Tryharp
152 posts
Mar 20, 2009
2:29 AM
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On another thread " what can I do with my blues harp " peeps are chiming in with what their first harp was, so I thought this would be a good idea for a topic.
For me about 15 years ago while I was in Uni, I bought a Suzuki Folkmaster, I couldnt get much sense out of it, so thought must be a no good harp so I upgraded to a Lee Oskar, but I couldnt get any sense out of it either, so I stuck em both in the draw and continued with the geetar.
Anyway 2+ years ago I got the itch again, I got a golden melody in C, this time I could get some sense out of it.
There were two main differences
1. I had some persistence this time
2. I had a teacher - A Gussow
Now I've got about 10 Marine bands in different keys, + a couple of dead carcasses, 7 spl 20's + a couple of dead carcasses, and old harp that was my Grandfathers, a hoosier boy in C, a suzuki promaster in C, a big river in D, a golden melody in C & G.
TRYHARP
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shaneboylan
90 posts
Mar 20, 2009
2:34 AM
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First bought a sp20 after deciding to pick up an instrument. I'd just been to a Stone's gig and saw jagger with a harp - thought it would be a good idea to finally learn to play something.
From then on it tooka bit of experimentation with LO's Blhuesharps, GM's, MB's and a few other shitty tombo ones.
I'm pretty sure that overall - my favourites are MB's but I like SP20's and GM's too.
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Andrew
179 posts
Mar 20, 2009
2:43 AM
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First harp: MB in C.
Second harp: Lee Oskar in D (hated it!).
Currently have: -
MBs: Low D, Low F, G, Bb, C, D, Eb, F
MB deluxe: A
MB 14 hole: C
GM: C
Seydel solist Pro: Bb
Current thinking: I want to go back to MBs when I can customise them proficiently, because they sound best, they are the right size, and they play damn well when they are set up right! Who gets splinters in their lips? I run my lips over the cover plates, not along the comb!
Last Edited on 20-Mar-2009 2:49 AM
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the frozen canuck
19 posts
Mar 20, 2009
3:39 AM
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my first harp was a 25 cent red plastic 16 hole .now i have a complete set of lee osker (ie8 harps)+ 2bushman delts frost b flat & d.,a seydel 6 hole big six big sound.1 m/b in a C.& a 18 carot gold 25th ann lee osker in key of C
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Honkin On Bobo
31 posts
Mar 20, 2009
5:14 AM
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First harp: A Hohner GLH (great little harp) which was a gift.
Now: Hohner special 20's: A,Bb,C,D,E,F,G
Lee Oskar G (don't like it, sounds OK, shape bugs me)
Last Edited on 20-Mar-2009 5:15 AM
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isaacullah
109 posts
Mar 20, 2009
11:34 AM
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First harp was a Hohner Blues Band (they only come in C)
Now I've got a line up of all keys. Most are Marine Bands, but I've got 2 Special 20's, an MS Blues Harp, and my new favorite "baby" is a Seydel Soloist Pro. I've also got two Lee Oskars in minor tunings. As I blow out my Hohners, I'll replace them with Seydels.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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snakes
131 posts
Mar 20, 2009
1:05 PM
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My first harp was an anniversary edition Marine Band 1896-1996. It was all about the collectible box and VERY hard to play.
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lumpy wafflesquirt
14 posts
Mar 20, 2009
1:15 PM
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hohner pro harp in C and a marine band in Eb cos it was cheap
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Preston
224 posts
Mar 20, 2009
1:39 PM
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My first harp was a Hohner Old Standby. I got it when I was 16 as a birthday present. I never learned to play it correctly, just chugged and chorded on it. I didn't listen to blues back then, but I had heard the harmonica in several country songs and a couple of rock songs. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't make the damn thing sound like those songs.
I stopped playing it, but I never threw it away. I kept in a desk drawer and even took it to college with me. Then it moved with me all around until I got married and purchased my first home. I gave it to my son.
Then one day when I was 27 I decided I was going to really learn how to play it. It was still in my son's toy box. I dug it out and played it for about 2 weeks learning single notes and some bending,and realized I was hooked. I went out and bought a Marine Band, and now the Old Standby is proudly displayed in a place of honor on a bookshelf.
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gorignak
23 posts
Mar 20, 2009
6:30 PM
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I got a Hohner Blues Harp in key of C and a sp20 in the key of A my first day playing harp. I don't play blues harps anymore and decided to stick with sp20s.
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mickil
108 posts
Mar 20, 2009
6:46 PM
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I can't remember for sure what my first harp was. I know I had an MB, cos I remember looking down at the blood on the comb - maybe that was beginner's blood, you know, pushing too hard. And I remember having a SP20. I used to play LOs, but got hooked on Hohner's more brassy sound. I'm currently married to Big Rivers. I bought a Seydel Session a while back, which plays like a dream, but I've gotten so used to the sound of my BRs.
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'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa
Last Edited on 20-Mar-2009 6:48 PM
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Miles Dewar
252 posts
Mar 20, 2009
8:13 PM
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* My First Harp was a "Hohner Blues Harp- key of F" and i got a "Fast Track 1" harp book to go with it. I found out that I need a "C" harpto start off (Duh). I said "Oh well, I'll make due".
* #2 was a "Lee Oskar major diatoic- Key of "Bb"". A gift from my Aunt on Christmas...(I could obviously tell what it was).
* #'s 3,4,5,6, and 7 I bought on Ebay. (2 Honer Marine Bands- Keys of "C" and "F")(3 Lee Oskars- Keys of "A", "A" and "Bb") All in one bundle it only costed me $12.04.
* And a little plastic one that's 2 inches long, it only has blow reeds, and they are plastic.... it makes a crazy ghosty wind sound when you blow into it. That one i got from my nephew.
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---Go Bears!!! (Richard Dent for Hall of Fame)---
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Aussiesucker
193 posts
Mar 20, 2009
10:27 PM
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I came back to Harp playing some 3 years ago after a very long absence. My first harps were a Hohner Echo Harp in C and a double sided C & G Hohner Comet which was a banana shape plus a Hohner Super Chromonica. My favourite Harps then were a couple of Suzuki Folkmasters in C & G which then were wooden bodied and made in Japan. I had to cease playing these harps because at the time they had a high nickel content to which I was allergic to. Hence nearly a 50 year absence. Modern harps don't give me any trouble.
Since coming back I have a full set of Bluesmasters , half set of Harpmasters, ca 10 Lee Oskars of which I particularly like the alternate tunings ie Natural Minors & Harmonic Minors, ca 6 Sp20s of which more than 50% were duds out of the box, 4 Marine Bands of mixed quality out of the box a couple of Blues Harps & a Big River in A that was unplayable junk!. I also have 6 Suzuki Folkmasters which I love to play whilst enjoying a few beers and crisps ie they are cheap but a lovely little harp with a great tone but not loud ie an advantage at times. Have some low keys in Marine Bands ie Lo F & Lo E plus a 12 Hole C. I have also a Suzuki Chromatix SCX48 and 2 SU21 Tremolos in A & C. Plus 2 Promasters in Bb and A.
Not a fan of Hohners as I have found it was always hit and miss getting something that would work out of the box. That said I think if you strike a good one they are very good. But Suzukis and Lee Oskars for me have been consistently good out of the box. I also much prefer plastic combs as it is easy to clean them.
Last Edited on 20-Mar-2009 10:29 PM
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djm3801
50 posts
Mar 21, 2009
4:22 AM
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Walked into a music store and told them I wanted to learn blues harp and so that is what they sold me - a Hohner Blues Harp. Well built little harp. Bought all sorts on this journey and favorites are Delta Frosts in most keys and Special 20's in most keys. Have a Suzuki Bluesmaster G and promaster E and they are well made but I do not care for either of them from a playablity standpoint much and a Seydel Session C which is OK - I like it better than the Suzukis but it seems to need a lot of air. LO is OK meachaincally but do not like tone and the deeply carved numbers in the case - Like I am doing LIP BRAILLE? Marine Band is my least favorite and a leaker. Have a Golden Melody in A which is a decent harp that needed some adjustment to be decent.
Last Edited on 21-Mar-2009 4:26 AM
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Warbleman
53 posts
Mar 21, 2009
7:58 AM
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My first harp was a Hohner Blues Band. I bought it for two or three dollars from Cracker Barrel. haha. But it was a decent little harp and I learned the basics on it before upgrading to some higher quality instruments. I've bought Lee Oskar's and don't like them. I've bought Special 20's and really don't like them that much but they are decent harps. I've bought Golden Melody's and I love them. I've got a couple Blues Harps and love them also. I've also got some Marine Bands and they sound fantastic. But my pride and joy is a Seydel 1847. I love everything about that harp. It's beautiful to look at and listen to and it plays like a dream.
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bluemoon
3 posts
Mar 21, 2009
11:36 AM
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When I decided to try to learn how to play the harmonica, my first harp purchase was a Special 20. Since then I aquired a total of 8 Special 20's. Then after seeing a youtube video of Terry Mcmillan, I figured that I needed Golden Melody's. I eventually got all 12 keys, but I never did get comfortable with thier design. I tried 1 Lee Oskar, and 1 was plenty for me. I found a Blues Harp in a store case one day for only $20.00 so I bought it and tried it, not bad for me, but not great. The ones that I love to play are Marine Bands. They are not perfect and have thier ability to be aggrevating, but they are my favorite to play. I just take them out of the box and play them, adjust the reeds as needed if needed, put the covers back on and play. Learned to deal with the issues of the wood comb and just play and be happy. Simple.
Now if I could only play 1000 times better, lol.
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Philosofy
161 posts
Mar 21, 2009
4:32 PM
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Technically, my first harp was when I was about ten years old, and my dad came back from a trip and gave me a Yamaha octave or tremelo tuned hard. That's long gone.
In my twenties, I started with a Huang. Since then, I've filled out all the keys with Lee Oskars, along with some Marine Bands, Golden Melodies, a Pro Harp, some more Huangs. Recently added some Delta Frosts, a Suzuki Pro Master, and a Seydel 1847 Silver.
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snakes
136 posts
Mar 21, 2009
5:03 PM
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I guess I was supposed to say what I play now. After trying almost all of the professional grade Hohners, Lee Oskars, Suzukis, and a couple Seydels I must admit that my favorite harps for playability are Suzukis with Seydels being second. I prefer Bluesmasters and Promasters from Suzuki. If I had to play Hohners I'd pick Special 20's becauise I prefer plastic combs and they seem to be a little more consistent in quality than the Marine Band out of the box. For tone preference it is a Marine Band. As I get better with my skills the Marine Band becomes easier to play as I am better at instinctually overcoming their leakiness and the fact that to me some of the keys out of the box are just plain hard to bend.
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The Happy Harper
23 posts
Mar 22, 2009
11:16 AM
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Started with a special 20, tried a golden melody, tried MBs, Lee Oskar then Huang(to save money).
Now play special 20s.
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Buzadero
48 posts
Mar 22, 2009
2:19 PM
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Marine Band when I was five.
Now, there is a variety pack of Firebreaths, Special 20's, Golden Melodies, a couple of 1847's, zero Lee Oskars, and about a dozen "customs".
The most recent purchases have been some of Boodhees magical mystic, mojo-infused offerings. So far, I'm trying to convince him to seel them in a dime bag size. But, no joy yet.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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bluzlvr
143 posts
Mar 22, 2009
2:29 PM
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My first harp was a Marine Band in C. I was about 15 years old and I wanted to play some of the amazing stuff I was hearing by Sonny Boy Williamson, Paul Butterfield and Sonny Terry, but I didn't have a clue that they got some of those notes by bending, so I went out and got a chromatic, but obviously that wasn't the answer. Then I found Tony Glover's book and made a major leap forward.
My favorite harps now are my custom Special 20 in C and my custom Marine Band in A, although I have Seydels, Lee Oscars, and Bushmans in my case.
Last Edited on 22-Mar-2009 2:30 PM
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LIP RIPPER
40 posts
Mar 23, 2009
5:06 AM
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1ST WAS A BLUESBAND. NOW 10 LEE OSKARS, 2 SEYDEL 1847'S, 1 ZUKI BLUESMASTER, 1 ZUKI PROMASTER AND A COUPLE OF OLD HARPS. A HUANG STAR AND A HOHNER CHROMO.
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SMaxwell
11 posts
Mar 23, 2009
7:08 PM
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Started about 8 years ago with a Sp20, went through Lee Oskar, Blues Harps, Marine Band,BluesMasters, Haung...now I have....Sp20. (and a few Delta Frosts).
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scrybe314
1 post
Apr 02, 2009
4:50 PM
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My first harmonica was an old Hohner Bluesband that my Uncle Buddy gave me when I was six. I played around with it for a little while, but shelved until a couple of years ago (I just killed it after another six months of hard playing, and the thing was 20+ years old...not a bad little harp.) I followed up with a set of Johnsons to learn on, most of which are carcasses now, and I'm working with three Huang Silvertones in D, Bb, and F, Huang Star Performers in G and Eb, a tweaked Bluesband in C, and a Piedmont Blues in A.
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jonsparrow
19 posts
Apr 02, 2009
9:50 PM
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first MB key G
MB key A
GM key C
SP20 key A
SP20 key Bb
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DaDoom
66 posts
Apr 03, 2009
2:23 AM
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1st Hohner Blues Harp in C
(10 minutes after I saw the first video of Adam Gussow on Youtube)
and then:
Lee Oscar (A)
Hohner Pro Harp (Bb, C)
SP20 (A, D, high F)
Golden Melody (D)
Suzuki Firebreath (Eb, Bb)
Suzuki Valved ProMaster (C)
Suzuki Bluesharp (B)
Hohner MB (low G)
Suzuki Hammond (C)
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