Aug-23-05 8:35pm  [ re: bear ]

Once again, bear hits the nail on the head. New wood isn't as well "aged" or "seasoned" from use as older wood. Therefore, it is actually more susceptible to swelling and warping when it is new. This is why people used to advise soaking harps. In general, this is a bad idea because if you do it, you'll corrode the reed plates (and possibly the covers). This is probably the biggest drawback to the Hohner Marine Band. Hohner has addressed this somewhat with the Hohner Marine Band Deluxe, which is assembled with screws to make disassembly and reassembly a great deal easier, as well as a better sealed comb to help resist swelling and warping. How well it resists swelling and warping, I'm not sure.

I can certainly understand your irritation, though, at the apparent disintegration of your brand new harp, but unfortunately, that's just the main drawback to wooden combs. Supposedly, the Hering 1923 Vintage isn't as bad, and supposedly, neither is the new Marine Band Deluxe. The new model of the Delta Frost from Bushman has a wood comb which is made of a wood so dense, it naturally doesn't even float in water (ergo very swelling and warping resistant), and it's also very well sealed because somewhere between 2 and 5% of the human population has allergic reactions to the wood used.

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Club Member Frank