. I accept the fact. I also didn't want to pay full price + TAX for one because I am a beginner. They do have cheaper harmonicas for $12, but I felt the Marine Band at $29 was a reasonable price to pay for an instrument I could carry anywhere. Plus, if I did get any better the Marine Band would still be good enough at an advanced level. Mine came out of the box and sounds fine. But I don't really know how to play, so take my review with a grain of salt. I just know Bob Dylan used a Marine Band. Time to learn "Idiot Wind". haha

I kind of bought a harmonica on a whim. I’ve always liked the beginning of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and Blood, Sweat and Tears’ “And When I Die.” So, after some research, I thought I would give playing a Harmonica a try. Now the question was, which harmonica. I didn’t want to spend a lot, but I wanted a quality harp. After a lot of research online, and reading that John Lennon used a Hohner Marine Band, I decided on the Marine Band in the key of C. That’s the key most of the online teachers recommended. So...Good, solid harmonica out of the box! It’s a true instrument that can support a paying job. It is not a child’s toy and it was only about $34.00. Along with the harp, you get thirty days of online lessons that can teach you how to play a harmonica very quickly. There is also lots of other online education out there for free. And the harmonica tab system means you don’t have to read music. It has a great sound and it is very responsive and plays well. It really is the standard that other Harmonicas are measured against, Hohner has modified its original Marine Band design to make other styles with updated features, but you cannot go wrong buying the original Marine Band. I was very, very pleased with this purchase and my family is actually surprised that I have learned to play a real instrument in just a few months. The only downside is the top is riveted, so you can do no real maintenance. For this reason, you might want to consider some of the newer Hohner styles. But I still give an unqualified thumbs up to this, my first harmonica!

The Hohner 1896BX Marine Band Harmonica, Key of C was my dad's favorite harmonica years ago when he use to play. He recently wanted to start playing again and he couldn't find it at the local music store so he bought another brand. It had plastic pieces and sharp edges and he felt that the sound quality was off. So I purchased this one for him and he absolutely loves it. Well made and sounds great.

I am a musician, and I mainly play guitar, but I wanted to see how things went with a harmonica. I love the honer name brand, always high quality products. This little harp is no exception. All the notes ring clear, everything sounds properly tuned, great build quality, durable, easy to clean, and easy to learn. If you've got the urge to make a little melody, this little guy is great to have in your back pocket ! Small, and portable, you can bring it anywhere and make beautiful music!

cute and original

Es ist eine großartige Mundharmonika für Anfänger als auch fortgeschrittene Spieler. Der Kaufgrund war ihre Beliebtheit in Musikerkreisen und das Versprechen einer hervorragenden Klangqualität. Sie überzeugt durch eine stabile Verarbeitung und einen warmen, vollen Klang. Besonders positiv ist der einfache Spielkomfort. Die Töne lassen sich leicht anblasen, und die Mundharmonika liegt gut in der Hand. Ein kleiner Kritikpunkt wäre die etwas simplere Optik, die nicht jedem gefallen könnte. Ich vergebe 5 von 5 Sternen. Sie ist einfach zu spielen und bietet eine tolle Klangqualität zu einem fairen Preis.

Tenia antes una BluesBand(gama baja) y con esa recién comencé a aprender, pero hoy me llego esta maravillosa armónica y lo digo realmente porque el sonido se escucha limpio y claro, los bend salen mucho mejores y no se necesita forzar tanto para lograr las notas aspiradas 8,9,10. A mi criterio es excelente, espero poder darle el uso correspondiente y lograr sacarle la melodía para la que ha sido construida. Muy contento con esta maravillosa armónica. La recomiendo!!!

Great Harmonica. Pretty, great sound. but... Came in a box not sealed... very weird anyone could have touched it. Have sharp edges, that I have never seen even on cheap Chinese ones. This is a recurrent complaint. O am not sure why the company doesn't fix it.

it arived on day it said it would and arived in A1 shape no marks or dings and all notes play A1 . i fine the m.b 1896 an awsome harp verry conferble too play and feels relly good in mounth and verry easy too play and has awsome sound herd lot of ppl say they have problem with it catching ther mustash well for me this is not so i have verry long berd and mustash and have nt pull it at all and no swelling of wood eaither i played on it for hours and got wood relly soaked and did nt swell at all i have gotten two of thease now and no problems with any of them i have sp20 too but i like thease one better then the sp20 this m.b 1896 be good for beginner or any stage of player right up too pro this is top of the line harp i think but that just my apinion if ur debating about what too get grab this one give it try see how u like it cause no one can speak for anyone else u have too try difert things for urself too see what u like or dont like but far as this harp it self its made and performs top notch and plays easy and smoothly

Muy bueno, a mi hijo de 3 años le encanta y suena muy bien, lo recomiendo