Header Graphic
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > love my special 20 but...
love my special 20 but...
Login  |  Register
Page: 1

arron
5 posts
Mar 06, 2015
12:57 PM
i don't like the boxy sharp angles of the harp because it always catches on the left corner of my mouth. i have a seydel sessions D which feels very nice in my mouth, but it's a much quieter harp which i don't care for. is there a c harp that is loud like the special 20 but has the smooth contour of the seydel?

i don't know if the key of the harp plays into the loudness. i currently have a LO A; a GM Bflat (it's got a smooth contour too but not very loud); big river C; seydel session D; and SP20 in C. none of them have both the loudness i'm looking for and a smoother design. thank you.
HarpNinja
4050 posts
Mar 06, 2015
1:15 PM
Hohner Rocket, or Session Steel with 1847 covers

----------
Mike
My Website
My Harmonica Effects Blog
jbone
1898 posts
Mar 06, 2015
3:05 PM
Or- file the offending corner round and deburr it! My problem with Sp20 and a couple other harps was the dreaded mustache catcher.
----------
http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
didjcripey
857 posts
Mar 06, 2015
4:06 PM
The key does affect the volume. I suspect that if your special 20 was in the key of G you would find it much quieter
----------
Lucky Lester
Thievin' Heathen
504 posts
Mar 06, 2015
4:15 PM
Suzuki Olives & Promasters are very, stick it in your mouth, ergonomically friendly. I can't say how they fare in the volume contest. IMO there are a lot of dynamics to work with on Suzukis and turning up the volume negates some of the low pressure nuances. I like Lee Oskars when I want to play loud.
nacoran
8314 posts
Mar 06, 2015
5:22 PM
Jbone, I don't know if it's that I've just ripped out the wilder pieces of my mustache or I've subliminally learned how to play without the epilady effect, but I rarely snag anymore with my Sp20s or even my Lee Oskars. And while there are many more proficient players than me on the forum my goatee has to be in the top 1%. (I still have troubles with my chromatic though. Yikes!)

If I was buying harps with someone else's money I'd go with something with long covers or something with custom rounded corners. Tom's new Sp20 combs have slightly rounded corners that. (Of course, if you have your own sander and some skills you can radically round the ends. That feels really nice in the hands. Adam has commented a couple times that he likes the pointy edges on his MBs. Something about earning his callouses, but he's a distance runner too, so maybe he's a bit of a masochist? :)

I'm thinking at some point I may give radical rounding a shot. I've got a 365 that has kind of sharp corners (and being a 14 holer it's on the long side. The cover shape would seem to make it a good candidate for rounding down.

You might like a jellybean harp too. The Golden Melody is very comfortable in the hands (although I don't like the corners of the reed plate on the front myself, although that can be sanded too).

----------
Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)

First Post- May 8, 2009
arzajac
1609 posts
Mar 06, 2015
5:57 PM
Maybe what you are looking for can't be found out-of-the-box?

If you want to do a little work yourself, the Suzuki HarpMaster (or a Delta Frost - same thing) has nice round corners. Not particularly loud out of the box, but it becomes remarkably loud and responsive with some full-slot embossing.

You can be pretty aggressive with them too, embossing-wise. Where other kinds of harps will become too thin sounding with that much embossing, the HarpMasters get loud and fat.

You can "polish" the sharp edges of a SP20 with some 2000 grit (or higher) sandpaper to make it more comfortable on your face. Again, you can do some full-slot embossing and get the volume boost you are looking for.

----------


Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.

Last Edited by arzajac on Mar 06, 2015 5:59 PM
SuperBee
2448 posts
Mar 06, 2015
6:16 PM
20 is hard to beat. HarpNinja is on the money imho with mention of the rocket. loud or louder than a 20...it basically IS a 20 with extra loudness plus rounded corners...money though
shakeylee
139 posts
Mar 06, 2015
7:29 PM
just even opening up the back of a delta frost might be what you are looking for!
----------
www.shakeylee.com
harpwrench
1000 posts
Mar 07, 2015
6:50 AM
Just buy a sheet of 320 grit sandpaper, and smooth off the corners.
arzajac
1610 posts
Mar 07, 2015
7:01 AM
Shakylee: "just even opening up the back of a delta frost might be what you are looking for!"

Yes, those harps clean up really well...

(before and after)


----------


Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.

Last Edited by arzajac on Mar 07, 2015 7:01 AM
Gipsy
129 posts
Mar 07, 2015
8:56 AM
Best value after market comb? Just buy a Hohner Rocket comb, and fit the Sp 20 plates onto it. Simples.
shakeylee
141 posts
Mar 07, 2015
9:28 AM
wow arzajac !! that is some neat and tidy work!!
----------
www.shakeylee.com
arron
10 posts
Nov 14, 2015
1:19 PM
so i'm finally getting back to this issue of trying to make my sp20 more comfortable. i am about to start sanding down the left corner of the harp; but before i do i thought i'd ask: if i sand a radius into the comb, the reed plates and possibly the cover, will this affect anything. will it be less airtight. i can't tell if it would be any different than rounding the corners on a sandwich style harp which i've seen others do. thanks.
dougharps
1046 posts
Nov 14, 2015
10:48 PM
I just sand the corners on SP20s lightly and they are fine. I haven't noticed sharp corners to be a problem with my Delta Frost harps, Seydel harps, LO harps, or even Manjis. For some reason the SP20s seem to have really sharp corners for a plastic comb.
----------

Doug S.
groyster1
2821 posts
Nov 15, 2015
7:12 AM
sp20s have better sound with backs open....rockets are just sp20s that are vented better and louder
New but determined
1 post
Nov 23, 2015
10:10 AM
Are there after marker combs for the SP20, either wood or composite?


Post a Message



(8192 Characters Left)


Modern Blues Harmonica supports

§The Jazz Foundation of America

and

§The Innocence Project

 

 

 

ADAM GUSSOW is an official endorser for HOHNER HARMONICAS