WestVirginiaTom
48 posts
Mar 22, 2012
5:08 AM
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I purchased a Seydel Big Six a couple years ago, and I just love that thing! I was disappointed that they only came in 'C'. Well, they are now offering them in G, A, Bb, C, D, and F. They also have six different plastic comb color options. These have the same stainless steel reeds that the 1847s have. You can see them at the Seydel website.
Sorry if this is old news.
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Ant138
1166 posts
Mar 22, 2012
5:35 AM
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Thanks for the heads up Tom, this is news to me. I love my big six. I have seen custom combs for the Big six on the Hetrick site and i have seen a few customiser's offer re tuned Big six's but i didnt know Seydel were now offering them.
Sweet.
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Ant138
1167 posts
Mar 22, 2012
5:57 AM
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They do look really nice. I think i'm gonna get me one in G. I've never been keen on playing anything above Bb so these are perfect for me.
Edit: Mmmm,these new Big Six's seem to be double the price of the original Key of C :o(
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Last Edited by on Mar 22, 2012 8:24 AM
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timeistight
484 posts
Mar 22, 2012
12:02 PM
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Eleven bucks a hole! I guess it costs a lot to mill the stainless steel combs.
The old one, now called the Classic Big Six, is still available for $35.
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REM
189 posts
Mar 22, 2012
8:12 PM
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@timeistight, The combs are plastic, not stainles steel (it's the reeds that are made of stainless steel, just like the 1847).
The huge price increase just doesn't make sense.
I've always thought that the Big Six's were really cool. I have one that I customised and it plays great, and OB's perfect. They're great because you can get a really good cup with them, so you can get an excellent wah-wah effect, or a really nice cup when playing amplified.
I always thought it would be great if they made them in other keys (like A for playing blues in E, or a G for playing train songs), but now that they make them I just can't justify paying the price that they want.
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Jehosaphat
204 posts
Mar 22, 2012
8:29 PM
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I bought one a year or so ago(in C) and really loved it.It is definitely not a toy and works great for those low end blues because of the easy cup.I mean the thing is absolutely buried in your hands.
But:if you use a bullet mike it becomes problematic to hold it within the large grip you need to have, making it hard to keep a hold of the small harp.(well i found that anyway)
So i ordered some wooden combs (L/Os) and some Big six cover plates . Then i cut down some spare L/O reed plates and the combs and with some little work made myself a few in other keys.
Heres the difference though.Because of the problem i stated above re gripping i made my new harps to be 7 holes.With that little extra length they are much easier to cup with a Bullet.
The cover plates will still cover the reeds but you have a little bit more wood either side of the cover plates.
As a side bonus the one i made in F is a tone monster as compared to the stock L/O plates
Wood comb? Complete cupping? Dunno but it works.
I tune Hole 7 draw a semitone flat on these harps
Anyways i now have one big six and 4 big sevens.
PS
I think from memory i got the cover plates from Rockin' Ron.
Last Edited by on Mar 22, 2012 8:31 PM
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AW
110 posts
Mar 22, 2012
10:26 PM
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I'm with you guys:
Really like my big six.
Really excited they are making other keys. (I asked about getting a custom big six reed plate and was told it wasn't an option from Seydel.)
Really can't understand the doubling of the price for a different key.
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jim
1219 posts
Mar 23, 2012
3:12 AM
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those are made as configurator orders, so the price increase justifies limited demand.
Besides, the G looks like a retuned A - they don't have the reed profiles required to build a B6 in G! So that may answer the question about the price.
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AirMojo
267 posts
Mar 23, 2012
4:31 AM
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@Patrick Yes, they do have the same hole spacing... similar to the holes on the Seydel 1847.
I have the "classic" key of C... bought it when they first came out. Not sure I want to pay double for one in another key, but I probably would if they were available from Rupert Oysler at a SPAH convention, and probably at a better discounted price.
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BeelzeBob
25 posts
Nov 04, 2012
7:17 PM
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Apparently these were designed differently than chopping a ten-hole between six and seven? Why, I wonder? I think a set costing the same per key as the original Big Six would be the biggest dent Seydel ever put in Hohner. The current price point is ridiculous. Get rid of the extras (usb stick with backing tracks?!?!) and lower the price.
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boris_plotnikov
802 posts
Nov 05, 2012
9:18 PM
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I'm crazy about my Big Six in F. It's one of my best harps (despite it's high and lack the high notes) and definitely my best harmonica in F. Because Big6 have shorter reeds (like slots 3-8 on a regular diatonic). Which means that Big Six F have profiles similar to 1847 in Bb, big6 in D have similar profiles to 1847 in G, big6 in C have similar profiles to 1847 in LowF, big6 in Bb have similar profiles to 1847 in LowEb, big6 in A have similar profiles to 1847 in LowE, big6 in G have similar profiles to 1847 in LowC (and even two reeds lower). Similiarity in profiles gives similiarity in feel. I always disliked high harps because I felt that they are stiff. Now big six in F seems perfect to me, I'm not interested in big six in C and lower keys (I will miss high holes definitely and I already have Big6 C folk). But I have a plan to get myself a comlete set from D up to HighC. Yes only D and F are available stock, but it's possible to order Eb, E, F#, HiG, HiAb, HiA, HiBb, HiB, HiC using Big Six Configurator. Also it's possible to order folk version in HiDb, HiD and HighEb.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1408 posts
Nov 06, 2012
1:33 PM
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Here is the reason for the price increase, this is not just simple conjecture on my part this is the real reason.
The new price is not ridiculous. It is what the Big Six should have been priced all along.
The Big Six originally debuted as a loss leader and was sold below cost to stimulate sales of the 1847... that's also why it was only available in one key, if you wanted another, you had to buy an 1847. Seydel really wants people to try steel reeds, because that is the direction they are taking the company.
When they expanded the Big Six to all these keys, it no longer filled the loss leader role. That's the Session Steel's job now, although I don't think it's sold at a loss. So, the Big Six goes from being a loss leader to an actual regular harmonica, priced at the price it should have been priced at along.
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
Last Edited by on Nov 06, 2012 1:36 PM
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A440
43 posts
Nov 08, 2012
5:31 AM
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Yes, earlier this year Seydel launched Big Six in a range of keys with plastic combs. You can select a different colour comb for each key. (That would be a nice option to see on other harps - you could buy A in blue, C in red, D in green, etc.)
I have been using the "classic" Big Six with the wooden comb for about a year now. It is a great instrument. I keep it in my gig bag and usually play it on at least one song at every concert. Unlike some other players, I find the Big Six is actually easier to cup with a bullet mic. The small size enables me to easily get a very airtight seal, while creating a nice rounded air cavity. So I use it on songs where I want maximum cupping effects and tone - usually a rockin' dirty blues song where I turn up the volume and saturate the tubes.
Yes, the classic Big Six was priced low (zero profit?) as a promotion to introduce people to Seydel, so that they could discover the 1847. Now they've realized there is a true market for 6 hole harps, so the new plastic-combed models are probably priced at normal profit margins. I would love to buy a D, A and G, each in a different colour. But the high price makes me hesitate. There are a lot of other nice harps at that price.
Anyway, I hope they keep the classic wooden-combed Big Six at the lower price. It is a fantastic value and a lot of fun to play. Go buy one now!
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A440
44 posts
Nov 08, 2012
5:40 AM
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Hey Hohner - how about a 6 hole Special 20 (for around 23€)?
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HarpNinja
2872 posts
Nov 08, 2012
6:50 AM
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I don't get the allure. But I guess as someone who overbends, plays half-valves, and plays Ultrabends, I like more notes and note less, lol.
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Mike
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