Ian
37 posts
Jul 09, 2015
4:16 PM
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Hi guys,
I'm thinking about splashing out on a pricey harp. Just to see what a few more coins will get you. I have special 20s, bluesmasters and a manji so I'm familiar with decent harps.
The seydel harps look kinda extra special.
So my thoughts initially are resting in the camp of the 1847 classic.
Any thoughts? Is the noble much better? Or is it just that the comb is more expensive to produce?
Thanks!
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BC
48 posts
Jul 09, 2015
5:41 PM
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I own Special 20s, Marine Bands, Lee Oskars, and some other miscellaneous Hohner harps. Around year and a half ago I bought a set of Session Steels, nice harps. Then earlier this year I bought a set of 1847 Nobles. Wow, really nice. My favorite thus far. Since I have not tried the 1847 Classic (wood comb) or Silver (plastic comb) I cannot compare to those. Certainly not disappointed with the Noble. Sounded great out of the box. Bit heavier feel due to the aluminum comb. Different taste when tongue blocking, metallic. Only the Noble has side vents. There may be others on the forum that can comment on the Classic and Silver versions.
BC
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didjcripey
928 posts
Jul 09, 2015
6:13 PM
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The Blues sessions are a good budget harp, especially some of the low tunings. I love the Session Steels; my favourite, and I have tried a lot.
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Lucky Lester
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Leatherlips
339 posts
Jul 09, 2015
6:27 PM
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I now have a full set of Session Steel after playing SP20's for 25 years. Couldn't be happier.
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STME58
1372 posts
Jul 09, 2015
11:27 PM
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I have a Nobel in Low F that is my favorite harp. My Bb Suzuki Promaster with a Blue Moon aluminum comb and Firebreath reed plates is a close second. I like the fact that I can easily rivet in a new reed on the Seydel. Individual reeds are available from Seydel but I have not tried to get any yet, I have taken needed ones from replaced reed plates.
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Rustys26
52 posts
Jul 10, 2015
2:15 AM
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I think any harp equal to or greater than the price of a SP20 is all a matter of preference. After trying a good range, I prefer the Marine Bands still. Though while not a fan of the orange comb....I must admit that the session steel is a really fine harp.
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Ian
38 posts
Jul 10, 2015
4:55 AM
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Thanks guys. Might get a session steel and an 1847....
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LSC
732 posts
Jul 10, 2015
9:30 AM
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Played Hohner Marine Band and Special 20s for a couple of decades until the price rose dramatically and the quality declined at the same rate. I had an endorsement deal at one time. When reeds started to break and lodge in my throat and mouth, which Hohner admitted was due to substandard alloys but did nothing about, I quit using or recommending them. Went to Lee Oskars for awhile and then had an endorsement deal with Herring but though there chromatics were excellent again felt quality was inferior in their diatonics. Discovered the Seydel 1847 Classic. Tested a plastic and a wooden comb in C. Both were really good but I preferred the wooden comb by a thin margin. I just like wood and the holes are slightly oval shaped on the wood comb which I also really like. Best OTB harmonica on the market in my opinion. I now own a full set and would not consider any other brand. I purchase mine through Greg Jones at 16:23 Custom Harmonicas. Greg half valves them for me at a very reasonable rate and his customer service is 2nd to none.
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LSC
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Harp Study
109 posts
Jul 10, 2015
9:33 AM
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I like the session steels a lot. I only have one 1847 and it plays really well. I kind of don't like how the hole numbers aren't stamp though. I thought it wouldn't bother me, but I do find it mildly annoying. I guess I look at the numbers more then I thought I did. Both great harps though.
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Martic
126 posts
Jul 10, 2015
9:52 AM
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I had two blues sessions (Low F and Low D), two session steels (D and A), a 1847 classic and a 1847 noble (both in C).
All of them are awesome in building and materials. But I personally prefer Session Steel and 1847 because of the steel reeds.
The two Session Steels received heavy use for two years, playing 90 gigs/year, rehearsing, recording and teaching harp lessons... With the same use, Marine Bands and Special 20s would be broken after 6 months.
Between 1847 classic and 1847 noble I prefer the classic one, the wooden comb gives it a warmer tone and they feel more airtight.
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Ian
39 posts
Jul 10, 2015
10:37 AM
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I think from what I have heard here and what I have heard on youtube etc I think it will be the classic over the noble for me... At least at first. Like the warmer sound. I'll try a session steel at the Same time I think. Thanks for the input guys. Very useful.
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GMaj7
718 posts
Jul 11, 2015
6:53 AM
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Ian,
If you like, check out my web site and you can find all kinds of helpful information on Seydel.
Btw, if the orange comb is not your thing, I offer the Session Steel with a white comb and either the full length covers or the 1847 covers.
The Noble is a great harp, but my customers are not real big on the matte finish covers.
The 1847 Silver is probably the top seller in the 1847 line
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Greg Jones
16:23 Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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webfoot
3 posts
Jul 11, 2015
4:29 PM
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I have a case full of Seydels, mostly Session Steels (some with 1847 covers) and Noble and a Silver LC half-valved that is my favorite harp. The Noble seems heavy to me. I must second LSC regarding 16:23 - service second to none and for some reason Greg's half-valved harps seem to stay tuned longer than any of my other harps.
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nacoran
8579 posts
Jul 11, 2015
8:20 PM
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All my Seydels are odd harps- a LLF, a LD Harmonic Minor, and a Turboslide, so I don't have a standard stock Seydel to rate, but I sure do like the ones I've got. I'm sold on long body covers. They are so much more comfortable to hold. I'm still on the fence on comb material. I do love the feel of a metal comb in my hand, but if, instead, I was carrying a backpack full of them, and an amp, and a mic, and some pedals, I might regret a little bit not going with something lighter. :)
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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Ian
41 posts
Jul 12, 2015
1:13 PM
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Out of interest, if you were to compare a seydel 1847 to another harp, where would you place it... From a playability and tone point of view?
For me I love the tightness and bending of the suzuki harps but prefer the tuning and tone of the likes of hohner .....
Where does seydel sit?
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Harmonica Lewinskey
6 posts
Jul 12, 2015
7:27 PM
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When it comes to comparing the Session Steel with the Special 20, I find that my Special 20's seem much more responsive to bending, but this may just be because they are better broken in. It also may take longer to break in the steel reeds so maybe it is too early to tell (I just got the Seydel a few days ago). The tone sounds great though so I am excited for them to get a little bit better broken in.
From an aesthetic point of view I wasn't crazy about the full body cover plates, but functionally they are so much more comfortable to hold and get a good airtight seal between my left thumb and pointer finger.
I also was not crazy about the orange comb, but you can order a black one (they have other colors too) for $10 off of the Seydel website (make sure it is the american site though otherwise shipping is like 50 bucks!). They also have "antiqued" brass cover plates that I think are gonna look pretty slick with the black comb. Im a set designer though, so aesthetics are important to me :)
The main difference here would have to be the price. Session Steel harps go for 60+ dollars, whereas you can find a Special 20 for 30 bucks on Ebay if you look. I guess the true comparison would be with a Session Standard, but I have not tried one of those yet.. Someday though..
So in conclusion, the Special 20's seem much more responsive but this may be due to the fact that they are more broken in. The fact that they are gonna go from "broken in" to just plain broken a lot quicker though is also a thing. The Session Steel is a lot more comfortable to hold, and just seems to be a better made instrument all around.
I tend to prefer the underdog in these types of situations, so I will probably be trying a lot more Seydel products in the future. Don't get me wrong, Special 20's are fantastic instruments, but I think there is more craftsmanship in the Seydel harps, which I appreciate.
Anyways, sorry for the long post, hope this helps!
-Lewin$key
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Last Edited by Harmonica Lewinskey on Jul 12, 2015 9:52 PM
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Glass Harp Full
41 posts
Jul 13, 2015
3:06 AM
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Does anyone have any thoughts on how Seydels compare to the Hohner Crossover? I have to replace a G harp and am weighting up whether to go for a Crossover because I like the tone of my other Hohners or to try out something from Seydel like a Session Steel or Blues Session.
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Slimharp
399 posts
Jul 14, 2015
9:41 AM
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Ian, this may sound stupid or too simple but here it is " the best harp is the one you like playing " Getting ideas is good, but just like amps, mics, pedals, it is a process of finding what YOU like. Seydel makes good harps, as all the major manufactuers do.
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A440
409 posts
Jul 14, 2015
12:53 PM
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There are a lot of good harps on the market today. I play mostly SP20s, Crossovers, Session Steels, Hammonds, and Manjis. I like them all for different reasons and use them all in different situations. I love the Session Steel, and its the one model I use the most.
If you are interested in trying a Seydel, I highly recommend the Session Steel. But everyone has different needs and preferences. There is no ideal OOTB harp for everyone.
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Harmonica Lewinskey
19 posts
Jul 14, 2015
2:03 PM
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A440, do you find that it takes noticeably more force to bend notes on the session steel than it does with a Special 20, or is it just this particular Db that I have?
-Lewin$key
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nacoran
8582 posts
Jul 14, 2015
3:34 PM
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The bronzed Seydel covers taste a little funny. Not terrible, but they take a little getting used to. I've got a set on a custom comb I got from David Payne a few years back. It's reclaimed chestnut. I'd put it up there easily with the best looking harps I've ever seen. (I've also got a gorgeous purple comb from Chris Reynolds with a powdered coated purple cover from Tom at Blue Moon that I'd put in the running.
Glass Harp Full, my Crossover is growing on me as it breaks in, but I'd still take a Seydel. Most Hohners I've owned either poke my hands or slice my lips. The Crossover doesn't bother my lips but I still don't like the feel in my hands. (Blues Harps are more comfortable on the hands, but worse on the lips unless they have custom combs.)
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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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Ian
42 posts
Jul 14, 2015
4:54 PM
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@slimharp I totally agree with you, but it's good to get a rough idea of how something plays before committing I think, especially as the price of the 1847 is so much. I love my sp20s (after gapping them a bit) and my bluesmasters, they will always be part of what I play. I think from what everyone is saying it's worth trying out both the session steel and the 1847.... Not to find a 'perfect harp' but just to try more harps.
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The Black Pit
31 posts
Jul 14, 2015
6:01 PM
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The Seydels are the only harps I haven't been able to warm up to. I tried the Blues Session and Solist, but found both to be somewhat leaky and lacking in volume. I also don't care for Seydel's hole spacing which differs from Hohner and Suzuki..
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"The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues."...Willie Dixon
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Harmonica Lewinskey
20 posts
Jul 14, 2015
7:36 PM
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ok so I figured out what was wrong with my Seydel. It seems that when I took it apart and put the new key of reed plates that I got on it, i think I went a little too tight on the screw going through the tooth between the 3 and 4 teeth on the comb. I loosened that screw up slightly and it seems to be working much better.
I like the fact that a stock Seydel has 5 screws going through the reed plates and comb, as opposed to the MS series stuff which only has 3.. Im not sure how many are on the special 20..
Last Edited by Harmonica Lewinskey on Jul 14, 2015 7:55 PM
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SuperBee
2734 posts
Jul 15, 2015
6:50 AM
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Yeah 'monica, don't do em up tight. Tends to distort the plates, causes leaks or reeds to stick, or strips threads. Once you go past the place where the screws are done up there is nothing to be gained by making them tight.
Cover plate screws can be a little tighter because they come loose otherwise, but just enough is plenty. Better to have one come loose and learn it needs to be a little tighter than to overdo it and strip a thread.
Re the OT, slimharp made an awesome succinct post. You have to try them until you are satisfied you aren't missing out or wasting money. I'm very happy with Hohner harps and the Seydel harps I've played are fine too, but overall I'm satisfied with the Hohners. Kinda like Bob Dylan said about songs; he doesn't think in terms of good songs or bad songs, he just thinks in terms of different kinds of songs. I think there are actually good harps and bad harps, but we are just talking about different kinds of good harps here.
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Ian
43 posts
Jul 15, 2015
3:36 PM
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@superbee. Definitely aware that we are discussing the slight variations between one good harp and the other, was more curious to hear feedback from those rat play seydel harps to see how they compare to other harps, not in quality but in other aspects like tone. I guess I was basically ensuring that no one came back with something like "they are overpriced... Not worth it", which they havnt, so it's worth a punt!
I'm not hunting for the ultimate harp anymore, although I've only been playing since February I've got past the pretty pointless drive to try to replace my own inadequacy as a learner player with new kit. I realise that it's maybe 1% the harp and 99% the player.
The seydel harps look and sound like nice things to own. No doubt in 6 months time I'll be lusting towards custom harps. Or more expensive hohner harps... Or some other harps! I have a feeling it may just go on and on and on.... But hey, it's fun and they are cheaper than guitars.
Last Edited by Ian on Jul 15, 2015 3:39 PM
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