Irish Soul
52 posts
Jul 29, 2017
7:48 PM
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What's the harp you spent the most for ootb and wound up truly disliking, whatever the reason?
Mine was the Hohner Rocket, bearing in mind I like most decent grade Hohners and don't hate a Special 20....I sure was pissed after a week with that harp....I never could adjust to the comb.
Anyone else have one that just made you nuts, even if you didn't have a specific reason?
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DanP
337 posts
Jul 29, 2017
9:04 PM
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The Hohner Rocket was disappointing to me too. Also the Suzuki Promaster is somewhat disappointing to me. The Promaster is a beautiful harp to look at and I love aluminum combs but it does not play as well to me as the Suzuki Hammond.
Last Edited by DanP on Jul 29, 2017 9:12 PM
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Gnarly
2278 posts
Jul 29, 2017
9:17 PM
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I bought some MS Meisterklasses, and was never happy with them.
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SuperBee
4845 posts
Jul 29, 2017
10:19 PM
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I've enjoyed playing every Rocket that's landed here, but without a doubt my most disappointing harps are the Gold Valved Promasters I bought.
It wasn't a big spend though. I bought them on a clearance special, NOS at $25 per, I think they are normally very expensive. They were mainly odd keys, Db, B, Ab, HiG and an F, which is why they were still hanging about I guess.
Some of them are quite old, with nuts on the reed plate screws and riveted reeds. The valving was terrible in many cases, some slots with glue gumming up the reeds. And the things just don't play well.
All around the most terrible harps I own. I keep them around thinking I'll be able to salvage them someday, but every time I've tried working on them I just get disgusted with the amount of time I spend in getting nowhere. At one time I decided the problem was the combs, and I bought some aftermarket combs for them, but then I realised they are still very poor harps. The problem is the reeds. I've given up on them for now; I just have more important things to deal with.
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Rontana
424 posts
Jul 30, 2017
4:28 AM
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Manji . . . by a mile. I wanted to like it, but hated the tone of the thing from day one. It struck me as harsh and almost tinny. Very unresponsive play to boot.
I worked on it to the best of my limited ability (gapping, sanded the draw plate, new comb, etc). It became more responsive, but still sounded like a tenor goose with a stuffy nose.
To each his own, however. I sold it on Ebay, got most of my money back, and the buyer reported that he loved it.
Go figure.
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shakeylee
683 posts
Jul 30, 2017
7:29 AM
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Seydel 1847 silver
MS meisterklasse
Both useable and decent,but i didn't like them enough to buy another. Kind of lacking in tone,in a way I can't put my finger on.
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www.shakeylee.com
Last Edited by shakeylee on Jul 30, 2017 7:29 AM
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Sarge
627 posts
Jul 30, 2017
7:34 AM
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I bought a CBH2016 when they first came out. Never did take a liking to it and ended up trading it for a peavy amp. Bought a Manji when they first came out, didn't like it, traded it off.
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Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
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Philosofy
838 posts
Jul 30, 2017
8:16 AM
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David Payne customized a Seydel 1847 Silver for me years ago. Part of his customization was to round off the ends of the harp, and that made it difficult to tongue block the 1 and 2 hole for me. (Otherwise, the harp was spectacular. I should get a custom comb to fix it.)
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Tommy the Hat
660 posts
Jul 30, 2017
8:16 AM
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I gave up trying to find the next best or the latest and greatest, a long time ago. Personally, I found I was just throwing money away. I didn't find anything monumentally better than what I was already using. The same applies to many things in life, for me; I guess it's to each his own. What's gold to one person is trash to another. I find this common in many things today (and more so where instruments are concerned) due to internet forums. I was interested in learning the Ukulele and browsed a few forums seeking info and it's the same. They spend literally thousands on Ukes seeking the latest and greatest.
Meanwhile, some of the greatest harp players whom we idolize were playing old fashioned crap (by our newer standards). I think a great deal of us today forget what's important as far as being good at anything. PRACTICE. I see so many beginners asking questions like " is there a technique that can help me get bends easier or quicker" or similar questions. The answer is, again, practice. Everyone wants tricks and gimmicks and something to do the work for them. Maybe a harp that plays itself?
I understand that some harps these days can be more comfortable than others and that is a personal choice. But in other cases it's kind of becoming almost follow the leader or a collectors mindset.
Rant over! lol.
(You know...sometimes I find that I speak as if I know how to play...hahaha.)
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Tommy
My YouTube vocal covers
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dougharps
1528 posts
Jul 30, 2017
9:36 AM
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Quite a while ago I got a valved Low F Promaster that really disappointed me. It was my first low harp and first and only valved harp.
I got the galvanic effect when playing and it was not responsive. It seemed leaky even with windsavers, likely due to the comb. It DID look pretty and it had heft to it. Finally I tried it for a while without windsavers, but it was just too leaky and unresponsive. It sat in a drawer for a while and then I finally put the plates on a Delta Frost Harpmaster)comb where it has been my backup Low F. Now it is 2nd backup because I like my recent Low F EastTop better. My good responsive low F harp is a Seydel Silver.
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Doug S.
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hvyj
3402 posts
Jul 30, 2017
1:24 PM
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MS Meisterklasse. Very leaky combs.
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The Iceman
3304 posts
Jul 30, 2017
1:44 PM
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Years ago I bought a SBS Hohner. Didn't like it OTB. Sat in box for many years. Then, I took it out and tweaked the offset and now it plays pretty good.
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The Iceman
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Todd Parrott
1414 posts
Jul 30, 2017
4:19 PM
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I'm not crazy about the mouthpiece of the comb on the Rocket either, but if you gently sand it with some micro-mesh, it really helps and makes it feel closer to a Special 20 comb. If the larger holes are what bother you, not much you can do about that I suppose.
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Thievin' Heathen
926 posts
Jul 30, 2017
5:06 PM
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CX12.
I'm surprised none of the SUB30 owners have weighed in. I've got one of those, but I got it as part of an EBAY lot purchase so I don't really feel any buyer's remorse. I was happy to have the opportunity to try one out. If I'd bought one at the height of the hype, it would be a different story.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on Jul 30, 2017 5:08 PM
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florida-trader
1174 posts
Jul 30, 2017
5:51 PM
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Way back when I fisrt discovered harp-l about 10 years ago I started buying all kinds of different harps to try them out. Anything that was favorably mentioned, I tried one. The most disappointing one I got was a Seydel Solist Pro. It just played like crap. I sent it to my good buddy Greg Jones for him to spruce it up. He sent it back. I still didn't like it. I just sent it back to him and told him he could have it. He woulnd up parting it out. It was just a lemon.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
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groyster1
2984 posts
Jul 31, 2017
4:23 AM
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big river was the worst until I changed the comb....leaks disappeared
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hot4blues
71 posts
Aug 03, 2017
7:52 AM
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To be technical, the most I've spent on a Chinese made harp was the Hohnica Educator. Fifty dollars (that's what I consider expensive for a Chinese made chromatic). I played it no more than five times and I started blowing air. And yet, a few months later I purchased a Chinese made Swan 1040 for only twenty dollars and it plays fantastic. I bought a second one. I love how they play, & very dependable.
Last Edited by hot4blues on Aug 03, 2017 7:53 AM
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dougharps
1534 posts
Aug 03, 2017
7:56 AM
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I bought some low Big River harps on close out at a SPAH, but they were leaky and disappointing. They were NOT expensive, which is why I bought them.
Andrew Zajak combs from Ron's made them quite usable for not too much money, and they are now part of my gig kit.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Aug 03, 2017 7:57 AM
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groyster1
2988 posts
Aug 03, 2017
9:56 AM
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@dougharp.....yes big river combs suck.....good comb and they are great
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Andrew
1601 posts
Aug 04, 2017
3:39 AM
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It's a matter of taste, isn't it. I think it was a Seydel something or other - it weighed about a pound and felt like a lump of solid wood in my hand and was just as lifeless. My Hohner Blues Harp was cheap, but it feels the same.
Give me a living breathing humming vibrant tin sandwich any day!
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Andrew.
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Last Edited by Andrew on Aug 04, 2017 7:22 AM
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Arrick
91 posts
Aug 04, 2017
7:13 AM
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Most of my "specialty" harps I have buyers remorse over. I have a few minor tuned harps that I bought before I learned 3rd position. I only ever played them a few times and wish I'd saved my $. I also have a Hohner 365 SBS that I want to love, but just don't. The hole spacing is a bit wider and I struggle to find my root note due to the extra lower octave. I also have a Golden Melody which I bought simply because I wanted to try one. I got it in F and just don't like it at all.
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nacoran
9557 posts
Aug 04, 2017
9:08 AM
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The two harps purchases that I had the most issues with both ended up growing on me. My Crossover was stiff and unresponsive at first, but it seemed to break in over time and now it's one of my favorites. The other one was a valved Low Low F. I hate the clicky sound of valves so I tore them off and now enjoy the harmonica a lot. The custom comb it came with was finished with poly, which looks gorgeous, but I've always had a problem with strong smells (off gassing, perfume, if it's a strong smell it bugs me). It took a year of curing for that to go away. I threw the comb onto another harp once the smell went away and now it's part of an awesome Low D Harmonic Minor harp that looks great and plays like a million dollars.
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Nate
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