I bought this harp in the key of E a year ago, and it sounds great. The only reason why I wouldn't suggest this harmonica for a beginner is the all-nail assembly (you don't want it breaking if you let it slip). The Marine Band is a quality harp and is a great choice for anyone who needs something loud.

I finally learned to play harp this year. I take it seriously and have been looking for my ideal harp. Like many beginners, i bought a blues harp because of the name. I already had one in D from years ago on another attempt to learn. I bought one in c and loved it. The one in D has issues. It is much less consistent in many ways. Like many beginners, i read a few reviews and decided not to risk it on a marine band. I bought suzukis in two different models. They are great. After 5 months of SERIOUS playing and being in a real blues band, I decided i was ready to tackle the marine band if all the harsh reviews were right. What was i waiting for is all I can say! This harp sounds like no other..period. Now, I can make any of my harps do most anything i want, but this one overblows on holes 5 and 6 right out of the box! It has the tone i was seeking. There is a grit I haven't been able to copy in a couple of covers we do. The marine band has it! Yes, I had to tweak hole 3 draw to bend the way I want it to. It was adjusted a little too big in the gap. A tweak with a toothpick with the covers still on is all it took. The same type of tweeak on hole 5 and 6 blow and now the overblows are on command, but they were already there out of the box! I played it for a week allowing the comb to swell and nevwer felt any discomfort. Finally, I just trimmed it with an exacto knife to remove any possibility of it later. I know..this may seem like a load of adjustments, but I put new strings on my new guitars, too and set the actions the way i like them. My music is important to me and my band's fans. I want it to be right for my part. Having my instruments fit and play right for me is my responsibility. I replaced the mouthpiece on my trumpet with one the proper size for my fat lips too. No big deal.

Get a set of these and play them. if they need a nudge here or there, do it and play.

I am going to have a whole set of these when the economy permits..I have enough harps to gig with right now. You can bet the next bucks i get for my share of a gig will buy a partial set toward that end. Someday, i will buy more suzuki promasters too, but marine bands will be first!

I grabbed a Marine band in B yesterday and it is a great looking and feeling harp.The Price on Hohner harmonicas is way to high, expesially for something that u can't try before you buy. The tone is there , but it is a little harder to acess then the Special 20's or the Blues Harps. It was a little harder to bend on then the other two models mentioned but it does have a really unique tone and is clearly different from the Special 20's and Blues harps.

Its a great harp for someone who has been playing a while, but i personally havent found it comfortable to play yet, but i will once i break it in a little more.

For a beginner willing to spend a bit more money, try the Special 20's.They are easier to bend and are nicer on the lips.

I own a marine band and a blues harp ms, In comparison they're very similar, wood comb, bright sounding, and nice sound projection, but, I found the marine band better build than blues harp.

They both have wood comb, but if you look closely, they're different types of wood, The MB wood's grain is a lot more tight, and the comb is sealed in the inside too (inside de holes, through the long of the reeds), while the blues harp ms wood has a very open grain type, and is not sealed inside the holes, I'm sure the blues harp ms is a lot more likely to swell than MB's, the comb quality in the MB is higher.

I cannot compare sound, because they're on very different keys, the Blues Harp is on a very high pitched E, and the MB is on a low pitched A, so... is hard to tell wich one sound better, im sure they sound very similar.

I would get Marine Band over Blues Harp, even tough the Blues harp has replacement parts, im sure the comb wont last as long as a MB one, so they're not worthy of repair.

I've played dozens of models since the mid 70's and the Marine Bands are my favorites. In my opinion you have to patiently break' em in if you want them to last years and stay in tune. When you first buy one don't bend or overblow- just play cowboy for awhile. Make sure it's reasonably in tune right away and return it if it's not. If it is in tune be patient. The importance of wood combs diminishes when you use mics, amps, effects. For my money nothin' blows as sweet as a marine band.