Pit_Pony
2 posts
Jul 21, 2013
2:31 PM
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Good evening all from my front room in England,
In short,after years of foot tapping to the sound of harp music & playing air harp in the mirror my missis bought me a dirt cheap version as a joke which i howled the house down with but inspired me to buy the real thing (Hohner MS Pro in C)which got me hooked.
I have read about the subject & watched numerous You Tube videos & discovered this forum which is a goldmine.
I have subsequently bought a L.O, in A & Suzuki Bluesmaster in D. Yes i still howl but am feeling i am beginning to get a tenuous grip on the basics.
I have read bucketloads of reviews & like the look of the SP 20 & Crossover.
Is the difference in Harps for someone like myself significant enough to pay the extra pounds - About £30 for the SP20 against £50 -£55 for the Crossover or should i just
stick with the cheaper model until i improve more.I don't want to fall for the marketing hype & get a harp just because it looks pretty.
Or any other suggestions?
I fancy another C harp. I believe the Pro harp can be more difficult to master for a novice.
I have been playing, practicing every day for about 7 months & am told by my wife that i am getting quite good at the Dylan,folksy type stuff.
I bow to your collective wisdom
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harmonicanick
2006 posts
Jul 21, 2013
2:39 PM
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am told by my wife that i am getting quite good at the Dylan,folksy type stuff.
Oh Dear..
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harmonicanick
2007 posts
Jul 21, 2013
2:46 PM
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Sorry, did not mean to be negative..
personally I play Golden Melody harps and I think they are the best.
I get them customised by Henry Slim in the uk, great job..but it is not cheap Pit pony, good luck..
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jimbo-G
174 posts
Jul 21, 2013
3:04 PM
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Just keep buying harps try not to buy anything less than £20 unless its a sale. once you find a make you like the feel of buy more of them, let it take over your life. It's fun
P.s. dylan is considered by a lot of people including me as someone who can't play, but that is another thread in another time.
Good luck and welcome
Last Edited by jimbo-G on Jul 21, 2013 3:05 PM
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robbert
221 posts
Jul 21, 2013
3:07 PM
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Sp. 20s should serve you very well for now. Xover is a great harp, but I used Sp. 20s, LOs and BRs for over a decade and still use them, as well as Xovers.
The harp you get the most out of really depends on your current playing ability and style.
Higher end harps are often very responsive,so if you have a lot of technique, the instrument won't be a limit for you.
Sp. 20s seem to be responsive enough to be useful to just about anyone, and by the time you need it to be particularly responsive(ie:OBs & ODs), you may have learned to set your own gaps, and emboss the reed slots, all of which a Sp 20 lends itself to very nicely.
Sp. 20 is a good all around harp, and reasonably priced.
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groyster1
2310 posts
Jul 21, 2013
3:09 PM
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you get what you pay for applies to harps.....best value IMHO is SP20....but marine band deluxe and crossovers are great stock harps
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Pistolcat
451 posts
Jul 21, 2013
3:20 PM
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Sp20 are good. Way better than Lee Oskars, imho. The xover is very good and should be tested at some point in your journey as a special treat for yourself. However I would recommend the marine band deluxe above the xover. It cost a little less and I prefer the darker sound of the pear wood to the bamboo.
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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tookatooka
3403 posts
Jul 21, 2013
3:56 PM
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Hi Pit_Pony. Another Brit here, in London. Harp choice is a hard one. I went down the Lee Oskar, then Suzuki route and ended up with the Sp20 as my preferred weapon in the end. I feel the tuning is better than Suzuki and LO's and because it has a longer reed, I think it is easier to bend or at least more controllable.
I ordered another two SP20's tonight one Bb and an F. There's a guy on eBay (Sonnyboys Music Store) who sells them new with free P&P for £27.89.
If you are a new player, consider you'll be practicing a lot. The plastic comb is far more comfortable at this early stage of playing and you won't be tearing your lips up. Whatsmore, the tuning is identical to the Marine Bands that Adam uses if you intend following his tutorials.
See how you get on with them then upgrade later when you know more about the harps from this forum and you've identified what you want to get from them with your playing style.
I'm six+ years down the line now and find the SP20's perfect for me and I don't see any reason to go to a more expensive model. Adam gets his sound from a bog standard Marine Band Harp which is in the same price range but it has a wooden comb which could take quite a bit of getting used to.
Enjoy the ride and let us know how you get on.
Last Edited by tookatooka on Jul 21, 2013 4:00 PM
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