BluesJacketman
1 post
Oct 02, 2012
4:47 PM
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I don't understand the big fuss over the seydel harmonicas. I have owned Sessions, Session Steels and an 1847. Blew my session steels out within 3 months and they wouldn't replace them. The sessions are not that great of harps, and the 1847 is good but not worth the price.
I just stick with MB's especially since they now have sealed combs and last me over a year.
Can anyone here tell me why they like Seydels?
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1847
258 posts
Oct 02, 2012
4:53 PM
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can we hear a track of you playing?
that would be awesome!
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BeardHarmonica
135 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:10 PM
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The second harp I ever bouth in my life was a C 1847. I learnt to play single note, bend, and overblow on that same harp. It lasted me three years of playing everyday before a reed broke. I repaired it and I hope it will last another three years.
I now play custom seydel from Ben Bouman.
I clean and maintain my harmonica. I never liked to have a disposable instrument.
They are similar to custom harmonica out of the box (minus reed work)
They can overblow out of the box.
They look good.
They are the most resiliant and durable harp on the market.
If you break them after a couple months you should look at your technique.
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LSC
314 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:10 PM
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Don't know what to tell you, guy. I've been using 1847s for about 3 years now. I'm still using every one I bought with one exception. I stopped playing Hohner after 20 something years due to the reliability issues that I experienced.
As to why I like them. Tone, tuning, build quality, customer service, design, playability, reliability.
Consider if you will the number of name pros who play them and the number of serious semi-pros on this forum who rate them, neither group is particularly prone to going along with hype. How bad can they be?
There are those who favor Hohners, others Suzuki, or Lee Oskar. Some play Gibson guitars. Some play Fender. You're rockin' Marine Bands. More power to you. You're in good company. Doesn't mean Seydel is not a great instrument.
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LSC
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BluesJacketman
4 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:07 PM
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This is from quite a while ago:
http://soundcloud.com/bluestom/got-my-mojo-workin
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BluesJacketman
5 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:12 PM
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and this is from last month:
http://soundcloud.com/buddha-doobie/04-roadhouse
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Nisei
3 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:16 PM
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I like em'. All my harmonicas are under 2 years old so I can't speak on their famed durability of the reeds but when I compare my Session Steel with my MB, I do like the covers much, much better. No place for 'stache hairs to catch and more less prone to crushing.
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garry
276 posts
Oct 02, 2012
5:17 PM
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i have given up on session steels after finding that they don't last any longer than the bluesmasters or special 20's that i previously used, at twice the cost.
i'm not especially hard on harps, and have special 20's that i've played for years. i like the feel of the session steels, though they do not seem as responsive as my standard bluesmasters. i started buying them as an economic decision, reasoning that if they lasted at least twice as long, i'd come out ahead. they did not.
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GMaj7
98 posts
Oct 02, 2012
7:20 PM
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I was just curious .. BluesJacketman.. do any of the other companies replace harps that break after 3 months????
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1306 posts
Oct 02, 2012
10:14 PM
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I've said this before:
Harmonicas are like sex. No matter what way you can thinking of making it - or getting it from - somebody will be really into it and somebody else will think it's the most revolting thing they've ever heard of.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
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STME58
247 posts
Oct 02, 2012
11:14 PM
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I just bought my first 1847. It has the Aluminum comb and I like the heft. It is a low F and I can get some overblows. It seem responsive for a lower keyed harp. The 6 draw bend I need for the piece I bought it for is realy easy to get. I have troubel with 6 draw end on some of my other harps, especially high keys.
The covers as designed would be OK but the way this one is manuractured they curve up out of the reed plate groves at the end so they are really good at grabbing moustache and beard hairs. Perhaps if I sharpen the edges of the cover plates they will trim the hairs inistead of pull them!
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Ant138
1231 posts
Oct 02, 2012
11:14 PM
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I love the 1847, never had a bad one. They never go out of tune, exceptionally comfortable and bend like butter. 1847's are also work horses, I've had my 1847 in A for over 4 years and its still as good as the day i bought it.
I also never need to adjust the 1847, all mine have played like a dream right out of the box.
Its different strokes for different folks i guess but my money will always be on Seydel:o)
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http://www.youtube.com/user/fiendant?feature=mhum
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2012 1:30 AM
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MN
192 posts
Oct 03, 2012
8:23 AM
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LSC wrote: "As to why I like them. Tone, tuning, build quality, customer service, design, playability, reliability."
That pretty much sums it up for me as well (though I can't address customer service -- never had to deal with them on anything). My current rotation includes 1847, Session Steel, and Blues Session Standard -- plus Suzuki Harpmaster, Manji and Promaster. I love 'em all. And I can't remember the last time I've flatted out a Seydel (or a Suzuki).
I'm not against Hohner. I'm sure I'll buy some again in the future. But only if I need a particular key, and the only option is a Special 20, sealed Marine Band, or Golden Melody. YMMV.
I had the good fortune to spend an afternoon with Charlie Musselwhite and his wife last year. We were talking about his preferred Seydels and I asked what guys were playing back in the old days in Chicago. He said Marine Bands, but then qualified it: "There wasn't anything else, that was the only choice," he said.
Thank God that's no longer the situation.
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HarpNinja
2728 posts
Oct 03, 2012
9:16 AM
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I would never buy a steel Seydel for the "increased" reed life. I've get more inquiries for steel repairs than brass. IME, this is because people tune up brass and get more use out of them. With steel, they don't drop in tune until they are pretty much dead.
I am not a huge fan of recessed combs, so I rarely play Sessions or Special 20's. Comparing things like the Marine Band, Manji, and 1847, it really comes down to whatever you prefer. All three benefit from gapping and tuning OOTB. All three can overbend if you want them to. All three are great instruments.
When it all comes down to it, though, nothing beats a Marine Band ;). I love to experiment with different models, etc, but when weighing the pros and cons of instruments, I find the MB to be the way to go, even if I have to play a harp stock.
It is just like playing diatonic chromatically...there is more then one option, but they all have pros and cons.
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Mike
OOTB Harmonica Price List
VHT Special 6 Mods
Note Layout Comparisons
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas
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BluesJacketman
6 posts
Oct 03, 2012
10:19 AM
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hey gmaj7 seydel wouldn't replace my Session Steels.
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GMaj7
100 posts
Oct 03, 2012
12:08 PM
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Well, I don't know the circumstances but I can say that I don't believe any other company would replace them either after 3 months.
I won't promise you a satisfactory solution to this, but if you would like to email me, I will see if we can't take care of you.
If not, tell me.. If we do, tell everyone else!!
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
Last Edited by on Oct 03, 2012 12:09 PM
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1312 posts
Oct 03, 2012
1:40 PM
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Mike,
Take it from a guy who sold stock Seydels for years - that's because nobody buys brass Seydels - 90 percent of my sales were steel. I did a pretty exhaustive study over those years of harps I'd sold, the steel was lasting about five times as long as the brass with a few exceptions. I had some hard blowers with brass reeds - like a Solist Pro - that would blow those out quick, say in a month. I started replacing the blown out reeds with steel ones - then, I wouldn't see that harp again until they blew out another brass reed. Once I replaced the reeds they normally blow out with steel, I wouldn't see the harps again.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
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1847
261 posts
Oct 03, 2012
2:16 PM
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GMaj7
harrison harmonicas is the exception
brad would replace a blown out reed
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1315 posts
Oct 03, 2012
3:10 PM
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HH could do it, because we had so few reeds go out.
At HH, we specifically said reeds were not warrantied, he instructed me that we would replace them. But we didn't get any. This went on for months and months. Finally, in October 2010, somebody blew out a reed. Then a couple of weeks later, the same guy blew out another reed. I was there until Jan. 2011. At that time, there were officially two blown out reeds. I think there may have been a few more after my tenure ended.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
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nacoran
6116 posts
Oct 03, 2012
3:42 PM
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Steel (and titanium) are special in that they have a certain range of motion they can go through without worrying. It may be that softer players stay below this threshold. If that's the case, steel reeds would last a reeeeeallly long time, but it might be just as susceptible to damage from hard play. Brass worries any time it is bent at all, hard or soft, and is cheaper, so it might last just as long with a hard player. That's just a theory based on general metal fatigue without knowledge of how far exactly our little reeds are swinging when we play though, so take it with a grain of salt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(material)
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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Harptime
40 posts
Oct 03, 2012
4:39 PM
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1847 customs are all I bring to my gigs any more. So confident that I don't even feel the need to have a lot of back up harps as I used to in the past. I loved and still appreciate Special 20's but fact is I get at least four special 20 lifetimes out of one 1847. I have some that are now over 3 years old and have never been opened up for any reason. This includes my A. I have played a shit load of blues/rock tunes in E and I have honked real hard many of those times. It sounds like the day I first took it out of the box!
After 39 years of playing these things I must say that the better I got the less I blew out reeds. I believe that technique is a major factor in reed life. Before I switched to the 1847's I was getting close to a year out of my special 20's before issues came up. In the beginning I could blow out one a gig! Thank goodness they were only 3.50 back then :-)
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Warren Bee
Marketing & Harmonica Raconteur
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Harptime
41 posts
Oct 03, 2012
5:02 PM
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I meant to say 1847 classics...
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Warren Bee
Marketing & Harmonica Raconteur
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1847
262 posts
Oct 03, 2012
11:12 PM
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mr elk river
i believe those two harps were mine
#9 blow
if i remember correctly
i sent them back
no questions asked
also the reed plate was damaged
not sure if it came that way
or if it was my fault
may of been a design flaw
at any rate
i received nothing but the very best customer service
absolute top notch.
the only issue i had with brad is
when he went under
he did not ever contact me
via phone fax or email
i was the last to know
never heard a word.
still..... i can understand that.
he put his whole heart and soul
in to trying accomplish his vision
when you lose everything you hold dear
it's hard to pick your self up
dust yourself off
put one foot in front of the other
and keep on keeping on
excuse me.. this is a seydel blog
i have blown out a few reeds om my harps
several were fixed for free
a few more i never sent back
cause reeds are not covered under warranty
i have been playing seydels for at least 15 years
"i feel as if i am part of the family
"a red headed step child perhaps"
steel reeds do not corrode
brass reeds do!
you can learn to replace a reed yourself
you can pay some one to do it
you can buy a reed plate for less than a new harp
a stainless steel harp is very cool
you can rinse one out after playing it
it will not hurt it.
try that with brass reeds...see how long they last
compare the coverplate with any other brand
it is more like a mouth piece than a coverplate
seydel harps are engineered and hand made
in Germany
germans are known worldwide for their craftsmanship
thats all i got to say about that!
peace coop!
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Gnarly
340 posts
Oct 03, 2012
11:29 PM
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Hi all--
Suzuki has a one year warranty, and I get to fix 'em, so I encourage you to buy Suzuki and play them as much as you can.
And HarpNinja, I have finally gotten around to working on Marine Bands, and they are great! Not that I like wood combs, or nails, but as a long time SP20 user, I can see why long time MB players would scorn SP20s.
I just ordered one of those DuoHarp thingees, so I guess I will start using harps with magnetic covers--no more TurboLids.
As far as Seydel (the thread, after all), I bought a Session Steel, tuned it to Major Cross and use it all the time--no problems, it will probably last for years.
People break reeds when they play wrong--can I get an amen?
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boris_plotnikov
776 posts
Oct 04, 2012
1:13 AM
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I glad I get some Seydels 1847 once and get used to them. Now I'm crazy about them, all brass reeds for me now sounds and responds like a toy reeds as stainless steel reeds have much wider dynamics. No worry about tuning consistence. Yes, I've replaced about 4 reeds after two years of playing them, but in general I started to play much louder and much more articulated than I used to play with brass. Anyway stainless steel reeds are always break without going a bit off tune like brass. Usually they stop vibrating or go off tune very deep at one moment (while brass slightly change pitch which always made me nervous).
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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MN
193 posts
Oct 04, 2012
3:40 AM
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Warren Bee wrote: "After 39 years of playing these things I must say that the better I got the less I blew out reeds. I believe that technique is a major factor in reed life. Before ... I was getting close to a year out of my special 20's before issues came up. In the beginning I could blow out one a gig!"
I haven't been playing 39 years (almost 20 for me), but I can say I've had just about the exact same experience.
Gnarly wrote: "People break reeds when they play wrong--can I get an amen?"
AMEN!
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bonedog569
641 posts
Oct 04, 2012
12:07 PM
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"1847 is good but not worth the price"
It is really good. A class above the rest IMO in construction quality and tone. Wether or not it's worth the price is a subjective value call. Not to worth it to you obviously, worth it to others.
I also really like Suzuki Hammonds and Manjis - they are all different and have different strenghts.
When us old farts started playing- MB's where $5 or less. I blew hard and tossed them when they failed. I'm trying to take a more finess and less force approach in my old age.
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Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2012 12:09 PM
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boris_plotnikov
777 posts
Oct 04, 2012
12:22 PM
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MN
A bit opposite. I play for 12 years and as soon as I get more relieble harps and full set of stainless steel reeds (as a service center) I give up saving harps and starts playing harder. Two years ago I didn't kill any reeds. Previous year I killed one reed, this year already three reeds. Not a big problem for me.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Oct 04, 2012 12:44 PM
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1316 posts
Oct 05, 2012
12:02 PM
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I don't know 1847, maybe it was. I don't know who you are - it's hard to tell who about 9/10 of the people here are because most are anonymous people.
The reeds I'm talking about were October 2010 for the first reed, Nov. 2010 for the 2nd replacement. They were 5 and 6 draw. Funny how I can remember that stuff.
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David
____________________
At the time of his birth, it was widely accepted that no one man could play that much music so well or raise that much hell. He proved them all wrong.
R.I.P. H. Cecil Payne
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