digitalshrub
24 posts
Mar 22, 2016
12:45 PM
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I'm looking for advice on a chrom purchase. I'm not a chrom player, but I play diatonic halfway decently. I have a Hohner 270 that was kindly donated to me by Jbone...unfortunately it has some structural issues that impact playability and the costs of repair would put me close to simply buying another 270.
Recently I've been smitten with Seydel diatonics, so much so that brand loyalty is a factor here. As a lifelong Hohner player, I'm really impressed with Seydel's quality and tone compared to my Hohner diatonics.
The orchestra-tuned Saxony chrom seems to boast just the right kind of note range. But the significantly cheaper, 14-holer Suzuki SCX 56 does too, with the added bonus of also including the seldom-used top notes omitted on the Saxony.
Apart from scanning this forum and the web at large for input, I've listened to Winslow's review recordings of both instruments, and I alternately prefer one over the other depending on the tune/style.
I'm leaning toward the Saxony orchestra due to the quality I've experienced with Seydel, as well as the (for me) desirable size of a 12-holer. But I'd love to hear feedback from owners of both harps.
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robbert
405 posts
Mar 22, 2016
2:53 PM
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I do not possess a Saxony, but I can tell you the Suzuki build is very solid, airtight, responsive across all octaves, smooth, and projects well. I own the 64. Of all my chromatics, the SCX is the best. Like all chromatics, make sure it is nice and warm before playing.
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Crawforde
83 posts
Mar 22, 2016
3:43 PM
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I like the Seydel chromatics a lot.
Both mouthpiece options are nice, I think preference comes down to the player and or that vs pucker.
You can also get the Chromatic deluxe in the Orchestra tuning, either from the Configurator or NewHarmonica had some in stock last time I was there.
Now having said all that, I can definitely see a SCX 56 in my future at some point. With the Gnarley he man Bebop treatment of course!
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digitalshrub
25 posts
Mar 23, 2016
12:14 PM
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@Crawforde, "...I think preference comes down to the player and or that vs pucker."
Did you mean tongue block vs pucker? Because I'm definitely a proponent of TB (on diatonic at least). I've read that the hole spacing is a little wider on the Saxony than on most other chroms. I imagine closer hole spacing would make octaves and the like easier, but if the spacing translates to a vast difference in practice, then that's exactly the kind of feedback I want to hear before I buy!
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Crawforde
85 posts
Mar 23, 2016
2:40 PM
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Yea, that's what I tried to write. Big thumbs, small screen, and it looks like I lost a sentence or two.
I do not TB so you might want to ask someone else. I pucker and like the narrow mouth piece. Spacing on all chromes is quite a bit more than on diatonics. All the companies use the same spacing except for Seydel. I think. Seydel spacing is just a little touch wider. Saxony or Chromatic deluxe are the same.
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WinslowYerxa
1105 posts
Mar 23, 2016
9:46 PM
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if you tongue block and play wide intervals or big chords, the smooth mouthpiece-to-covers profile of the Suzuki chromatics is great - with one caveat. They are big in the mouth, which you may find you need getting used to. The Saxony profile is more like the traditional 270 profile, which is the only thing I really dislike about the 270 series.
When I was doing my test recordings for that review (HarmonicaSessions review of 14-hole chromatics, published in 4 parts and accessible here) I felt various preferences, but when I listen back now to what I played, I like the Saxony Orchestra much better - both the overall sound and what I played.
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Winslow
Check out my blog and other goodies at winslowyerxa.com
Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition with tons of new stuff
Join us in 2016 for SPAH on the San Antonio River Walk!
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Mar 23, 2016 9:48 PM
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rbeetsme
1667 posts
Mar 24, 2016
4:19 AM
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Winslow is correct, a lot of good harps, choice is a matter of personal preference. i will say this, I've had a Saxony and really didn't care for the tone. I liked my Hohner 2016 and Meisterklasse a lot better. Then I stumbled across a great deal on a Suzuki Sirius 12 holer. Wow! I was so impressed I searched and found a good deal on the 16 hole version as well. Check out the Sirius, great tone, top build and very smooth and comfortable to play.
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digitalshrub
26 posts
Mar 24, 2016
7:11 AM
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@WinslowYerxa, thanks for the details there. Having only played my 270, and very little at that, I'm open to a new mouthpiece experience. I also preferred the Saxony in your clips when I A/B'd it with your clips from the 14-hole review session that included the SCX-56.
Buuuuut, as per @rbeetsme's comment I had not considered the Sirius do to price concerns. I love Winslow's clips of the Sirius (less..."overtoney" and more "focused" than the Saxony, perhaps?).
I thought these guys went for upwards of 700 or 800 bucks, but I just found this Sirius 14-holer on Amazon for less than 350 . Am I missing something here? That seems like a steal...
Last Edited by digitalshrub on Mar 24, 2016 8:43 AM
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Popculture Chameleon
151 posts
Mar 24, 2016
8:15 AM
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Honestly Im more curious about the Seydel Chromatic deluxe because of the different tunings they have to offer that go with it. Im especially interested in the blues richter tuning
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digitalshrub
27 posts
Mar 24, 2016
8:44 AM
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@Popculture totally valid. As somebody who's new to the chrom though, I'm looking for a more traditional layout tuning-wise.
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digitalshrub
28 posts
Mar 24, 2016
10:39 AM
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After further consideration, I think I'm leaning towards the Sirius 56 over the Saxony, probably going to pull the trigger this evening. Thanks for all your input everyone! Will letcha know how it turns out.
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WinslowYerxa
1106 posts
Mar 24, 2016
10:56 AM
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The $350 deal on the Sirius is from Asian sellers, which gives you no warranty. The $800-ish price comes through the US distributor and gives you a one-year warranty. The US distributor has put it about that the overseas ones may be counterfeits, but I'm dubious that anyone would go to the trouble.
The Sirius 56 that I reviewed was straight-tuned. Later Suzuki introduced a cross-tuned version, which has bigger holes in the slide. You can get either one. As the SX-56 is cross-tuned, I had the opportunity too swap the slides back and forth, and recorded the various combinations. I'll
dig them up and post them later.
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Winslow
Check out my blog and other goodies at winslowyerxa.com
Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition with tons of new stuff
Join us in 2016 for SPAH on the San Antonio River Walk!
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digitalshrub
29 posts
Mar 24, 2016
12:37 PM
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@Winslow ahhhh that would explain it: the warranty. Forgive me asking a potentially novice question, but is a warranty something that's strongly advised in the case of a chromatic?
As I said, I really only play diatonic, and I've never considered warranty as a factor there. Chroms are of course more expensive, and have more parts involved, so maybe warranty is a serious consideration. I'd obviously prefer a warranty over no warranty. But a one-year warranty might not be super valuable to me as someone who's unlikely to gig professionally with the instrument for a while. If there's a risk of the Asian-sold Sirius being counterfeit though, I guess I'd rather go with the Saxony. Tricky to hit this price point (under $400)!
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Gnarly
1708 posts
Mar 24, 2016
9:37 PM
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I'm the warranty guy--
So I guess I cost you a lot of money . . .
If you are willing to work on your own chroms, you don't need a warranty--but the US warranty covers reed failure, and if you need it, that's a big bonus.
The direct from Japan harps aren't counterfeit, they are grey market.
I do like the Sirius, but feel that the SCX holds its own too.
I recently worked on a Saxony, it seemed like a good harp too.
I prefer a 14 hole harp, or Orchestra.
Good luck, chrom is worth your time and money!
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WinslowYerxa
1107 posts
Mar 25, 2016
12:23 AM
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OK, here are the recordings. They are:
Suzuki Sirius S-56S with straight-tuning slide
Suzuki Sirius S-56S with cross-tuning slide
Suzuki SCX-56 with straight-tuning slide
Suzuki SCX-56 with cross-tuning slide
However, the recordings are not in that order (Gary, hold your tongue, please). Let your ear judge without preconception.
Recording 1
Recording 2
Recording 3
Recording 4
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Winslow
Check out my blog and other goodies at winslowyerxa.com
Harmonica For Dummies, Second Edition with tons of new stuff
Join us in 2016 for SPAH on the San Antonio River Walk!
Last Edited by WinslowYerxa on Mar 25, 2016 12:24 AM
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Gnarly
1710 posts
Mar 25, 2016
8:14 AM
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Winslow, I have blocked my tongue--it's in my cheek . . .
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digitalshrub
30 posts
Mar 25, 2016
8:14 AM
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@Gnarly sorry if that was an awkward post! I've seen you around on here before, so I knew there was a Suzuki warranty guy in the mix here somewhere. I don't mean to be dismissive of the idea of warranties or going through the proper channels. I can see how buying an $800 harmonica at less than half that cost would raise some eyebrows, and I'd hate to be shit out of luck if it arrived and had manufacturing defects (or was counterfeit). As somebody who can't really afford an $800 harp though, I couldn't help but get excited at seeing a Sirius so heavily marked down.
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Gnarly
1711 posts
Mar 25, 2016
8:21 AM
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Hi--no worries, if you can work on your own harps then you are OK. There are some ethical issues, but it's not like the Chinese harps, where I KNOW A COMPANY IS PAYING $10 A DAY TO FACTORY WORKERS churning those things out.
My only concern is that I work for the US company that has the agreement to import and sell the Japanese harps, and so I am ethically bound to defend that agreement.
The Japanese harps are great, you might not need a warranty, but nothing is perfect and you might!
Last Edited by Gnarly on Mar 25, 2016 8:24 AM
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digitalshrub
31 posts
Mar 25, 2016
3:03 PM
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@Winslow wow, I can barely discern a difference in the majority of those audio files. The instrument in recording 4 sounded the "weakest" to me.
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