Goldbrick
801 posts
Dec 19, 2014
5:12 PM
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I bought the anniversary model from Amazon and it was the same price as a regular Lee Oskar
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groyster1
2723 posts
Dec 19, 2014
5:30 PM
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I first bought one back in the 80s liked the idea of replacement reeds but have never replaced any of the 4 I have now....much prefer the sound of marine bands and sp20s....probably because of the tuning difference
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nacoran
8169 posts
Dec 19, 2014
6:34 PM
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Mojokane, it's a shame they've got those square cut outs in the covers, otherwise it would be fairly easy to slap them on a custom comb and just round the ends on a grinder. I bet if you had a arc rounded from where the crease is, up around the screw and back down, kind of like the cover on a 365 Steve Baker Special, only rounding the comb and reedplates too... but on the LO's those silly squares would get on the way. I don't get it. I've tried to figure out what they are for. A vestigial attempt at snap on lids? Epilady for mustaches? It seems like an extra step in the process for no gain. Those holes would mess up attempts to round them. You'd have to cut outside edge off and you'd be left with an awkward shape.
What's even more frustrating is they already make different models, it's just really hard to get them Tombo's here in the U.S. The Aero Reed has a metal comb and the Ultimo has full length covers. (Come to think of it, I think actually the first video I ever saw of Todd Parrott was his Ultimo review.)
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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SuperBee
2287 posts
Dec 19, 2014
10:34 PM
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re the question about break in time:
specifically, i have one LO harp, so in a way i really couldn't comment about any relative break in period...
except that i dont believe in the concept of break-in time. i do believe that a harp can change over time as reeds get dirty and spaces get filled with un-nameable filler material, but i dont believe in a specific break-in process, before which the harp plays sub-optimally.
the nearest i can come to that concept is that i play them enough to work out which areas i think could be improved, then i set about making those changes. sometimes that is within ten minutes of first playing, others its a few weeks
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Stevelegh
995 posts
Dec 20, 2014
2:40 AM
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I used to have a full set of Lee Oskars. For non overblow playing they're perfect. I got into overblows and kind of lost sight of the fact that all you need to do to Lee Oskars is tighten the reed plates up a little and you're set. They feel good to play and are very consistent.
As far as my playing goes nowadays, like many people, I like to pretend that because I can over blow, I use them frequently in my playing. Reality is that I don't. If I'm honest, I could happily play a gig with Lee Oskars and can even get the odd passing over blow (Lee Oskars squeal if you over blow properly on them).
For the money and availability they're a solid choice for 99% of players out there if they'd admit it.
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jiceblues
357 posts
Dec 20, 2014
3:09 AM
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I don't overblow , but even for classical bends , some ootb LO's need some gapping , i think .
Mostly the 3 draw 3 steps on a D , for ex .
I mean 3 semi-tones .
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SuperBee
2288 posts
Dec 20, 2014
4:28 AM
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ive seen a few comments here mention LO as value for money. here at least they cost as much as Sp20, MB1896, Blues Harp...i.e. AUD $55. used to be slightly more expensive than the hohners actually. how much is a LO where you live?
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jiceblues
358 posts
Dec 20, 2014
4:56 AM
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In my little country , the shops only have Blues Harps MS , MB's & GM's (sometimes BR's) .One of them has a LO , only in C , for 25€ .
Thomann has all LO models for 29€ + shipping .
When i can find a LO in a french shop , its 38-40€ , like a BH or a MB .
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Goldbrick
803 posts
Dec 20, 2014
5:14 AM
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Here is link for great price on anniversary model
Case is awesome too
If it wasnt for Lee Oskars I would have given up harmonica as the Hohners I had fooled with were hard to play ( yes Hohner has improved now.) So I guess I am loyal
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LEE-OSKAR-1910C-ANNIV-30TH-ANNIVERSARY-HARMONICA-HARP-MAJOR-DIATONIC-LIMITED-/311002427696?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4869307130
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jiceblues
360 posts
Dec 20, 2014
7:11 AM
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Great price if you are in the USA .
Expensive if you are in another place , and i have a lot of C harps , yet...lol .
The case is nice .
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jiceblues
365 posts
Jan 04, 2015
6:43 AM
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Still i wonder why LO's last a very long time ?
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nacoran
8192 posts
Jan 04, 2015
11:49 AM
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Superbee, they are a little under $40 U.S., which puts them in the same price range as the harps you mentioned. I like their feel better than the GM, which is odd, because the GM design seems to be about being comfortable in the hand- they screw it up with the corners of the reed plate in front. It doesn't have the comb chipping problems the GM does. It seems pretty comparable to the Sp20 except for the ET. More comfortable than the MB or Blues Harp. It's also fairly easy to find minor and harmonic minor (or Melodic) tunings available in the stores for LOs. If I had $500 to buy a full new set of harps I would go alternating keys of Sp20s and LOs. (If I had more money, I'd go with Seydels!)
edit:
Jice, in other countries, can you get other Tombo harps?
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
Last Edited by nacoran on Jan 04, 2015 11:49 AM
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jiceblues
366 posts
Jan 04, 2015
3:43 PM
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Nacoran : in France , the only Tombo you can find is the Lee Oskar , very popular there .
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jiceblues
367 posts
Jan 04, 2015
3:50 PM
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You can find the ULTIMO , AERO REED & FOLK BLUES on an italian site , called HARP ELITE .
I don't know a lot of people playin' these harps in France .
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atty1chgo
1210 posts
Jan 11, 2015
11:35 AM
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I generally do not like them. I like more of a MB sound and LO's are mellower. I blew a reed on my only one fairly quickly (D major) and gave up on them, but that can happen to any harp. The main reason is that I think that they are too long (length) as against Manjis, MB's, Special 20's etc. I don't like the way they feel in my hands for that reason. But I saw Lee Oskar on the Blues Cruise last October, and he sounded so phenomenal that I was tempted to buy one again.
(Play in HD for best quality)
Last Edited by atty1chgo on Jan 11, 2015 11:36 AM
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jiceblues
376 posts
Jan 12, 2015
4:58 AM
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Lee Oskar is great .
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MindTheGap
481 posts
Jan 12, 2015
12:42 PM
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All this talk about Lee Oskars made me buy one to see if I was missing out on something.
One place I read someone says they are harder to bend than other models. Another place someone says they are easier to bend. What is the truth???
So I bought one in D so I could compare with my similar-priced SP20 and Harpmaster. Well, they do seem pretty similar at the basic level - in the sense that in Isaac's review of the Blues Bender and SP20 he finds and demonstrates significant differences in how they feel and sound.
However, my Lee Oskar had these objective differences:
1. The all-important 3 draw is easier to control than the other harps.
2. It needed no tweaking or gapping. I ended up gapping all my other harps (apart from a Crossover) to make them play evenly across the range.
I may have got lucky with this one, but on the strength of this I'd buy another. Maybe the next one will have a worse 3-draw, or maybe it will be better too and I'll join the 'LO are easier to bend' camp forever.
Subjectively I like the shape and larger size, the replaceable reedplates, the key stamped on the comb and the interlinking boxes.
Plus I like the idea that there is the one model of instrument. This is the one and it's not just a not-quite-so-good-one in the middle of a range. Even though I know Tombo make others.
It was useful to be forewarned about the short coverplate screws and that they spring off when undone! Result: I still have them. Thanks!
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 12, 2015 12:46 PM
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jiceblues
377 posts
Jan 12, 2015
1:39 PM
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"it needed no tweaking or gapping"
i think it's the luck of the draw .
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MindTheGap
482 posts
Jan 12, 2015
2:04 PM
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...of course. But you can only go on what you find. If it had needed tweaking, I wouldn't have been surprised. But it didn't and I was. And that makes me disposed to buy other ones. Especially as with just one, the interlinking boxes thing doesn't do much.
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MindTheGap
504 posts
Jan 22, 2015
5:07 AM
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I've just received my 2nd Lee Oskar (E) and, again, it all works with no adjustment. I draw no conclusion other than adding to the stats.
It has the easier-responding 3D bends which I value. Specifically - the 3D and its bends feel similar to the adjacent holes. Whereas on my other high key harps, although the 3D bends do definitely work, they feel different (tighter, need a different amount of air, special treatment).
Even the 10B and bend work which has been an issue with others. The local bats will like that.
One thing - it has the nice printing of key and name on the comb. Looks good now, but does it wear off over time? I have that gold-coloured CrossHarp (no longer in production apparently, but still on sale here) which has black lettering but the printing is very soft and rubs off with normal use. Looks a bit tatty now.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 22, 2015 5:10 AM
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nacoran
8227 posts
Jan 22, 2015
8:37 AM
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MindtheGap, I've had some Lee Oskars for several years now, and the lettering is just as sharp as the day I bought them. Well, okay, the O and the K in Oskar on the back is a little bit faded, but just a little, and that's on my Bb which spends more time on my face than my mustache.
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Nate
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harpwrench
972 posts
Jan 22, 2015
9:51 AM
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The difference between leaky and perfect responding gaps can be so small that you can't even see it, if you get great ones take care of them but don't place too much credit on the brand.
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jiceblues
387 posts
Jan 22, 2015
1:59 PM
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I understand what you say , Joe . I tried to tweak some of my harps...it's quite tricky .
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MindTheGap
505 posts
Jan 23, 2015
2:08 AM
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harpwrench - (re brand) Yes I've received that loud and clear. As I said, I'm not drawing conclusions about brand quality based on my tiny number of purchases compared to what you must see.
If I were going to buy a custom harp, then that 3D bend response is what I'd be looking for. I've not managed to get that before on my other harps, just using gapping alone. In fact I went so far as to pick a sacrificial harp to 'gap to destruction' just to find out what the range of feel might be, including experimenting with the both reed profiles at some extreme values. In fact, I didn't destroy it, it only needed some light tuning afterwards. I concluded that either:
(a) That's just what they are like, get used to it.
(b) It needs another level of customising (the kind of things you do) to get it better.
As ever, these conclusions may be incorrect, but I have to be practical. So now, I expect to have to tweak the gaps, but I only spend a few minutes on it and don't waste time chasing something that can't be got by gapping alone.
And if it's not clear by now, this is why I changed my name to MindTheGap.
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MindTheGap
506 posts
Jan 23, 2015
2:11 AM
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nacoran - re letting, thanks for the info. I know it's a trivial thing, but I appreciate good design as much as the next man. (so what I mean is it would be a shame for it to disappear!)
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Jan 23, 2015 2:15 AM
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jiceblues
388 posts
Jan 23, 2015
3:05 AM
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I wonder if LO reeds are thicker than MB reeds ?
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