HarpNinja
1120 posts
Feb 18, 2011
6:07 AM
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A friend of mine would like to get a couple harmonicas for his elderly father. He has had some serious heart issues and has had to give up singing. Evidently he was part of a barber shop quartet and was hoping to get back into some harmonica playing to still make music with his friends.
My initial reaction was to go with Special 20's, but then I thought about a couple of Big Rivers (oddily enough, a rare Hohner that I don't own even one harp of). My friend's comment was his dad just wanted to suck and blow - I doubt he'll be getting into a lot of bending or playing blues...
Is the BR a decent pick? Granted, an ET harp might be better overall, but I don't think it will be a noticeable issue. If not, I'll help him get a couple of Special 20's. Thanks!
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Mike
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
Updated 2/1/11
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groyster1
867 posts
Feb 18, 2011
6:57 AM
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@HarpNinja
I own 3 big river harps-they are certainly not as good as sp20s-they are a little leaky but the best thing about them besides being about $22.00 is they are vented in the back very well and my take is that they would be a good beginner harp
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arzajac
470 posts
Feb 18, 2011
8:43 AM
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I bought three of them and not one of them played properly out-of-the-box. The reeds seem to need a lot of work to play properly. On two of the harps, the top three holes wouldn't play at all!
I was just looking at one this morning. I had shelved it because there was nothing I could do to make it play well. On closer look, I see now that the reeds are nowhere near straight. Almost all of them go through the slot either head-first or are curved so much that the belly goes through before either end comes close. I had not messed them up - all I ever did to that harp was gap it.
If BRs came properly adjusted, they would make a good beginner harp since they have a nice tone and can end up being nice to play.
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toddlgreene
2595 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:01 AM
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Mike-depending on how good a pal this guy is, and if you have the time, he could buy a couple and have you quickly go thru them(align reeds and gaps where necessary, for instance), and it would save him a few bucks. They do tend to be a bit leaky, but the above-mentioned items could be why. I own one custom BR(low F)made by Harvey Berman, aka HarveyHarp, and it plays like a dream.
Given my druthers for which one to buy and expect some kind of consistency OOTB between the two, I'd pony up the extra bucks and get the SP20.
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Todd, the conservatively liberal moderate of the moderators
Eudora and Deep Soul
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acerimusdux
3 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:07 AM
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If ET is preferred, I would go with one of the Suzuki models. I'd go with the Harpmaster if only buying a couple. But the Bluesmaster is a geat deal in the 6 harp set (ends up about as cheap per harp as the Big Rivers).
The Big Rivers aren't bad, but require a bit more effort/air to play, and I don't care for the exposed reedplates on a larger harp like that. This doesn't bother me on Marine Bands, which are smaller, but gets uncomfortable for me if playing very long on an MS harp. But I also have a somewhat small mouth.
If this gent has had to give up singing, though, I wonder if there are any respiratory issues? If he's unable to exert the effort required to sing, I would go with the Suzukis as they seem to require the least effort/air to get a pleasant sound of anything in that range (probably Delta Frosts are as good).
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gmacleod15
120 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:08 AM
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I think this has been discussed before but here is my experience...my first harp was a BR and it was terrible for a beginner. It was very leaky and high notes were almost impossible. I still can't make it playable.
I would also say go for the SP20 or a susuki blues master.
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MBH member since 2009-03-24
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Joe_L
1071 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:35 AM
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I've got over 40 Big River harps and they all play fairly well. They are pretty much all I use these days. All I am playing is Blues and I don't overblow.
I agree with acerimusdux. If he has respiratory problems, I would buy Suzuki Harpmasters. Due to uncertainty of availability and delivery, I would never recommend Bushman Delta Frosts.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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Sausagescoffer
22 posts
Feb 18, 2011
2:45 PM
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SP20 over BR every time.
However, I prefer Suzuki Harpmasters over Bluesmasters for playability/tone. Just my two cents.
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clyde
100 posts
Feb 18, 2011
4:39 PM
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i have 7 or 8 and all played ok out of the box. the only one i feel is very leaky is the (G). to me they are loud,sound very good and take hard playing.
some like the (ms) series some don't.
i like the price
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joeleebush
203 posts
Feb 18, 2011
4:51 PM
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To Arzajac:
I will give you $4 each for those BigRivers you say didn't do good out of the box. (you pay the postage)
Believe me, I will make those mothers cry and moan and shout without doing a thing to the insides.
You will salvage a few bucks out of the sum you wasted, you won't have any junk harps laying around, and you can have the self esteem boost from being sensitive, caring, and helping out an old man.
Deal?
(email me if so, and we can do the address exchange thing)
Regards,
"Old Grouchy" JoeLee
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joeleebush
204 posts
Feb 18, 2011
4:52 PM
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To Arzajac:
I will give you $4 each for those BigRivers you say didn't do good out of the box. (you pay the postage)
Believe me, I will make those mothers cry and moan and shout without doing a thing to the insides.
You will salvage a few bucks out of the sum you wasted, you won't have any junk harps laying around, and you can have the self esteem boost from being sensitive, caring, and helping out an old man.
Deal?
(email me if so, and we can do the address exchange thing)
Regards,
"Old Grouchy" JoeLee
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acerimusdux
4 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:28 PM
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I have 8 different MS harps I got last month when they were on clearance on Amazon, mostly in less common keys, at prices averaging around $13 each. They really aren't bad, they all play pretty well, and I do like the way the Hohner MS reeds behave. And I haven't really had any problems with reeds on these (the 9 & 10 blow on my F# might need a bit of tweaking to play a bit easier).
But for sure you notice a difference when you pick up a Special 20 or a Marine Band and play it after; those just give you as much volume with less air and less effort. I'd rather play one of them, given the choice.
I do think some of it is just that these are larger harps with larger (deeper) chambers. The MS Blues harp has more narrow chambers, just because the wood dividers would be too fragile if cut thin, and it seems to be the easiest of the MS harps to play (not really that different from a Marine Band).
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boris_plotnikov
451 posts
Feb 18, 2011
9:42 PM
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The main problem of big River is leaky comb. For blow and suck they are OK. I have some big rivers in my backup set for gigs, they are customized, and I use polished acril combs. They are not as perfect as 1847 or GM, but really good and playable after costumizing
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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KingoBad
617 posts
Feb 18, 2011
10:54 PM
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I just got out my Big Rivers that I started with. Man, do they play nicely. I did do some work with the setup and did some partial embossing (I was very green doing it) and apparently I did a nice job. They can OB nicely and I don't find them leaky. They do not "sing" like my MBs, but they are still nice.
I'll have to get them out more often...
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acerimusdux
5 posts
Feb 19, 2011
11:25 AM
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"However, I prefer Suzuki Harpmasters over Bluesmasters for playability/tone. Just my two cents."
I actually agree with Sausagescoffer on this one. I only prefer the Bluesmaster more for the relatively low price on the set. They also have a very mellow tone, which is very nice for some things, and for anything they aren't good at, I think the Marine Band is ideal (chording, more brassy tone, etc). So my solution has been to combine Bluesmasters and Marine Bands, and choose the right tool for the job.
But for a single all around harp, the best choices are probably the Special 20 or the Harpmaster, which both sit somewhere in between those two extremes. I would actually go with the SP20 there partly for the compromise tuning. The Harpmaster is quite similar to the SP20, with similar style cover plates, and a very similar feel in hand and mouth. It has ET tuning, slightly less brassy tone, and maybe very slightly more easy to play (the SP20 is very responsive as well).
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clyde
102 posts
Feb 19, 2011
11:34 AM
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as far as best all around harp goes (for my taste) it's a toss up between the special twenty and golden melody. though i am fond of LO's
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groyster1
871 posts
Feb 19, 2011
12:43 PM
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@Joe L
it impresses me that you own 40 big river harps and that they serve you well I own 4 of them and like the way they are vented in the back I do prefer sp20 but think a lot more of the big river than some folks
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