Not sure how available these are besides in the u.k. or if they are any good. They sure look nice. They are a bit gimmicky in regards to the picture of sonny terry on the website and it says sonnyboy. Who am I to judge. They might be a super deal and a reliable harp...
My bet is a Hohner Rocket covers on a comb for exposed reed plates.
It's a good idea and looks cool. Certainly better than Hohner's Modular Series retreads. I hope he is successful with it.
*Sigh* I took a closer look. It is a Manji. The reed plates look welded, too. Hm, I hope Suzuki is getting a cut of all the harmonicas made with their development efforts.
Last Edited by the_happy_honker on Feb 02, 2017 10:59 AM
The design is definitely a knock off of Suzuki Manji. I have a nice Suzuki chro in that color.
I'll bet it's a very fine harp if it uses the same quality reeds as the Manji.
After further investigation of the SonnyBoy UK co. this harp is very suspect It's not licensed by Suzuki as far as I can tell. ---------- Have good day. M.A.P. .
Last Edited by MP on Feb 02, 2017 6:43 PM
i doubt there is anything they can do about it. covers are reminiscent but i bet not exactly the same as. and as BH said, hohner tried to patent their covers, which suzuki sidestepped with the manji evidently so i dont think theres much ground for even moral objection there. comb is obviously different. i think youd be hard pressed to fight a winning battle about attaching reeds with spot welds. so in short, suzuki probably have about as much justification to complain about that as hohner do to object to the manji. i.e. none.
i mean, its not as if anyone is pretending its a suzuki. its blue for a start, with sonnyboy's classic written in large contrasting font all over it. its not even pitched at the same market. its a budget harp.
I bought a Sonnyboys' Mojo a while ago, because it comes in Just Intonation and I wanted to hear what that was like - do other production harps come in JI? Anyway that one does. It played as well as my other ones in the same key, and had more heft - which people often say they like and I can see why. Although that makes no difference to how it plays or sounds.
It was my first experience with phosphor bronze reeds - wow they are springy compared to brass.
The only thing is I didn't like the taste of it. Whether that's because of the metal of the plates, the plastic of the comb or something on the covers I don't know. It left an odd aftertaste - makes me think I'm absorbing something or other. Probably no worse that any other sandwich comb.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Feb 03, 2017 5:42 AM
The only diatonic harps using 7LJI at this moment are the Hering 1923 Vintage Harp and the JI version of the Suzuki Fabulous. The Hohner MS Blue Midnight uses 19LJI. No other one does. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
The three harmonicas in the Sonnyboys range are specifcally commissioned from a Chinese factory to be tuned as per, and in discussion with, and with advice from, David Barrett's Harpsmith, Kinya Pollard.
The Mojo is tuned to Just (C=0, D=+4, E=-14, F=-27, G=+2, A=+6, B=-12), the Special is tuned to Equal (all on zero), and the Classic is tuned to 'Compromise Just' (C=0, D=+2, E=-8, F=-8, G=+1, A=+3, B=-8)
We decided to launch this range to interest the harmonica community and to provide instruments for around $25 to give a great balance of quality and value.
We were not even aware of intonation until a discussion with old friend Joe Filisko back in the last century revealed that, simply put, ‘Just’ is great for playing chords whereas ‘Equal’ is better for playing tunes.
We think this is very interesting for harmonica players to consider and understand.
You will see precise details of the tuning chart in cents for each reed of each harmonica here - http://sonnyboysmusicstore.co.uk/pages/which-harmonica-should-i-buy
There is an independent review of all models here - http://www.patmissin.com/reviews/sonnyboysclassic.html - but please note the design/shape (not the tuning/intonation) changed a few weeks ago - that was the factory's decision not ours - and reviews of the new models are not yet completed - that will be coming soon.
