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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Not another what new harp?
Not another what new harp?
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Bluzmanze
14 posts
Oct 29, 2011
9:49 AM
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I want to get a couple of new diatonic harps,an F and B flat.I am intermediate level,and have been working on new techniques,Like TBlocking,splits, octaves, T flutter and throat vibrato.While I love the sound of an MB,I don't yet tweak harps,so an MB is not an option right now.I currently have a Big River G,special 20 D, a couple of Lee Oscars B and C and a Suzuki blues master A.I like the sound of the big river,but it takes more air to play,and the cover plates seem to make it a little harder for me to play,esp the new techniques.The Higher pitch SP 20's I have had were really good,very airtight and responsive,the low pitch ones,G and B flat have been leaky and not very responsive for me.The +'s for me on the Sp are they are responsive,bend easily,and I can single notes well on them, and make working on new techniques easier,only minus is I have little more difficulty with accuracy/intonation on the 3 hole draw,mostly with the full step bend.The LO's seem to be very consistent OTB,bend decently and the 3 draw bends are easier for me.The Bluesmaster I like a lot,It bends as easily as the SP 20and even though a lower key is almost as responsive as the D sp 20,I had a little more difficulty singling notes at first,but have now adjusted to it.The suzuki is a little brighter to my ears,I have heard the harpmaster,while bright,plays like the Bluesmaster and sounds a little blusier so I thought I might try one in F,for the B flat,I was thinking of trying a souls voice,are they JI tuned?I have heard good and bad things about them,also in the running would be a delta frost,but I don't know who sells them,and have heard that service and availability can be an issue.Any advice /thoughts /recommendations appreciated
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Tommy the Hat
383 posts
Oct 29, 2011
10:45 AM
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I have a Harpmaster and a Delta Frost. They are the same harp...literally. Just a different name stamped on the covers. The Harpmaster is great, plays easy and somehow has a little "growl" to it.
Here's something though, for what it's worth. I thought I might have liked the Harpmaster better than my SP 20's which I really like. I thought the sound may have been better by just a hair. I took both harps, same key and tossed them somewhere, mixing them up so I didn't know which was which. I played them one at a time then picked which I liked best by sound, feel and playability. It turned out to be the SP20. Strange. I swore I liked the Harpmaster better...lol.
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Tommy
Last Edited by on Oct 29, 2011 11:00 AM
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Gig74
90 posts
Oct 29, 2011
11:07 AM
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If your anything like me the search for your ideal harp is a whole lot of trial and error. Every one likes different things so my opinion is only what I like, saying that you mentioned harpmasters and blues masters I've got both and much prefer the harpmaster as I like the covers over the full length ones of the blues masters and being their a little cheaper you can try one without breaking the bank.
I've no experience with the souls voice so can't help you there, delta frost is pretty much a blues master with harpmaster shaped covers I have one in A and it's pretty good I got it from eagle music in the UK I'm not sure if they ship overseas but you could give it a try.
I guess half the fun of playing harp is experimenting with new brands and models as long as they don't turn out to be duds that is.
I've only been learning about a year and a half and have tried a few harps but I've kind of settled on harpmasters and hohner crossovers at the moment but I'm sure I'll try more over time.
Enjoy whatever you go for.
Greg.
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Living the dream and learning the blues one little trouble at a time.
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nacoran
4819 posts
Oct 29, 2011
12:12 PM
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I don't have any Suzuki's yet, but of the harps I've played I think I like the SP20's and Lee Oskars best, for a combination of price, comfort and playability, with a slight edge to the Lee Oskars because they are Equal Tuned.
I also have a wonderful Seydel Blues Favorite. Golden Melodies are nice too, although you may need to sand the front edge of the reed plate a bit to smooth out the rough edges if it rubs your lip the wrong way. A lot of it comes down to personal preference. You seem to be doing a good job of trying different models for
yourself. I've sort of made a mental checklist in my head of all the features I want to try and I try to check off a couple ticks with each new major harp purchase.
General Cover Shape-
Full Length, Tin Sandwich, Jellybean
(I like full length covers)
Cover Back- Open, Closed
(Still undecided)
Cover Material- Metal, Plastic, Wood
(Metal, plastic covers don't project well, but they aren't bad for a practice harp. Real easy on the lips. There is a guy on YouTube who makes really pretty wooden covers. I talked to him in the comments a little. I just don't have the money to really get into that conversation! There is a guy in France who does wood covers too, but they are the price of a custom harmonica just for the covers.)
Comb Material- Plastic, Wood, Metal, Other
(The metal ones look nice and are comfortable. They weigh more, but that's only consideration if you are caring a whole bunch! The plastic ones (excluding customs) are pretty basic looking but really comfortable. The wood ones are a pain unless they are good quality customs. If they are good quality customs they are objects of art.)
Reed Plate Style- Protruding, Recessed
(Recessed don't cut your lips. Maybe they are a little less responsive, but I'm not sure. If you have a protruding reed plate and it's sanded smooth it's comfortable to play, if not, it can be rough.)
Slot Length- Long Slot, Short Slot
(I don't really have much of an opinion on this one. My understanding is long slots overblow easier. I don't overblow, so it's not an issue for me.)
Reed Material-
Brass, Bronze-Phosphor, Stainless, Plastic
(I couldn't tell you which is best. I want to try stainless steel, but it's not in the budget yet. I don't think any of my harps are Bronze-Phosphor and although I have some vintage plastic reed harmonicas I haven't played them. They are just for show.
Valves- Yes, No
(I understand their purpose but they bother me.)
Tuning- Equal, Just, Compromise
(I lean towards Equal for most songs, although if I had enough money I'd have a set of Equal and a set of Just)
Other-
(I love my Lee Oskar Natural Minor)
And of course, Key. And you could find you like a particular manufacturer you like. It seems the big brands all have people who like them better than the rest. As long as you stay away from the really cheap harps I think Hohner, Seydel, Suzuki, and Tombo (Lee Oskar) probably all have good models. (The Bushman harps are made by Suzuki and Seydel). Some people like Hering harmonicas too.
I think the more of those you experience the better idea you'll get for what your favorite combination of features is. You can probably find a harp that will fill all or almost all of those criteria, and then you've found your harp. It may mean your first full set doesn't match, but that's all right.
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Nate
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