Ugly Bones Ryan
33 posts
Jan 21, 2014
7:46 AM
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CONTROVERSY! Who do you guys think makes the best harmonicas? I personally like Hohner because the overblows are very easy as well as a few other things. With the Suzukis and the Seydels I've tried, they made a lot of noise and were hard to overblow.
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2chops
212 posts
Jan 21, 2014
9:11 AM
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And let the games begin....
I can't remember who here put it this way before but,
"Can...worms...opening."
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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Slimharp
124 posts
Jan 21, 2014
9:16 AM
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It's personal taste. I prefer Hohner, although I have gotten some crap from Hohner. The 1847 and Manji are great harps. The 1847 it a little stiff for my likes but is a good harp. The Manji is an excellent harp, depending on the key. For me the A & G were very sluggish where as the C & D seemed to play well. I play Hohner Sp 20, MBD, and Crossovers, which work for me. I have heard the MB is getting better now so I may give it a try.
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cyclodan
53 posts
Jan 21, 2014
10:23 AM
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Let me preface by saying I don't use overblows. I can't comment on Suzukis but I have recently bought some nice Seydel and Hohner harps.
Session Steel in C-Love It.
1847 in D- OK but not overly thrilled.
Crossover in A-Love it.
MB Deluxe in G-Disappointing...think it needs to be gapped differently or something?
I think there is going to be more Session Steels in my case in the future. I really like the wood /bamboo comb harps but the Session steel is by far my favorite plastic comb harp and seems to the bang for buck sweet spot for me.
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MP
3069 posts
Jan 21, 2014
10:41 AM
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All three companies make some very fine harmonicas.
Each companies harps have a distinct tone that no one but the player seems to notice.
I prefer the tone of Hohners but I have to admit that if I was onstage and my Hohners went missing and I had to use a Manji or an 1847 I don't think it would bother me at all.
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didjcripey
681 posts
Jan 21, 2014
12:04 PM
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Really in to the seydel blues sessions and session steels at the moment.
Very comfortable in the mouth, very airtight, easy to play, nice tone.
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Lucky Lester
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Gnarly
886 posts
Jan 21, 2014
12:11 PM
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Not every harmonica from any factory is going to be perfect. All three companies make great harps, but Suzuki has a one year warranty. Here in the US, if your harmonica breaks or has other issues not related to abuse (be reasonable), a qualified and cheerful if somewhat cryptic harmonica technician will try to make it right--
Make sure you keep your receipt.
Signed,
Gnarly the Suzuki tech
800-854-1594 x44414
PS NAMM week, be reasonable LOL
PPS I have the general impression from my supervisors and the chain o' command that reed breakage CAN be covered under our generous warranty; again, try not to mistake our kindness for weakness.
G
Last Edited by Gnarly on Jan 21, 2014 12:15 PM
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harpdude61
1954 posts
Jan 21, 2014
12:55 PM
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Tried em all many times! Several models from each brand maker. I am an overbender. None of the Suzuki models that claim to overbend easily come close to my sweet Golden Melody.
The other brands play "stiffer" than Hohner...but if thats what you learn on...
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SuperBee
1629 posts
Jan 21, 2014
1:26 PM
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I don't think it's 'brand loyalty' really, but I just stick with hohner because I know how to make them do what I want. I know what goes wrong, how to fix them, how they should feel. They're familiar.
I've dabbled with Suzuki but because I'm a cheap bastard, I have tried budget models which it isn't fair to compare with the hohners I play. I bought some valved promaster harps which I thought were new but turned out to be secondhand, and had been mangled by ham fisted attempts to make them play better (my assessment of the condition they're in, I bet they didn't leave the factory with glued up reeds or twisted bent reeds). So it's not fair to compare those either...although clearly the previous owner thought they needed work. But I work on hohners too, so that doesn't mean much.
I did buy a new manji. It was ok, but I didn't find it offered me anything I wasn't getting from MB/Sp20. And I didn't like the furry comb. So I used it for loud gigs and when it broke that was the end of it.
Seydel...again, I'm cheap so I tried some solist pro harps. I thought they were ok but the covers were the moustache grabbingest covers I've ever encountered, so they had to go. And I broke a 5 draw reed really quickly. I'd read there were some issues with that and this confirmed it for me...so I didn't persist. I am interested in other seydel s but I have all the harps I need right now and the parsimony /curiosity balance is firmly weighted towards not spending unnecessarily. On harps at least :/
I'll only change brands in future to obtain tunings I can't obtain in a hohner, I think. That's how I feel about it right now. I'm just not especially curious anymore. Happy where I am, got an investment and happy to maintain it.
Unfortunately I do break a reed every now and then. Importantly, I know how to repair my hohners.
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sonny3
113 posts
Jan 21, 2014
2:16 PM
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Try them all! I have, much to the dismay of my wife.Hohner is my go to but I do like harpmasters.Tried a Manji but couldn't get it to play all that well.The Marine band 1896s are really good right now.
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arzajac
1260 posts
Jan 21, 2014
4:19 PM
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Overblows are a poor choice as a measurement of out-of-the-box harp quality.
Just considering straightforward playing, if I had to pick a number, I would say 7 out of 10 harps of the same make/model/key from all three of those companies will play fairly well out-of-the-box. 1 out of 10 would play very well out-of-the-box.
Which company makes the best harmonicas? In considering out-of-the-box harps, it's too close to call. You need to try several of each. I mean several of the same brand and key, because you may get a leaky, poorly set-up lemon which doesn't really represent the line.
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GMaj7
339 posts
Jan 22, 2014
3:41 AM
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The best harmonica out there is undoubtedly the one that gets you off the forums and into the wonderful expression of music.
It is the one you will play!
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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jbone
1470 posts
Jan 22, 2014
4:33 AM
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Never have tried a Seydel yet. Lots of Hohners which may need a revisit one day. My current and for a few years now go-to is Suzuki, mostly Manji, but trying a few others like Hammond, Pure, and Overdrive.
I'm not great technically maybe but I get the job done and sound good doing it. I have managed to flat a few reeds on my Manji's and spent the $30 to replace reed plates. No regrets and here's why: I think Suzuki- and Manji is what I have the most experience with- they are consistent and consistently good for me. Their sales pitch initially is what sold me. Better brass, better reed alignment, a no-warp composite comb, as airtight as any ootb harp and more so than many, and I have no probs with their tuning in about 3 years' playing now.
We all do have our preferences and I respect other people's. I saw Blind Mississippi Morris playing mostly Johnsons a few years back and he schooled me. Paul Delay played Big Rivers. You never can tell what's going to work for someone.
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jiceblues
257 posts
Jan 22, 2014
4:48 AM
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I agree with JBONE , you never can tell...
I tried many brands , stock and with custom combs .
Actually , i play only MS BLUES HARPS , but they are rough on the lips .I fitted a composite comb from ARZAJAC
with BH reedplates and Meisterklasse covers .The reedplates don't protude , no sharp corners , very comfortable and nice sound .If you like Suzuki's , i think the OLIVE C20 could be a way to go .Seems comfortable , and i think it's a good harp .If you manage to flatten the comb , composite combs are the best , in my mind .
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harmonicanick
2127 posts
Jan 22, 2014
5:41 AM
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'Overblows are a poor choice as a measurement of out-of-the-box harp quality.'
Totally agree with that.
Hohner Golden Melody is my preference, however Lee Oskar are very reliable and long-lasting (natural & harmonic minor tunings)
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Ugly Bones Ryan
34 posts
Jan 22, 2014
8:00 AM
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I didn't mean out of the box. Just to clarify I mean all in all, even after moving the reeds around which I do on all of my harps, Hohner reeds are the most flexable. I also like Hohners because of their coverplate designs, their pricing (I'm looking at you Spec. 20), and their variety looks. I don't like the cover plate design on Seydels at all, each look very similar, and they're very expensive. Suzuki however is good at their changing around their designs as well as making different types of combs. However, the one Suzuki I tried had slightly stiff reeds. In addition, if someone prefers easy cleaning, stiffer and stronger reeds, as well as good quality combs Seydel 1847's look like the way to go. However I've only played Seydel Blues Sessions.
Last Edited by Ugly Bones Ryan on Jan 22, 2014 8:01 AM
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dan.rfd
9 posts
Jan 23, 2014
3:31 AM
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My only experiment away from Hohner was a Seydel Solist pro which I don't like much. It looks nice and feels nice to hold but compared to similar priced Hohners such as SP20 and MB it requires more effort to play - more breath for less sound. On top of this the sound the Hohners is fuller and richer for sure.
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harpdude61
1955 posts
Jan 23, 2014
7:24 AM
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I'm not talking about overblows out of box. After harp is set up for me,nothing plays with less effort than a Golden Melody...OBs included. Other harps.seem stiff if you play GMs for a while....imho
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colman
292 posts
Jan 23, 2014
7:48 AM
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Most of classic blues was done on hohner,marine band most all hohner harps.,that say`s something to me.I`VE been playing since 1968 and i`ve used most hohner`harps,tried LO`S, have bandmasters from ,GDR,that are 25 yrs old and still play.but Marine band`s have always been the harp for me.they cost $2.50 in 1968...
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The Black Pit
6 posts
Jan 23, 2014
6:38 PM
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I have to admit that I'm kind of surprised by the answers. It seems that if you visit various forums, you'll find more people bashing Hohner than any other brand. They complain about the huge quantities of cheapo chinese harps they market, or the fact they turned someone's favorite Old Standby into a $5 import, or players who soured on Hohner after their infamous 2 decade decline some years ago. I've only been playing for a short while, and while I'll admit that Suzukis in general seem to be more of a precision, higher quality harp, to my ear, the Hohner's seem to have the sound I prefer.
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kudzurunner
4510 posts
Jan 23, 2014
7:52 PM
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I'm with Colman on this one. I've been playing Marine Bands since 1974. I don't like Special 20s at all and can't get a good grip on Golden Melodies. I like Seydels, especially Ben Bouman's tweaked ones, but they're just not quite my sweet-spot harps. Dannekers are beautiful but too heavy; they literally weigh too much.
I use OOTB MB's, but for the record, Joe Spiers's Stage I, key of C, has been played hard--I used it on SOUTHBOUND, and played "The Entertainer" on it on KICK AND STOMP--and it's still in tune.
I've always been honest about the fact that it is possible (and definitely WAS possible back in the day) to get a MB that was dead, woody, nearly unplayable. I've never understood that. But a good Marine Band.....
A woman is a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
--Groucho Marx (or W. C. Fields??)
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jan 23, 2014 7:54 PM
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groyster1
2511 posts
Jan 23, 2014
9:47 PM
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when I bought the 1896-1996 marine band,I swore them off and said I would never buy another mb and stick with sp20s....never say never...I now have a large supply,including several pre war marine bands...I love the construction of crossovers and mb deluxe but they do not sound any better than a good marine band
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Jehosaphat
668 posts
Jan 23, 2014
10:09 PM
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I have bought very good Hohner harps
I have bought very good Seydel harps
I have bought very good suzuki harps
etc
I have bought very bad...............
etc
You get my drift.
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boris_plotnikov
919 posts
Jan 24, 2014
12:46 PM
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Seydel stainless steel rocks! After I get used to play stainless steel reeds I hardly can play any brass (including Seydel brass).
PS I'm affiliated with seydel after I liked them.
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Mirco
80 posts
Jan 24, 2014
3:13 PM
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Why does it have to be one of these three who make the best harmonicas? What about companies like Tombo, who have been making fine harmonicas since 1917?
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Ugly Bones Ryan
38 posts
Jan 24, 2014
7:14 PM
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I don't mean to be rude but all Tombo has really done that I found successful in sales was the Lee Oskar. Same reason I didn't add Bucshman or Hering.
Sorry man.
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