jason campbell
81 posts
Feb 27, 2016
5:57 AM
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hey, i was wondering from those that play Seydel, what harp is the best buy for the money? Are the Blues solosit pro or session standard ok to play out? Or do you have to buy an 1847 to make it worth it?
Fyi, i am not a pro, i typically play sp 20 and play out at jams and open mics.
Thanks for any advice.
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Sarge
536 posts
Feb 27, 2016
7:40 AM
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I like the solist pro better than the session, but my favorite is the 1847 silver from PT Gazell. He personally checks out the harp before it's sent to you.
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Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
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Thievin' Heathen
695 posts
Feb 27, 2016
7:50 AM
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I had never noticed the economy line(s) of Seydel's. The variety of keys(low & high) that they offer in the Blues Session is impressive.
I think that price range puts you squarely in the OOTB crap shoot, but trying one or three is probably worth the gamble.
Sorry, not much help.
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Killa_Hertz
639 posts
Feb 27, 2016
10:00 AM
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I have never tried any of seydels brass reed harps. But the Session Steel is fantastic. The 1847 is better imo, but it does cost alot more. The power tunings look very interesting.
But the short answer is. ... Buy a Session Steel. I have to warn you that they are a bit different from the sp20. The holes are slightly bigger and spacing is a lil different because of this. These arent big differences and u should get used to it in no time. I was literally just posting about how much more i like the SS comb than the sp20. It's a great harp IMO. I love the covers too. Solid harp. If its too pricey for your taste however, im sure the Session Standard is still a great harp.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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Tiggertoo1962
28 posts
Feb 27, 2016
10:24 AM
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I'll just roll out the old "buy it, try it, judge for yourself" bit of wisdom. Reason being the only ones I have are the Seydel Blues Session, and I regret having bought them ever since I got some SP20s (this opinion may change down the line). If you want more details, have a look in the "Kinda Puzzled about Hohner Rocket and Rocket Amp" thread over in the beginners' section where I wrote a (for me) fairly long post this afternoon.
Cheers
Fin
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dchurch
21 posts
Feb 27, 2016
10:37 AM
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I think the standard Sessions are the best "value" although I prefer Seydel's steel reed models for their sound...
Ditto: The Sessions are noticeably bigger, thicker in the mouth and more generous hole spacing than Special 20s. That might be an important consideration for you.
I'm not a pro either but I do play several different good quality makes and models. They all have different personalities, none are that much "better" than another. I expect to at least gap any new new harmonica that I add to my collection.
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It's about time I got around to this.
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nacoran
8968 posts
Feb 27, 2016
11:34 AM
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I've tried the Blues Favorite, the Blues Session and Blues Session Steel. They are all great harps, but to be fair, none of mine were quite out of the box. (One was from David Payne, one I bought reed plates and covers to go with a comb I had (actually Dave's comb. I got two in the deal when I bought from him) and the last is modified into a Turboslide by Turboharp.
The only thing about them I wish they did a little better is the back crush struts are a little flimsy. They do the job, but if you take the harp apart you have to make sure they are lined up correctly when you put it back together or they can slide off the back and cause problems. I've been considering getting some post screws and opening up the back, which would solve the problem.
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harmonicanick
2385 posts
Feb 27, 2016
2:32 PM
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I prefer Hohner and I have the lot
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SuperBee
3453 posts
Feb 27, 2016
4:00 PM
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I think I agree with Sarge that I'd prefer a solist pro over a session. But in my experience i have not found Seydel session brass to be very durable.
Sample size may be a factor to consider. I've had 3 solist pro harps and were it not for the moustache pulling covers I may have bought more. I still have one but rarely play it now I have a lot of moustache.
The session has slightly thicker reed plates than most brass harps which could make them more susceptible to early failure if played a little too hard.
My sample size on session steel is a little bigger, and in general I'd have to say I think the reports of their excellence tends to be more prominent than my experience of their excellence leads me to expect. That's the nature of forums I think.
I haven't kept count of how many I've seen, but it must be around 30 and I'm yet to play one that I wanted to keep.
The best sessions I've seen have had non-stock combs.
From my angle, it's clear the session is cheaper mainly because it uses a budget comb. there is also considerable variation and poor fit-quality of parts. This is probably to be expected with a budget model. I'm sure this would sometimes produce a really good harp, just as my local barista occasionally produces a really excellent flat white. Unfortunately the more usual experience, for me has been a variable product with far more mediocre scores than outstanding.
If you put a good comb on, then yeah, it could be cool, but then it's more like an 1847 price.
I'd rate the session steel 'OK to disappointing', but it has some good points. Mainly being, it's playable usually, and if you can get it in tune it will generally stay tuned for a good long time.
It has some bad points, like being difficult to precision tune due to a poor quality comb, annoying to assemble due to poor component fit and low quality hardware, prone to thread stripping due to poor component fit and low quality hardware, some units have very sharp edges due to poor attention to finish quality, commensurate with the poor component fit. Most of those are probably of minor importance to a player.
The solist pro is a proper harp, albeit brass. The covers are nice apart from the lugs which catch hair. The comb seems good, on par with 1847 classic.
I've found Seydel a bit more prone to reed alignment problems in the longer reeds and lower keys. I'm not sure why that may be, but it's not limited to steel or brass. And it's not common, just more so than in hohner, ime. And I've seen 4 or 5 times as many hohner harps as Seydel.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Feb 27, 2016 4:03 PM
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Killa_Hertz
641 posts
Feb 27, 2016
4:54 PM
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Bee just has a thing with seydels. Especially the Session Steel. Dont mind him. Lol. I think he just hates orange.
No.... But tigertoos advice is the ultimate truth. You ve just gotta try it for yourself. Its all subjective.
I just love the rich sound i can get out of the session steel. Great amped sound too. And the comb and covers are VERY comfortable. The thickness is great for TB playing.
The 1847 just flat out plays great. People just have to get over the fact that most harps OOTB need some personal touches. Im currently waiting on an set of A reedplates to fix up a circular tuned noble i got super cheap.
Anyhow. These are all just opinions. Nobody can tell you if YOU will like it.
But they are all quality harps.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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SuperBee
3456 posts
Feb 27, 2016
6:31 PM
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I have a thing about trying to include objectivity into these discussions. I've observed quite a few of these harps. The session steel has a low quality comb and less rigour applied to quality control. That's why it is cheaper than an 1847. You get steel reeds. That's why it's more expensive than a blues session.
I've worked on a shitload of sp20s and to me it seems the sp20 comb is a bit better than the session comb. I think the sp20 comb is better than the big river comb and the pro harp comb too. I'm sure they're not without flaws but they seem generally better. I bought session combs and they were poor. That's not a overstatement. The parts were a poor fit, the combs were not well-made. I bought session covers and actually cut my finger on the cover while I was getting it out of the plastic bag. Cut it like a knife.
And I see more miscast screws in Seydel products than any other harp. And more stripped threads.
These are actual observations from a reasonable sample. Not a 'thing' I have. By all means dismiss my report as irrelevant but don't treat me as a liar.
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Killa_Hertz
642 posts
Feb 27, 2016
7:30 PM
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Lol. I wasnt man. You know i didn't mean anything by it. We ve talked about it before. I know how you feel. And you may be right. I know it all comes from your experiences.
I just don't share your opinions. I didn't mean to imply you were a liar.
Take it easy Bee. Lol.
Can't joke with nobody around here.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Feb 27, 2016 7:30 PM
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A440
535 posts
Feb 28, 2016
1:11 PM
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I LOVE the Session Steel. It's my favourite all-around instrument. Sweet tone, great feeling to play. I can really control the reeds and bend them precisely and fluidly. The steel reeds stay in tune much longer than by SP20s.
I also like the Solist Pro. It has brass reeds, a very nicely finished wood comb, and very organic sounding. I only have one, but I enjoy playing it almost daily.
Both are great harps.
I have never tried the 1847 line.
Last Edited by A440 on Feb 28, 2016 1:14 PM
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The Black Pit
48 posts
Feb 28, 2016
8:20 PM
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I've only owned the Blues Session and Solist Pro. As was pointed out already there are 3 things I disliked about the Session:
1)Seydels' proprietary, irregular hole spacing.
2)A somewhat uncomfortably thick comb.
3)It was quite leaky as compared to my other plastic combed harps (Special 20, Harpmaster, Bluesmaster).
The Solist Pro had a problem that required sending back to Seydel for repair. But their customer service was top notch.
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"The blues are the roots of all American music. As long as American music survives, so will the blues."...Willie Dixon
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Killa_Hertz
655 posts
Feb 29, 2016
4:34 AM
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Yea. They are quite a bit thicker. But after playing them and the Manjis alot lately, I actually find MB and SP20 a bit too thin. And MB was my goto. I guess you can get used to anything. Leaky idk. Mine aren't leaky really. The 1847 is tighter for sure. The sp20 is really air tight so idk if your ever gonna beat sp20 for airtightness. But i find the tone on the SS alot nicer. I do like the comfort of the SS comb aswell. And Once you get used to the spacing other harps feel crowded. Especially the sp20.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
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ME.HarpDoc
125 posts
Feb 29, 2016
6:03 AM
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I have the same experience as Killa with Seydel. I have a SS in F and a Session Standard in C that I bought to see if they would be good for a beginners course I'm teaching in a couple of weeks. I liked the Standard I received just fine.
Hole spacing and size are different. But I play harps by Hohner, SP20 w Blue Moon custom comb and open back, Blue Midnight and Big River which I'm not crazy about but have decent tone, Suzuki Hammond, Olive, Bluesmaster and Harpmaster which are my favorites and I have a Delta Frost which is essentially a Harpmaster.
The OP asked what was best value for money. I think the Bluesmaster and Harpmaster. Is the Session Standard Ok OOTB? Maybe (see above posts), mine was.
One thing no one's mentioned yet is I had heard that replacement reed plates for the Session Standard are available only in Steel ( or at least the steel plates fit) They're about $30. So if you have to replace a reed plate on a Standard, you essentially get a SS for half the price.
Last Edited by ME.HarpDoc on Feb 29, 2016 6:06 AM
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