Hohner 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.

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.

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.

OK, reality check folks, there is NO harmonica brand out there that makes it super-easy to bend notes so you can get a diatonic scale playing cross harp, particularly the mother------- of a blow bend for the major seventh at hole six. But having tried Swan, Suzuki, Fender, Easttop (actually # 2 in my opinion) and this product, I say it's hard to go wrong with a Hohner Marine Band harmonica!

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!

These are durable and bend well and accurately

Bought two of these ... one for my Dad and one for me. My Dad has played for years, but his old Hohner Harmonica was not sounding very good and hearing a lot of wrong notes. My Dad assumed it was because of his age (in his 80s), but with this new Marine Band Harmonica every note is crystal clear and "Amazing Grace" sounds ... AMAZING! This also has wooden reeds rather than plastic, which leads to a better tone (unlike the cheaper versions).Dad was so happy with this gift, and very pleased that it was from Germany like his old one (not all are that quality any more). I bought one for myself to try to learn to play with him. The notes sound pretty, but the player leaves a lot to be desired! Advise getting a harmonica book to supplement the harmonica.

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