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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
First Chromatic Harp, any advice
First Chromatic Harp, any advice
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MagicNick
42 posts
May 05, 2011
1:56 AM
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Hi Fellers,
Long time no speak in the forum.
As a diatonic player of 2 years, I'm thinking about getting myself a Chromatic after seeing Paul Lamb use one to great effect at my local blues club?
Probably 16 hole, probably Hohner, somewhere around the £100 ($150) mark
Does anyone have suggestions / experience
Cheers
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5F6H
654 posts
May 05, 2011
3:52 AM
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If you are looking to play in Paul's style, or in the West Coast 3rd position style in general, be sure to check the key of any tracks that you might be wanting to learn. The 16 holes only come in C (play in D 3rd position), but 12 holes in Bb, F & G get used a fair bit too.
I probably wouldn't buy a 16 hole in that price range, they're pretty leaky compared to a 12 hole. Off the shelf I'd probably go for the CX12 (airtight, warm, less moving parts in the slide assembly).
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chromaticblues
821 posts
May 05, 2011
6:15 AM
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Hohner 260 is a 10 crom. If you don't know how to play one anyway, maybe you might be better off starting there. I personally like the 260 because its easy to hold and cup with a mic. I can make it sound real nice amped. The CX 12 is a much better chrom. It is also brighter and twice as much money.
I have both and they both are good harps. The 270 deluxe is a great harp also, but only comes in C.
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harpaddict
34 posts
May 05, 2011
8:19 AM
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The least expensive Hohner 16 hole I would consider is the 280. A lot of guys play this harp and they're very nice. The only drawback is that they're around $220.00.
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harmonicanick
1173 posts
May 05, 2011
9:48 AM
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hey Nick if you buy a chrom, and you are in uk, then get a lesson or two from a teacher on the chrom
If you want to do that I can point you in the right direction
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tomaxe
12 posts
May 05, 2011
10:24 AM
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The prices of chromatics have gone through the roof over the last few years, more so than diatonics it seems to me. I bought a Hering Deluxe 64 about 5 years ago for around $90 to play some 1st position and 3rd position blues stuff—nice, airtight, stays in tune, you can easily bend notes a bit without taking valves off—today that harp lists for more than $260!!!
As you are player of two years I would follow others' advice and buy the best 10 or 12-hole chrom you can afford and practice on that have a lot of fun with it...save your pennies for a quality 16 hole down the road.
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jim
814 posts
May 05, 2011
10:44 AM
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Hohners: don't get anything cheaper than CX12. 260 is awful.
Seydels: ChromaticDeluxe is the playability minimum. Good value for its price, and it is also upgradeable (this is very valuable!).
Herings: never tried their chroms, but the reeds are likely to be fragile (judging by the diatonics). They do have a great sound though.
Suzuki: I guess they will all work well.
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Free Harp Learning Center
Last Edited by on May 05, 2011 10:45 AM
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5F6H
655 posts
May 05, 2011
11:09 AM
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Herings have horrid, bitey mouthpieces, not good for playing 5 hole octaves, they are airtight & responsive, but bright & mine has totally unacceptable windsaver noise. If you're prepared to work with them to get them how you like, then fine, but I don't recommend it as a first chrom.
I actually have one of the valveless 12 hole Seydels (only come in C), it needed a bit of regapping to make it responsive enough, lacks a bit of volume compared to the Hohner 12 holes, but is a better entry level option than say the Chrometta Hohner series, no windsaver noise either.
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dougharps
68 posts
May 05, 2011
9:57 PM
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I never had any problem with Hering mouthpieces. I play octaves a lot and mainly use Herings. I even put a Hering mouthpiece on a Hohner 270 because I hate the cheese grater mouthpieces on 270s, and the Hering mouthpieces are tighter.
Herings are more expressive, with easier chromatic style bends, but they do have more fragile reeds that do not last as long as Hohner 270s (maybe in part because they leak less?).
Herings have a brighter tone. I do like the darker tone of the 270s though. Herings have plastic bodies that don't split when there are temperature and humidity changes, like the 270s split sometimes.
I have had windsaver buzzes on Hohner and Hering and having the harp be pre-warmed will usually deal with that.
My gig bag has a full set of compromise tuned diatonics, 8 equal tuned backup harps in the popular keys, low F, high G, F minor for Green Onions, and 7 keys of chromatics, mainly Herings. I keep other alternate tuned harps and my just tuned harps separate for special circumstances. Amps, mics, harps, and PA have taken all my gig money!
Anyway, if you play hard, Herings are probably not the place to start.
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Doug S.
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MagicNick
43 posts
May 06, 2011
5:36 AM
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Thanks for all your advice
I'm going to take some of it and go for a 12 hole, maybe even 2nd hand and see how I go. If it's for me I'll be making further 'investments'
@HarmonicaNick I'm definitely going to have a couple of lessons. I know a guy locally (Reading) who is very handy with the chromatic (and diatonic for that matter)
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barbequebob
1629 posts
May 06, 2011
7:31 AM
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I use Hering chromatics. For someone new to chromatics, do not get one that has a thicker reed plate because if you're a really hard player, your chances of blowing them out increases pretty dramatically. For many years, Hering has used a somewhat longer slot reed than Hohner as well as a tighter reed slot tolerance and in the hands of a hard player, in terms of breath force, that's a blow out waiting to happen.
I can bend them almost a half step, but like with any other chromatic, you gotta EASE your way into it, and like any other chromatic they do NOT respond well to being played really hard at all.
For someone newer to a chromatic who wants as Hering, get either the 5164 (and only comes in C), if you want a 16 hole, 4 octave chromatic, or the 5148 which is a 12 holer and comes in many more keys. These two models are what Rod Piazza has been using for the last 5 years.
Hering has been notorious for having buzzing on the windsavers when you get them, but I agree with warming them up and they eventually will go away. Windsavers are the single biggest problem with EVERY chromatic no matter who makes them.
I have 2 different Hering 16 holers, the 5164 and the 6164, and I have 3 12 holes, the 7148, in the keys of Bb, F, and G.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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