Martin
1164 posts
May 02, 2017
10:08 AM
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Suzuki harmonicas are normally a bit out of my league financially, but now I see a source for Blues- and Harpmasters at what seems to be a reasonable price.
As I understand it, these are the same when it comes to reed plates.
My question is, for those who use them, how do they hold up to, what I´m afraid I must describe as rather hard playing, compared to other brands?
Please note, I´m only interested in longevity.
It´s a drag, but that´s how my situation is. I need harmonicas that last. Coverplates, combs, colours, tempered tuning and so on -- couldn´t care less. I have even at several times bought semi-cheapo harps with protruding reedplates, which makes playing the instrument a bit of torture. But I smile happily, with bleeding lips, if they last.
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ME.HarpDoc
241 posts
May 02, 2017
9:16 PM
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Three years with both, no blown reeds. That includes early hard playing including newbie attempts at draw bends. Blew out reeds back then on two Hohner Big River harps and switched to Suzuki. I've also got a Seydel SS, a couple SP20's, an Olive, a Hammond, a Thunderbird and several Easttops ( love 'em). Only the Harpmasters and the Bluesmasters have a longevity History though and no blown reeds on any of the others either. But then I play much softer now.
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kham
107 posts
May 03, 2017
5:05 AM
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I have a Harpmaster. Its my practice C harp and gets a lot of use. Unprotected too. Its usually loose in my pocket. I play it while driving in the fields on an open tractor and it has 3 years of abuse with no blown reeds and has been tuned several times. Plenty of food and dust particles to boot. I recommend.
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florida-trader
1127 posts
May 03, 2017
7:06 AM
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Martin – a few thoughts come to mind.
#1 – I am sure you will be told by several people not to play so hard and you won’t blow out reeds. While that is true, I’m going to let you off the hook a little because it is not entirely your fault. Stock harps are set up with the gaps very wide to prevent choking. But unfortunately, they promote bad playing habits. With the gaps set so wide, you have to move a lot of air through the harp to get the reeds to swing into action. If you learn how to adjust the gaps on your harps they will be more responsive and you won’t need to muscle them to make the behave. It will promote playing less agressively and your harps will last longer. It is a closed loop.
#2 – This is the old price vs. cost argument. Good quality is often far less expensive in the long run. Any (new) harp that costs less than about $25 is junk and will not last. You’ll blow through them like crazy.
#3 – You’ll notice that I put “new” in parenthesis above. There are tons of good used harps on eBay which can be purchased for far less than the retail price of a new harp. Give me a choice between spending $15 on a slightly used Marine Band or Special 20 or spending $15 on a Hot Metal or Chicago Blues and I will take the used MB or Special 20 any time. You might get a lemon every now and then, but most them just need a good cleaning and they are fine.
#4 – You also might consider learning how to replace reeds. It is easy and does not require any special tools. If you are doing a lot of them and charging other people for your service then it makes sense to invest in some good quality tools. But if you are just fixing an occasional harp, there is no need to spend money on expensive tools. In addition, working on harps is fun. You might find it rewarding.
We all understand being on a budget and having to live within one’s means. But that does not mean you have to settle for lower quality harps. There are plenty of ways to stretch your dollars and put yourself into some good playing harps for not a lot of money.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on May 03, 2017 10:55 AM
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Raven
92 posts
May 03, 2017
12:01 PM
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I second Tom's sentiments about quality and not playing too hard. I went through three "G" harps early on. Started looking for better quality and discovered Suzuki Manji's. Invested in an entire set and have never blown out a single reed. Once in a while you can find a really good deal on some quality harps. I find the best dollar values are generally in the $50-$60 range. (USD) Most of the forum members who live in parts of Europe have a much harder time finding good pricing and shipping costs that aren't prohibitive. Don't waste your money on "El Cheapo's." If funds are tight, just invest in one at a time as you can afford to.
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shadoe42
340 posts
May 03, 2017
3:56 PM
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I play primarily harmpmasters and in 10+ years have blown one reed. And I tend to play pretty hard. I have however crushed a few cover plates :)
Not saying you won't blow one out. Just saying my experience with them has been rock solid.
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Dr. Rev. Mr. Cheeks Miller
My Electronic Music World
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Martin
1165 posts
May 03, 2017
3:57 PM
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@MEHarpDoc and Kham: Thank you guys, you´ve settled me and I will give those Suzukis a try.
@Tom: You give good advice and if I was just a little bit less clumsy I would certainly try working on my harps. (If for nothing else, I´d then be a bit more comfortable with the OB´s and OD´s.) Now fiddling with reeds is for me a very perilous undertaking and I´d hate to break a reed on a new harmonica (that has happened). And if I was just a little bit more solid in the money department, I would let professionals, like you, do the job. Believe it or not, but I find just removing the cover plates hard work. And when you really suck at something by way of handicraft, it gets terribly boring.
So myself changing reeds is not something, I´m afraid to say, that´s more likely than that I´d be recruited for the next Apollo to the moon project.
Still, it´s sound advice you give me and I thank you. Blowing hard isn´t something I aspire to do (pun unintended) but it has sort of settled into my playing through the years and there´s a certain expressiveness that I find it hard to obtain without a fair amount of force. (And yes, I know BWH´s soft touch and have listened to him a lot, but still ...) While practising I try to keep it under control but in live situations it takes over. (I´ve been told that TB should be a help but it´s to late in the day for that.)
Another thing: About a year ago you had five or six Tombo Ultimos sitting in a drawer, slightly used (we corresponded about it). If for some absolutely unlikely reason they´re still sitting in that drawer and your offer to sell them stands, please drop me a line at martinoldsberg-at-yahoo.com and I´ll see if I can´t rustle up the money for them now. But I fear they´re long gone.
@Raven: Yes, the prices are a bit tougher in Europe, that´s my general impression. I´m alive and playing because I can buy LO reedplates at a decent price. (Doesn´t mean I´m particularly fond of them.)
One of these days I´ll try a Manji, but as it is right now I can get almost four sets of LO reeds for one Manji and that, in its way, is quite convincing. Add some customizing to that Manji and then I´ll have to do something drastic, like getting sober ... (One Manji, with shipping -- no stores holds Suzuki harps in Sweden -- sets my back something to the tune of $70.)
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shakeylee
638 posts
May 03, 2017
8:20 PM
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I get around seven years out of a manji .
The reedplates on harpmaster/bluesmaster are very similar ,so,I imagine I get similar time length out of them.
Most of my everyday harps are made from parts ,so it is good that the reedplates are replaceable .
I have one blues master with harpmaster coverplates from when blues masters first came out!
Kevin's harps was still going full blast and I got it from him ,so,that must be at least 15 years old .still works fine.
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www.shakeylee.com
Last Edited by shakeylee on May 03, 2017 8:24 PM
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florida-trader
1128 posts
May 03, 2017
9:04 PM
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I remember our conversation Martin. I'm afraid I donated those Ultimos along with a bunch of other harps to a fellow who was collecting them to hand out to disabled veterans. I thought it was a good cause so I bundled up a package and shipped it off to him.
Based upon everything you have said, I would say that Lee Oskar is a very good choice for you. They are reasonably priced. The have a reputation for being tough as nails. And you can buy replacement plates for about $18.00 a set on Ebay all day long.
Best of luck to you.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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Martin
1167 posts
May 04, 2017
4:46 AM
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@shakylee: Seven years! That, if I could reproduce it, would be a serious motivator for me towards investing in a more expensive harp. (But as a matter of fact, the longest total life-length I´ve gotten out of a harmonica is three or four years from a Huang Bac-Pac -- a very interesting budget alternative, but not anymore ...)
@florida-trader: You did a good deed, Tom, and I salute you. As for replacement reedplates I have a physical music store on the street where I live, and there I can get them for that price, and simultaneously contribute in a small way in keeping the city centre of Gothenburg alive.
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bonedog569
1086 posts
May 04, 2017
8:42 AM
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I used to play Bluesmasters and still really like them - but - it was before I went on Tom's "closed loop" of better (custom) harps and less breath force - and I would blow them out in less than a year. Haven't gone back to them because they don't work for overblows. I wonder how long they's last for me now. Really nice harps for the money all in all I'd say.
Bone's music videos
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shakeylee
639 posts
May 04, 2017
5:42 PM
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@martin ,huang bac-Pac harps were about as close to pre-plastic hohner old stand bys as you will see . They were a good harp if the comb didn't warp. I was a huang user for years.
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www.shakeylee.com
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www.shakeylee.com
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