Seydel 1847 Noble
Seydel has come out with a new 1847. It's called the Noble... stainless steel reeds, aluminum comb, side vented covers. You can order the covers only... under spare parts for the Noble. I've ordered some covers with vents to go on my wood combed 1847 Classics. I like harmonicas with side vents. What are your opinions about vents?
Hey... just to let you know I got my side vented covers and immediately put them on a Bb 1847. My impressions of them are favorable and will fit an entire set of 1847 Classics with the vented covers. They brighten up the tone of the '47 and seem to give them a crisp sound. They don't sound exactly like a MB but they're close. The '74 was already a loud harp but I think the vents let you, the player, hear the volume better. They also have a matte stainless steel finish it's very slick and doesn't need to be polished like the shiny covers. The only down side is the cost... a whopping $29.95 a set... although you can but 5 sets for $99.00 which is more affordable.
Another cool Seydel item that on the 1847 Noble is the key signatures. They're an adhesive bubble that magnifies the key and it's tactile so you can know wether the harp is right side up when you pick it up. You can order those as well under the noble spare parts.
Sounds Groovy,
Correct me if I'm wrong Jon, but aren't Seydel harmonicas calibrated to 443hz? If so, you can reduce the tinny (bright) attributes by setting your chromatic tuner down to 442hz before tuning your harmonica.
When playing acoustic, I find vented cover plates act as "near field" monitors that allow me to hear every sonic nuance of my harmonica. When playing electric, I switch to non-vented cover plates - otherwise with my small hands I find it is uncomfortable to wrap my grip around the ends of the harmonica to cover the vents (leakage) - A MANDATORY TECHNIQUE FOR FAT TONE PLAYING.
Kinya
Kinya the Seydels are set at 443hz but when I retune them I set them at 442 like I was taught.
I agree completely with Jon's comments. I replaced the cover plates on one of my 1847's and definitely noticed a difference - brighter!! But that is a great point Kinya that I never thought of. And even though I have large hands the way I hold my harps makes it tough to cover off both vents. Hmmmmm - change plates for amp playing and then for acoustic playing??
Put a bit of tape on the side vents?
Hey gang.... for my Birthday I received an 1847 Noble and this weekend I finished hot rodding it. I can tell you as a custom harp the Noble rocks! I think the big plus is the comb. As Rupert has explained to me this isn't just an Favorite Black comb put on an 1847 it's a whole new animal. The comb has been milled ultra smooth so the mating surface is very flat without any striation marks or machining. When I used Dick Sjoeberg's UST (Kinya explained about this tool in the current issue of Harmonica Sessions) to emboss the entire length of the slot and coupled that with this flat comb I got a very air tight harmonica. I set the reed action, gapped, and tuned and now I have a rockin' harp for my Shuffle King entry. I'm stoked.
Rather than let curiosity kill this cat, I ordered a Noble from Jon and got it about 3 weeks ago. Totally agree with his assessment. It feels solid/slightly heavier and the holes are slightly smaller although comb is the same size. It has a great bright sound and when Jon finished with it, it just rocks!! Now I have to catch up with it ;-))
Highly recommend bit the harp and the customizer!!
Hank thanks for the kind words and your confidence. I wanted to also mention how loud the Noble is and it even seems brighter than the Classic or Silver.
Hey Jon - let us know when they arrive, what difference you notice and how you like them. I might be in the market to try them out but will wait until I can benefit from your experience with them. The difference in tone between my 1847's and Marine Bands is incredible and it would be interesting to see how the side vents move the tone on the 1847's. I know it's more than that but the volume and brilliance of the MB's - to what extent the vents?? Still love my 1847's though!!